Page 36 - Montana Freemason Magazine November 2013

Montana Freemason November 2013
THE RITE CORNER
David L. Nielsen, Deputy in Montana
“Life’s Lessons”
As we get back to our usual fall routine from
a summer break, I want to share with you my
experiences and lessons learned. On the 4th of
July my wife and I flew to Manaus, Brazil to join a
medical mission team that was formed through our
church and a local doctor (who happens to be my
personal physician). We traveled up the Rio Negro,
one of the tributaries of the Amazon, and went to
eight villages only accessible by boat. Though I did
not have medical skills to offer, my wife, having
been a clinic nurse for 20 years was great. My job
was to help whenever and whatever. I did use my
rough juggling skills to entertain the people waiting
in the queue.
We expected to see poverty in the villages but
except for pictures in solicitations for money I had
never looked into the face of “poor” people in other
countries. I saw smiling, welcoming faces that liked
to laugh and enjoy life. The Brazilians are proud and
sometimes slightly vain in their appearance. They
like to dress nice and not show anything that is not
attractive. Some of the older people who had severe
decaying teeth would not allow fluoride treatment
because they did not want the dental hygienist to
see their poor teeth. Having a culture with vanity is
certainly not confined to Brazil.
Getting to laugh with them, pray with them and
sing with them made me rethink what is “poor.” If
poor is not having a nice large house, three cars, a
boat and more than one gun, then they are poor. If
a person’s wealth is defined as having strong family,
supportive community and friends, and fulfillment
of life, then the Brazilians in these isolated villages
are definitely rich and not poor.
In Scottish Rite we learn that after death, people
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are at an equal state and it matters not whether they
were rich and powerful, or poor and oppressed. Our
challenge then is to strive for equality among the
living and not wait until death equalizes all.
Butte Valley put on the conferral of the 4th
Degree and communication of the degrees to
the 14th. They had two bright, young candidates
who wanted to understand what life had to offer
and how to have a fulfilling one. All of us at
that communication discussion were challenged
and energizes as we discussed the lessons of
those degrees. This insightful education is what
Scottish Rite Freemasonry offers to its members. I
encourage the members to come to the reunions
and educational discussions to drink from the cup
of learning. I think you will find that the lessons
presented are unquestionably relevant to our world
now.
I am pleased to announce the names of the
brothers in the Orient of Montana who have
been selected to receive the 33° Inspector General
Honorary and the Knights Commander Court of
Honour.
The new 33° recipients are:
Stephen Marsh, Billings Valley;
Rilling Williams, Great Falls Valley,
Roger Sherman, Great Falls Valley;
Leslie Saisbury, Helena Valley;
Douglas Stam, Western Montana Valley
Richard Aspinwall, Great Falls Valley.
The new KCCH’s are:
Llewellyn Fletcher, Billings Valley
Michael Walker, Great Falls Valley
Robert Snow, Billings Valley
Leonard Reed, Great Falls Valley
Kevin Olson, Butte Valley
Don Holland, Billings Valley
William Jolly, Western MT Valley
Christopher Rubich, Billings Valley
Leonard Seymour, Great Falls Valley
Ted Bush, Helena Valley
Terry Davis, Butte Valley
Marshall Gingery, Helena Valley
Jesse Gross, Western MT Valley
Thomas Hornung, Billings Valley
Keith Head, Great Falls Valley
John Samouce, Western MT Valley
Daniel Lehn, Western MT Valley
James Matovich, Western MT Valley
Charles Stein, Jr., Great Falls Valley