Life History of Marcel F. Lauper
As a family, we were very active in our small Ventura Branch of the Church; and very soon some of the presiding officers of the California Mission appointed me as Superintendent of the YMMIA; and my sister Viola as counterpart in the YWMIA program. We were to be District Leaders, which positions are comparable to Stake offices in an organized Stake. Our supervisors were the leaders and full time Elders, headquartered at Los Angeles Mission Home. Our area included vast distances--Ventura to San Luis Obispo, and inland to Lancaster, California. It was a tremendous and awesome responsibility. In addition to the heavy correspondence, along with as much travel as we could manage, to fill this job, I was found either courting the girls or reading the scriptures--an enjoyable contrast I was somehow able to manage. I will say that I had an earnest desire to fill a mission and did make effort to prepare myself. Scripture reading during that period included the Bible, from cover to cover; and while that is not expected, nor truly much of an accomplishment, it was something I wanted to do, and did, for personal achievement and satisfaction. I was soon overjoyed to learn the marvelous news through my mother, from her Uncle Julius Sorensen, that he desired to assist some one of her family in serving a mission--an answered prayer to me. Subsequently the thrill came, my formal call to go to the land of Denmark. On July 4, 1935, I was to be found sailing the high seas toward Europe. By this time I had acquired some degree of self-confidence, and yet all these happenings were a source of great wonderment to my young mind, as the world was opening up to me. I found it hard to believe that I was on this very special assignment, to a very special area ---the homeland of both my mother and her Uncle Julius, and to represent our little Ventura Branch as their very first missionary. A spiritual experience of major importance should here be mentioned; this being just as I was nearly ready to depart. I had not made announcement to my employer at Rogers Furniture of my intended departure for there was such fear that something might go wrong, that I wouldn't be able to accumulate enough money for my outgoing fare, for my clothing, and mainly for continuity of family income.
With all these pending unfinished details, and the worry that the whole wonderful dream might collapse and I'd be unable to go, I felt it best to give little or no notice. Now as things fell into place--the Branch having held a party in my honor and gathered enough financial support to pay my fare to Salt Lake, and I was at last reasonably outfitted, it was time to make my intentions known to Mr. and Mrs. Harry B. Roff of Rogers Furniture. They were good old Scotch people but far from understanding the desires of my young heart. Dennis and I had our plans, but as we were driving to see them on this particular evening, I stopped the car, saying, "We have to have the Lord's help in this", and together we prayed. We went into the Roff home where I told them I was leaving to serve a Church Mission. Mr. Roff said, "Are they going to pay you more money than we are?" I had to explain this mission was not for money; that it was an obligation to our Heavenly Father, to do His work, resulting from our inner feelings and beliefs. I told them that my family was in need of my continued support, but that brother Dennis could take over my job and continue on as a source of financial assistance. They stated they would think it over, and that Dennis should check back with them. My heart stopped, as I mustered the courage to tell them that I was leaving immediately and that he would need to start work right away. Both Mr. and Mrs. were stunned, but they were somehow moved upon to say "OK, come on down to the store tomorrow". Looking back on this, I must admit I left no great margin of time for them to ponder this, and so, Dennis was introduced, was accepted, and started his livelihood there ---all at once! What an unexplainable blessing that was for us all!
Money for my overseas travel came in bits and pieces from everywhere. Then, aside from gifts, Uncle Julius' funds supported me to the field and all the while I was in Denmark. Mission headquarters then provided nothing for going out into the field (and this was hard to come by), but the fare to return does come from the Church. I should add, however, that for my after-mission travel to places other than the direct route, Ivan furnished the bulk of it--generous then as now.
After leaving Salt Lake Mission Home, within a short time I arrived in England where I tried to capitalize on some of the suggestions made by Ivan, to visit a few noteworthy places, but Joseph F. Merrill, president of European Missions, gave directions in a stern schoolteacher-fashion, stating I was to go directly to my mission field rather than sight-see the island. Crossing the North Sea, I arrived at Esbjerg, Denmark. It was aboard ship that I tasted my first eel (ugh). Then, on to my Mission Home at Priorvej 12, Copenhagen Denmark, where President Alma L. Petersen called my two traveling companions and me, along with all Elders who were then staying at the Home, to gather around a large table for prayer. That first day he called on lil' ole me to pray, and he evidently felt that I uttered a worthy prayer for my President commented, "I can always pick those new Elders who have learned to pray before coming out into the field, and I appreciate that ability very much Elder Lauper is used to praying". I commenced immediately in language training. This heavy study along with the usual fundamental steps in routine missionary life was necessarily strenuous. Tracting was the way of life; and during my first month in Denmark, along with my companion, we passed out 2,003 tracts each--taking turns at every other door; which entailed going up and down a lot of stairs and steps to reach the numerous apartments. It was a system of walking up and down, one building to the next, and six days each week. There were five days from morn 'til eve, with one-half day on Saturday. As my language progressed to the twenty-second day, I was called upon to give a talk in the native tongue. I remember writing it in English and then asking for translation from an English/Danish-speaking fellow. Then I learned it, and when I gave that talk, the membership thought I could speak Danish. Actually, I was saying words that were meaningless to me, but I had faith they meant something to others. Apparently, this was the case for I got by, and within three months I was transferred to become junior companion to Elder Boyd Larsen and we left by boat from Copenhagen, going to Aarhus, stopping there overnite with the local Elders. Incidentally, I do not recall any other night in my whole life where I slept so cold. I was the newest Elder, knew none of the others intimately; and so they all got together in a downstairs room, and I slept alone in the attic, and to this date, I can recall that cold miserable night--a bad scene. The ride on the train next morning was beautiful, as we continued on to Herning, Denmark, where I was to stay and labor for the next six months. I can modestly state at this point, even though I was Junior, I had been blessed to the extent that my Danish was already better than companion, Elder Larsen, who had been out considerably longer than I. We enjoyed some success in that Herning area, baptizing a few souls; and had the rich experience of being mothered by one of the good saints and her family there, all of which made for an unforgettable period of my mission.
I must recount my most memorable Christmas while in the field. It was there in Herning that I received a most wonderful letter from Father, which arrived Christmas Eve, into which he had tucked a couple of dollars with the words, "Son, this is meant to add a little to your Christmas cheer", and he wrote such a lovely, lovely letter. I wish I could put my hands on it this very minute. He said, "Well goodbye son the farther apart we are, the more united we are. Dad", and with this he closed that significant letter which I read on Christmas Eve, 1935. During the ensuing holidays, I slipped down to Veile and to Horsens to see the places where our mother was born and lived as a child, also where Uncle Julius Sorensen had lived as a boy. I shall never forget what a great trip that was; but upon my return to Fleming, and on the day after New Year Day, 1936, I was sitting in my little ill-furnished room (actually, there was a front room and a bedroom) when I heard the thump of heavy mail dropping to the floor as it came through the slot of our door. It turned out that the heavy envelope was addressed to Elder Larsen, who read inside "There is a sad message for Elder Lauper, so before you hand him the contents of this envelope, I would suggest you have a prayer with him", this from President Petersen. So Elder Larsen asked me to kneel with him and he voiced a beautiful prayer before handing me the envelope, at which time he left the room. Within a few moments I was sobbing as I read the cable from brother Dennis, "Father passed away", without much more included. Even worse than that grim message at that time was the waiting during the next seventeen (17) days until a letter came, explaining the details, for I wondered about an accident, whether others were involved, or how much more misery was to come. It was a mystery, for father's letter had not alluded to an illness. Dennis' letter finally arrived telling how Father began feeling ill on Sunday evening, after visiting with friends, the Leary family. He complained of violent stomach pain, which increased. By Monday, he had a temperature and severe nausea, go was admitted to surgery for appendectomy. I understand he was given spinal anesthesia so was never truly unconscious through the surgery, but he also didn't really rally following it. On Wednesday of the same week, which was New Year's morning, the family was called to advise that he was failing. Mother, Alice, Dennis, Viola and Ralph hurried to Foster Memorial Hospital in Ventura. He greeted each with tender smiles, attempting to console and allay fear, stating all would be well. After spending a while with him, Mother was ironically 'shooed' from the room by the nurse who claimed she had to 'tend' to Father. Dennis, only, was allowed to remain in the room during Father's last moments, and his last glance was directed toward Dennis, then up, and with a smile, he expired. Dennis concluded his letter to me with "Carry on, brother, he is watching you now. Incidentally, Father's death certificate reads 'Carcinoma' (cancer)!
After Herning I was transferred, as District President, to Odense, the birthplace of H. C. Anderson, and President Petersen then told me he planned to give that district only a short time to either come to life, or he would close it out. Other missionaries had 'played' it so badly that almost no one could 'play' it at that time. We went in there and within six months had baptized fourteen (14) souls!
Incidentally, there were, at this time, sixty-five missionaries in the Danish Mission, in total. We held a Young People's Convention, an annual function, there in my district of Odense, and at our Elder's meeting on that occasion, President Petersen said, "There are a lot of fine Elders in this Mission today, sixty-five in number, and I appreciate all of you, but the outstanding missionary in the Danish Mission today is Elder Marcel F. Lauper”, and then he called on me to speak. My feelings included all kinds of emotions: fluster, self-consciousness, and humility in abundance. Such an outburst from President was totally unexpected. During that convention, the speech I gave include showing them a little twig to represent an orange tree - tying that in with my home, in California. If a seed is planted and nourished correctly, it will grow properly and produce beautiful fruit --- likening that to guiding of youth in their early days to produce solid individuals in the Church.
As I was able to rack up eight baptisms in that area, to become high point man, I recalled my Patriarchal Blessing from Los Angeles Patriarch George T. Wride, who had stated years before that I would be called as a missionary to a field that would provide many sheaves to the harvest. I had valid reason to rather doubt this when upon my arrival in the field. I had looked at the records which showed some fifteen to eighteen baptisms for the year, for the total missionaries. Well, the next year, the grand total was one hundred, twenty-five. Now I realize by today's standards, more especially in some of the Mexican Missions as well as in South America, where my son John is, that number is but a day's work; but in 1936-37, in Scandinavia, that was HIGH, so I believe that blessing was fulfilled. I can truly say I enjoyed my Mission, albeit there were ups and downs. Both memories linger, but the pluses and positive side outweighs the negative. I stayed in Denmark for thirty-four (34) months. Before leaving this portion of my account I should state that the last half of my mission was served under President Mark E. Garff, and I can safely say that both of my presidents were undoubtedly the best two mission presidents the Church has ever produced. While all missionaries might say that, this was and is a fact!
I must include here two outstanding spiritual experiences. These come to mind, along with many, many other special and memorable feelings and impressions that were mine during that long stay in the field, but these two I must recount. At one time in the upper room at Priorvej 12 Copenhagen Mission Home I was in solemn prayer requesting help in some very serious matters: one being a plea for assistance in learning the Danish language; another a petition to 'get myself right with the Lord', and I bear witness that if it was not the Savior--at least an angel, or some personage from the other world, was there in that room with me on that particular morning. On that Saturday morning, I knew this experience to be real then, and I have known it all my life. I looked about to see where the voice was coming from, and I also ran excitedly out of the room to look out the window--to see if someone was leaving or coming. But there, I had a personage with me in that room in answer to my prayers. I state this as a solemn fact. Another instance, in Aalborg, Denmark, when we were holding a very special meeting of the leaders and officers of the Branch along with all the missionaries. Incidentally, this particular Branch was rather large--360 members, and at that time, I was serving as their Branch President. There was a local faction endeavoring to oust me from the area, in fact from the mission, in fact they had been successful to the point of having gotten rid of the former Branch President. I knew who this group of 14 men included and that they were being led by one of the Branch members--a strong individual who had been to Utah and knew quite a little of English language, had even been married in the Temple. At this time he was possessed with an apostate spirit and was doing a great deal of harm. During this meeting this man arose, and in a very hateful, mean manner, commenced to make strong denunciations and criticism of the Branch leadership, thus creating a strong poisonous spirit in our meeting. The Adversary was truly present. Without the slightest forethought on my part, and as if I was lifted up, I was suddenly on my feet; and in clear Danish language I spoke very forcefully, "In the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, I command you, Brother Cerlach, to be seated and remain quiet throughout this meeting". He immediately sat down, and said not another word; however, he did not remain until the end of the meeting. About three-fourths way through that period, this man picked himself up, but without a spoken word, walked out of the room while the other thirteen accusers followed him. This group then wrote our Mission President, asking him to oust the Branch President and send him back to America. Of course, President Garff took some steps in reply, telling those men if they did not repent, they would be excommunicated. I should note there was not a single tithe payer in that lot of fourteen, according to President Garff, and he stated that only two had made small contributions of any kind.