Posted on 06/17/2002 7:40:10 AM PDT by Rodney King
Edited on 04/22/2004 12:33:59 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
SALT LAKE CITY
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Couple that with the garage door and that someone could have been hiding in the house somewhere for many hours... and you have to wonder if this guy has a house that's too big for him to really keep under guard by himself.
That thought has crossed my mind too. I always wonder when these people come out uttering cliche statements in such a calm tone, just what is going on...
Re whether Ed Smart spend the whole day at church without his family, according to the Deseret News, he was only there for part of the meetings. See the following.
Faithful find 'miracles' in search
By Laura Hancock
Deseret News staff writer
While performing the agonizing task of searching for Elizabeth Smart, volunteers have found unexpected "miracles."
They come in the faces and selfless works of others also searching for Elizabeth Smart. The miracles have strengthened their belief that God is close, five volunteers said Sunday at the sacrament meeting of the Arlington Hills Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where the Smart family attends church.
Some of the speakers were tearful as they shared their experiences and felt their volunteer efforts didn't merit them to speak before the ward more than anybody else. About 180 people filled the seats of the chapel for the meeting, which also honored dads for Father's Day.
Elizabeth Smart's parents, Edward and Lois, were not at the meeting, but Edward Smart had apparently attended earlier church meetings. Charles Smart, Elizabeth's grandfather, said "they feel so deeply about the great love that has been expressed by this ward" and the community at large.
"We feel still Elizabeth will be recovered and will return home," Charles Smart said.
Elizabeth Smart, 14, was taken by gunpoint from her Federal Heights bedroom June 5. Investigators say they have no solid leads of where she may be.
"One thing is absolutely certain. No matter what the outcome in the quest to find Elizabeth, the lives of thousands of people have been changed by this event," said Chuck Cowley, who has spent the past two weeks helping search for Elizabeth Smart.
People have fallen to their knees to pray. After years away, people have returned to churches of many denominations to worship God. They have realized that family is more important than making money, he said.
"Those things will live on, and they will continue to encourage and empower the lives of those involved," Cowley said.
Jesus called all people to serve regardless of how much or little they have, said Robyn Ingram, who worked as a volunteer coordinator at the search headquarters last week. She prayed that members of the ward and others will continue to serve in the search.
"My heart is just so heavy, so grateful to Heavenly Father for all these people who came," Ingram said.
Susann Adams recalled times where there was too much food at the search headquarters and when an owner of a print shop made 650,000 copies of fliers and donated them to searchers. "As soon as we spent money another donation came in," she said.
"I witnessed some incredible events this week. Who would have guessed I would have the opportunity to experience this?" Adams said.
Liz Stringham has met self-employed people who are sacrificing business to help. Workers have taken sick leave, and students have missed class to help in the effort.
"My message to you, brothers and sisters, is people are good. There are amazing, wonderful, good people out there," Stringham said.
After the events of Sept. 11 and difficulties of obtaining peace in the Middle East, Woody Godfrey "became a callous man." Then Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped and he volunteered to find her. "I believe there are major life-changing events that occur. This is one for me," he said.
He talked about Carl, a physically disabled man who walked each day from the homeless shelter to the search headquarters. "He emptied the trash from 7 in the morning to 10 in the night for 10 days," Godfrey said.
"This is the Gospel in action," he said.
Bishop David Hamblin characterized the ward as having "broken hearts but steadfast resolve and faith." He led the ward in a prayer, asking God to bless Elizabeth Smart and her family.
Ward member and former U.S. congressman Wayne Owens called the meeting "very powerful."
"This neighborhood has been through so much by this terrible event. The outpouring of love has been unifying," he said.
Agree, this is significant. A fourteen-year-old girl might well be embarrassed and humiliated to the max by this in itself, and doubly so if she had an agreement to meet a friend there or some such thing. And who knows what she might have done later to SHOW her insensitive parents that they couldn't run over her, keep her away fromher friends, cause her to miss her performance, which probably had great meaning to her ego. At 14, girls have raging hormones, fly into fits of temper and rage no matter how carefully they've been brought up.
As I and others speculated on another thread, it's very likely the police and family know exactly who she left the house with. Perhaps of her own volition, perhaps not. But they don't know where she is, thus the weird press conferences. The uncle's "beautiful story" might have been a message to perp that they understood Liz left with him because she knew and cared for him and family would not hold it against him.
The Mormon apologists on this thread keep trying to make the family seem normal to the max, but if investigators are not thinking outside the box, they'll never find Liz. Nothing about a girl missing for more than a week is normal. Something went very wrong IMO.
In fact, it was said that when the garage door would not respond properly to a control switch by the door from garage into house, he went on into the house with the harp, and did not get round to returning to try to get the [outside garage] door down for hours if ever.
I have never heard of a polygamist group kidnapping child brides. They grow their own.
I have NEVER heard the term WARD and asked why it wasn;'t called a Chuch, if Mormons are Christians....GEESH....Whatis wrong with you??
And I NEVER said that the harp was stored in the garage, did I?
Catholics call their ecclasiastical divisions "parishes," but nobody accuses them of not being "Christian" for that reason.
The crack sounded like the typical anti-Mormon garbage taught by some "Christian" churches to prove they are more "Christian" than we are. If you really asked the question innocently, I apologize. If not, my comment stands
The term "ward" is the equivalent of the term "parish" in Catholicism, or "local church membership" perhaps for Protestants, in that it does not refer to a building exactly, but to the members and activities of the local church organization.
Or is "Lady Lawyer" really "Laddie Lawyer?"
To all who are "leaning" one way or the other, may I suggest a ricketly, old, low railing overlooking the Grand Canyon, which is just a few hours south of the crime scene. Do everyone a favor...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.