{"id":93170,"date":"2021-11-03T15:51:30","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T21:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=93170"},"modified":"2021-11-04T23:26:04","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T05:26:04","slug":"for-arthur-vanwagenen-and-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2021\/11\/for-arthur-vanwagenen-and-family.html","title":{"rendered":"“For Arthur VanWagenen and family”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Austria,<\/a>
\u201cSt. Thomas Church on a winter morning\u201d (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)
More than any other kind of landscape on earth, Alpine scenery such as this strikes me as a foretaste of heaven.\u00a0 It has no direct connection with the difficult subject of this blog entry, but it\u2019s a reminder of beauty and grace.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m deeply distressed to write this blog entry, but I feel that I should do so.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our friend Arthur VanWagenen<\/a>, of Excel Entertainment, is in desperate medical straits.\u00a0 My wife and I met him slightly past midway in the development of the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s Witnesses<\/em><\/a> theatrical film.\u00a0 He was centrally involved in our recent Witnesses<\/em> event at Provo\u2019s Experience Events Center and we have been looking forward to working with him on the film\u2019s DVD distribution and on its streaming, as well as on distributing the forthcoming Undaunted Witnesses of the Book of Mormon<\/a> docudrama.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arthur made his a career in the filmmaking industry, as an actor in The Trip to Bountiful<\/i> (1985); a member of the crew for Convicts<\/i>\u00a0(1991),\u00a0Alan & Naomi<\/i>\u00a0(1992), and\u00a0One Good Man<\/i> (2009); and Project Director for Film at Deseret Book\u2019s Excel Entertainment division.\u00a0 Some of the films in which he was involved upon coming to Excel included Just Let Go<\/i>\u00a0(2015),\u00a0Freetown<\/i>\u00a0(2015).\u00a0The Cokeville Miracle<\/i>\u00a0(2015), and\u00a0The Christmas Dragon<\/i>\u00a0(2014).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arthur is in the hospital right now, in critical condition, and he faces a very serious and extremely risky but urgently needed surgery tomorrow (on Thursday, 4 November 2021).\u00a0 I had been serenely confident that our kind, pleasant, bright, supportive, talented friend would be on the mend by now, but his prospects at the moment are, frankly, grim.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m inviting readers, even if (as is most likely) they don\u2019t know Arthur, to include him and his family in their prayers.\u00a0 And I\u2019m calling attention to a Go Fund Me<\/em> page for him and the family.\u00a0 (I\u2019m told that fundraisers that are shared on social networks raise up to five times more than those that aren\u2019t.)\u00a0 Generous contributions have already been made to to the VanWagenen account, and it\u2019s well along the way toward its ambitious goal, but I would like to see it close the final distance:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Arthur VanWagenen and family\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even if you can only spare a few dollars, it would certainly help and be appreciated.\u00a0 If enough people send something along, even small individual contributions can add up to a substantial amount.\u00a0 This is a chance to show community solidarity and love, and to help a family that is undergoing a hellish trial.\u00a0 Kindness, even and perhaps especially from strangers, would be a ray of light in an otherwise very bleak time.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 (The Prophet Joseph Smith)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Very sincerely,<\/p>\n

Dan Peterson<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 *** \u00a0 I\u2019m deeply distressed to write this blog entry, but I feel that I should do so. \u00a0 Our friend Arthur VanWagenen, of Excel Entertainment, is in desperate medical straits.\u00a0 My wife and I met him slightly past midway in the development of the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s Witnesses theatrical film.\u00a0 He was centrally 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