An Apostle of the Lord

Yesterday, we had a very special meeting at church. We were privileged to have Elder L. Tom Perry come speak in our ward.

We were expecting it to be very crowded, and for our ward, it was. The chapel was packed like a can of sardines, the overflow was full, and the cultural hall was opened, although it didn't get filled. We planned on being there quite early, not only because we wanted to get a soft seat, but because Clint needed to help the YM prepare the Sacrament and organize the passing of it. Church for us starts at 1:00 this year (blah). The ward that meets before us was scheduled to be finished with the chapel at 12:15, so at 12:14, we were standing in the foyer with 15-20 other members of our ward, waiting for the chapel to empty out so that we could claim our seat.

We claimed a small side pew where we normally sit, and with 45 minutes to kill, I broke out some quiet toys and snacks to keep the kiddos entertained while I visited with some friends who were sitting behind me.

The room filled rather quickly. There were lots of relatives visiting, as well as members of other wards in our stake who knew the Apostle would be here. As could be expected with so much waiting time, there was lots of visiting and chatting going on, filling with the chapel with a steady buzz. Until 12:50, at least. When Elder Perry entered at the back of the chapel, accompanied by our bishopric, our stake presidency, and a visiting area 70 authority (his name wasn't in the program, but it was pronounced something like sood-a-grow), the chapel fell silent. Most people seemed uncertain whether we should stand as he walked to the front or not, so a few people started to rise, but Elder Perry quickly waved his hands and indicated that we should stay seated.

It seemed like a small miracle to me, but the chapel actually remained completely silent for the next 10 minutes until the meeting started, with the exception of the beautiful prelude music. I sat there, with my kids amazingly quiet and well-behaved beside me, listening to the beautiful music (which included several of my favorite hymns). I couldn't see the Apostle because the podium blocked my view, but I didn't need to. I just simply basked in the wonderfulness of being in the presence of him, as well as the spirit that was so strong in the room.

Beautiful music and the Holy Ghost have a certain impact on me, so the water works started for me even before the meeting did. The Holy Ghost took advantage of that quiet, peaceful moment to reinforce my testimony that the man sitting on the stand was indeed an Apostle of the Lord. How grateful I am that we have a living Prophet and living Apostles on the earth today!

Brother 'Sood-a-grow' spoke first, and it was a wonderful message that spoke straight to my heart. The message was regarding the commandment to 'love thy neighbor', especially the neighbors that live with the walls our own homes. I was motivated, as a mother, to have more patience with my young children and to give more praise for all the positives, rather than focusing on the little imperfections and challenges.

Elder Perry offered us a message about the priesthood structure of the church, as well as the importance of missionary work. His message struck a different chord within me. I felt ashamed to realize that I cannot think of one single person who has been led to the gospel by me. I can't even think of one person, whom my influence or testimony has helped to 'return' to the church.

This realization brought with it the thought that I have had nearly 3 decades of wasted years as far as missionary work goes. I don't consider teaching my children about the gospel as missionary work; that's just parenting.

I left the meeting with a renewed determination to not let the next 3 decades be wasted!