Special Missionary Conference

May 3, 2014

Today was an unexpected pleasure. It all started yesterday afternoon. We received a text from the mission office. Telling us that there would be a mission wide meeting in Knightdale (near Raleigh) about an hour and a half drive from here. We rescheduled our appointment for Saturday night, and made arrangements to pick up the Elders that don’t have a car. This morning early we got a text from the ward mission leader of the third ward asking us to come to a ward mission correlation meeting. So we hurried to the church and met with the mission leader, and the Elders and Sisters. When that was over we had just enough time to eat lunch, pick up the Elders and travel to Knightdale. When we got there the whole mission was there so we got see Elders and Sisters that we know who had been transferred away from our area. All the Senior missionaries were there too. Then our mission president’s wife came in, later our mission president came. We sang a few hymns, as is customary at all missionary meetings and had a few minutes of quiet reflection while we waited for the meeting to start. 

Then Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles came into the Chapel. With him, were two stake presidents from the area, Anthony F. Parker from the sixth quorum of the Seventy; an area seventy, 

Elder Paul B. Pieper First from the quorum of seventy,  and Elder Hugo E. Martinez, from the Second Quorum of the Seventy.  

Elder Parker is a large black North Carolinian with a North Carolina drawl. It was inspirational to hear him he bore a powerful testimony and told his conversion story.

We also heard from a Stake President, Elder Martinez, Elder Pieper, and then from Elder Neil L. Andersen.

Elder Anderson told how Elder L. Tom Perry was scheduled to visit North Carolina that weekend. Elder Perry, Elder Anderson and another Apostle were in an elevator together at the church office building. Elder Perry had just returned from an extensive trip and was exhausted. (He is 92 years of age) The other Apostle suggested to Elder Perry that he get someone else to take his place. Who could I get asked Elder Perry? Elder Anderson was thinking I have this Saturday free for a change, I will get to mow my lawn and do my spring yard work. Then the spirit prompted his to say I can take your place Elder Perry, I don’t have any other assignment this weekend.

Elder Anderson and our mission president, President Bernhisel were in the same stake years ago in Florida and knew each other. When Elder Anderson got the call to come to North Carolina he called President Bernhisel and said let’s have a missionary conference as well, while I am there.

The first thing Elder Anderson did was have the missionaries file past and shake hands with him, as well as the Seventies and the Stake Presidents that were there. Each and every one of the missionaries at that meeting had the experience of shaking hands with an Apostle of the Lord, and three of the Lord’s Seventies. 

He called on Elder Holt the Zone Leader of the Fayetteville West Zone. (Yes the zone where sister Mauerman and I work.) Interacting with Elder Holt, he explained that the pattern of the Savior was to have people come to him individually, I remembered that he had the Nephites come to him individually and see the marks in his hands and feet and that he blessed the children individually.  (3 Nephi 11, John 20)

He taught us that missionary work takes place on the individual level, one person at a time.

The mighty change of heart happens one by one. (Mosiah 5)

After a powerful talk and testimony from Elder Anderson he walked up and down the isles interacting with the missionaries. He would ask questions and let the Elders and Sisters respond to the questions with answers from the Book of Mormon. As he listened to the answers he would fill in with the background to that scripture. He didn’t just stop with the verse from the Book of Mormon, he talked about the entire chapter. He explained to us that we should think of the Book of Mormon in terms of what is in the chapter not just the verse.

I know most of the verses that were quoted that afternoon, but I am really weak on knowing the reference where that verse came from. I came away from that meeting with hope. I can remember chapters. It looks like I have some work to do. I wonder if the Lord worked it out for Elder Anderson to come to that meeting just to help me. I’m not sure about that, but it seemed like it. I sat on the end of a row and he did come and stand next to me for quite a few minutes. I really felt as if he were there for me. I know all the other missionaries felt the same as well, isn’t it wonderful how one speaker can touch so many people in a personal way when the spirit is with him.