Meeting Apostles

Watching general conference made me reflect about the times I've seen the Apostles and members of the First Presidency in person.

However, I'm not going to include being present at meetings, except when these meetings were more intimate. Therefore, I won't talk about a 2004 stake conference with Elder Packer or a work meeting a few months ago with Elder Bednar.

On October 17, 2009, Elder Bednar came to visit my mission. It was the last proselyting day for the missionaries who went home a transfer before I did. Our ward mission leader, Brother Presnell, drove us from Lewiston up to Spokane, to the stake center next to the temple (technically in Spokane Valley). We greeted all the missionaries we knew, and there were swarms of Spokane's blue gnats. I said they were worse in Lewiston, and my companion, Elder Tamblyn, agreed. Sister Craven, one of the office missionaries, came up to me and said she recognized my name because she had just been filling out my going-home papers--which wasn't something I liked to talk about. We all got on some bleachers that had been set up in front of the temple for a mission-wide picture. When Elder Bednar arrived, I overheard a missionary say something a little vulgar--and no one laughed, apparently realizing it wasn't appropriate to the situation. I think we sang a few songs, and my evil former companion Elder LaPratt was loudly suggesting songs to sing. As we were going in, I saw Elder Bednar in the hall, and I wondered if we were supposed to go in that way. Elder Warren, my previous companion, sat with us because he was annoyed that some Spanish elders had felt entitled to sit at the front and took his spot. Brother Presnell sat up on the stand in the choir seats--I think they asked the non-missionaries to do that because we were having a Q and A with Elder Bednar. Elder Rasband asked about a certain principle, and Elder Robinson stood up and recounted the story of Jethro and Moses. When Elder Bednar got up, he told us to not write down anything he said but to write down what the Spirit taught us. He also asked us not to go blabbing about what he said in the meeting, for fear that the "telephone" effect might happen, where his words get distorted. ("Telephone effect" is my own term, not his.) At one time my former companion Elder Betenson said something in answer to one of Elder Bednar's questions, and Elder Bednar said, "I could just kiss you!" I knew that must have made Elder Betenson happy, since he loved Elder Bednar. We then left, and apparently Elder Bednar was speaking to young adults from the area; we saw Lindsey Burrup from our Lewis-Clark YSA branch. Then Brother Presnell took us to a Chinese buffet, and some other missionaries also went there; I think they might have sat with us. When we got out of the restaurant, I remembered why I had quit wearing those shoes: it was raining, and my feet were getting wet because of the holes in the bottom of my shoes.While Brother Presnell was getting gas, I asked Elder Tamblyn what he thought of the meeting, because he was a little sullen for some reason. He said he absolutely loved it.

One evening in the late summer or early fall of 2010, my mom and I drove up to a road so I could go running and she could go walking. When we got to a four-way stop, I told her, "Don't run over those pedestrians," and my mom said, "Especially since he's in the First Presidency!" It was President and Sister Uchtdorf. Sister Uchtdorf waved at us and we waved back. We wondered why she waved, but my mom pointed out it was probably because she was thanking us for stopping for them. We saw them many times walking along there. Once as I ran by, I said, "Hello, President and Sister Uchtdorf," which is a mouthful to say while running by. He said, "Hello there."

A year later, in August 2011, while my family was on vacation and I was wearing brand-new light blue shorts, I had intended to go running, but I wasn't feeling up to it, so I was walking back towards my car. I saw the Uchtdorfs approaching, and I felt bad approaching them on the narrow sidewalk, so I walked in the gutter. I didn't plan on saying hi this time, because I realized they surely got greetings all the time and maybe got tired of them. But even though I wasn't going to say hi, he said hi to me, even though I was walking in the curb and there were trees between us.

My mom also used to talk to them sometimes, and that same 2011 August I saw them talking with a man in his yard. We also saw them at Costco.

In December 2014, I was asked to give the opening prayer in sacrament meeting on December 21 for the Christmas program. I got an email beforehand announcing the program--and the speaker was President Henry B. Eyring! That, of course, made me very nervous. I was also supposed to bless the sacrament, but when I got to the chapel, others were blessing it, so I passed instead. I was sitting next to Keith Savage, and he was saying he was nervous "because of you-know-who." I said I was nervous because I was saying the prayer, and he said, "Don't mess up!" I was so nervous I didn't even bother to bring the microphone down to my mouth and instead stood on my tiptoes. It certainly wasn't a prayer I usually say. During the meeting, I was sitting on the first or second row by myself, and President Eyring kept staring at me while he was speaking. It got a little uncomfortable at times, although it wasn't scary because he always had a smile on his face. I can't quite remember what he said, but I think he talked about listening to the Spirit to know how we can help people. (I know, it's horrible that I got to hear him and I don't remember what he said!)

A week later, he visited our ward again, and since there was extra time, he spoke again. He talked about his unusual proposal, how he married late, and how his wife's parents didn't think he was good enough.

These are the only intimate encounters I can remember having with those Church officials. But I can say that with all three of these men, even though my encounters were brief and not very personal, I felt nothing but love from them. And I feel like they honestly believe and strive to practice what they preach.