May 29, 2016 - Sunday in Nauvoo

We had a marvelous Holy Sabbath Day, today.  It was our privilege to speak in our mission Sacrament Meeting.  Each missionary couple has the opportunity to teach a Sunday School Class, teach Priesthood or Relief Society, and speak in Sacrament Meeting.  Well we have accomplished all three as of today!  We had a little over 500 in attendance this morning.  It reminded me of the Rigby 10th Ward before we split in 2013!  The Memorial Day weekend brought in lots of family and friends, and soon the attendance will rise to well over 1,000 in the busy July months.

We both felt good about our speaking efforts today.  The block of meetings were all very well done as we enjoyed many wonderful lessons and stories that made an impact.  Here is one story that was given in our Sunday School Gospel Doctrine Class by Elder Andrus.  He owns over 300 18-wheel trucks and moves goods all over the United States.  When  he was serving as the Bishop of his ward in St George, he had a ward member who wanted him to give her son a chance at being one of his drivers.  

This young man, when he was about two years old, was diagnosed with a learning disability that would keep him unable to progress.  However, his mother and father would not accept that limitation on their son and they worked hard to help him develop the skills he was told he could never have.  As he grew older he wanted so much to serve a mission, but the Stake President said he was not able and could not qualify.  However, they did allow him to serve an 18 month service mission, in which he did very well.  

When the mom approached Elder Andrus on her son driving one of his 18-wheelers, he told her that he would have to attend truck driving school.  (This, he thought, would keep him from being the bad guy).  The son took the class with his mom being his partner, (this with the approval of his dad and her husband), and he was able to successfully pass the course!  Well, Elder Andrus was then committed to giving him a chance to drive, but under the condition that he would never drive without his mother as his partner. 

He proved to be a very good driver that first year of working.  Then, one of Elder Andrus's dispatchers had an emergency load that had to go out on a Saturday.  This dispatcher called this young man and his mother said she was not available to go but her son was.  The dispatcher did not know the agreement Elder Andrus had made, so he gave the load to this young man and he took off.  When Elder Andrus found out about the assignment the following Monday, he was concerned and asked where the young man had gone to drop off the load.  (Elder Andrus's home depot was St. George).  The young man had taken the load to Phoenix and had successfully unloaded and was ready to take another load.  Elder Andrus asked where that load was going.  It was going to downtown Los Angeles....  Elder Andrus said he prayed the boy would be safe and make it back home, although I think the dialog might have been a little stronger!

But the young mad did make it back safe, and he met all the deadlines.  In a Bishopric Meeting one of his counselors, who also worked for the Andrus Trucking, suggested that if the young man could successfully take a load from St. George to Phoenix and then to Los Angeles, (downtown no less), and back, then perhaps he could serve a full time mission!...  Elder Andrus agreed and started the young man's paperwork and sent it to the Stake President.  The Stake President called Bishop Andrus and asked him if he had lost his mind!  The Bishop just said, interview him and see what you think.  Well, after that stake interview his papers were sent in and he received a full time mission call.  A year later, the mission president called the Bishop and told him that this young man was one of the best missionaries he had served with!

The bottom line of the story is that when a mom and a dad work with their children, and those children are  ready and eager to learn, there is nothing that they cannot accomplish!  And that wrapped up lesson #20 in the Gospel Doctrine manual, "My Soul is Pained No More".  I am not sure how this story exactly fits in to the lesson title, but this young man had the opportunity of a lifetime to become something much more that he was led to believe early on in his life!  And this was just one of many inspiring stories with Gospel messages and encouragement attached!