Shaking hands with an Apostle

   Have you Ever wondered what it would be like to meet Peter, James, or John? Or any of Christ's original Apostles? What would it be like to be able to ask Peter what it was like seeing the nets burst from fishes, or ask John what it was like having The Savior of the world ask you to care for his mother? I imagine their faith would be something so powerful you could see it in them, and feel it when you're near them. Now I have never met  Philip or Bartholomew, but this last week I did get to shake hands with someone of the same caliber of faith, the same seniority of apostleship, and with the love so radiant it was so easy to see how he is an Apostle of the Lord, anointed, called, and ordained.

   Elder Nelson and I are driving down the street one day and we get a call from good old Elder Standing. We pull of to the side of the road and answer it and he tells us that in 24 hours we need to be in Knightdale North Carolina. That we needed to pack clothes for 2 days, all our emergency cash, and anything else we needed. Needless to say Elder Nelson and I start freaking out trying to figure out what was going on. Elder Nelson thought that there was a hurricane about to hit. We asked Elder Standing what was happening and after some persuasion he told us that Elder Neal L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was going to come speak to the entire mission. Now we are really going ballistic. I thought the Second Coming was about to hit and we were all headed off towards Zion! We got back to our apartment and started packing getting our selves all excited when Elder Standing and his companion came by and told us they were kidding about the cash and packing for two days, but that we did need to pack for the night because we were going to go spend the night at the Zone Leaders, our cool as Ice Zone Leaders, and we were going to car pool up with them to hear Elder Anderson. So no Rapture which I was very disappointed at, but we were still going to hear an Apostle of the Lord Speak.

Elder Neal L. Anderson

    So in 24 hours all of the 230+ missionaries in North Carolina were together in one place, when we finally got all together it was such an interesting feeling, having every single ordained and set apart representative of Jesus Christ for our mission together in one place, and every single one of them knew how important this meeting was and how incredible the man we were about to see was. I wrote down in my journal some of my thoughts before Elder Anderson got to the meeting house.

    "There is a tangible tention of excitement in the air moments before an Apostle of the Lord is about to walk in. Not only is almost every missionary in North Carolina at one place in one time, but all are here to listen to a speaker of the calabler of Peter or Luke, to give instruction on, what we know not. . . I am sitting close enough to see the color of his eyes"

Elder Paul B. Pieper

Elder Hugo E. Martinez

    Once he came in a whole new breath came into everyone in the chapel, Elder Anderson walked in with a big smile on his face and started waving to everyone. And who should follow him? but Elder Martinez, Elder Peiper, and Elder Parker, all of the 70. He then directed everyone that we were going to go through and get to shake all their hands. I was probably one of the first 2 dozen who got to go up and shake their hands. It was so crazy getting to shake his hand. You could just feel unconditional love from him, to me a goofy, simple, little missionary from Kaysville Utah. I wrote a bit more after shaking his hand.

    "In the history of my life this will go down as one of the most magnificent days in the history of my mortal experience. It make the 2nd time in my life I've shook the hand of an Apostle of God. One of His chosen, anointed, and called disciples. A man who has been in the presence of the Prophet and counsels with him daily. Shockingly he has very normal sized hands. but a love radiated from his very soul through his fingers and his eyes. . . Everything from his outward appearance suggests an average man, average height, average weight, a suit, blue tie, gray hair. But the feeling in the room is indescribable."

    I know that the feeling I was feeling was the one of the most powerful experiences I've had with the Holy Ghost. It was almost a physical presence in that room. And listening to him speak was incredible. I had a head ache for 2 days after because of how strong the spirit was, and because I don't think I've ever tried to focus so hard onto what a man was saying for 2 hours. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget. I know he is an Apostle called of God, and his single desire is the happiness of all of God's Children.