Out of Town Guests are Always Welcome at Alamo II Ward

Out of Town Guests are Always Welcome at Alamo II Ward

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Danville, CA Pnnor of Alamo.

When members of the Alamo II Ward showed up for Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, May 8, 2004, they discovered they had an out of town guest in their midst.

When I joined by wife just before the meeting began she told me that everyone had stood up when this particular individual came in and that he had encouraged them to stay seated. She said, "He's some sort of an apostle, or something."

His name, I soon found out, was Elder Dallin H. Oaks from Salt Lake City, Utah. The occasion was a fast and testimony meeting.

Immediately following the passing of the Sacrament, I sped home and got my digital camera. Since we live near the chapel, I was only gone a few minutes.

As much as I wanted to snap a picture every now and then for the Stake Website, I refrained.

Here are the ones I would have taken:

I. When our bishop, Rick Davidson, casually put his arm around him, as they shared a hymnal.

II. The pensive look he had on his face, as he rested his chin on his hands--which were in turned propped up by his elbows on his knee--as he listened pondered the various testimonies.

III. The smile he had on his face, when testimonies which pleased him were given, especially those of the youth, including that of Brother Jonathan Orgill, pictured above.

The next to the last testimony was given by Brother Oaks. he said that he indeed shared our testimony of the Savior and that he found the presence of the Spirit in our midst both moving and reassuring.

He said that he had five great grandchildren and that four of them had either already moved to California or were headed to California, so the concern that everyone in California is moving to Utah was offset being offset by his family, which appeared to be moving in the other direction.

The highlite of the meeting for those of us with missionary zeal was the announcement and welcoming into the ward of Brother Edgrington, whose wife is a member and who had been an investigator for approximately eight years before being baptized the preceding day.

My spritiual thought, which I didn't share, due to the large number of testimonies offered and the length of time of the meeting was that we have so much more to learn, once baptized. It may take eight more years to develop ones faith, another eight to learn humility, or obedience, or the law of tithing. No wonder Mormon men live so long, I thought as the meeting ended, and I rushed out to get Elder Oaks' picture before he left.

We have so much to learn with so little time to do so.