They had to leave after the sacrament meeting but I still was able to meet him and shake his hand.
Bro. Romney bore his testimony and related a story about the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. As the opening of the Olympics approached, it appeared that the weather was NOT going to cooperate! There was an inversion over Salt Lake Valley (which means that warm air is trapped in the valley, so that fog and smog can't escape). A few days before the opening ceremonies, President Gordon B. Hinckley (then president of the LDS Church) asked Brother Romney if he and the other Apostles could take a look at their seats in the stadium, in order to see if their wives could access their seating comfortably. After seeing the seating, Pres. Hinckley asked Bro. Romney, "What would be the PERFECT weather for the Opening Ceremonies?" His reply: "Clear, cold, with just a few snowflakes gliding through the air." Pres. Hinckley just smiled and walked out of the stadium.
The night before the opening ceremonies, gale-force winds blew all night, even tearing flags from their masts. The morning dawned, the fog and smog disappeared, the weather cooled, and, sure enough, the light snow fell for the official Opening Ceremonies and lighting of the Olympic Torch!
Even Mayor Rocky Anderson, a former LDS member, and currently very prone to fight against the Church, and who had been with Pres. Hinckley as he inspected the stadium seating, good-naturedly declared that this phenomenon had him considering re-joining the Church!
In yesterday's Sacrament Meeting, Mitt Romney was followed by Elder Robert Gay, a General Authority of the Church, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, and a member of our ward. These men are former business partners, and very good friends.
Elder Gay related a couple of stories: one exciting, the other touching. The first was about a conference call of 96 stake presidents in the U.S. Southeast Area, discussing a "day of service" coming up in April 2009, with all those stakes participating! The second story concerned service rendered to non-LDS people in Mississippi after Hurricane Ike devastated their community. The local parish president and the pastor had both been pushing anti-LDS propaganda big-time very recently, and teaching their parishoners how to combat Mormons. Immediately after Ike moved on, the Church sent in its 18-wheelers full of food and supplies; then 2,000 LDS volunteers showed up to work on these people's homes and yards. On Sunday, the locals and the volunteers worshipped together in an LDS service within the walls of the pastor's church. Long story short, the parish president and the pastor both requested to be taught the missionary discussions.
You could have heard a pin drop in the chapel. What an awesome meeting it was! I'm sorry that Shauna H. missed this - she's been an enthusiastic Romney supporter.
3 comments:
I also missed church, and I really appreciate hearing the talks and seeing the pictures. Thank you.
hey is that your new running mate?
Way Cool! That's how cool it is!
Who were they visiting??
Post a Comment