This past Thursday provided a very special treat for Jari and me. Elder Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles made a special visit to USUHS to address the medical personnel here. For those of you out there who don't remember what Elder Nelson did before he was called to full-time Church Service, he was a world-famous heart surgeon. While at USUHS he talked about his experiences in Korea during the US-Korean War as a 1st LT in the US Army. It was fun to listen to his experiences and humbling to see that even while addressing our military community, he remembered who he represented. He closed his remarks with a scripture and spoke of the character of each person he associated with while in the Army. That is interesting to me because most of the time people talk about their accomplishments and the people they worked with, they only mention the great things the others did, not the greatness of the person. He talked about the worth of the soul and how wonderful the Korean people were.
After the talk, Jari and I were blessed yet again to join with a small group of people in a small dinner held for Elder Nelson. There were about 30 people present and several tables. We joined a table then much to our surprise were invited by a faculty member of USUHS to trade places with him and his wife so that Jari and I could sit next to Elder Nelson during dinner. It was a very enjoyable dinner and we all had the opportunity to ask him questions about his career and his family life. It appeared that some of those at our table were in shock by his presence - for they did not say much; they simply ate and looked at Elder Nelson waiting for him to say something. In the end, Jari and I arrived at the same conclusion, that he is just a man. The prophets and apostles eat and breath just like everyone else. However, they do carry a sure knowledge of the living Christ and scriptural wisdom that makes an encounter with them very rich indeed. The only downside to the dinner that I can think of is that we were on his left hand and not his right ;) - Kidding.
Finally, Elder Nelson gave a fireside to the medical personnel in the greater Washington DC area later that night at the Washington DC Temple Visitor's Center. He gave a great talk about our field of work and gave us some great council. I won't repeat that here because there are not very many out there that would care to hear his advice about medical training...
And now, Jari is at the Visitor's Center once again (Sunday night) with the Young Women in our ward attending a fireside with the Young Women's General President, Sister Dalton, who is visiting from Salt Lake. So the last few days have been rewarding.
So in conclusion to this lengthy post, I will say that I am grateful for the small opportunities that the Lord places in our lives to learn of Him. I am grateful for a prophet and Apostles. They are men who have been called with a holy calling to represent the Lord Jesus Christ. I am grateful for their testimonies. They keep us focused on sure and true things while we live in a drifting world that is constantly changing.
With that, I sign off and send a fond hello to all my friends and family. We hope you are all well.
Fred (and Jari)
This past Thursday provided a very special treat for Jari and me. Elder Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles made a special visit to USUHS to address the medical personnel here. For those of you out there who don't remember what Elder Nelson did before he was called to full-time Church Service, he was a world-famous heart surgeon. While at USUHS he talked about his experiences in Korea during the US-Korean War as a 1st LT in the US Army. It was fun to listen to his experiences and humbling to see that even while addressing our military community, he remembered who he represented. He closed his remarks with a scripture and spoke of the character of each person he associated with while in the Army. That is interesting to me because most of the time people talk about their accomplishments and the people they worked with, they only mention the great things the others did, not the greatness of the person. He talked about the worth of the soul and how wonderful the Korean people were.
After the talk, Jari and I were blessed yet again to join with a small group of people in a small dinner held for Elder Nelson. There were about 30 people present and several tables. We joined a table then much to our surprise were invited by a faculty member of USUHS to trade places with him and his wife so that Jari and I could sit next to Elder Nelson during dinner. It was a very enjoyable dinner and we all had the opportunity to ask him questions about his career and his family life. It appeared that some of those at our table were in shock by his presence - for they did not say much; they simply ate and looked at Elder Nelson waiting for him to say something. In the end, Jari and I arrived at the same conclusion, that he is just a man. The prophets and apostles eat and breath just like everyone else. However, they do carry a sure knowledge of the living Christ and scriptural wisdom that makes an encounter with them very rich indeed. The only downside to the dinner that I can think of is that we were on his left hand and not his right ;) - Kidding.
Finally, Elder Nelson gave a fireside to the medical personnel in the greater Washington DC area later that night at the Washington DC Temple Visitor's Center. He gave a great talk about our field of work and gave us some great council. I won't repeat that here because there are not very many out there that would care to hear his advice about medical training...
And now, Jari is at the Visitor's Center once again (Sunday night) with the Young Women in our ward attending a fireside with the Young Women's General President, Sister Dalton, who is visiting from Salt Lake. So the last few days have been rewarding.
So in conclusion to this lengthy post, I will say that I am grateful for the small opportunities that the Lord places in our lives to learn of Him. I am grateful for a prophet and Apostles. They are men who have been called with a holy calling to represent the Lord Jesus Christ. I am grateful for their testimonies. They keep us focused on sure and true things while we live in a drifting world that is constantly changing.
With that, I sign off and send a fond hello to all my friends and family. We hope you are all well.
Fred (and Jari)
Comments