ELSM Mission Surprise

This weekend was a surprise mission reunion. We have been planning for over a year to surprise our mission president and his wife for his birthday this weekend. He is an sealer in the Ogden temple. It was his 77th birthday Saturday, and their 57th wedding anniversary.

To get them there their children said that they all wanted to do a session to celebrate. He got dressed, and went into the chapel to wait for his family before the session started. They didn't come, and didn't come in. He was getting a little irritated. He said he knew they were there, because they had all come together. The longer he sat there the more hot under the collar he was getting. Finally he saw one of his son-in-law's at the doorway motioning him to follow him. They started down the stairs and winding around to the priesthood room where we were all waiting. When he came in he saw an elder that he remembered and stopped to talk to him for a minute. Then he went up front to sit with his wife. As he was starting to sit down his wife said, "Nate, look around."

As he did so, a look of pure joy and unbelief crossed his face. Then he realized that his missionaries were all in the room. There were about 30 of us. Tears welled up in his eyes. It was so touching.

We had to go back up the stairs to the session. He was having a hard time catching his breath. We were afraid momentarily that we were going to give him a heart attack!

I sat on the same row as Sister Tanner in the session. Every time I looked at her she was just beaming.

When the session was over, and we were in the Celestial Room, it was such a joyful reunion. It was amazing to be able to share the spirit of the temple with those that I had served with.

Later in the evening, Tracy Theaker Woodward and I were talking about it. We both thought about the same thing. As we came into that room with all the other missionaries, we thought that that feeling must be close to what we will feel when we go to the other side and find friends and family waiting.

After the session we went next door and had cake and ice cream. We all sat in a big circle for about an hour and shared mission experiences about the Tanner's. Pres. Tanner also told some stories. We laughed a lot.