Meeting Elder Oaks

Our last Sunday in our Ward in Salt Lake City - we wanted to take some pictures with friends as we said good-bye.  Oddly enough, we only got to take pictures with one member of the ward, and that was Elder Oaks. We didn't even ask him, we had another member of the ward (who loves Lily) suggest it to Elder Oaks and dragged him over to where we were standing and said that it was for posterity and that it would be a good testimony builder for our little angel.  Elder Oaks was more than happy to accommodate this nice gentleman's request (I'm not lying here)... and he got our little girl to light up.  As she looked at him in absolute AWE, I just wish I knew what she was thinking at that moment.

The first apostle Lily got to meet was Elder Oaks, and it so happens, that's the first apostle that her Mommy got to meet too!  My story is a little more embarrassing to tell.  It goes like this:

Michal was translating for General Conference (back when Polish translations occurred at the Conference Center) and so he got really, super-duper, great awesome seats for us.  At the time I had received my mission call to Harrisburg Pennsylvania, but wasn't entirely convinced it was where I was "supposed to go."  I had prayed to my Heavenly Father that he would answer my prayers if Harrisburg Pennsylvania was the right place to go on a mission, and I was entirely convinced that if I didn't hear the word "Harrisburg" in a conference talk, that it just wasn't right (or meant to be) for me to be going on a mission.

As we were waiting for the session to begin, Michal rushed out to the restroom and I began to journal my thoughts on conference.  Suddenly, without any warning, a hand stuck into my face and a gentleman asked me to stand up and said, very boldly to me, "I believe you have some news you would like to share with me young lady." And I said, "Why, Yes... I do... I received a mission call to Harrisburg Pennsylvania."  His reply was short and sweet and to the point, "It's a great place out there with wonderful people. I just visited there recently and I would know.  You'll love it."  I sat down and immediately looked over at the usher and asked him who had just spoken with me.  And the Usher didn't make me feel stupid, but politely said that I had just talked with Elder Oaks.  As I sat down, I was politely tapped on my shoulder by the people sitting behind me who had overheard me saying "Harrisburg" and wondered what I had to say.  I repeated that I was going on a mission there in a month and the 4 people sitting behind me just so happened to all be recent converts (within the last 12 months) from the Harrisburg Pennsylvania mission and new my mission president quite well. I had a good chat with them until Michal returned, but don't remember any other specifics.

I do remember that as I returned home my mom asked me if I had received an "answer to prayer" about going to Pennsylvania.  I told her that it was a lost cause.  I specifically remember saying, "Not a single person said Pennsylvania in one of their talks!  I don't know if that means I shouldn't go."  Then as Michal calmly relayed my experience of meeting Elder Oaks and converts from Pennsylvania, my mother helped me to recognize how this was, truly, an answer to prayer.  She said it couldn't be any clearer than this.

And that's what it was... an answer to prayer.  And I'm so grateful for the experience.

Years later, when we first attended the Eighteenth Ward, at a Thanksgiving social I had the opportunity to talk to Elder Oaks while he was eating some pumpkin pie - and told him about how he was the first apostle that I met and how I didn't even recognize him.  He chuckled and found the story amusing, but then spent the rest of the evening talking to Michal about the gospel in Poland.

So, now if you ever hear Elder Oaks tell a story in conference about a nice young woman who didn't recognize him - you can say - you know who he is talking about.

Nevertheless, I think it's neat that both of our first apostle experiences revolve around Elder Oaks - you never know - maybe it will inspire Lily to go on a mission - or to become a lawyer one day!