Elder Bednar - Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Words cannot express what a wonderful day this has been. Every missionary in our mission has anxiously awaited this opportunity to "sit at the feet" of an Apostle of God to listen and learn. Today, Elder Bednar and Elder Snow, who is in the Presidency of the Seventy, addressed the Buenos Aires North, South, and West missions.

Most of our missionaries were picked up by buses and transported to the West Mission where the meeting was held. Those that were in zones close to the West Mission border found their own way on trains and buses. Those of us in the office and one of the assistants, Elder Pugmire, and his companion, Elder Urra, would travel via the President's car.

We were to leave at noon so we thought we would have at least three hours to work in the office and perhaps get a few things done. Wow, did that time go fast. Elder Kroff had to get a check cashed in order to pay all the colectivos that were transporting missionaries. He had to find the drivers once we got to the meeting and pay the bills. So his morning was hectic driving to the mission home to get the President to sign the check and then going to the bank and cashing it.

We arrived early to the Stake Center because our president wanted his missionaries seated and studying their scriptures and getting spiritually prepared to receive the messages being presented. Many missionaries arrived early and it was a joyous occasion with much laughter, hugging, and smiling faces as they all greeting each other. The missionaries from the MTC here were also in attendance.

There were designated places labeled to show each mission where to sit. The sisters were ushered up front in the center and the senior couples were up front on the side benches. However, there weren't very many of us. The West Mission has two couples, the South Mission has one couple and we were from the North Mission. The Mission Presidents and their wives sat on the stand. President Argyle had three of his children there and they sat behind us. He is always looking for opportunities to include his children and expose them to wonderful experiences. It's paying off!

President Argyle could see that the room full of 561 missionaries was not going to settle down on their own without some direction, so he asked permission to say a few words and get the crowd focused on what was about to take place. He is always so inspired and gave counsel as to the importance of preparing ourselves to receive Elder Bednar and Elder Snow, and to invite the spirit to the meeting. Immediately, people were in their seats reading, meditating, and being reverent.

A half hour later, the silent congregation stood as the General Authorities and their wives entered the room. The spirit was present and appreciation shown by the speakers that we had prepared ourselves to learn something today.

The missionary anthem, "Called to Serve" was the opening song and, as always, gives us chills as we hear the booming male voices sing it with determination. I love it!

Elder and Sister Snow spoke first and they did very well pausing when necessary for the translation into Spanish. That is a lot harder than it looks to say just enough, pause, and then continue on with your thought, then pause again, etc. Elder Snow and Elder Bednar were both in the German mission, but not at the same time. And, Elder Snow is a past mission president, but I can't remember where he served.

Sister Bednar was adorable. She said she had four days of Spanish instruction at the MTC before coming and she can say Hola and Chiao. She asked for three elders to help her and said that one had to be Elder Stoker, who happens to be from our mission, because she had a letter for him from his mother. He had to volunteer in order to get the letter. They are in the same ward as the Stoker family. She asked each a question -- "What is one thing you like about your companion?" "What kind of a missionary does your mother want you to be?" and "What kind of a missionary does the Lord want you to be?" Then she gave motherly advice after each response. She was cute.

Elder Bednar was wonderful!! He told us that probably never again would any of us be in this small of a group (even though it was around 600 people) with a member of the Presidency of the Seventy and an Apostle where we could ask questions. So he said he was there to serve us and what did we want to know? He prefaced his remarks by stating that all questions were good, but that some were better than others. Then he gave examples of what was an inspired question and how to ask it. That was a lesson in itself.

Microphones were available to pass around, and he invited anyone to stand and ask a question. If someone was more qualified to answer it than he, he would invite them to respond. He used his wife, Elder Snow, and his interpreter (there was an elder who asked a question relating to his difficulty in learning the language.)

He definitely taught a multitude of things while responding to the questions asked. His main objective was to impress upon us the importance of teaching by the spirit. We need to develop enough faith to let ourselves be directed by the spirit in order to communicate effectively with the investigators. Although Elder Bednar only responded to ten questions from the congregation, everyone had questions answered. Through the spirit, answers came to the unasked questions. It was unbelievably good and uplifting. He is a master teacher! The meeting lasted three hours and we hated to see it end.

Seeing him and hearing him away from the Conference Center pulpit and teleprompters was a great experience. He had humor and really got down on our level. How fortunate we were!! No opportunity for taking a picture of him. We all remained in place as the authorities left the room.

Here we are in the midst of some of our elders - Elders Southern, Johnson, and Larson. Bananas and apples were available for a snack for these hungry elders.

As I was collecting a few of our missionaries for a group shot, more and more came out of the woodwork. It was great to get this many in one shot. Love them!

We came home to a quiet evening pondering what we had learned. It's been a wonderful day!