Elder Gong was at church again today. He’s in our ward along with Elder Rasband, but they are usually away on other assignments on Sunday.
They are apostles of Jesus Christ, some of only fifteen on the Earth today. It’s the neatest thing when they come. The Spirit of God fills the room when they speak. I feel it.
Last summer, a few months after we moved downtown, we were walking into church on Sunday and Elder Gong held the door open for us. I thought how neat that was, almost starstruck that here was an apostle of Jesus Christ, one of his special witnesses, helping ME.
Little did I know how much he and his sweet wife would be helping me just later that day.
The twins were too young to go to nursery at the time, so Jake and I would take turns strollering the babies around during second hour to get them to go to sleep.
That day they were especially cranky, in fact I couldn’t get them to settle down. They just kept crying.
I opened the church doors and started to make my way home, figuring that a nap was the only thing that would really settle them.
I stopped to soothe the babies at the end of the sidewalk because they were still crying. I sat back on my heels, searching my backpack for something to soothe them, when Elder and Sister Gong came up behind me asking if I would like some help.
“Oh I think they’re not feeling well or something, I figured I’d just take them home to nap.”
“Do you think they’ll be happier if we carry them?” Sister Gong offered.
“We could try it,” I said, not really sure what to do.
Sister Gong then picked Thea up from the stroller and her crying stopped. I did the same with Esther, and we started walking, Elder Gong pushing the stroller along with us.
I was sure to tell them that it was no short walk to our place, that we could try putting them back in the stroller and they could go on their way to wherever they needed to be. But they assured me that they were just fine and were happy to go with me all the way home.
Three quarters of a mile they walked and talked with me. Sister Gong carried Thea the entire way.
I thanked them greatly when we arrived to our door and felt somewhat bad for putting them out and keeping them from other things.
But the truth was, I think they were happy to. They carried what I couldn’t and lifted me up, just as the Savior would, if He was here. They are His friends, that was clear.
I’ve thought of that often, and what a special experience it was for me. I know they’re called of God to serve and witness of Him here, I’ve felt it and I know it.
