March 27, 2017

March 27, 2017

I have reached the high point in my mission.  I can’t imagine having a more wonderful evening than I just experienced. It was the last night for two of our missionaries, Sister Cliff from Phoenix and Elder Bradfield from New Zealand. I have such happy memories of being in Elder Bradfield’s home when Dad and I were on our mission together.  We had a lovely dinner at the mission home after which we went downstairs for a testimony meeting.  Elder Bradfield bore a powerful testimony by sharing how different aspects of his testimony were strengthened by each companion that he served with.  Sister Cliff told us of her fears when she received her patriarchal blessing because it talked about her leadership roles. She said at 17 she was a bundle of anxieties and couldn’t imagine leading anything. She said how hard it was in the beginning to knock on doors and how she has grown to love sharing the gospel with strangers. President Hancock shared a little of his family history.  He comes from Levi Ward Hancock whose son Joseph Smith Hancock had a son who came to Arizona. I can’t remember his name but his son had to take over supporting the family when his father died even though he was just 10 years old.  He became a sheepherder. Living among the sheepherders he grew up without the gospel had problems with alcohol. The next generation avoided alcohol but were not active in the church. I don’t remember exactly how it comes down to him, but he was telling the story to explain how happy he was to have his daughter and her husband here visiting. He delighted in seeing how they were teaching the gospel to his grandchildren.  His point was that although his ancestors were lost to the gospel their descendants have established the gospel in their homes.  He wanted the missionaries to remember that they won’t know the reasons why there are less active families here in Idaho, but it is important for them to work to bring them back into full fellowship in the church.

Just as we finished our meeting the doorbell rang.  The Bradfields had spent the day down in Salt Lake trying to make connection with the elders that converted them.

I had wondered all day if the Bradfields would even remember me considering how many other senior couples would have come to Takapuna Ward in the last seventeen years. When Joy walked in she called me Nancy and gave me a great hug! Elder Bradfield’s father took a while to place me.  I took our mission picture and showed it to him.  He asked Dad’s specialty and as soon as I said something about allergy.  He knew immediately and said, “He changed the way I practice medicine by telling me how effective Zantac is in treating allergies.”  

We sat in the living room and visited for a while.  It was amazing to hear Elder Bradfield’s father call him Tom with his New Zealand accent.  It immediately brought to my mind the four-year old version of Elder Bradfield.  So many memories came flashing back.  The parents told their conversion story.  Brother Bradfield’s family was tracted by missionaries when they lived in South Africa.  He was given a Book of Mormon which he put on the shelf and never touched in the following 8 years.  In the meantime, he met Joy and hated to admit they had lived together about 5 years, but when they wanted to start a family they decided to get married.  She was having her family come from England, so it was decided that he would go home and live with his parents until time for the wedding.  He went home and one night with nothing else to do, opened up the Book of Mormon. He couldn’t put it down. After the wedding, he spent his honeymoon reading the Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price. After the honeymoon, he found some missionaries and told them he wanted to be baptized. They said he would need six lessons.  He didn’t want to wait.  Joy wasn’t ready and wanted him to wait for her, but he said he knew it was true and didn’t dare not act on that knowledge.  Eventually, Joy also joined.  It was so wonderful to hear them repeat the story I remembered hearing years ago.  So wonderful to meet their son and find him such a wonderful missionary.

I just had to write while it was fresh in my mind.  It’s been a wonderful week!

The Gospel is so amazing! And so true!!!!

Love and hugs,

Grammie/ Sister Shill