Wednesday, June 20, 2018, began as a typical day. My wife, Marsha, and I worked our shift at Employment Services in Lethbridge, Alberta, and then prepared to travel to the Fort Macleod Alberta Stake to train the leaders in the new Self-Reliance Initiative. We were wearing two hats at the time: part-time employment missionaries and full-time self-reliance missionaries. Both missions dove-tailed beautifully in the work of assisting others to become more self-reliant.
Before heading to Fort Macleod, we decided to stop at the A&W restaurant for a bite to eat. We each ordered a hamburger and had only taken a couple of bites when my cell phone rang. I looked at the display and saw, “Salt Lake City, Utah.” My first thought was that my son, who lives in Utah, was calling on his company phone. I answered, expecting to hear his voice, but instead heard, “Is this Elder Nelson?” It wasn’t my son’s voice! My heart began to beat faster when the caller said, “This is Elder Wilford Anderson calling from Salt Lake. Is your wife with you? Would it be possible to speak to both of you?”
An unexpected calling changes the direction of our lives
With our minds racing, Sister Nelson and I left the table and slipped into the front entrance so we could hear him better. I put the phone on speaker mode, and we stood huddled together while Elder Anderson explained that I was being called as second counsellor in the Cardston Alberta Temple presidency, and Sister Nelson was being called as an assistant matron. He then asked if we would accept the callings.
We were both in shock at this point, but I remember numbly replying, “Elder Anderson, there is only one answer we can give to a call like this.” He chuckled a bit, and there followed some further conversation. Neither Sister Nelson nor I could absorb all of what was said, but we did understand we were not to tell anyone of the calling for the time being. When we finally said goodbye and returned to the table, our appetites were gone. We sat in a daze until it was time to drive to Fort Macleod. It proved challenging that evening to sit in the training meeting and have one of the committee members say, “We’re so glad you are extending your self-reliance mission.” We could only smile noncommittally.
In time we were allowed to share the news, but I was always struck by the fact that the call came while we were in the A&W restaurant. When I later expressed this sentiment to Brother Mark Stubbs, a stake self-reliance specialist, he said, “Well, you know what A&W stands for, don’t you? It stands for able and willing.” I smiled at his interpretation and thought to myself, “I am willing to serve, but I feel so overwhelmed that I don’t know about the able part.”
Angels are dispatched to strengthen me
My concern only increased as I was set apart as the second counsellor and began my duties. On one occasion early in our service, I found myself alone in the Celestial Room of the temple. It had been an eventful day, including a few incidents when I did not handle things as well as I wished I could have. I was very aware of my inadequacies and asked Heavenly Father, “Am I really cut out of the right cloth for this position? Can I really fulfill my responsibilities in an acceptable and pleasing manner?”
As I prayed for revelation, I looked at the empty chairs and couches in the Celestial Room of the temple. In my mind’s eye, I could see my dear departed parents, grandparents, and other loved ones sitting there. A powerful feeling overcame me as I perceived they were smiling at me in love and support. Then as they seemed to gather around me, I was buoyed by the realization that they were aware of me and were praying for me. I knew the Savior was aware of me as well, and I felt His love.
My thoughts turned to the prophet Moroni’s concerns expressed to the Lord that he, Moroni, was not a good enough writer because of his weakness and the placing of his words (see Ether 12:23-25). He felt inadequate, just as I had been feeling when I entered the Celestial Room. But as the Spirit washed over me and tears filled my eyes, the Lord’s words to Moroni came to me, “…my grace is sufficient for the meek” (Ether 12:26). In that moment I knew my efforts were acceptable to the Lord. With His help, I could succeed in fulfilling my responsibilities. The doubts I had been experiencing disappeared, and I left the Celestial Room softly humming “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, 74).
When we give the Lord our hearts, He strengthens our hands
I realized that the Lord was not expecting me to be perfect. He was only asking me to be truly willing to serve, and in the process, He would make me more able to serve. In the words of President Thomas S. Monson: “…whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies” (in Conference Report, Ensign, May 1996, 44). I had wanted to be completely qualified at the outset, but I found that I had to proceed “…line upon line, precept upon precept…” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:21). This is the Lord’s way of individually tutoring us. The process may appear to be slow and somewhat imperceptible, but we cannot bypass or skip through it, or we miss the experiences necessary for our growth and development (see Doctrine and Covenants 121:7).
It would be nice to say that from that day on I always handled temple matters very well, but such was not the case. The qualification process of learning and growing had to continue. But despite the “growing pains,” my love for the Savior deepened, and the remaining years of serving with President D. Wesley Balderson, President Ron Jacobs, and their dear wives became treasured ones. Our time of service passed all too quickly, but the lessons I learned remain. Even now, two years after our release, I never drive by the A&W restaurant without remembering where a deeper understanding of able and willing began.