A Change at the Helm

The New 1st Presidency of the LDS Church
President Thomas S Monson

Monday morning I was able to see the news conference announcing the new 1st Presidency. As was custom and protocol, President Monson was announced as the 16th Prophet of our church and he called Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf as his counselors. I feel as if I know President Monson quite well, since he has been in the Presidency for many years. He came to our regional conference in February and was quite familiar in his talk. I visualized him as a young boy teasing his sister and floating down Provo River and he became a real person to me. President Eyring, I don't know much, but that he has a strong testimony of Christ and His gospel. A friend of mine gave me a quote from President Eyring that goes:

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast and I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my presence makes sense and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rouhg, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided, or delayed. I will not flinch at the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me, and when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear."

As for President Uchtdorf, I can actually say I have sat at his table and broken bread with him. It has been over 17 years ago, but I stayed at the Uchtdorf home just outside of Frankfurt, Germany on my trip there with my friend Rhoda K. Rhoda and President Uchtdorf's daughter got their MSW's together and when we planned our trip to Germany, we made arrangements to stay with people who could show us around the country. The first week, we stayed with my friend Tom Best and his wife in Heidleburg and then spent 3 days at the Uchtdorfs. President Uchtdorf talked about his life as a Pilot with Luftanza airlines and living in Arizona where they learned English and showed us how to eat a proper German breakfast and took us out for his favorite dessert - Spaghetti Ice. We then spent the last few days with my cousin Ron near the Mozel River. Never did I think that my short stay at the Uchtdorf's home would come back to me as a little brush with a church official.