One of the funniest things of my Mission happened in Ft. M. Ever Missionary seems to have a dog story and this is where mine occurred. We had tracted out Ft. M about three times but had never found anyone home at one house we passed when walking from the Post Office. One morning, we decided to try it again. As we went to the door, we could hear a large dog barking inside the home. We usually had one Elder near the door and the other back a couple of steps so people would not feel to pushed when the opened the door. Elder Evans knocked the door and I stepped back against the porch railing. When he knocked, I saw the curtains opened a crack, then heard the back door open and close, then heard the tapping of dog toe nails as he came running around on the porch. The dog, a huge German Shepard, was about to pass me and was headed for my poor companion. I instinctively punched it on the top of the head as it flew by and knocked it out. It lay on the poach with its legs still doing a running motion when I saw the curtain crack again and then the door open with an amazed and angry man standing in it. I somehow thought to say, “Watchtower society, have a nice day.” We then walked away, got down the street and about died laughing. (BTW, the Watchtower Society was our competition, the Jehovah Witnesses.)
We had several other baptisms in Ft. M and to stay busy tracted farms. In doing so we actually got to teach a family that had left the Hutterite community. We actually baptized two Hutterite young men in Medicine Hat, apparently the first converts we had from that sect.
That is where I got to visit that famous community of Claresholm, Alberta, Canada of which Nate knows. One day that summer, we were driving there and saw what appeared to be a solid wall of white rising from the earth to the huge black cloud we were approaching. The sun was behind us and was shining on that wall of falling hail. We turned around to try to out run it but in caught us and we pulled over to the side of the highway and stopped. It turned completely dark for a few minutes, a darkness that headlights could not penetrate, until it passed over us. When it passed, we saw that we were cumbered about with about a foot of quarter sized hail. Wow, we loved the adventure!
After about 3 months, about June, 1963, I was transferred to Calgary to train 3 new missionaries. I took one out in the Morning, one in afternoon and one in evening with teaching sessions in between. I even taught them how to make meatloaf, chili and stew.
We had some wonderful success in missionary work. We tracted out a very elderly couple, the Hardies one day and they invited us in. Our tracting record from prior Elders in the area indicated that they were older, friendly and would usually invite them in for a visit. But I had Elders to teach and no time to fritter away on a social visit. As we walked past their door, the trainee companion with me felt we should go back and knock.
We could see Mr. Hardie through the Window. We went in and Mrs. Hardie was at the Doctor’s office. We had to yell real loud directly into Mr. Hardie’s ear to communicate and he explained that he was a member of the first National Board of Deacons of the United Church of Canada after it was formed by combining the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. He was very engaged in that formation and thereafter. He also told us that his first wife had died several years before and that he had married her nurse, the current Mrs. Hardie.
He was about 90 and Sister Hardie was much younger, about 65. She returned home while we were still there and I asked if it would be OK to teach them our first discussion to help train my new elder. They consented, and we proceeded to teach them of the Savior, the Church of Jesus Christ in the Meridian of time, the apostasy, the restoration, including the Joseph Smith Vision and asked them to pray about it. It took a long time because of his hearing problem but we persevered and made sure he heard. His mind was excellent. When we taught of the apostasy, with me yelling it into his ear, he looked at me very upset and started to weep and protest the idea. When we taught of the Restoration and he deeply considered it and had questions. His ears did not hear well, but his mind and spirit did. We asked him to pray at the end and he offered a very faith centered prayer.
We committed them to study the pamphlet we left and pray about it and set a time to return in two days. We arrived at the appointed time and no one was visible in their front room where they usually sat. We were thinking,” ah shucks” but knocked anyway. A voice bade us to enter and as we did so, Sister Hardie swiveled her chair around so we could see her and her face glowed. I said, “Sister Hardie, something special has happened here.” She said, “Yes, they had prayed a lot since we left and they knew what we had taught was true.” Wow, joy! Once they got past the tea issue they progressed rapidly to baptism.
The wonderful Bishop in their Ward was older, also and he and his wonderful wife personally undertook fellowshipping them. They even installed a special hearing assist hook up and ear phones for Brother Hardie in a pew near the front. What a great experience for my training Elders. The ward loved them and they were amazed by all they saw, the youth, the members, the love, the things they were taught, it was wonderful to behold.
From trainer I was called to serve in the Mission Home as the Mission Recorder. I was very sad because up to that time it seemed that nonperforming or troubled missionaries were called to work in the Mission Home. My companionship had been tops in numbers of baptisms two different months and we had great converts and I thought I would be advance in leadership and continue to proselyte full throttle.
But, President Smith met with us, a nearly new bunch, and told us that he had instituted a new policy and had brought Missionaries in that could do their duties in and from the office and still be top proselyting missionaries with only evenings, Saturdays and Sundays to proselyte. The Mission Home Elders had very little success up to that time. He envisioned us progressing to the most productive district in the Mission. He said it was important that we, spending so much time in the Mission Home with him, should reflect the greatest success.
I was companion to Elder Bond, the Mission Secretary and current Mission Home District Leader. We were together for about two months and immediately had sweet success with several baptisms the first month. I was then appointed Mission Home District Leader for the last month of our companionship, October of 1963. We had 3 sets of missionaries in the Mission Home District when we happily counted Elder Geiger, a Missionary with disabilities that was actually on a service mission but was included when one of us was not available or went in a threesome. Elder Wosniak, a fine Missionary that was allergic to sun rays worked in the Mission Home at all times, so he would stay indoors during the summer.
One interesting thing, we had a French chef that did all the cooking in the Mission Home. He and his wife were fairly new converts. We had an apartment for them by the kitchen. We gave Sister Smith our checks for food and rent each month and somehow she managed it so we got plenty of good food, though some of it was not our accustomed fare. Steak was served on Friday and a very special meal on Sunday. We ate dinners at the formal dining table. Our chef was famous in Calgary because the kitchen faced a main 4 lane road and he would arise early to cook and always wore the formal, white, mushroom shaped chef’s hat.
It was very special to work so closely with President and Sister Smith. They taught me so much and I gained a lot of confidence that ultimately prepared me for the decision to go to law school. I greatly loved and admired them.
It was in October that we had perhaps the greatest proselyting experience I had enjoyed on my Mission. I have inserted a copy of a letter I sent to my sons and grandsons when they were serving on missions. It is an experience sacred to me, so I have shared it only when clearly prompted by the spirit.
…I am reminded of a sacred experience I shared in 1963 when serving in the Mission Office in Calgary, Alberta. We had just enjoyed watching General Conference the first time it was telecast in Canada. After Conference a call was picked up by Elder Bond, our Mission Secretary. He gave it to me and it was a Reverend George Bunting who wanted to speak to “whomever is in chaaarge.” Since I was district leader for the Mission Home and the Mission Presidency was at conference so I gulped and said with considerable apprehension, “That would be me…”
Reverend Bunting proceeded to explain that, “He had just watched the Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had never heard more truth in any 2 hours in his life and would like to speak with someone about it.” He explained that he resided in a retirement home for retired Anglican (Church of England or Episcopalian in USA) Clergy and that he could no longer drive and would need to meet with us elsewhere.
Elder Bond and I arranged to pick him up in front of the retirement home. There were many inquisitive eyes when two Mormon Missionaries picked him up. (They could tell by our car and the business hats we always wore.)
Rev. Bunting was 84 years old and stood about 6’6’’ straight as an arrow, so getting him into our tiny Rambler American was a bit of a crunch. We drove him back to our mission home and proceeded to get to know him and teach him the gospel. He had lost his beloved wife recently and was very concerned with what happened after death, would he be with her? He did not have the answer but he had hope in the atonement.
We learned that when he attended divinity school he became opposed to making money servicing the Lord. 1st Corinthians, I think. So after school and ordination he took a ministry(s) in the southern part of the border area of Alberta and British Colombia. He became the Anglican Minister for several congregations too small to afford a minister, and traveled a circuit to their little towns to cover them all on Sunday. He only accepted reimbursement of some costs and gas money during his many years of service (estimated by me at about 40-50 years).
In order to support his family, Rev. Bunting worked in the logging, mining and road cutting business in the area. He and his wife retired when he was about 80 and moved into the Anglican Minister Retirement home after he developed severe arthritis in his very large hands. This caused his fingers to become terribly curled up, making it necessary for someone to feed and help dress him. His beloved wife did this for him but since her death, he had to rely on nursing staff.
Rev. Bunting absolutely loved the discussions and for each scripture we would quote on a topic, he would add two to three more. He was on fire. He had developed a way to turn the pages in his bible even with his crippled hands and would just fly through them. We covered two discussions the first day, and he wept when we taught him, in the 1st discussion, of the apostasy. He rejoiced when we taught of the restoration, especially of the Priesthood and revelation. He cited Acts 3: 19-21 which says that the Heavens must receive Christ “until the times of the Restitution of all things.” The fact that we had no paid ministry gave him great joy. When we taught of the Book of Mormon in the 2nd discussion, he was very excited to read it.
We picked him up the next day and gave him the 3rd and 4th discussions. He had already read much of the Book of Mormon and, as I recall, finished it the next night. He went to church with us on Sunday and loved it. Everyone loved him, too. Here was this beloved, kind, loving, tall, silver haired, dignified, brilliant Anglican minister and servant of God rejoicing in the restoration. When we taught him the 5th discussion on the Plan of Salvation, he wept again, knowing that he could be with his beloved wife forever, and desired to be baptized as soon as possible.
We knew from our conversations that he would lose his right to live in the Anglican nursing home and the help he received there. We were concerned. He explained that because he had worked in regular jobs, he had the benefit of the Canadian social security. So, he had been able to arrange for, and was able to afford, a small apartment near the Tri-stake center in Calgary. When we asked how he would be able to dress and feed himself, he smiled and humbly explained that he had spoken with Heavenly Father in prayer and asked if his hands could be healed when he arose from the waters of baptism and that he spirit told him that it would be done. Needless to say, his missionaries, with their lesser faith, were a bit apprehensive.
I witness and testify that, as the now Brother Bunting arose from the waters of baptism, his hands were as limber and lithe as mine. He also received a wonderful blessing when confirmed.
He was soon called to be the building librarian. In those days there really were libraries with many books. He proceeded to try to read them all.
Shortly after baptism, he was ordained an elder. He also managed the Bishop’s Storehouse at the Tri-stake building since he was there most of the time, attending Primary, Young Men’s and Young Women’s, Relief Society, and any other meetings, all of which he loved to attend so he could see how the Lord’s true organization worked. He was so upbeat and kind, that everyone totally loved him. He literally shined. After about three to four months, he was called as the ward Gospel Doctrines teacher. His knowledge and testimony had grown so much so fast. Of course, he had a great foundation in his testimony of the Savior and had already come to knowledge of most of the truth before we ever taught him, only lacking the fullness. Thus, he recognized instantly the truth and light when he watched General Conference.
At the request of his Bishop, Stake President and our Mission President, the First Presidency made a special exception in his case to the rule-that a person must be a member one year before they can receive temple endowments. He was endowed and sealed to his beloved wife about 8 months after his baptism. He then went to Vancouver, BC to be with his family. There he taught the Gospel to his daughter and son and baptized them and their families…..