Did you ever have an imaginary friend?
No but in my adult life I have three special experiences that I would like to tell relating a little to yesterdays question and of men who I consider to be special friends but far from imaginary.
I have had three special experiences with general authorities.
Carlos E Asay became a General authority in 1973. I had been associated with him for 9 months as a missionary in the Texas North Mission. I remember vividly our first meeting and our last many years later. There were 30 or so of us headed to the Texas North mission in Oct of 1872. The first and largest group left on the plane first and then 10 of us followed in a second plane quite a while later. It was my first ride in an airplane and a very new experience. I recall the lights of the Fort Worth - Dallas area as we flew over them and landed at Love Field in Dallas. We all got off the plane and proceeded down to the baggage claim area with no idea what was going to happen next or how we were to get to the mission home. No one was there to meet us as we were told would happen. We were all just about ready but facing the baggage ramps when a fellow laid his hand on my shoulder and turned me around. He no more than saw my face and said “Hello Elder Poulson”. I, needless to say, was very impressed that he knew my name and everyone else’s as well. The first group had arrived and they had left the airport headed to the mission home when they were about half way there President Asay realized that his entire group had apparently not arrived. Of course I grew to love him as we worked together in Texas and as he conducted his monthly interviews with me. He was called to be an Area Representative just prior to completing his three years as our mission President. Later at mission reunions he never failed to know our names. In 1999 he invited all of us to a mission reunion at the Salt Lake Temple with any of our endowed children. Jeff attended with Marie and I having just returned from his mission and again President Asay knew my name. He invited all who lived outside of Utah to meet with him after the session and he would give them a tour of the temple and then told the rest of us to set up a time with his personal secretary. He was currently the Salt Lake Temple President.
We were again with him about a week later but it was at his funeral. He had a massive stroke Monday at work and passed away the following Friday. He had gone into work that morning as his secretary related to us very excited and as though he were on cloud nine because of the special reunion. There were 305 of us there and we had also enjoyed it as well.
The second was in 1986 or 87 with Marion D “Duff” Hanks as he was introduced to us. He was the Bother of Janet Christensen and came to a dinner with us at Timp Lodge at an adult overnighter in the 4th ward. He sat across the table from me and we talked about my current position in the ward. I was the Varsity Coach/Teachers Quorum advisor at the time and I remember him asking me if they were all active and what I was doing to get them that way. He then related how he had 14 in his quorum and that he had been able to get them all active and then challenged me to do the same with my quorum. It was almost like a Personal Priesthood Interview because he was focused on me and I on him during the conversation even though it was at a dinner with others all around us.
The third was not as personal but was with President Boyd K Packer when he came to the Mapleton Stake for a conference. I was currently serving on the High Council and at the start of the conference we were asked to provide security for him along with his two personal body-guards. After they arrived we all had a chance to meet him and shake hands, introduce ourselves and then he went into the office with the Stake Presidency and we went to the chapel. We met at that time with the security personnel and they started it off with a prayer. After the prayer they thanked us for being there to help and then said “We noticed that you all closed your eyes during the prayer (apparently they hadn’t) and we know that is what you are to do BUT it will not happen again during this conference.” They then went on to explain that during prayer was when any trouble makers will most likely make their move since no one will really be watching. (You ought to be on the stand and look out into the audience during prayers for sacrament meeting and you would soon learn that they were probably not totally right but none the less it is apparently when things do happen.) We were then given a list of names to look over and tell them if we knew any of them on the list. I did and in fact was not surprised that his name was on the list since I had been his parents home teacher and had met with him several times and listened as he complained about certain things the leaders of the church fell short of doing. I was then asked to keep look out specifically for him and his movements. Well he moved all over but never was any trouble, I did finally figure out that if I went and talked to him and stood by him that he stopped moving around and was much easier to keep track of during the remainder of the meeting.
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