The Messenger

It's December and there are always certain things that happen in December...

• Christmas (DUH!)


• Baking


• Snow Fall


• Craziness


• Parties


• Stake Conference

It's Stake Conference that I want to focus on today.

First of all... I wish we could sing Christmas hymns at Stake Conference. Is there a mandate out there that says you can't?

Just wondering.

Second of all... we were blessed to be able to have an apostle come to our Stake Conference today. Russell M. Nelson came, along with an area authority, the president of our local mission and the president of our temple.

It's not every day an apostle comes to Stake Conference, you know.

I was excited for Inigo because 2 years ago, Elder Nelson came with President Monson and Elder Bednar to the dedication of our Temple. He was there when Inigo got to help President Monson put the mortar on the cornerstone. He was there when President Monson talked directly to Inigo and told him stories about red headed missionaries. (Elder Nelson helped Inigo's friend put the mortar on the cornerstone.)

I am always looking for ways to remind Inigo of this special day in his life, so when Elder Nelson stood up to speak, I quietly reminded him of this.

Before he came, each child in our stake wrote him a letter and the ward primary leaders took a group picture of their kids to give to him. He graciously thanked them, then asked each primary child to stand up on his/her seat and sing I Am a Child of God.

Then he mentioned President Monson and spoke of how he loves children. He said that President Monson is always on the look-out for "red-headed children" and reminded us that at our Temple dedication there happened to be a red-headed boy that got to help out with the Cornerstone Ceremony.

We were excited about that because that meant that Elder Nelson remembered Inigo!

After the meeting ended I determined to see if I could get Inigo up close, to shake Elder Nelson's hand and to reintroduce the two of them. So I hustled my boy out the door and into the foyer where a small crowd had gathered. We waited anxiously for about 10-15 minutes. There were a lot of people lingering in the chapel waiting to shake hands...

Finally, the time came. Elder Nelson approached. He extended his hand and I said, "I'd like to introduce you to my son, who just happens to be the red-headed boy from the Temple Dedication."

Elder Nelson's eyes lit up and that great man bent down to Inigo's eye level and shook his hand. He asked him his name and said, "Do you have a message for me to give to President Monson? I am going to see him this week and I would love to pass it on for you!"

Of course, Inigo stood there with his eyes wide and his mouth wider. "Um, um, um...."

Elder Nelson said, "Should I tell him you said hello?"

Inigo just nodded his head.

I jumped in at that point and said, "Do you want to tell him that you just got baptized?"

Inigo just nodded his head.

Then I said, "Will you tell President Monson that Inigo is already planning to serve his mission in Nepal?" (My boy is still consumed with everything that has to do with Mt. Everest.)

Elder Nelson laughed and looked down at Inigo and said, "I know we'll need good missionaries there!"

Our time with him was short because the crowds were large and he had to move on, but what a great moment we had!! Inigo came home renewed and ready to work hard on being the "pace setter" that President Monson asked him to be.

I will forever be grateful for the continued blessings that have come to my son because of the wonderful experience he had that wintry day in 2008... That day when a small boy cried because he wasn't old enough to go to the Dedication and prayed with a pure heart to be able to see the prophet.

Those prayers were answered in so many wonderful ways!!

**All photos were taken by our good friends who took Inigo to the Temple that day. I was not physically present at the Cornerstone Ceremony. I was watching it back at the Stake Center.