One of the spiritual things that has really impressed me as we travel in eastern Europe is the spiritual maturity of the members. Some may have only been members for a year or so and may not know a lot about church history or procedural matters from church handbooks, but they are HUNGRY for doctrine. As I speak and teach on our travels, I have been surprised at times at what the Spirit has given me permission to teach. Rich and deep ideas, which bind our hearts together. I will love these people forever.
Just days after experiencing this again in Romania, I read these words of Glenn Pace when he waspreparing for many talks as a member of the West Africa Area Presidency:
I finally decided I would just have to rely on the Lord for
instant, spontaneous inspiration and be completely extemporaneous. There is
nothing more humbling to me than to stand before an audience completely foreign
to my own cu¬ture, knowing they are looking to me as a General Authority of the
Church. They have complete confidence that the General Authority will lead them
where they need to go. I therefore left on this first assignment with much
trepidation.
And yet my concerns turned out to be unfounded.
When I visited the mission, I was very impressed by the
intelligence, inquisitiveness, and attentiveness of the missionaries. I was
speaking to them about foreordination when one of them asked whether we would
be black or white after the resurrection. Another wanted to know if we were
individuals when we existed as intelligences. One thing I learned from that experience is while you
have to be pretty basic in teaching procedures and policies, you don't have to
hold back a minute when teaching doctrine. On this first assignment I received
a certain knowledge that the doctrines of the kingdom have a universal appeal.
I'm thankful for that early recognition because it gave me the confidence I
needed for "straight talk" throughout our ministry.
Glenn L Pace : SAFE JOURNEY : page 118
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