Blessings Come Through Service

As I told you we served a mission in Brazil.We met with a member of the Area Presidency every month, so we became close to President Soares. As we did our Church Hosting we would see our friends from Brazil, but President Soares usually came in and sat on the stand and did not come out into the audience.  The April Conference after our girls were diagnosed with cancer, President Soares came out into the audience and came on my aisle. We spoke for a moment about his family, and then he asked about mine. I told him my sad news with a heavy heart. He immediately asked the girls names, wrote them down, and said he would place them on the First Presidencies Prayer Roll. As he left, her said, ""I will make sure they are on the roll for two weeks." I felt that again my Heavenly Father had blessed us for our service in Brazil and our service as Church Hosts. He doth require that ye should do as He hath commanded you; for which if ye do He doth immediately bless you; and therefore He hath paid you.

Robert and Eleanor Newman

The Tabernacle Organ

One evening we worked an event at the tabernacle that my son, working security for the church, had also been assigned to.  He met us after the event and as we stood talking I noticed a gentleman come in from the back of the rostrum and walk over to turn on the organ.  I recognized him as Bill Hesterman whom I had served a mission with.  I went over to the organ to talk to him and found out that he was there practicing for an upcoming stake conference.  As he started to warm-up, I asked if I could try playing something.  He moved aside and allowed me to play a few notes.  He then went back to practicing and I went back to visiting with my wife and son.

Paul Bredthauer

Playing the Bells

One Thursday night we were working a rehearsal at the conference center with the Duncans. Lee and I went backstage so I could show him the entrance to the kitchen. As we got behind the rostrum, we saw several cases of bells on a table.  After looking at them for a while I commented that it sure would be fun to play them, but someone was sure to hear and we didn’t want to get in trouble.  We continued to talk about how much fun it would be to play the bells as we started to walk back down the hall. On our way we saw the director of the bell choir coming toward us. I saw our opportunity and asked her if it would be possible to play the bells.  Much to our delight, she agreed and took us back to show us how the bells work and how they are replaced. She then let us take some of the bells from their cases and showed us how to play them, and for the next couple of minutes we made beautiful music with the bells on temple square.

Paul Bredthauer

Meeting President and Sister Callister

For the April 2008 conference I was asked if I would work with the H group to assist in getting conference attendees to the right entrances.  On Saturday morning I was out on the plaza directing people to the correct doors when I saw a couple looking around for the right entrance.  As I approached them to offer my assistance, I recognized them as my son’s mission president and his wife.  I went up to them and asked, “How can I help you President and Sister Calister?”  President Calister looked at me, surprised, and said, “Do we know you?”  I explained that I had met them the previous October when my wife and I picked up our son from his mission.   He then looked at my name badge and recognized me as Elder Bredthauer’s dad.  After we chatted for a few minutes he mentioned that it would be good to talk to my son again.  I called home and had my daughter get him out of bed to come to the phone.  President Calister talked to him for a few minutes then hung up the phone so they could get into one of the very long lines. I led them to the shortest one and moved them to the front so they would make it into the building on time. That same day, President Calister was put into the second quorum of the seventies.

Paul Bredthauer