Our New Prophet

I hope that Todd remembers this story the same way I do. When I was about twelve years old my cousin Alisha was married in the Salt Lake Temple. That night they had a beautiful reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial building. After awhile some of us started to get a little bored so Todd, Staci, Ben (my cousins) and Heidi (my sister) started playing tag on the elevators. During the duration of this game my pretty up-do started to sag and I lost my nylons and sunday shoes. My cousin Ben was it and Todd and I had just gotten off on the same floor he was on, so we dashed into another elevator. Ben made to come after us only to freeze. Instead of Ben, three tall men and a few other flustered people entered the elevator. The last thing I remembered seeing as the elevator closed was my mothers jaw gapping open. I was still bouncing around all jittery about escaping Ben. The tall man standing next to me turned to me and started asking questions. Todd just stood there in shock and I kept thinking, what is wrong with him. I chattered away rather hyper like the entire time we were in the elevator. When we finally reached the last floor, he turned, shook my hand, looked me straight in the eye and said, "It was nice to meet you Sister Painter" I'm sure he said something to Todd as well, but now it was my turn to be in shock, I was so overwhelmed by a feeling of love. It wasn't until he left the elevator and I watched other people stand and swarm to greet him that I realized I had just met Pres. Monson.

I have since met a shook hands with a couple of other apostles including Elder Tom Perry and Pres. Packer, but I have never felt that overwhelming sense of love FOR ME again. I am grateful for a man that took the time to instill a testimony in a messy, flighty twelve year old girl.