"For a moment, perhaps each of us could be the qualifying judge through
whom each hall of fame entry must pass. Whom would you nominate for
prominent position? Whom would I? Candidates are many—competition
severe."
In
our quest for an example, we need not necessarily look to years gone by
or to lives lived long ago. Let me illustrate. Today Craig Sudbury
presides over a ward here in Salt Lake City, but let me turn back the
clock just a few years to the day he and his mother came to my office
prior to Craig’s departure for the Australia Melbourne Mission. Fred,
Craig’s father, was noticeably absent. Twenty-five years earlier,
Craig’s mother had married Fred, who did not share her love for the
Church and indeed did not belong to the Church.
Craig
confided to me his deep and abiding love for his parents. He shared his
innermost hope that somehow, in some way, his father would be touched
by the Spirit and open his heart to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He
pleaded earnestly with me for a suggestion. I prayed for inspiration
concerning how such a desire might be rewarded. Such inspiration came,
and I said to Craig, “Serve the Lord with all your heart. Be obedient to
your sacred calling. Each week write a letter to your parents and, on
occasion, write to Dad personally and let him know that you love him,
and tell him why you’re grateful to be his son.”
He
thanked me and, with his mother, departed the office. I was not to see
Craig’s mother for some 18 months. She came to the office and, in
sentences punctuated by tears, said to me, “It has been almost two years
since Craig departed for his mission. His faithful service has
qualified him for positions of responsibility in the mission field, and
he has never failed in writing a letter to us each week. Recently my
husband Fred stood for the first time in a testimony meeting and said,
‘All of you know that I am not a member of the Church, but something has
happened to me since Craig left for his mission. His letters have
touched my soul. May I share one with you?
“‘Dear Dad, Today we taught a choice family
about the plan of salvation and the blessings of exaltation in the
celestial kingdom. I thought of our family. More than anything in the
world, I want to be with you and with Mother in that kingdom. For me it
just wouldn’t be a celestial kingdom if you were not there. I’m grateful
to be your son, Dad, and want you to know that I love you. Your
missionary son, Craig.’
“Fred
then announced, ‘My wife doesn’t know what I plan to say. I love her
and I love our son, Craig. After 26 years of marriage I have made my
decision to become a member of the Church, for I know the gospel message
is the word of God. I suppose I have known this truth for a long time,
but my son’s mission has moved me to action. I have made arrangements
for my wife and me to meet Craig when he completes his mission. I will
be his final baptism as a full-time missionary of the Lord.’”
A
young missionary with unwavering faith had participated with God in a
modern-day miracle. His challenge to communicate with one whom he loved
had been made more difficult by the barrier of the thousands of miles
which lay between him and his father. But the spirit of love spanned the
vast expanse of the blue Pacific, and heart spoke to heart in divine
dialogue.
No
hero stood so tall as did Craig, when in far-off Australia he stood
with his father in water waist deep and, raising his right arm to the
square, repeated those sacred words: “Fred Sudbury, having been
commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
The
prayer of a mother, the faith of a father, the service of a son brought
forth the miracle of God. Mother, father, son—each qualifies in a Hall
of Fame.
