GA Interviews –

When something means a lot to you - those associated with that thing or situation become your ideals, examples or mentors. My religious beliefs are extremely important in my life and someday I hope to meet my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – hopefully at that time I will have clean hands and a pure heart. Those chosen to lead the Church of Jesus Christ are called by God and assume that leadership not of their own designs but by revelation through inspired leaders. At the upper levels of church leadership these men are called general authorities. Occasionally members of the church have the opportunity or responsibility to interview with these great men on a one-to-one basis. This is an opportunity or displeasure depends on the circumstances that surround that interview.

I remember as a young missionary, I was in the second English-speaking group to spend the first month of my mission at the Mission Training Center in Provo Utah. There we learned the discussions and scriptures that would be needed in order to become a successful missionary. At the time it was a new program and there were many times we didn’t have anything scheduled, especially in the evenings. On one such occasion six of us decided to go outside and sit on the lawn looking up at the stars and talk about home. We were having a wonderful conversation that took a couple of twists and turns. We then started to discuss the interview process needed to be able to go on a mission. One of those involved stated that he had an interview with a curtain Elder. Elder is a title of respect used to distinguish the general authorities from other positions in the Church. Another missionary proceeded to talk about the Elder he met, then a third told a similar story. I remember being disappointed that I hadn’t had the opportunity to be interviewed by a general authority. I remember saying “ that’s not fair, I never got a chance to meet with a general authority.” There was a moment of silence and one of the missionaries said, “Paul it wasn’t a good thing, it was to see if they would let us go on a mission in the first place,” I learned that because of my faithfulness I didn’t have to meet with one of these great men.

No worries, since that time I have had four opportunities to be interviewed by general authorities, each time in a more positive setting then that experienced by my fellow missionaries. Each of these times has been in the process of picking a new stake president. The first time was in February of 1997. I was serving as Bishop and had been in that capacity for a little over a year. Elder Tingey one of the seven Presidents of the Seventies conducted the interview. I was one of the last individuals interviewed and both of us knew I wasn’t going to be the next Stake President. He talked to me about my family and the ward I presided over, he asked what problems we were facing and if our members were in debt. He gave me some advice that was very useful, it was a wonderful experience – kind of like what I had first envisioned happened to the missionaries I talked to that night in the MTC.

The second interview was given by Elder Bateman also one of the seven Presidents of the Seventies. This time I was serving as the Stake Young Men’s President. During such interviews you ‘re asked to provide three names of individuals that I believed would be able to serve as the next stake president. This time I was once again scheduled to be one of the last interviews. Elder Bateman made a couple of statements that were intended to be compliments. First he said that I looked like a Young Men’s President. Then he said “we have talked about you a lot today.” This meant that a number of stake members had presented my name for consideration. He said that many nice things had been said about my service and abilities. This was a great compliment that I hope I deserved and will continue to be true in the years to come. He then asked about the youth of our stake and the challenges they are facing. There was no doubt that he had a great concern for their welfare. Later that day Lori and I were invited back to meet with Elder Bateman again as I was called to be the 2^nd Counselor in the Mt. Logan Stake Presidency with President Bryan R Larsen as the president - he already happened to be one of those hero’s I mentioned at the first of this story.

The third time was with Elder C Scott Grow of the First Quorum of the Seventies. This time was a little different as it was the reorganization of a University Stake and none of the people interviewed lived in boundaries of the stake involved. We were all old farts, all the members of the stake are from the ages of eighteen to thirty. In each of these interviews there are two individuals involved - the General Authority is in charge and his assistant is a member of the area leadership - called Area Seventies. Both of them usually make comments and ask questions. Elder Fluhman the Area Seventy accompanying Elder Grow made the comment I have a great smile. He said, "I bet as a missionary people would listen to the gospel just because of that smile." I answered that I remember it being a little harder than that, at which time they laughed and we had a great conversation. Elder Grow thanked me and said I have a wonderful spirit and he could tell I had a strong testimony of the gospel.

The Fourth interview took place just a couple of weeks after the third. It too was for a young adult University Stake. They told us they were using the same list of individuals interviewed by Elder Fluhman and Elder Grow. The General Authority was Elder Baxter of the First Quorum of the Seventies. He was accompanied by Elder Cherrington an Area Seventy. The first thing Elder Baxter said is "I see you dodged a bullet a couple of weeks ago." I had no idea what that meant, except I wasn't called and we'll see what happens his time. The interview took a little longer than was scheduled and they asked a lot about my family and work situation. There was never any disappointment that I wasn't called as a Stake President. This interview was as pleasant as all the others and I view them as a tender moment that my Heaven Father allowed me to associate with these spiritual giants.

The common thread in all these experiences is the spirit surrounding the circumstances. These are men of God that under the power of the Savior receive revelation to make these calls. These interviews are an opportunity for them to find out whom the Lord wants to lead these stakes at that time. I walked away each time with a stronger testimony of the power of the priesthood and the process involved in calling priesthood leaders. And I would much rather meet under these circumstances than did my missionary companions so many year before.