My friend, the APOSTLE!!!!!!!

Wow!!!! I was so excited to hear about our newest apostle! Elder Todd Christofferson was in our ward in Charlotte and he is amazing!!! Okay...so he was more Pete's friend than mine (he and Pete and Br Don Stahli (Pres Hinckley's exec secretary) were all on Ward Council together...Pete was a brand new member of the Church...talk about learning from GREAT men!!!) but we did share a pew in Charlotte for lots of Sundays...and he would slip Patti Teddy Grahams. His wife Kathy is even MORE amazing. She and I went to Atlanta on a temple trip and she made me laugh...and cry! They are just the greatest people...which I guess is obvious...I remember that he was one of the top lawyers for Nationsbank (now Bank of America) when he was called to be a general authority. They had this GI-NORMOUS house and every luxury you could want...and he gave it all up without a second thought. He just WALKED away from that huge job, huge paycheck and great lifestyle!!! I remember Kathy saying, "Well, Libbi, when the prophet asks you personally to come...you go! You don't ask to think it over!" and then we had this really great talk about how that really, anything any Church leader asks us to do is the same thing because they are called of God to be in that position at that time and when we do it unto the least of these... She was such an example to me. I remember when Elder Christofferson (I just can't call him Todd anymore!!) gave his first talk in General Conference...his daughter slipped him a note that said, "Dad, don't trip walking to the podium!" Before they left Charlotte for Utah, he had an informal get together and said it was a "Anything and everything you ever wondered about but didn't know about Church government and didn't know who to ask night." He was asked all kinds of questions...none of which I can remember but I do remember being so proud of him and so sad that my friend Kathy was leaving! On his last Sunday, he gave a talk and so did I and on the stand after Sacrament, he asked me if he could have a copy of my talk. I handed my notes to him because I never really write out my whole talk. I forgot about that until years later when he called me and asked if he could read that talk in an area conference...I about had a heart attack!!! (and to this day I have NO IDEA what the topic was or what I said...). I got to visit briefly with Kathy when they came to Columbia with President Hinckley a few years ago but not near as long as I would have liked...and now, they will REALLY be too busy for old friends but that's okay...every time I see the twelve, I'll smile knowing that once upon a time, I shared a pew every Sunday with an APOSTLE and his wife!!!! I love you Kathy!!!!!

p.s.

and what I remember best is that I could listen to him teach forever and ever...I learned so much listening to him...I found an article that is a perfect example...it's at http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKFLE15338920070611?pageNumber=5&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true