The Process of those Called to the Apostleship
Elder Lee later
explained the process and preparation of those called to the holy apostleship: “The
beginning of the call of one to be President of the Church actually begins when
he is called, ordained, and set apart to become a member of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles. Such a call by prophecy, or in other words, by the inspiration
of the Lord to the one holding the keys of presidency, and the subsequent
ordination and setting apart by the laying on of hands by that same authority,
places each apostle in a priesthood quorum of twelve men holding the
apostleship . . . Each apostle so ordained under the hands of the President of
the Church, who holds the keys of the kingdom of God in concert with all other
ordained apostles, has given to him the priesthood authority necessary to hold
every position in the Church, even to a position of presidency over the Church
if he were called by the presiding authority and sustained by a vote of a constituent
assembly of the membership of the Church” (Monson, Errand, 272) (Heidi
S. Swinton, To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book, 2010], 227)
Difficulties Facing the Building of the
then-future temple in Friberg, East Germany as well as Some Miraculous Events
What the people
behind the Iron Curtain needed was access to a temple. Later that month, April
27, 1975, Elder Monson, n his rededication of the country, petitioned the Lord,
“Heavenly Father, wilt Thou open up the way that the faithful may be accorded
toe privilege of going to Thy holy temple, there to receive their holy
endowments and to be sealed as families for time and all eternity” (Thomas S.
Monson, Faith Rewarded: A Personal Account of Prophetic Promises to the East
German Saints [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996], 36). The few who were
allowed to go to Salt Lake City where they could attend the temple were just
that—a few. Elder Monson understood that “worthy people feel deprived” when
they cannot have the blessings of the temple. Such became “their prayer of
faith, their expression of hope.” As he would meet with the General Authorities
every Thursday, he “would express this same hope” (KBYU Interview with Thomas
S. Monson for documentary A Fortress of Faith, October 1988). (Ibid., 308)
There was no question
that those Saints were worthy of a temple, but the significance of the Church’s
receiving permission to construct that temple behind the Iron Curtain cannot be
overstated. The use of all land was controlled by the government, and private
construction approval from the government was very limited. Since the end of
World War II, construction approval for a new church building had been unheard
of in East Germany. When Henry Burkhardt informed the government officials that
the building would be off-limits to all but worthy LDS members after its
dedication, the officials agreed to comply. That surprised the German Saints,
who were accustomed to having their lives constantly under the eyes of the government.
(Ibid., 312)
Spencer W. Kimball’s Approach on
Forgiveness (contemporary with the writing The Miracle of Forgiveness):
Elder Monson and
President Spencer W. Kimball both liked to work, and both approached their
tasks with great zeal. For several summers, President Kimball had worked on
writing a book titled The Miracle of Forgiveness. “As one reads the
book,” Elder Monson later observed, “particularly the first portion, one
wonders if anyone will make it to the celestial kingdom.” The final portion, he
noted, provides the assurance that “with effort, all can qualify” (Monson, Errand,
342).
One day President
Kimball, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve, entered Elder Monson’s
office and said, “I don’t know if I should have printed the book or not. I have
people coming in to confess mistakes which they made long years ago. Could you
help me talk to some of them?”
Elder Monson agreed
to help, to which President Kimball responded, “I’ll send several people in to
see you.”
When Elder Monson
asked, “What would you like me to tell them?” President Kimball answered
simply, “Forgive them, brother; forgive them” (Monson, Errand,
342). (Ibid., 373-74)
