Heaven Has Everything to Do with It

It was a rare privilege to interview every member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to write about the holy apostleship (see “We Are Witnesses,” page 12).

After meeting with President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve, I looked back into his office. He was sitting at his desk, writing a general conference address. He is the Church’s longest-tenured General Authority—sustained to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1976. He looked tired and energized at the same time. “How are you?” he had just asked me, followed by the kindly admonition: “Don’t wear yourself out.” Coming from someone who has accepted a call to literally wear out his life in the service of the Lord, the exchange had great meaning to me.

The Twelve are called to “regulate all the affairs of [the Church] in all nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:33). But when you are with them, their focus shifts from a worldwide Church to the individual in front of them. They came to their callings from positions held in high acclaim by the world, yet when I left their offices, the words to define them were always the same—humble and kind.

“I sometimes ask myself, ‘How in the world am I here with these great men?’” President Ballard told me. Then he testified, “Heaven has everything to do with it.” I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the calling of an Apostle.

Sarah Jane Weaver

Church News Editor