Evan's story, Chapter 8, Elder Faust

Elder Faust

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

“And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

John 9, 1-3

   In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a General Conference every six months in Salt Lake City. Church leaders preach sermons to address any concerns on their minds. In the 1980s, the Church recorded these Conference Talks and made them available on audio-cassette tapes. One of these church leaders was Elder Faust, one of the Twelve Apostles.

   A few weeks before Evan’s birth, Cindy and I went to the Temple to participate in Sealings. This is an ordinance that we perform for deceased couples. Before the Sealer started, he asked if anyone in the group needed a prayer for anything. In answer to his question, we told him that our new baby was going to be born with a crippling birth defect. One of the women told us she had been listening to a Conference Talk given by Elder Faust, in October of 1984. The subject of the talk was on children who had physical and mental disabilities. This woman gave us her tape.

   I vaguely remember he had spoken on the subject, but when he spoke, I didn’t pay much attention. This time, as we listened to Elder Faust preach about the disabled, we paid attention. His message was that they are special children of God and they needed our love. It was just what we needed to hear.

 To read the talk, click here.

   When Evan was two years old, our family went to a Regional Conference in Santa Barbara. This was a big meeting for the Latter-Day Saints in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Thousands of people crowded into the basketball arena at the University of California at Santa Barbara to hear two apostles speak to us. One of the speakers was Elder Faust. I don’t remember what he spoke about that day, but it wasn’t about disabilities. When the Closing Prayer was given, the meeting was over. Many members lined up to shake the hands of the speakers. On the other hand, we were sitting half way up the bleachers at about the half court line. That was too far away to greet them on such a personal level. Wrong.

   Soon after the Closing Prayer, I didn’t see Cindy and Evan. To my surprise, Cindy, while holding Evan, had rushed down the bleachers, maneuvered past thousands of people, and entered the line to greet the Apostles. Soon she was chatting with her favorite member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

   Cindy told him about Evan and how she had come to listen to his Conference Talk on Disabled Children. She thanked him for this message that had so much meaning to her. He responded that when they give these talks, they never know how they are going to be received. He expressed his gratitude for Cindy’s kind remarks.

   A few months later, our Bishop handed us a surprise. It was a photograph of Cindy, Evan, and Elder Faust. It is still a cherished photo.