Visit to Mt. Vernon

This past week, I went to visit the Mt. Vernon Branch, which is near the western edge of the Evansville Stake. In our church, smaller congregations are referred to as branches and larger congregations are called wards. Typically, eight to twelve branches and/or wards are organized into a stake. I was participating in an early morning meeting prior to the beginning of the Sunday services when the two full-time missionaries who serve in the Mt. Vernon Branch walked into the meeting.

I immediately recognized one of the missionaries and a quick glance at his nametag confirmed that my recollection was correct. His name is Elder Melanson. He and his family lived in Shelbyville, KY where they were members of the branch where we attended church. At the time we lived in Shelbyville, he was probably fourteen or fifteen years old. It took him a moment, but he finally asked me (right in the middle of the meeting, which was sort of funny) who I was and why I looked so familiar. I think he was caught off guard that I knew who he was, including his first name and the name of his older brother. I spent a fair amount of time trying to help his brother with some of his struggles while we lived in Shelbyville, which is why I remembered his family so well.

Although it took him a moment, he finally remembered who I was. I was a little surprised to see that he was serving a full-time mission in the Kentucky Louisville Mission since Shelbyville, where his family still lives, is also part of the Kentucky Louisville Mission. Typically, missionaries are not sent to serve in their home missions. After our meeting ended, I was able to talk with him at length. He shared with me some of the struggles he has had with Asperger's syndrome throughout his life, but also indicated that in spite of his struggles, he still had a strong desire to serve a mission. While his condition prevents him from serving for two full years, he is able to serve a three month mission and is both grateful and excited for the opportunity to be on a mission.

During the course of our conversation, he mentioned that Jake Egbert, one of our friends from the Shelbyville Branch, had a big impact on his desire and decision to serve a mission. Later that afternoon, I called Jake and told him of my conversations with Elder Melanson. He was happy to learn that his positive influence was a contributing factor in Elder Melanson's decision to serve a mission. That type of feedback is always rewarding and helps to restore one's faith in the ability of young people to be influenced by things other than the influences provided by their immediate peer group.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to visit with this young man. While I'm not entirely sure why I ran into Elder Melanson, I am sure that it was for a good reason. I've learned that knowing the reasons behind these types of experiences is far less important than trusting that Heavenly Father has placed me in the right situation and place at exactly the right time to help accomplish His purposes.