I served as the 1^st counselor in the bishopric of the Provo YSA 101^st ward which is located close to the BYU campus. The first time that Meaghan attended the YSA ward she made a point to introduce herself to the members of the Bishopric. She talked to me and said that she had just moved into the ward and would like to attend church with us. I said the usual welcome and please find Bruce our executive secretary, he has a new member form that we would like you to fill out. She said I have already talked to Bruce and will fill out the form. Then she said something unexpected, "I'm not a member of the church, is it alright if I attended your ward?" This question caught me off guard. I think, I said yes, and you are welcome to attend.

A little later I thought, did she really say that she is not a member. No, that's not right; she has too much light in her eyes. After a quick debate in my head, I came to the fussy conclusion that she did say, "I'm not a member of the church." And she asked, "Is it alright if I attended your ward?" As far as I can remember, I was very welcoming and friendly. Should have I said more?

Unlike my wife Tracy, socializing is not one of my strong points. Now, if the conversation has something to do with computers of engineering, I do much better. Having said that, I made a special effort in subsequent weeks to get to know this new person. And I did get to know more about of her story.

Meaghan is from California. In her early teenage years, she made friends with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She started going to Church activities and Church meetings. Her parents were not sure about her involvement in a different church. They are Catholic. The missionaries started teaching Meaghan. She liked what they taught. From her parents, she always got we are Catholic. Her parents liked the good influence that her LDS friends had on her, so they let her go to LDS church and meet with the missionaries. Whenever she asked for permission to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, her parents answer was always NO.

That brings us to Meaghan attending BYU and attending church at the Provo YSA 101^st ward. She was an active participant in the ward. In one of our conversations, I ask her, "do you want to join the Church?" Before she got a chance to answer, my mine started racing. Was that the right thing to say? Maybe I shouldn't have asked her that. Or, perhaps I did not go far enough. I could've said, I'm going to start filling the baptismal font get ready. I didn't know what font I would be filling. Before I forget, I did ask her about joining the church, and she answered something like, ah, well, ah, my parents, and complicated. She was now 18 years old, almost 19 and no longer needed to get her parents permission to be baptized. She loves her parents and did not want to hurt her relationship with them. She said, "I'm working on my parents." She planned to join the church with or without her parents' acceptance. She just needed the timing to be right. She said, "I've waited many years already so a little more time won't hurt."

I ask her roommates about what we could do to help Meaghan. Should we get the missionaries to teacher again? She had already been taught by six sets of missionaries. She had said, "I don't like being referred to as the Non Member." She just wanted to be part of the ward. She just wanted to be part of a warm and welcoming group of people that would except her as she is and support and love her. There is a great lesson in that. People just want to have a safe, welcoming, and loving place to be. They do not want to be a project. They do not want to be the person that needs help. For the most part, everyone wants to be the person helping. They want to be supportive of others as well as being supported.

Let me tell you a little more about Meaghan. She is attending BYU on a sports scholarship. She competes in the track and field throwing events, discuss and hammer. She is an attractive tall strong girl. She has a roommate named Dez that competes in the same events. Dez is why Meaghan moved into the ward.

In one of our bishopric meetings the bishop brought up Meaghan and asked, what do you think about giving her a calling in the ward. I thought it was a great idea. The Church Handbook states that a non-member can be given a calling as long as it is not a leadership or teaching calling. We had a committee in the ward that needed help. We decided to ask her to serve on that committee.

As it turns out I was the one that interviewed her for the calling. I talked to her for a minute and then said, would you be willing to except a calling in the ward. She immediately said, "Wait, WAIT, are you going to let me, have a CALLING?" I started to say something, and she interrupted me with great enthusiasm, "yes, yes, YES, I will except." I said, before you answer, let me explain what we would like you to do. She said, "Okay, then I'll say yes." I have asked a lot of people to except callings. I have never, ever, had anyone except with such enthusiasm. I explained what she would be expected to do as a member of the committee. She thought for a split second and said, "I can do that, I except."

She was sustained in the next Sacrament Meeting. As fate would have it, I was the one to set her apart. In a YSA ward, people are moving in and out all the time. This requires that many callings be made and many setting aparts be done. With so many setting aparts, there is usually very little time allocated for each one. Another priesthood holder and I were about to place out hands on Meaghan's head when I realized she is a non-member. I stopped and asked her do you know what a setting apart is? Have you ever had a priesthood blessing? She said, "no, but I trust you." Her words hit me right in the heart. She trusts, me. Am I worthy of that trust? I sat down and took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts, and quickly explained what a setting apart is. I explained that the setting apart would include a priesthood blessing. I then asked, "Would you like me to give you a priesthood blessing?" She thought a moment and calmly said, "I would very much like a priesthood blessing."

She served well in her calling. We talked again about her being baptized. I asked her about her parents. She told me her dad is coming around and is okay with her baptism. Her mother was not there yet. Meaghan was sure that over time her mother would except her joining the Church.

Meaghan decided to move forward with her plans to be baptized. The bishop got her in touch with the missionaries that covered our ward, and a date was set for her baptism. Having a baptism in a young single adult ward which is made up of mostly BYU students is an unusual event. This unusual event had the whole ward excited.

It was the day of the baptism. A convert baptism is usually a small event with close friends and family. This one did not follow that pattern. There were decorations, lots of food and people. There were rumors that Meaghan's parents would be coming from California. The rumors were true, Meaghan's parents attended the baptism. The spirit was strong during the baptismal service. Meagham was so happy and clearly having her parents there added to her happiness. After many years of Meaghan wanting to be baptized she was finally a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After the baptism there was time to congratulate, socialize, and eat food. Young single adults like to eat and socialize. I took this opportunity to talk to Meaghan's mother. She is a nice friendly woman. If our conversion started down the topic of religion, she would say, we are Catholic! She said she was there to support her daughter. I was clear to me that she did not like that her daughter joined the church, but she did love her daughter. She could see that her daughter was very happy.

I also talked to Meaghan's father. He is a good man that loves his daughter. He is much more friendly to the church than his wife. He told me the story of Meaghan choosing to attend BYU. Meaghan is an athlete that is very good in the track and field throwing events.

Out of high school, Meaghan was highly recruited by many universities. Her dad told me about a visit to one of these universities. The university had a lot to offer. They really tried to impress Meaghan. They had Meaghan go to a party that evening, so she could experience the great social life there. She showed up back at the hotel much earlier than expected and asked her dad, can I just go to BYU. If BYU knew I was at that party, they may not let me go there. Meaghan and her parents made another trip, this time to BYU. They were impressed with the couches and the campus. Her dad said, I haven't told anyone about the experience I had at BYU. As he was walking around the campus he had a very good feeling. He felt calm and at peace. He could tell that there was something different about this place, and he liked it. He knew that this is the place Meaghan should be and that she would be safe here. He went on about his spiritual experience without realizing that it was a spiritual experience. He had no problem with Meaghan joining the church, but it was not something he was interested in.

I enjoyed witnessing Meaghan's spiritual journey to the gospel of Jesus Christ and my little part in her joining the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints.