Excerpt:
“Recognizing the problems from such a large
stake, the Stake Presidency
decided to study ways in which the Stake could be reduced.
After prayerful
deliberation, they decided that the simplest solution would
be to create a stake
in the Southeastern Nevada agricultural valleys.
But when President Myers
suggested this in
Stake Leadership meetings, he met with unexpected
opposition There were many members of the Church in Las Vegas whose roots
could be traced to "the valleys." These members
liked having their family
members come to Las Vegas For meetings and a
visit. Likewise there were many
in the valleys who enjoyed coming to Las Vegas for meetings, thus
providing
opportunity for wives and family members to shop and
socialize. And there
were, of course, the usual skeptics who felt there were not
enough members in
the valleys to
support a stake organization."
"President
Myers felt differently and had faith in the Saints in the valleys. He had
felt it on his
visits to their wards. Both the Moapa and Virgin Valleys had chapels.
The leadership and Church activity were
apparent. President Myers had been
prayerful concerning
this decision. He had sought the Lord's instruction and felt
that now was the
time to make the division. The General Authorities were also
somewhat skeptical
of President Myers' request and sent two members of the
Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles, Elder Harold B. Lee and Elder Spencer W.
Kimball, to Southern Nevada to assess the situation."
"After
meeting with President Myers, the two Apostles agreed to travel to the
five units
in the Moapa and Virgin Valleys to meet with the priesthood of each
unit. The meetings
were all scheduled on a Sunday morning.”
“President Myers owned a
Cadillac and had been noted for his fast driving. The
first meeting was scheduled in Littlefield, Arizona. In an effort to keep the
appointed
schedule, President Myers had, in his words, "put his foot in the
carburetor."
"He could see the Apostles were
getting a little restless as he raced along the
two-lane
highway leading to the Virgin Valley. Elder Lee, sitting in the front seat
beside
President Myers, stared straight ahead and tried to relax by moving back
further into
his seat and folding his arms. Finally, unable to control his anxiety
further,
Elder Lee leaned over to President Myers and asked, "President, are
your tires
all right?" "Oh they are fine, Elder Lee, they're fine. There's
nothing to
worry
about," replied President Myers. Elder Kimball seemed less concerned as
he typed away
on a small portable typewriter he had balanced on his lap.
To change their anxious mood, President Myers
called attention to beautiful
flowers that
dotted the desert. Neither man responded much about the flowers,
but Elder
Kimball would remark years later that he had really enjoyed "the
beautiful blurrrr of color" created when speeding through the
colorful desert
foliage.
When the three men reached the
small one room chapel in Littlefield, the
relieved
General Authorities got out of the car. A crowd of the priesthood
holders already
standing outside the building greeted them. Two of the younger
brethren
still sat on the horses they had ridden to the meeting. There was no
grass or landscaping
around the building. Dirt, gravel, and an occasional pile of
manure
covered the area.
Just after getting out of the
car and greeting the gathering of priesthood
brethren,
the front tire on the driver's side blew, sending a shower of gravel,
dirt, and
manure all over President Myers. President Myers, somewhat
chagrined,
started brushing the material from his suit. Elder Lee, with more than
a little
delight, moved close to President Myers and softly said, "Pretty good
tires, huh
President?" Locals arranged for the tire to be changed while the
meeting went
on as planned. Needless to say, the day continued at a less hectic
pace."
Page
created by Patricia Scott
September 11, 2006