Elder and Sister Neal A. Maxwell — July 1984
Any face-to-face encounter or experience with one of our apostles or members of the First Presidency is journal-worthy and memorable, but the two or three experiences we had with Elder and Sister Neal A. Maxwell are transcendent. We moved into a small home in the Monument Park 2nd Ward as I started private practice in Salt Lake City, and we were pleased to find out that Elder and Sister Maxwell lived in the same ward. We rarely saw Elder Maxwell, but occasionally saw Sister Maxwell at church. One evening not long after we had moved into the ward, I responded to a knock at our front door. I was shocked and amazed to see Elder Maxwell standing at our door, holding a loaf of freshly-baked, home-made French bread. I invited him in and quickly summoned Susan. In a sweet and sincere way, he welcomed us into the ward and expressed the desire of himself and Sister Maxwell to get to know us better. There was no pretense or fanfare, just a sincere welcome from a neighbor. His visit was brief, but the memories of it are enduring. An apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, one who travels the world and preaches the gospel to literally millions of people, took time out of a frenetic schedule to visit a young, new couple in his ward. I’m sure this was not an isolated incident in the Maxwell’s life: I personally witnessed Elder Maxwell many times at Holy Cross Hospital visiting the sick and infirm as I went about my duties in that hospital.
Not long after the above-mentioned incident, the Maxwells invited ourselves and another young couple in our ward to join them for Sunday dinner. At the time, we had two little children, Anne and John, and we earnestly prayed that neither one of them would dump gravy or some other liquid on their beautiful beige carpet. The dinner was a delicious meal and fortunately our children did not commit any irreparable damage to the Maxwell’s beautiful home. After the meal, Elder Maxwell took our little children into his backyard and played with them in a large doll house that he had made for his own grandchildren. This was another unsolicited, sincere act of service on the part of a very humble apostle and his sweet wife. We witnessed a beautiful enactment of the Savior’s words: “…if any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)
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