"FLASHBACK PRESIDENT LISONBEE!"

One of the things that we like to do during our Zone Meetings and Conferences is have a Flashback moment from David's mission to Brazil as a young man. The missionaries love seeing a photo of him and hearing about his mission as a young man. He often quotes directly from his mission journals.

When the missionaries saw the following picture of David on his mission they wondered why he wasn't wearing a plaqueta or name tag. We explained to them that in David's era missionaries didn't have name tags yet. I mean have you ever seen images of Joseph Smith or Brigham Young wearing a name tag? We reminded them that it was a very long time ago that President Lisonbee served. I'm not sure they even had plastic then. But as you can see they did have very large ties.

David as a young missionary in São Paulo in 1973

Here's a story he shared in our last FLASHBACK PRESIDENT LISONBEE segment.

David:

"I often wonder about the people I had taught and baptized many years ago when I served as a young missionary here in Brazil. I had lost track of all of them, so I began looking in my journals and came across these entries about a man we baptized in 1973.

Journal
February 10, 1973
"We're teaching a man named Adilson who is 29 years old. He is the boyfriend of a member in the Ipiranga Branch. She won't marry him until he's baptized and she's quite persuasive. Adilson's uncle was recently found dead. He is searching for the truth. He's reading the Book of Mormon and has a testimony."

March 8, 1973
"We baptized Adilson on March 6. The Spirit was strong! I was going to perform the ordinance but I was so sick I could barely stand, but I made it to the baptism."

About a year later I happened to run into Adilson in São Paulo and I wrote this:

February 25,1974
"Adilson was at the stake center tonight. He told me he was just called as the Executive Secretary of the stake! He said it was me and Elder Fehlberg who made the difference in his conversion to the Gospel.This brought me great joy."

I started looking for current info about Adilson and found this about him online on the Church's Family Search site:

"Adilson Kaestner was born in Presidente Jetulho, Santa Catarina, Brazil. He was born on December 30, 1944. Adilson was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 6, 1973. He was married to Guiomar Kaestner (this is the girlfriend, later wife, who was a member in the small branch). He had five children with her. He worked in accounting. He passed away on February 2, 2001. He had a heart attack while going to work. When he passed away he was serving as a temple worker in the São Paulo Temple. During that time the temple was open 24 hours a day on Fridays. Adilson worked there on Fridays from midnight until six in the morning."

Adilson dancing with his wife, Guiomar several years after they were married

It brought tears of joy to my eyes to know that Adilson had been faithful to the end. I remember him very well. I found out that his wife, Guiomar has remarried and is serving a mission in St. George, Utah!"

I know that this work we are doing will reach far into eternity. And I know that there are few joys in life greater than being a part of another person's process of conversion.

"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"
(Doctrine & Covenants 18:15)

Until next time,

Onward, Ever Onward.