Presidency of the Sunday School

 

      During the years of 1976-1979, my ecclesiastical calling was second counselor to Russell M. Nelson in the Sunday School general presidency. Lloyd Pullman was the first counselor and then he was called on a mission. At that time, I was called as the first counselor with William Oswald as the second counselor.  My main assignment was to help produce the Sunday School curriculum for the church. The General Presidency of the Sunday School and the board at the time were responsible for producing all the manuals for the church.

     As both Russell Nelson and I lived in the Bonneville Stake, we would always travel to board meetings together. How amazing to become so well acquainted with a future prophet. He came at least three times to Brazil while we were there.

     This was a unique time and opportunity to me to be so closely connected to two of the finest administrators I've ever met in my entire life - Neal Maxwell with CES and Russell Nelson with the Sunday School. Russell Nelson related to people so well. He really delegated and expected you to do the job well. He didn't give a lot of instruction but let us do our own job. Neal Maxwell had the remarkable ability to anticipate things happening in the future. We'd have "black-cloud sessions" as he would call them. We would gather and he'd say: "Can we see any small black cloud in the future that we should be thinking about that might become a big problem?" My love and respect for these two men only grew as time went on.