Mission Impossible




Elder G. Larry Haws in Crestview Florida December 1966

 

It’s June in Southern California, “Beautiful Downtown Burbank” to be exact. I’m going to be 19 in a week and looking forward to a summer of going to the beach and partying. All my buddies are gone on their missions except for Mike Bivins who leaves in a week. I’m not able to go right now because they have a new rule because of the Viet Nam War that only two missionaries can go from each ward per year. We have two going next week from our ward so it isn’t looking good for me. To be honest I’m not to broken hearted about it because the beach is looking good and life is good. Saturday night I had a date with Jennifer Barlow and early Sunday morning as I’m leaving to go home she asks me why I’m not going on a mission. She’s a convert to the Church and doesn’t realize the restrictions put on the wards. But she asks me “if the Bishop asked you would you go?” And I said, “Sure”. Little did I know that after I drove away she called and woke up Bishop Rickard and told him I was ready to go on my mission.  Bishop Rickard was a very patient man with me. We would “borrow“empty beer kegs from the local beer distributors and put them on his roof late at night. We thought we were really embarrassing him. Later I found out he would simply take them down and return them to the distributor and get a $10 return fee.  When I got to priesthood meeting that morning Bishop Rickard asked me to come to his office where he asked me if I was ready to go on my mission. I asked about the limit and he said he might be able to find a slot not used by another ward. I said I would be glad to go but couldn’t possibly leave until October because of finances (and the beach). He said that would be fine. After my interview I should have guessed something was up when he said why don’t I go right over to the Stake Presidents office and get that interview out of the way. So I went over and completed the interview without thinking much about it even when the Stake President said we had a high councilman who was a doctor and he could give me a physical right away. Back then the physicals weren’t as involved as they are now and it took just a minute and I was done. I didn’t think anymore about the events of the day before because it was just the first part of June and I wasn’t going anywhere until at least October. Wednesday at the Beach I was teasing Mike Bivins that in a little over a week he would be in the MTC in Salt Lake and I would be laying here on the beach in southern California. I was feeling pretty good. I went to bed that night not knowing that my world was about to get turned upside down. The next morning at 7:00 a.m. I answered the doorbell and there stood the mailman. He asked if I was Garth Larry Haws because he had a “Special delivery” letter for me. When I opened it said I had been called to the serve in the Florida Mission which was great and I thought it should be nice in Florida in October, but then I continued reading and it said I would report to the MTC on Monday June 20th (the same day as Mike). Panic! Sick! Scared! I hadn’t even told my Dad (who was very inactive) I had been interviewed because I wasn’t going anywhere until October. It was a long day waiting for my father to get home to break the news that I needed $125 on Sunday and $125 a month for the next two years. To my surprise he took it well until he realized he couldn’t talk me into joining the Air Force.  But he agreed and we went down on Saturday and got some of the clothes needed. We only were able to get one suit a dark green Penney’s machine wash and wear special.

                     Mom & Debbie                                     Jennifer Barlow     
 Julie Ann Campbell

     

 Sister Rickard...Aunts Margaret & Nola                               Dad.               





 After my farewell on Sunday night the 19th Mike and I flew to Salt Lake City and checked into Covey’s motel (now known as “Little America” for the night and then we would walk to the MTC in time for the 1:00 check in. They first clue that I didn’t have a clue about going on a mission was that I had packed a swimming suit to take on a mission. Mike and I spent that morning swimming in the motel pool before getting dressed to go to the MTC. Now comes the second clue…when I walked into the MTC I was wearing a white T-shirt, Levi’s and black converse tennis shoes (no one from my family had gone on a mission so I didn’t have a clue you were supposed dress up). Of course when I walked in dressed like that the room went silent and I was able to walk right up and get my room assignment without waiting. They had a sign saying all new missionaries had to memorize D&C 4 before 6:00 that evening. So I put my suitcases in my room and went down to a nearby store and bought a liter of Pepsi and some donuts and sat on the front steps of the MTC and started memorizing. Because of the short notice I wasn’t able to go through the Temple so I was the only Elder in the MTC wearing “Jockey Shorts” and didn’t have a clue what this week was all about. To me the first couple of days seemed like I was sitting through 12 hour “high council” sacrament meetings and I wasn’t ready for that, I was supposed to be at the Beach, not sitting with all these strait arrows in a never ending sacrament meeting. There were a few other problems like when I was coming down the stairs singing my own version of “Give me some men who are stout hearted men” mine had the same tune but the words referred to girls in bikini’s but I never got a chance to finish it because I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned and saw our MTC mission president Brother Richards pulling me into the nearest empty room. He was a very nice and patient man and explained to me that he wasn’t going to send me home because that would make me too happy. Way back then you weren’t set apart before you left home by the Stake President; you were set apart by a General Authority on Thursday morning. I was assigned with 4 other Elders and their families (I didn’t have any family there so Mike Bivins went with me) to go into Ezra Taft Benson’s office.





Now I didn’t have a clue who he was, let alone an Apostle, but I sat and was on my best behavior as he called up each Elder, asked them their name and proceeded to set them apart. I was the last one called up and I sat on the chair, Elder Benson then asked my name and I told him and he put his hands on my head and ……………….nothing. He didn’t say anything for a very long time. Then he took his hands off my head and walked around me sitting in the chair and just stood in front of me and looked into my eyes. He said nothing for the longest time (while my whole life passed in front of my eyes). After a few moments he walked around me put his hands back on my head and proceeded to set me apart and tell me everything about my life, my family, everything. He even mentioned that I had an attitude that I was going to go on a mission but I wasn’t going to change and come home like those “holier than thou” returned missionaries from our Stake. He blessed me that my attitude would change I would be an instrument for much good and my mission would be one of much success and the Lord would reap many great things from my labors. I was amazed, how could he know about all that stuff about my family and my attitudes. My testimony was starting to grow. I stayed out of trouble the next couple of days except for the day I was late to the auditorium for the big fireside because Sister Richards had stopped me to ask how I felt because she had noticed this terrible cough I had. When I sat down the Elders on either side of me said they had called my name to give the opening prayer. I laughed and told them that I wasn’t going to fall for that trick. But when no one got up to pray I saw President Richards looking at me and signaling an Elder on the front row to say the prayer. But other than that and falling through a man hole in my only suit I finished the week pretty good. Now Monday morning we boarded the train that would take us to Chicago where we would catch a plane to Orlando Florida. About this time reality was starting to set in and by evening I was sitting in the observation car with Elder Palmer trying to think of what disease we could get that wasn’t too painful, but still allow us to be sent home with a medical release. We didn’t come up with anything so we decided to stick it

out                                                                 

My first companion Elder Keith Kammerman

 I was blessed with a wonderful Mission President Glen L Rudd who was patient with me as I learned the things I should have known well before entering the MTC and Mission field. The last weekend of my mission I was asked by President Rudd to conduct a tri zone conference (1/2 the mission). As I was closing the last session and announcing the closing song and prayer I again felt that hand on my shoulder and this time it was President Rudd. He asked if he could say something quick and being the great guy I’m am I let him. He simply said, “You all know that Elder Haws is going home this week, I don’t want you to worry about him adjusting when he gets home……because he never adjusted while he was here.”  He was probably right but I appreciate all he did for me in helping a very unprepared missionary learn and grow and hopefully be a positive influence on the people of Florida.