Apostles and Prophets of Jesus Christ

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

We were privileged to spend time with A member of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles last Saturday.  This apostle grew up in Cache Valley, (Logan) Utah. He served a mission to Japan as a young man and was called to preside over the Nagoya Japan Mission from 2005-2008. He was called to the first quorum of seventy at age 53 after returning home from his mission, thus dedicating the next 17 years (seventies receive emeritus status at age seventy) of his life to God. However, at age 60, last October after serving in the church as the presiding Bishop for 3 years, he was called as an apostle, a lifelong calling. 

Before our morning meetings started, The apostle was getting acquainted with a stake president and some of the brothers in the small room when he asked me, "are you a part of the Jaggi family from Logan?" I said that I was, however my grandfather moved from Cache Valley to Salt Lake City after World War 2. He asked who my grandfather was, and I said Stanley Jaggi. He didn't know a Stanley, but he said the following... And I'm paraphrasing and praying to capture the essence of what this wonderful apostle said so you can feel what he feels about the Jaggi family and by extension, all of your families. He said that for about 10 years, what he considered the most formidable time in his life, Brother Jaggi and Brother Schmidt came to his home.  He was probably about 6 when He first remembered their visit. He said they were older High Priests with gray hair and thick Swiss accents. They seemed like heavenly beings to him at the time. They were faithful and came every month. They brought a spirit of power, authority and love. They served his family by helping in the yard or with house projects. He said he wished he had the information and understanding of the gospel that he has now, because he remembers "being taught" by Brother Jaggi. He remembers the feeling more than anything. As he spoke, I felt our progenitors near. The spirit bore witness as he spoke of the sweetness and joy the gospel brought to the Gottfried Jaggi (my great grandfather) family. I cried with appreciation and told the apostle, "Thank you." He said the Gunnell family was also valiant and he remembers one of the Jaggi's marrying a Gunnell and he couldn't think of a more celestial union in all the world. He said "there aren't any better families anywhere." 

As I look at our family tree and timing, (This apostle was 6 in 1961) he had to be referencing the great patriarch of our family, Grandpa Gottfried who was in his 70's at the time. Thinking of great grandpa on an apostles couch makes my heart soar. 

Why am I so grateful for this experience? My family was not a "pioneer" family. My grandfather Stanley was a beer-drinking, chain-smoking, tattooed covered World War 2 veteran. I didn't know till later in life that my father, who is now a very faithful man had his "epiphany" moment sitting in the back of a police car with 2 broken hands. Then and there he decided that there had to be something better in life than stealing, fighting and cars. He walked into an LDS church the next week. His bishop befriended him and he was on a mission in Africa 2 years later. 

How grateful I am to be the son of Robert and Judy Jaggi, the brother of Mark and Elizabeth, Kelli and Matt, Tim and Liz, Chad and Stephanie and Kristen. How grateful I am to be the husband to Amy Anne Stewart. Our ancestors made great sacrifices for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but the blessings our immediate and extended families have realized have been "an hundredfold." May God continue to bless my family and the families of the missionaries of the Utah Ogden Mission as we journey on the strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life. 

The missionaries of the church are in the right place at the right time doing the right things. The  graphic below represents how a missionary facilitates the reception of the Holy Ghost by their investigators. They cannot push the Holy Ghost or the message of the restoration to anyone, they just create an environment where the spirit may come and teach. This was given to us by a general authority. I love their simple practical teaching.