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Nov 2006 Issue
by Danielle Ellis
Elder John H. Groberg came onto many people’s radar screens a few years ago when The Other Side of Heaven, his best-selling account of his mission in Tonga, was made into a major motion picture. But Elder Groberg’s life has been an extended saga of caring for others, often due to his callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Groberg’s latest book, Anytime, Anywhere, recalls his most memorable experiences serving as a General Authority since 1976. At the time of his call by President Spencer W. Kimball, all the stunned Brother Groberg could think to ask was, “Does this mean we will have to leave Idaho Falls?” President Kimball hugged him and tenderly replied, “Yes, this will mean moving anytime, anywhere in the whole world, for the rest of your life.”
At the time, John and Jean Groberg had a family of ten children, with the youngest only nine months old, and the oldest getting ready to graduate from high school. This call to go and serve would not be an easy one for Elder Groberg or his family!
But Elder Groberg reflects, “God didn’t send us here to be comfortable, He sent us here to grow. Growing requires effort and stretching, which usually are not comfortable…. We may not understand why certain things are asked of us. At times we may feel that we aren’t up to the task. The point is, we do what the Lord wants us to do, when He wants us to do it. His wisdom is infinite, ours is not. As we obey Him, over time our will and our joy will become like His” (Anytime, Anywhere, p. 5).
Darkhan, Mongolia
On a train trip on a bitterly cold, dark night in central Mongolia, Elder Groberg was awakened by the train creaking to a halt in Darkhan. As he peered out his frosted window, Elder Groberg witnessed a joyful family reunion between seven family members, waiting anxiously in the blowing snow, and their three loved ones, who stepped off the train. Elder Groberg was so moved by the scene of their joyful reunion that he felt sure he needed to get missionaries to that city.
He asked the mission president, who stated resignedly that although Darkhan was one of the larger cities in Mongolia, missionaries were not allowed there. Through a fortuitous turn of events, two missionaries were asked to come to the city on the following Monday. Within a few months, there were fifty-two people attending sacrament meeting each week, and the mission president stated that the meeting he had just attended there “was one of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have ever had.” (p. 15)
Elder Groberg recalled that cold night on the train and his feelings as he watched that wonderful family reunion. He remembered his strong impression that “the time was right to send the true light of Christ to these wonderful people. Again I heard my heart cry out, ‘There they go– here I am. I must do something to help them’.” (p. 16)
As with so many promptings to care for others, the Spirit speaks to open hearts. The light of the gospel being accepted by many more people in that Mongolian city stands as a witness that when we do our best to care for others, the Lord can work miracles through us.
Tongan Legacy
Elder Groberg writes of several experiences with Tongan members of the Church whom he had known on his first mission there. They had organized extensive gatherings to let Elder Groberg know of their appreciation for his counsel or priesthood blessings, given to them in Tonga 50 years prior. Summing up these experiences, some of which he had little recollection of until the other participants expressed how their lives had been changed, he states:
“I realized more than ever how God can and does cause good things to happen when there is true love and faith and a sincere desire to help others.” (p. 48)
“If we can live our lives so we can hear and heed the promptings of the Spirit, there is no limit to the good God can accomplish through us. Part of living worthily is to not seek or desire recognition, but to humbly obey spiritual promptings, knowing that, whether we are aware or not, God will bring the increase in His own way and His own time.” (p. 48)
