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Jun 2009 Issue
By Pam Ellis
When you’re young, you often don’t see the Lord’s hand in the experiences you have. But as the decades pass, as you reminisce on the details of your life, you have this sweet knowledge that the Lord was orchestrating things all along. The trick is to allow Him: to follow where He leads, to drop the heavy burdens at His feet, to do His will. Then, on the other side of 70, you can smile.
The Meyers, Johann and Rae, smile as they look back on the beginnings; he in South Africa, she in Australia. While a world apart, their stories have remarkable similarities. He joined the Church at the age of 20 in 1949; she joined the Church in 1950 at the age of 18. Both were the only converts in their families. On January 10, 1952, they both set sail from their homelands: Johann to England; Rae to Canada. Eight months later, she arrived at BYU and he landed in New York for a while before also moving on to BYU.
They were introduced five different times before Johann actually remembered meeting her before—that last time was at a Gleaners dance where he was a dance instructor. He told her to “hang around and I might have a dance with you later.” Thinking he was rather arrogant, she moved as far from him as possible … but he found her and Rae says, “we’ve been dancing ever since.”
Johann was drafted into the army and served at the Presidio in San Francisco in the General’s Honor Guard for two years. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on August 18, 1954 (along with sixty-three other couples who had arrived by bus that day from Florida!) And thus began a journey of—so far—55 years!
Johann’s desire to work at the Family History Library in Salt Lake necessitated a transfer from BYU to the University of Utah where he graduated with a degree in Elementary Education.
On a field trip to the Post Office as an elementary school teacher in Kearns, UT, Johann saw a poster stating “Teachers needed in Panama Canal.” He signed up for two years and taught kindergarten there for sixteen!
The Meyer’s influence in Panama extends far beyond sixteen years of kindergartners, though. Having this burning desire to assist in the cause of redeeming the dead–wherever he is–Johann microfilmed all the Panamanian Catholic records. This project sometimes called for him to drive 600 miles round trip to pick up books at Catholic parishes. When he was done, he had provided the Church with 480 one hundred foot rolls of microfilm! In addition, the Meyers organized LDS Panamanian youth in cemetery projects whereby they recorded all the information reflected on headstones…..teaching and being saviors on Mt. Zion!
It was here the final son, their seventh child, came to their family. Rae says he was a surprise when he came to them and a surprise when he left six years later as the result of a school bus accident. Rae says simply, “it was one of those times when you learn to lay your burdens at His feet.”
They came back to the U.S. in 1979 and in 1989 moved to Las Vegas where he taught school until 2000. In 2001, they put in their papers for a mission, thinking that they would be called to serve a family history mission since they both had such a love of this work.
The Lord sent them to Zimbabwe to work in the Mission Office for two years. After being home for nine months, they were called to a second mission—this one in the South African temple in Johannesburg.
Their love of temple work certainly didn’t start in South Africa. Having always been actively engaged in family history research and genealogy, both Johann and Rae have served countless hours doing temple work for their ancestors. In addition, they were both among the original ordinance workers when the Las Vegas Temple opened in 1989—and Rae still serves today on the Tuesday and Thursday mid-shift. She said she’s served under every Temple President with the exception of one! Johann has served as an Assistant Recorder at the Temple and is currently the Director at the Las Vegas Regional Family History Center.
Their six living children have given them 28 grandchildren who have in turn given them almost 15 great-grandchildren. As members of the Sunrise Mountain Ward, Sunrise Stake, Johann and Rae are actively engaged in every good thing. And from the other side of 70…and now 80 (the milestone hit by Johann on Mother’s Day 2009) they can surely smile… just as surely as the Lord is smiling on them.
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