So, this is kind of a long story that Tom's dad shared with us on Sunday. I just want to get it down, because I thought it was really amazing.
When he was younger (18ish) he was in the National Guard. This was in November I believe....I don't know if he had already received a mission call, or he was planning to receive it. Either way he wouldn't be leaving until March of the next year. The Korean War was winding up and he just knew that if he waited until March he wouldn't make it on his mission. So he went to his bishop and his bishop said if you feel that strongly then we will go to Salt Lake to talk to the Brethren (those days are gone where you could just go to SL and talk to the brethren...) So his Bishop took a day off work and took him to Salt Lake where they met with Bruce R. McKonkie. He told Lynn that it takes a long time to prepare for a foreign mission, but if he would be willing to go state side they would send him a lot sooner. He was thankful for that. Soon after he received his call to the Swiss/Austria mission and he was to report in Salt Lake sometime in December. He went to the National Guard and asked for what they did at the time, which was some time of deferment for some time and then when you returned you had your place back in the Guard. But then he had to leave right away for his mission. Because time was so short... he spent 1 week and the missionary center, came home and gave his farewell and then went back for his 2nd week in SL. At his farewell his commander from the guard said it had been a horrible mess trying to make it so that he could go on his mission. Ultimately they had to discharge him with no promise he could get back in after his mission. He was fine with that.
So he served a wonderful mission and came home when the conflict was still really bad. Instead of going directly to register for the draft, him and some friends went and registered at BYU for classes. When they did go to the draft office they were furious that they had already registered for school. But, ultimately the conceded to let them go to 1 year of school before they were drafted to the Army. Classes got out June 5th and by June 11th they were in California at Basic Training. 8 weeks there and the 8 weeks in another state before they were to get their shipping out orders. At that time everyone was being sent to Korea... Having been in Europe and seen so many service people there, Lynn prayed and told Heavenly father that if he would send him to Germany instead of Korea he would do whatever he could to further the Lord's work there. Soon after his whole group was lined up waiting their orders. The Sergeant started with A's and worked all the way through J's, all were going to Korea. Then he called Hansen - Germany, Harris - Germany, Hurburt - Germany.... Then everyone after that was Korea. 3 people in his whole group, right in the middle of the stack being sent to Germany instead of Korea. A miracle looking back on it.
So they shipped the 3 men to Germany and when they arrived everyone was boarding trains to go where they were suppose to. But they didn't seem to know what to do with the 3 soldiers, so they hung around a few days until they had orders. Lynn was sent to an air-base where he arrived the evening before Thanksgiving. Everyone was gone for the holiday so he started getting himself aquatinted with the base. He checked all the bulletins to find where he could go to an LDS meeting on Sunday, and he couldn't find anything. He went to the chapel on base and asked the Chaplain if he knew where they were holding the LDS meetings. Of course he didn't know, but assured him that he could come to their meetings. He was a little frustrated until he finally found a tiny square posted that said LDS meeting held at such and such an air-base. Only it wasn't the air-base he was stationed at... so after some questioning he found out it was about 15 miles down the road. Sunday morning he got up and started Hitch Hiking to the other air base so that he could attend church. Someone picked him up an gave him a ride, luckily because it was November in Germany and freezing cold. When he got to the chapel no one was there... After some more asking he found out that they were holding services in the school house. After the meeting a Captain and his family gave him a ride back to the other air base. Lynn was hinting that maybe next week they could give him a ride, but the Captain said he should go to the Motor Pool and see if they had anyone going that way that could give him a ride.
He was little offended... but determined to go to church. The next day he went to the motor pool and they said no, no trucks going out on Sunday that could give him a ride. But... They said if he could get 5-6 guys to go then they would let them take a VW Bus. But they had to have someone with a military drivers license. So, little was discouraged, but still determined to go. He went back to the Chaplain and said that when they arrived on base they filled out a card with religious affiliations... He wanted to look through the cards. The Chaplain of course didn't want that... but soon relented to let him sit right there and look through them. He found some people with LDS affiliations and started looking for them on base. The first guy he went to was smoking and writing a letter to his wife and daughter. He said he didn't want to go to church very clearly... but in the process of conversation Lynn found out he only had 6 months left and because he'd been here so long he did have a military license. Still, he didn't want anything to do with it so Lynn left. He did round up 5 guys that agreed to go, but none had a military license so he went back to the first guy and said look... you have to help us. We have the people and the VW Bus, but we need a driver. After some time he agreed to drive the bus and wait while they went into the meeting, which he did for several weeks. Finally he said... if you guys won't ask me to pray or do anything then I think I'll come into the meeting. So, he did start coming to the meetings and eventually quit smoking also. After the 6 months this man was leaving to go home and he came to Lynn and said, you'll never know how happy my wife was to hear that I had quit smoking and I'd been attending church. And Lynn said to him... Just imagine how happy she will be when you take her to the temple....
So, the long story of his just bared witness to all of us that the Lord does direct our paths. And sometime things that we don't necessarily think are miraculous at the time... really are when we look back at them all tied together. Lynn was suppose to be in Germany to reactivate 5 or 6 men. The fact that he was stationed at the wrong air base... the Captain wouldn't give him a ride... only 1 guy had a license to drive them to church was really the Lords way of helping Lynn keep his promise that if he would send him to Germany, he would do all he could to further the work there. An amazing story of faith and willingness to serve that I will pass down to my kids and grandkids.
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