A Recent Experience - Ordinary and yet maybe not- N writing

A Recent Experience

I’d like to write about a rather unique experience recently - although I’m sure you may think it rather ordinary... it was to me until I reflected on it. Last week when leaving our apartment to head out to the area conference in Singapore, we decided to take a taxi to the immigration crossing point because I’d hurt my foot a few days earlier. (we weren’t driving to Singapore, but would have walked to the bus stop) But if you call a taxi, it costs a little more, so we walked a few blocks and flagged one going by. This is a city of approximately 2 million, and I think there must be a million taxis. Well, anyway...a lot. We got in and the driver was an older Chinese man (most taxi drivers are Muslim) who was rather quiet. After a few minutes, we asked him a question and realized he could speak English quite well. (very unusual) He talked very quietly and said, “I know very much about your church.” (guess he’d noticed our badges) Then went on to explain that he’d had a good friend from our church years ago who visited him often. “We good friends, he work hard for your church, build church, many problem with Singapore, but worked hard. Mmmm... can’t remember name.” We had just recently heard just a little bit about a former couple who was here quite a few years ago - most members here now do not know them. So I asked this man if his friend’s name was Haslem. And his face lit up and he said, “Yes, yes, that his name. He came to see me often. We good friends because we not talk about religion. Such a good man.” I then told him that we had heard that this Brother Haslem had passed away. He looked so sad at that and muttered a few times... “such a good man... died...oh my...such a good man. We talked often about good things.” He was obviously very sad and touched at this news. He also took us to a place where we could get across immigration easier than where we usually go. Most drivers wouldn’t do that, because it meant they wouldn’t get new passengers there. Very nice of him to do that. Again as we got out of the car he said... “good church, nice man, so sad. Many good talks.”

Now here’s what I’ve decided in retrospect of this rather small experience. What are the chances we’d be in a taxi now that we have a car - very small. Then what are the chances in a 2 million people size city that we’d get THAT particular taxi driver. And what are the chances that we even knew of this man and remember his name. Conclusion: Even though this Brother Haslem, that we don’t even know was here years ago, his influence is still felt in many ways. And I think Brother Haslem wanted this good friend - 12,0000 miles away from Utah - to know he had passed on. “Such a good man.” We didn’t ever know him but his presence here is still felt. Questions - Wonder if this Elder Haslem every wondered, “Am I accomplishing anything here?” (Not that I’d ever do that, mmm) Wonder if when we pass away (hopefully on my favorite trail in my hiking boots) there will be someone in Malaysia who will care and be sad... hope so. And I’m reminded, ‘we stand on the shoulders of so many who have gone before.’