I remember once running into Elder Holland in a cheap Mexican restaurant in downtown Salt Lake. He was in his full suit and tie while finishing up a plate of food that couldn't have cost more than eights bucks.
At the time, I instantly recognized him, but I was too nervous to interrupt him while he was on what looked like a date with his wife.
But even being just a few booths away from Elder Holland gave me something to tell my friends about for days. Who knew that Elder Holland enjoyed Mexican food? Everything felt a little surreal. I'm not used to seeing Apostles in everyday situations.
It was like the moment my family ran into Elder Wirthlin at a University of Utah football game. Even though I knew Elder Wirthlin played as a running back for the Utes, it still took me by surprise to see the 80-something-year-old man touting his school pride and wearing Ute memorabilia.
Or the moment my mother ran into President Monson in an elevator while my grandmother was in the hospital. Though President Monson was visiting his own wife in the hospital and probably had a thousand worries on his mind, he still smiled at my mom and tried to lift her spirits with kind words and a little cheer.
It's moments like these, when we see an Apostle on a simple date with his wife or a prophet worrying over a family member, that we realize that the inspired leaders of our Church are truly just people, with lives like you and me. That's how they understand our situation. That's how they know what we are experiencing.
Yet, even in those simple moments, all of these Apostles of Jesus Christ spread His joy, His cheer, and His love. It's remarkable and has shown me that you don't have to do anything grand to lift another. You don't have to say anything profound to testify of the Savior. All you need to do is live your life.
One man experienced the joy that comes from an experience like this when he happened to share lunch with Elder Holland. Check out his ecstatic reaction: