Adelle and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in beautiful Monterey and attend two presentations at Asilomar by Ron Clark who is the Director of Public Affairs and Guest Relations at BYU. In addition to his talks, we were privileged to join him for meals and we took advantage of this to "pick his brain." Wow, what an opportunity! We learned so much and were motivated to aspire to greater heights in public affairs.Brother Clark said BYU is the greatest visitors center in the world and is the Church's #1 exhibit. He and his staff entertain guests from all over the world and they are touched by the spirit at BYU. One dignitary from Spain who spoke five languages was astounded that everywhere he went on campus and started speaking in any one of those languages, there were students who could converse easily with him. He couldn't believe it. When he left BYU he said, "Today I beheld a symphony for my soul." Eight months later, because of this experience, the Church was able to procure ground in Madrid for the Spain Temple.
We heard many stories like this, but a common thread to them all was that visitors do not just "see" BYU, they "feel" it. "You cannot escape the spirit," Brother Clark told us.
In his final presentation, Brother Clark related fascinating stories about his years doing public relations for the Osmond family, then gave us some insight into various Church presidents' experiences with political leaders.
He ended with comments about the Church and the Internet. "The Internet will always spread the Gospel," he said. "That is what it was designed to do. The Lord unscrews the lid and pours more in about how we can use the Internet."
Above: Adelle and I pose for a picture with Brother Clark.
The conference was a husband/wife affair. Cliff and I enjoyed visiting with Ron's wife Kathy who accompanied him from Utah to enjoy the resplendent California coast.
