One day I was sitting in Reed Benson's office where I was working on the Teachings of Erza Taft Benson when the phone rang. I answered the phone. The caller asked me if Reed was there. I said no he isn't her right now. He asked who are you? I said I'm Frank Bruno. He said what do you do there? I said I'm compiling the Teachings of Erza Taft Benson. He said who is he? I said he is the prophet of God. He said that's me.
I thought that would be the end of the conversation. But he asked me what I had been doing. I said I was working on the missionary section in the teachings book. He asked me if I want to be a mission president. I was only around 30 so I said maybe not right now. He said don't worry you can be one in the future. I thought at the time that my mission president M. Russell Ballard who served on the mission committee thought I was a big screw up and that it was highly unlikely he would approve me even if President Benson suggested it so I said yeah maybe in a few years when I'm older you can have me called knowing it was highly unlikely. We talked about the Book of Mormon and its use in flooding the earth in missionary work. I asked him about his experience in the Mexico City Temple. I said you probably had a vision. He said that he had a strong impression. I then said to him I had an unusual dream the other night thinking he would want to share if he knew I had something similar.
I related to him how in my dream I went to the Salt Lake Temple and met the Savior. I was walking in the temple when I saw a sign that read the Quorum of Twelve Apostles over the door. I opened the door and I entered the room. The Savior was standing in the middle of the room. He looked towards the eleventh seat. I had a strong impression that I might one day sit in it if I proved worthy. He spoke saying follow me.
The scene transformed. We were standing in the doorway of a court room with a trial in session. Sitting on the stand was Satan giving testimony to a judge and jury. The twelve jurors were all Latter-Saints. Jesus turned to me and said he will get off you know. Even Latter-day Saints will believe his lies.
I said to President Benson I am sure you must have had an experience with the Savior like this in Mexico City when you received the flooding the earth vision. He said I didn't have anything quite as vivid as an experience as yours it was more a strong impression from the Spirit than a full vision. I knew I couldn't push it any farther since I didn't want to get him mad at me so I didn't say any more. He then concluded by saying "that was quite an experience" and then hung up.
A few months later on his actual birthday that we shared which was August 4 I went to see him. I visited him in his apartment in the Eagle Gate Apartment building before I took a job in Chattanooga Tennessee. I was told to write in my journal that President Benson prophesied that one day I would be a great leader in the Church serving as a bishop and a stake president. I wrote it down but I haven't been a bishop or a stake president.
A year before President Benson passed away I had a dream that his death wasn't far away. It was a very sad experience. I went and visited him and Sister Benson. They smiled and both took my hands in theirs. We all cried together. I left the room and as I went down the hall two Church security men came up to me and told me that both had passed away. I was very upset because I loved them both so much. When I spent fifteen days in their home when compiling their book I spent the time with them. One day I took out pictures of my daughter Genevieve and Gianina to show them. President Benson immediately became excited and asked if he could keep their pictures. He actually kept them on his study desk for months. Reed told me his dad enjoyed looking at their pictures and it made him happy. He would ask about me and my family sometimes.
Shortly after his death I had a final dream about him. He came to me and spoke to me. I knew he was dead in the dream because it was a very cold experience. I actually shivered when he came up to me on the street. The setting was grey and miserable the sky was overcast it was in late fall we were standing outside of the Church Administration building. He told me that he cared about me and appreciated what I had done for him and to remain faithful. I could tell it took him effort to visit me.
To me it doesn't matter if I am a bishop, stake president or that I occupy the eleventh seat in the Council of the Twelve what matters is that I have communed with the Church of the First Born. What also matters is that I served the Prophet of God to the best of my ability. I know that the teaching of Erza Taft Benson fulfilled his charge to lead people to Christ. I know there is a next life and that one day he and I will be friends. I loved him like a grandfather.
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