Editor's note: This story was s ubmitted by Dr. Mark Matheson, from the personal history of his deceased father, John B. Matheson, Jr. If you have any inspirational missionary stories you would like to contribute to Meridian Magazine, please write to Laurie Williams Sowby by clicking here.

At the close of World War II, I was a captain in the U.S. Army, assigned to Frankfurt, Germany, the European headquarters for the United States Forces. I was selected in January 1946 to be the leader for the LDS servicemen's group in that city.

Shortly after this time, Elder Ezra Taft Benson was sent to Europe to evaluate the spiritual and economic status of the members of the Church, re-establish missions, and strengthen the leadership of the priesthood in those countries. As an American citizen with a U.S. passport and proper visas, he could travel in the countries that had been allies with America in the war. But travel within Germany was an entirely different matter.

Germany was divided into four zones — French, British, Russian and American. No one entered or traveled in any of those zones without the permission and written orders issued by the military command of the occupying nation.

Public transportation facilities were limited, as much had been destroyed in the war. Many streets, roads and highways were impassable. There were almost no hotels or restaurants. Food was scarce and the small amount of gasoline available was strictly rationed to essential uses.

With permission from the government in Washington, D.C., Elder Benson came to make a courtesy call on the military command of the United States Forces at Frankfurt. At that time he met with the LDS servicemen's group. It was wonderful to have an apostle meet with us and strengthen us with his blessing.

Not long after he had returned to his headquarters in London, Elder Benson sent me word that it was essential for him to travel extensively in all areas of Germany. He asked if I would I please get the necessary military orders for him and his secretary to do so.

I was overwhelmed. I had no idea how I could fill his request! No one in our LDS group held a higher rank than captain. And in Frankfurt, where full colonels and generals were all over the place, we were "nobodies" in the chain of command. None of us had any contact with any person who possibly could assist us.

My daily prayers always included humbly asking Heavenly Father to open the way so I could assist Elder Benson. Fortunately, Elder Benson had given me about two-month lead time while he was busy with Church matters in other western European counties. As time grew short, those prayers for inspiration and direction were always in my thoughts and heart. The other LDS servicemen were prayerful about this matter and had sympathy for me, but the request had come to me . It was my problem!

One evening after work, an LDS serviceman and I decided to play tennis on one of the two tennis courts the U.S. military had reserved for servicemen. When we arrived, both the courts were in use, and four people were waiting to play doubles. In a short while, one of the courts cleared and the foursome began to play. Soon the players on the other court finished their game. My friend and I started playing, figuring we could get in a set before it was too dark.

About that time, a man and a woman came walking along the path toward the tennis courts, rackets in hand. We told them that play had started on the other court just a few minutes before and we had just begun, but we would be happy to have them play doubles with us. They were pleased that we would share the court, and after a first-name introduction, we had a delightful tennis match until dark. Again they expressed their gratitude for our sharing the court with them.

As we were walking along the path together the man asked what we did in our military assignments. I said that I was a personnel officer and my friend was a motor officer. He said, "I am Colonel So-and-so" (I have forgotten his name) and added, "I am the Religious Affairs Officer for the United States Forces, European Theater."

I stopped in my tracks and fervently exclaimed, "Colonel, you are the answer to my prayers!" I went on to explain to him about Elder Benson's responsibility to supervise the Church in Europe and how important it was that he learn first-hand the conditions of the members of the Church in Germany.

The Colonel responded, "I would be pleased to sponsor your Mr. Benson. Come to my office tomorrow to give me further information. I shall have military orders issued for him and his secretary in the United States Zone."

He also offered to immediately contact his counterparts in the British, French and Russian Zones, asking them to issue military orders for Elder Benson and his party.  "I will have them send those orders to me," he concluded.

The next day when I went to his office, the colonel was as cordial as he had been the evening before. He did just as he said he would. The British and the French responded within a few days. The Russian officer was slower. His military orders arrived at the colonel's office only one day before I received orders returning me to the United States. I got those military orders in hand and sent them to Elder Benson just in time for him to combine his German tour with one in which he was engaged in Scandinavia. He would at last be able to assess the situation of the Saints in Germany.

Through the years I have thought many times of this experience. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." I have found that the answer to important matters may be controlled or achieved by seemingly unimportant things. In answer to my sincere and urgent prayers, the Lord brought me to the very door of the man who could help me. All I needed to do was knock.

And what did that knocking consist of? A simple act of kindness and courtesy. We could have gone on with our tennis game and ignored this couple and played till dark; and then we would have never met them. But we pleasantly invited them to share the court, and the door opened! Elder Benson received those military orders, which enabled him to commence an important mission of the Church in Germany.