And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. — 1 Nephi 3:7
In April 1964, my wife and I received a letter from President David O. McKay calling us to labor with the Continental Building Committee in Europe. We were excited to be part of the new expansion of the Church there. Having served a mission in France, I recognized all too well how much the Church needed to have our own buildings and to provide the opportunity for the European members to practice the full programs of the gospel.
We accepted the call, and arrived in Holland the next month with the four children we had at that time. Immediately, we were busy. I was working on several buildings under construction or being remodeled and the family was busy finding schools, etc.
All at once, the permits for construction were ready in Versailles, France, and we were sent there. Also, all at once, I became more aware that I was totally responsible for the work on the building.
My profession was teacher; my skills were in woodworking. The new building was made of reinforced concrete and brick. I was in over my head. I needed a lot of help. I needed a lot of faith and I fell upon the scriptures to comfort myself and serve and fulfill my mission. The scripture in 1 Nephi 3:7 was particularly helpful to me. Each night I briefly studied the plans; each night I went to bed with a humble prayer that I may serve the best I could.
For two years, we made progress — myself, the building missionaries, the French members, the American military members and, of course, the dedicated full-time elders and sisters of that mission, who also saw the vision of President McKay and the Brethren to provide buildings for the saints in Europe.
In September 2002, Beverly and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We chose to return to Versailles and see again the chapel. As luck would have it, that day was stake conference. We attended the conference with 800 to 1,000 other members of the Paris France West Stake. What a blessing. Surely, the way had been prepared.
— M. Ray Williams, Brentwood, Calif.