Bridge across the ocean - CdA man reaches spiritual destination - Latter-day Sentinel - News for the LDS community in the Spokane Temple District

Home•News•Business•Service•Arts•Sports|Classifieds•Business Directory•Contact Us

Bridge across the ocean - CdA man reaches spiritual destination

By Kara Houser, Staff Writer
Share:

December 28, 2009 — A simple classified ad in a small British newspaper marked the beginning of Neil McElligott's journey to America and his discovery of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

McElligott, currently a member of the Post Falls 2nd Ward, Coeur d'Alene Stake, spent the first 22 years of his life in a small Yorkshire town in England with his father and brother. His parents divorced when he was only 3 years old and his mother moved away.

Like the rest of his family, McElligott loved music and played numerous instruments, including trumpet, flute and coronet. He counted it a great honor when he occasionally got to play with his father's band on evenings or weekends.

Then one day, McElligott's life changed when he received a phone call from his grandmother who worked at the local newspaper office and always seemed to know everything that was going on.

"I think your mom is trying to find you," she said, and then proceeded to read him a classified ad that she had found. It had his mother's name and simply said that she was looking for her two sons, Neil and Ian. It then gave their approximate ages and listed a phone number in the United States. The last McElligott had heard of her had been almost 12 years earlier when she moved to Turkey to play music at a military base. He had no idea what had taken her to the United States.

McElligott immediately went down to the newspaper office and placed the call. When a woman answered, he said "This is Neil. Is this my mom?" She verified details of his father and then began a conversation that continued over many phone calls and letters back and forth. Finally, on June 20, 1983, his mother asked if he wanted to move to the United States and live with her.

While McElligott had been happy enough where he was, he remembers thinking, "I needed to do this." It seemed like an exciting adventure to try out for a while, but he never thought he'd end up staying in the U.S. His brother Ian remained in England and proceeded to build his musical career to a point where he became the youngest bandmaster of the Coldstream Guards, the Queen's personal household guards who play at most of the ceremonial functions in London and at Windsor Palace.

McElligott said he knew that the Lord was guiding him because it took a number of near miracles to get him in place to receive the gospel. The seemingly random reconnection with mother was the first step. It was a year to the day of his mother's request for him to come that he finally landed in Kalispell, Mont. on June 20, 1984.

"It was overwhelming at first," he said. "I kept asking myself, 'Where am I supposed to be?'"

McElligott became a firefighter in Montana and began to feel settled. He became involved in first-aid volunteer work, and helped with Scouts and other youth groups. Later he worked as an emergency medical technician and a registered nurse at hospice and long-term care facilities.

Neil and Jill's Wedding at Cardston Alberta Temple on 8/14/93. Contributed photo.

For many years, work and volunteering kept him happy, until one day he met his future wife, Jill, a newly returned missionary. Their first date was to a double-feature at the movies. When they got onto the subject of religion, she asked "What do you think God is?" They missed the entire second movie because they were too busy talking about their spiritual beliefs.

At 4 a.m. that morning, he called to ask if he could go to church with her the next day, but asked that she not send the missionaries after him. She knew he was ready for the gospel and it didn't take long for him to change his mind about taking lessons. Six weeks later he was baptized.

McElligott was quickly called to be a ward missionary and helped others be baptized into the restored gospel. He spoke in Stake Conference six months after he joined the church, went through the Cardston, Alberta Temple a year after his baptism, and married Jill in that same temple two weeks later. He became an official citizen of the United States in 1998.

McElligott children: Adam, Annaleigh, Ashleigh, Alex, Andrew. Contributed photo.

McElligott's testimony has never wavered since the day he was baptized. Even after being diagnosed with a rare Sarcoma cancer in his leg a few years ago and facing many challenging medical treatments, he said the gospel made him stronger.

After a courageous battle with the disease, McElligott passed away on Dec. 17, surrounded by his family. He leaves behind a wife and five children who know they will be together again for eternity because of the blessings of the temple and the Plan of Salvation.

And one classified ad made all the difference.

Comments

There are no comments on this story at this time. Please leave a comment below!

About

Latter-day Sentinel
is a news portal for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Spokane Temple District.

While not an official publication of the LDS Church, we strive to offer news stories, advertisements and other offerings of particular interest to the LDS community. More Info

Connect with
Latter-day Sentinel
on Facebook and Twitter