"When
Neal finished his mission, President Floyd Eyre wrote Neal's bishop on
January 22, 1949:
'He
has with rare ability put forth unstinted effort to spread the
great message of truth that has been vouchsafed to
him.'
Then he added a handwritten
postscript, which the bishop showed to Neal.
Neal
would later cite--without
quoting it-- this expression of confidence as a good example of how
leaders who give specific, sincere praise can provide needed motivation
and affirmation.
"It took
President Eyre thirty seconds
to write this," Neal would say, "but it gave me encouragement for fifty
years:
'Dear
Bishop, Elder Maxwell is in my humble knowledge the top
missionary I have yet had. Congratulations to your ward and his
home.'"