Charles A. Callis — The 'Dirty Little Irish Kid' Reunion

While living in Liverpool, England, as a young boy, Charles A. Callis was baptized by a Latter-day Saint missionary. Because of his humble and somewhat disheveled appearance at the time, he was referred to as a 'dirty little Irish kid.' Decades later, after Callis had been sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he encountered the very missionary who had baptized him. In a remarkable providence and fulfillment of the fruits of missionary labor, Callis identified himself to the man, saying, 'I am that dirty little Irish kid that you baptized on your mission.'

Fuller account of this event (as retold in “Them That Honour Me I Will Honour,” General Conference, April 2001):

I have labored all my days as a missionary here and I have only baptized one dirty little Irish kid. That is all I baptized. Years later, after his return to his home in Montana, he had a visitor come to his home who asked, “Are you the elder who served a mission in the British Isles in 1873?” “Yes.” Then the man went on, “And do you remember having said that you thought your mission was a failure because you had only baptized one dirty little Irish kid?” He said, “Yes.” The visitor put out his hand and said, “I would like to shake hands with you. My name is Charles A. Callis, of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am that dirty little Irish kid that you baptized on your mission.” That little Irish boy came to a knowledge of his potential as a son of God. Elder Callis left a lasting legacy for his large family.