It’s been over a week that’s passed since we said goodbye to President Hinckley. I had not written anything or bring out my thoughts about his passing until now. I just can’t believe he’s gone.
I’ve seen his funeral service over satellite transmission on the Sunday before last. We’ve heard tributes & documentaries about his life. We saw how a spiritual giant of a man lived his life & now it has ended. It’s remarkable how much love is brought about by the occasion.
I love Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. Most of the years in my life were spent watching him, learning about him, reading his works, & just loving to talk about him, than any other modern day prophet. I was called upon to serve a mission by this man. My entire two years were full of memories about his teachings & his love, particularly for missionaries.
Prior to the start of my mission was the privilege of being in the midst of President Hinckley in the Araneta Coliseum, in Manila, on May of 1996. I started my mission on December of that same year.
I wrote in my journal:
From the time he entered the coliseum to the conclusion of the conference, I was touched. From the signing of “We thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” to the singing of “God be with you ‘til we meet again”, I was moved to tears. I sang those hymns as if I was personally singing and dedicating each verse to him.
….With a loud and clear voice he re-emphasized, as he always does, in his interviews & talks, that in this world of shifting values, the church is a solid rock that stands amidst them. It is a rock that stays firmly & deeply rooted in the ground amidst the rushing waters of the stream. It is a mountain that stands no matter how strong the storm is. Ours is a church that considers values and standards the Lord has given as never changing. In connection to the last Article of our faith, he said: “We believe in being chaste, pure, clean. We believe in being morally clean”. He said that we cannot indulge in immorality without injuring ourselves. We cannot do wrong and feel good. On the other hand, we cannot do good and feel bad about it.
I remember, in this special conference, that he challenged us, that before we leave the coliseum, to resolve in our hearts to change for the better & improve. I thought that we, as individual members of the church, have a great responsibility as our prophet. We in our own sphere of labor have a responsibility to build & further the kingdom as our prophet has in his sphere.
Again, from my journal:
When Pres. Hinckley gave his blessing, by virtue of his apostolic calling, in the Presidency of this church, he did so with power and authority. I know that as I know that I live. When he said that this church is a church of continuous revelation, he did so by virtue of his personal experience. I know that no other person living in this world communes with God more personally & intimately than the living prophet.
When he expressed his love & gratitude for us, when he expressed that he wished he could shake hands & embrace each & every one of us in the “big dome”, I intimately felt that expression. He was true & sincere in his intentions.
Our sacrifice to have gone and see & hear our prophet speak was not in vain. We have been so enriched. In sacrifice comes the blessing & I know we will be blessed.
My church orientation was since childhood, is only limited to this branch (my home branch) & district & Manila; however as Sis. Hinckley put it, I have seen a lot & have felt so much to ever deny this church. It is true!
Follow the prophet, remember his words & obey. I love our prophet, I love this church. I love the Book of Mormon. I love the prophet Joseph Smith. I love the Savior very much & I love our Heavenly Father. I only hope I could measure up to their expectations.
That testimony was borne out of inspiration from being with a prophet of God, President Hinckley. I can recall the feeling. Since then I have come to greatly love him.
Now that he’s gone I’m amazed at his life.
Looking back, in the mission, we were inspired by President Hinckley’s incredible capacity to work. At one time, during his birth month of June, we dedicated our work to his cause. He was 88 then, & we committed to work for at least 88 baptisms that month, and we made it! I also remember it was during my mission when he made his first appearance on Larry King Live. He was remarkable. He had a sharp mind. He was smart in his responses, & he was so loveable in his countenance.
I also remember the 6 B’s he gave us, leaving the A’s for our school teachers to give (his humor). Be smart. Be grateful. Be clean. Be true. Be prayerful. Be humble. I shall never forget this plea from a prophet especially when it was made into music by Aaron Edson. He, too, was moved by this significant talk by Pres. Hinckley. These are 6 B’s I continually govern my life with up to this time.
Also remarkable was his optimism. I’ve never met or heard of a person who’s possessed with the kind of optimism President Hinckley had.
I remember the Mormon Tabernacle Choir had to go to Europe for a tour in 1991. The plans had been made & most significantly, accommodations were already arranged. Then, the Gulf War broke out. Discussions were made as to how the tour would go about & choir management was looking into canceling the trip altogether. Either way, complications will come. The choir president met and consulted with President Hinckley and presented the idea of canceling the trip. The beloved prophet didn’t like the sound of that and simply said not to cancel, “the war will be over then”, he envisioned. True it was. A ceasefire was declared prior to the choir’s trip to Europe. What a vision! What an amazing stack of optimism! Where did this come from?
I was born 1974. The President of the church then was Harold B. Lee. It wasn’t long until he passed on and Spencer W. Kimball became president. When I was growing up, I saw Gordon B. Hinckley installed in the First Presidency—first as a 3rd counselor to President Kimball, and then as regular counselor to Presidents Benson & Hunter. That was a long period of time that when it was Howard Hunter’s time to become president, I alluded that Gordon B. Hinckley should have been the next in line since he’s been in the First Presidency for the longest time. Little did I know that the Presidency is determined from seniority in the apostleship.
In those years as counselor, when the prophets were ill, he stood alone in the First Presidency. As a human like the rest of us, he felt alone and somewhat discouraged in facing the challenges of a worldwide church at that time. He found comfort by the Lord’s voice, “be still and know that I am God”. This is where & how, I believe, he acquired his optimism. He knew that despite difficulty, the Lord is in control. He is at the helm and is governing His church. President Hinckley had confidence in the work, and was confident that the Lord will always lead the way. So no matter what problem & trouble comes along the way, he was optimistic that the Lord will see the church through. His genuine faith in the Savior solidifies his optimism. This has brought about great things for the church in his administration, such as building temples and bringing the church out of obscurity by maximizing the use of media, to name just several of his accomplishments.
I know that you can relate when I say that I love President Hinckley because he was the prophet of my time. Nearly all my 33 years were lived in the shadow of President Hinckley. He has influenced my life & in a way, directed my life by his teachings, admonitions, and his humble pleas. I have come to love my mission because of him. I obtained a greater testimony of the Book of Mormon & of the Savior because of him. I can’t recall a talk or speaking engagement when he didn’t talk about the Savior and his testimony of Him.
As critics talked about Joseph Smith when he died that Mormonism has lost their prophet and may, in a way, diminish the religion—the same can be said of Gordon B. Hinckley with respect to his contribution in making Mormonism part of mainstream Christianity without compromising its theology. When it’s true that Mormonism, at this point in time, had lost a great prophet, it does not lead to mean, as skeptics view it, that the religion will take a backward step. It wasn’t so in Joseph Smith’s time, it’s not going to be this time. In his own words he said, “… but my successor will carry on, & there’ll be no problem. The church won’t lose a step. It’ll just move forward”. President Hinckley pioneered almost every aspect in the church & his leadership initiated a resplendent future of Mormonism.
What a great time it is to be alive—to have consumed the influence of a great spiritual leader & to witness the calling of a new prophet. I have confidence in Pres. Thomas S. Monson. He, too, as President Hinckley, was schooled and well prepared to assume this prophetic responsibility. He’s as energetic & hard working as was Pres. Hinckley. And most of all, he’s as humble and compassionate as Gordon B. Hinckley.
President Hinckley has touched my life and, for as long as I live, will hold his memory in my heart.
I’ve seen his funeral service over satellite transmission on the Sunday before last. We’ve heard tributes & documentaries about his life. We saw how a spiritual giant of a man lived his life & now it has ended. It’s remarkable how much love is brought about by the occasion.
I love Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. Most of the years in my life were spent watching him, learning about him, reading his works, & just loving to talk about him, than any other modern day prophet. I was called upon to serve a mission by this man. My entire two years were full of memories about his teachings & his love, particularly for missionaries.
Prior to the start of my mission was the privilege of being in the midst of President Hinckley in the Araneta Coliseum, in Manila, on May of 1996. I started my mission on December of that same year.
I wrote in my journal:
From the time he entered the coliseum to the conclusion of the conference, I was touched. From the signing of “We thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” to the singing of “God be with you ‘til we meet again”, I was moved to tears. I sang those hymns as if I was personally singing and dedicating each verse to him.
….With a loud and clear voice he re-emphasized, as he always does, in his interviews & talks, that in this world of shifting values, the church is a solid rock that stands amidst them. It is a rock that stays firmly & deeply rooted in the ground amidst the rushing waters of the stream. It is a mountain that stands no matter how strong the storm is. Ours is a church that considers values and standards the Lord has given as never changing. In connection to the last Article of our faith, he said: “We believe in being chaste, pure, clean. We believe in being morally clean”. He said that we cannot indulge in immorality without injuring ourselves. We cannot do wrong and feel good. On the other hand, we cannot do good and feel bad about it.
I remember, in this special conference, that he challenged us, that before we leave the coliseum, to resolve in our hearts to change for the better & improve. I thought that we, as individual members of the church, have a great responsibility as our prophet. We in our own sphere of labor have a responsibility to build & further the kingdom as our prophet has in his sphere.
Again, from my journal:
When Pres. Hinckley gave his blessing, by virtue of his apostolic calling, in the Presidency of this church, he did so with power and authority. I know that as I know that I live. When he said that this church is a church of continuous revelation, he did so by virtue of his personal experience. I know that no other person living in this world communes with God more personally & intimately than the living prophet.
When he expressed his love & gratitude for us, when he expressed that he wished he could shake hands & embrace each & every one of us in the “big dome”, I intimately felt that expression. He was true & sincere in his intentions.
Our sacrifice to have gone and see & hear our prophet speak was not in vain. We have been so enriched. In sacrifice comes the blessing & I know we will be blessed.
My church orientation was since childhood, is only limited to this branch (my home branch) & district & Manila; however as Sis. Hinckley put it, I have seen a lot & have felt so much to ever deny this church. It is true!
Follow the prophet, remember his words & obey. I love our prophet, I love this church. I love the Book of Mormon. I love the prophet Joseph Smith. I love the Savior very much & I love our Heavenly Father. I only hope I could measure up to their expectations.
That testimony was borne out of inspiration from being with a prophet of God, President Hinckley. I can recall the feeling. Since then I have come to greatly love him.
Now that he’s gone I’m amazed at his life.
Looking back, in the mission, we were inspired by President Hinckley’s incredible capacity to work. At one time, during his birth month of June, we dedicated our work to his cause. He was 88 then, & we committed to work for at least 88 baptisms that month, and we made it! I also remember it was during my mission when he made his first appearance on Larry King Live. He was remarkable. He had a sharp mind. He was smart in his responses, & he was so loveable in his countenance.
I also remember the 6 B’s he gave us, leaving the A’s for our school teachers to give (his humor). Be smart. Be grateful. Be clean. Be true. Be prayerful. Be humble. I shall never forget this plea from a prophet especially when it was made into music by Aaron Edson. He, too, was moved by this significant talk by Pres. Hinckley. These are 6 B’s I continually govern my life with up to this time.
Also remarkable was his optimism. I’ve never met or heard of a person who’s possessed with the kind of optimism President Hinckley had.
I remember the Mormon Tabernacle Choir had to go to Europe for a tour in 1991. The plans had been made & most significantly, accommodations were already arranged. Then, the Gulf War broke out. Discussions were made as to how the tour would go about & choir management was looking into canceling the trip altogether. Either way, complications will come. The choir president met and consulted with President Hinckley and presented the idea of canceling the trip. The beloved prophet didn’t like the sound of that and simply said not to cancel, “the war will be over then”, he envisioned. True it was. A ceasefire was declared prior to the choir’s trip to Europe. What a vision! What an amazing stack of optimism! Where did this come from?
I was born 1974. The President of the church then was Harold B. Lee. It wasn’t long until he passed on and Spencer W. Kimball became president. When I was growing up, I saw Gordon B. Hinckley installed in the First Presidency—first as a 3rd counselor to President Kimball, and then as regular counselor to Presidents Benson & Hunter. That was a long period of time that when it was Howard Hunter’s time to become president, I alluded that Gordon B. Hinckley should have been the next in line since he’s been in the First Presidency for the longest time. Little did I know that the Presidency is determined from seniority in the apostleship.
In those years as counselor, when the prophets were ill, he stood alone in the First Presidency. As a human like the rest of us, he felt alone and somewhat discouraged in facing the challenges of a worldwide church at that time. He found comfort by the Lord’s voice, “be still and know that I am God”. This is where & how, I believe, he acquired his optimism. He knew that despite difficulty, the Lord is in control. He is at the helm and is governing His church. President Hinckley had confidence in the work, and was confident that the Lord will always lead the way. So no matter what problem & trouble comes along the way, he was optimistic that the Lord will see the church through. His genuine faith in the Savior solidifies his optimism. This has brought about great things for the church in his administration, such as building temples and bringing the church out of obscurity by maximizing the use of media, to name just several of his accomplishments.
I know that you can relate when I say that I love President Hinckley because he was the prophet of my time. Nearly all my 33 years were lived in the shadow of President Hinckley. He has influenced my life & in a way, directed my life by his teachings, admonitions, and his humble pleas. I have come to love my mission because of him. I obtained a greater testimony of the Book of Mormon & of the Savior because of him. I can’t recall a talk or speaking engagement when he didn’t talk about the Savior and his testimony of Him.
As critics talked about Joseph Smith when he died that Mormonism has lost their prophet and may, in a way, diminish the religion—the same can be said of Gordon B. Hinckley with respect to his contribution in making Mormonism part of mainstream Christianity without compromising its theology. When it’s true that Mormonism, at this point in time, had lost a great prophet, it does not lead to mean, as skeptics view it, that the religion will take a backward step. It wasn’t so in Joseph Smith’s time, it’s not going to be this time. In his own words he said, “… but my successor will carry on, & there’ll be no problem. The church won’t lose a step. It’ll just move forward”. President Hinckley pioneered almost every aspect in the church & his leadership initiated a resplendent future of Mormonism.
What a great time it is to be alive—to have consumed the influence of a great spiritual leader & to witness the calling of a new prophet. I have confidence in Pres. Thomas S. Monson. He, too, as President Hinckley, was schooled and well prepared to assume this prophetic responsibility. He’s as energetic & hard working as was Pres. Hinckley. And most of all, he’s as humble and compassionate as Gordon B. Hinckley.
President Hinckley has touched my life and, for as long as I live, will hold his memory in my heart.
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