Sunday night Justin received a phone call from church headquarters letting him know that President Hinckley had passed away at his home. When Justin told me, I felt slightly stunned and dazed. We were having a family meal together with my family and the room became quiet when he told us all. Justin had known he had been close to death for about a week however, his job is such that he is not supposed to share that kind of information with me so he wasn't as surprised as I was. I will deeply miss President Hinckley's pure love. I have come to love him so deeply and will miss his cute comments, funny anecdotes, pure example, and most importantly his counsel. I thought it might be fitting for me to post a few of the things that I will forever remember President Hinckley for.
*Work, Work, Work!!! President Hinckley shared with the world that when he set out for his mission in England he struggled. He shared how discouraged he was and how he felt as though he was wasting his time and his father's money. As we have all heard many times, his father wrote back and told him, "forget yourself and get to work." Well, President Hinckley told us that is exactly what he did and that one decision was a turning point and influenced all the rest of the decisions he would ever make in his life. How grateful I am for this example. I often reflect upon those words of his father's and find myself needing them. President Hinckley not only set to work on his mission but never stopped working to move this great work forward.
*Building the Lord's kingdom before all else. President Hinckley took every opportunity placed in his life to build the Lord's kingdom. Everytime he was called to work or assist the church he accepted, even though at times he left more lucrative paying positions to do so. He has said that he felt that doing the Lord's work was what was most important and was more beneficial to him than anything else could have been. What a great example for me. We should all be more prudent in building the Lord's kingdom.
*Temple work. President Hinckley was a temple builder. I am always so amazed at the way the Lord worked. President Hunter, in his humble way asked that all members who were worthy should hold a current temple reccomend even if temple attendance was not a possibility. The Lord must have blessed all those saints who obtained reccomends but could not attend the temple through President Hinckley as he supplied the temples for them to attend during his administration. With such a focus on temple building, it helped me see how important temple worship and attendance should be to me.
*Standing for Truth and Righteousness in all times and in all things and all places. President Hinckley was never afraid of the media. He boldly and valiantly proclaimed the trugh of the gospel not just to members but to everyone and anyone who would listen. I remember the first time I heard he was giving an interview for national coverage with Mike Wallace for 60 minutes I wondered why he would do that. The media hasn't always been our friend. However, when I watched the interview I was never more awed or proud to be a Latter Day Saint. President Hinckley didn't shrink or stumble. He simply answered the questions and proclaimed our truths in a plain and bold way. I should be more proactive in opening my mouth and spreading our truths.
*Lastly, his pure love. Love radiated from President Hinckley. I have always loved the way President Hinckley literally chokes up when his love for the saints and for others is too full. What a wonderful way to feel about others, to see them with the pure love of Christ.
Truly we are a lucky people to be able to listen to a prophet's voice. While I will deeply miss President Hinckley, I feel blessed to know that the mantle will be passed to another.
"We thank thee O God for a prophet, to guide us in these latter days."
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