President Hinckley

Our Beloved Prophet

You have probably have heard the news. President Hinkley joined his wife and all the other great and noble on the other side of the veil last night around 7 pm. It is a funny world we live in. I started receiving texts about it at around 9. After I confirmed the news and mentioned it to my son,he had already known too.

Here are a few personal dealing I have had with the Prophet.
Back when I was a teen-ager. I was struggling in my testimony. Most of my family was not active and I needed to make a decision. I was just barley old enough to drive and I went to the Grove several times to ponder. I just called it "thinking" though.
One time I remember there were alot of cars and I was thinking negative thoughts about that, but I went to "my spot...my rock." While I was praying,then Elder Hinkley, approached me,with a few others. I kinda knew who he was, but not by name. I just knew that he was a "big wig". He said he didn't want to interrupt "my meeting with Father" and apologized. He bore a short testimony of the events that happened there in the Sacred Grove. He went on his way. I was on fire
A few years later, he was at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. A friend and I, being very mature and reverent, were running around throwing grass at the the bug lights to make things zap. As we came to near the Visitor's Center, Tracy and I grabbed HUGE handfuls and we threw it as we ran into a group of body guards. I had already had another handful ready, but was stunned not only by the hit, but that we had acted that way in front of the Prophet. He wagged his finger at us with a smile,took some grass from me and threw it too. He chuckled that he didn't have a good of a throw.

I interpreted for him at the Temple dedication of the Palmyra Temple which was great, but what was better was the meetings after he had with the missionaries.

I was also asked to interpret for some Deaf Elders serving in our area at the dedication of the Joseph Smith Sr log cabin. I remember President Hinkley stood on the door to the root cellar. He joked that it was really a trap door so that if we didn't like his talk, it would open up and he would be flushed.

After we went to Palmyra Chapel and he spoke more intimately with the missionaries. Mike Wallace was there in the front row...ya know the TV guy. A sister missionary gave Mike Wallace a hymn book to sing "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet."

As I interpreted that song and his talk that followed- I lost it. The Spirit was too strong and the tears rolled down.I was barely able to hold back my body from shaking. I knew that once again that I was an arm's length of the Prophet. At the end, he handed me a tissue, shook my hand and told me I had held it together and had done a great job. He was a funny guy.
I love him for so many reasons.
He will be missed but I am sooooo very glad that he is with his wife, the other great and Nobels and with "Father."