the words of a prophet...

For my personal study over the last 9+ months or so (since before Pres Hinckley passed away) I have been re-reading every conference address he made as a Prophet... I started to try and and read all his articles since becoming an apostle but that would take way more months... he's written and spoken VERY prolifically... anyway, one thing I noticed very quickly, starting in 1995 when he was first sustained is that his message is always one of optimism while encouraging us to do better... He and Pres. Monson have a lot in common that way... However, I didn't need to RE-READ Pres Hinckley words to remember that I have personal experience with his address from Oct 2003... 5 years ago today...

Let me give you a little background... That was a VERY difficult time for our family. Son1 was a senior in high school that fall... He turned 18 that Oct and for his birthday the only thing he wanted was to actually sit in the Conference Center, which we had never done to that point... So our family splurged and went to October General Conference. It seemed at the time a frivolous thing to do... but we pooled our resources and we stayed with friends... I am so glad we did it... for that year General Conference answered many questions... We listened to the Saturday morning session and something Pres Hinckley said in his opening Conference address about the state of the church... nearly burn a hole through my heart!

It was said that at one time the sun never set on the British Empire. That empire has now been diminished. But it is true that the sun never sets on this work of the Lord as it is touching the lives of people across the earth.

And this is only the beginning. We have scarcely scratched the surface. We are engaged in a work for the souls of men and women everywhere. Our work knows no boundaries. Under the providence of the Lord it will continue. Those nations now closed to us will someday be open. That is my faith. That is my belief. That is my testimony.

The little stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands is rolling forth to fill the earth (see Dan. 2:31–45; D&C 65:2).

To the Latter-day Saints everywhere, as we gather in this great conference I say, may God bless you. Keep the faith; be true to your covenants. Walk in the light of the gospel. Build the kingdom of God in the earth.

The Church is in wonderful condition and can and will improve. It will grow and strengthen.

We are ordinary people who are engaged in an extraordinary undertaking. We are men who hold the priesthood of the living God. Those who have gone before have accomplished wonders. It is our opportunity and our challenge to continue in this great undertaking, the future of which we can scarcely imagine.

Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for your faith and faithfulness. Thank you for the love you carry for this, the work of the Almighty. We live in the world. We work in the world. But we must rise above the world as we pursue the work of the Lord and seek to build His kingdom in the earth. Let us now join together in a great world conference of men and women who are indeed brothers and sisters as children of God.

During the next two days we shall hear from many of our number, not one of whom has been told what to speak about, but each one of whom has pleaded with the Lord to be able to say something that will help, inspire, and lift all who hear.

May the blessings of heaven attend you. May you be faithful and true to the great and glorious cause which you have embraced is my humble prayer, in the name of our Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

It was as though I had answers to questions that had always plagued me... My mind was FILLED with answers though much of the conference... I wondered how I could possibly tell hubby all the things I suddenly understood as I listened to speaker after speaker... because I didn't even know how I could gain so much insight in a such a short period of time... but later as we discussed this talk in particular I knew HE was getting answers too... After several sacred and deeply personal spiritual experiences during that conference... I never once doubted that if we as a family always went to the Lord with our concerns He would guide us. Life did not suddenly turn around... there were still a lot of hard choices and difficult days ahead... but we made it through that hard time and I can see now how the Lord was guiding us, even when I couldn't see the front of the ship... He could... Now I always remember that He can see the part of my path I can't... I am here to tell you that we who profess to be followers of the Savior do not walk alone unless we choose to...

During the Sunday morning session I was filled with wonder and amazed at the messages of hope and answers to prayers that came to me... Each answer was burned into my soul with a fire of conviction, and increased my desire to be more optimistic and to do better in more areas ever day... I haven't had any really long term discouraging periods in my life since that Conference that we made so many sacrifices to attend. Discouragement quickly gives way to a desire to find hope and answers through the words of the prophet and I start reading/studying again and sure enough I find those answers...

At the end that same Conference... we were watching by television again as Pres Hinckley concluded the Conference with these words:

Pray for wisdom and understanding as you walk the difficult paths of your lives. If you are determined to do foolish and imprudent things, I think the Lord will not prevent you. But if you seek His wisdom and follow the counsel of the impressions that come to you, I am confident that you will be blessed.

Let us be a prayerful people. Let us bring up our children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Enos 1:1). May the blessings of heaven deservedly rest upon you. In the words of Deuteronomy, “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Deut. 10:12). Be assured, my dear brothers and sisters, that “He, watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps” (Felix Mendelssohn, Elijah).

For the blessings of heaven to rest upon you I humbly pray as I express to you my love for each of you. Thank you for your great kindness to me and your great faithfulness and energy in moving forward the work of the Almighty, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

The next spring Sister Hinckley would pass away... yet he never got morose or pessimistic... Pres Hinckley was an amazing teacher... mostly because he taught us how to love and how to serve and how to have faith, by example... additionally if I ever have fears, I only need to read one of his talks to feel immediately better...

Today, exactly 5 years later from when so many of my questions were answered at a difficult time in life... I am again looking for many answers... and with my family spread out to many parts of the state I am listening to (for a second day) the words of a Prophet of God on this glorious October morning... I have been and will continue to listen carefully so that I gain the insights that the Lord has for me... I wouldn't want to miss an important message like: "Do as much as you can do... then have FAITH...! Things will work out." That was very often Pres Hinckley's theme... and I need all the working mottos I can get.