Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley Part II

Although Mike has already posted about this, I feel inclined to do the same. I had the unique opportunity to see the prophet in person on a few occasions. He wasn't very tall and he didn't have a commanding voice or attitude, but the power and spirit he carried with him into a room was something I can't even properly put into words. I remember when I was in high school, a smaller group from my choir got to go sing at the Church Administration Building. I was lucky enough to be a part of that group. We were told that we would be singing for a few general authorities, but that the prophet would most likely not be in Salt Lake during our visit. However, at the end of our little performance, from one of the office doors emerged the prophet with a large grin on his face. He greeted us, shook hands with a few, then returned to his meetings and work. Just that tiny little moment filled the room with such a spirit that it was almost tangible.

Having gone to college at Ricks gave many opportunities to see the prophet again. In my first year, all the choirs traveled to Salt Lake to sing in General Conference. Once again, the prophet spoke to us directly. Shortly after, we returned to Salt Lake for a performance in the tabernacle of Come Unto Christ, a specially commissioned oratorio by Merril Jensen as part of Ricks College's Sacred Music Project. Again, we were told not to expect the prophet. He would try to be there, but he was a very busy man. We sat waiting and warming up in a room called the horseshoe which sits beneath the tabernacle. As the name implies, it is horseshoe shaped and we were all facing forward listening to instructions from our director when the feeling in the room changed. Nobody said anything, yet we all could feel it and turned almost in unison to face the horseshoe bend. There was the prophet behind a little wall and surrounded by body guards. We sat there dumbstruck, but he had a sly little grin on his face and said with a chuckle, "Snuck up on you, didn't I?" He then told us that he knew that we were doing exactly what Heavenly Father wanted us to do. That this was where he wanted us. He told us to continue developing our musical talents and that the sacred music project we were doing would bring many people to the church and was one of the greatest works we would do in our lives. He then continued on, blessing us in our academic studies, in our music, in the church, and in our lives. There was such a feeling of power and love, and it spoke to me that this good man was certainly a servant of our Heavenly Father. Again, there was a similar experience when the choir sang at the dedication of the Hinckley Building on campus, although the joke then was that he wasn't sure if it was a compliment having a building named after him since you usually don't get that until after you're dead.

President Hinckley loved the church, loved all people, and loved Heavenly Father. In return, it was easy to love him. It's a sad feeling knowing that he's gone now, yet thinking back on those moments where I felt his strength, they were such incredible happy times. So although at first, I was feeling down, that's not the prevailing emotion. I find myself filled with happiness, strenth, hope, and love at the though of his life and of his work for the Lord. We truely are blessed to have such men at the head of our church.

Thank you, President Hinckley. We will miss you greately.