Day 20: Prophets & Apostles

We are SO BLESSED to have a living prophet here on the earth today. I'm grateful that the Lord loves us enough to bless our lives with living prophets and apostles. I used to hate General Conference when I was younger. Okay "hate" might be a strong word, but I didn't like sitting down for hours watching and listening to old men speak into a microphone with a black background. I have a short tension span anyway, so it was hard for me to pay attention. One year, my seminary teacher suggested taking notes while listening to Conference and I tried that and I noticed it helped me pay attention a lot more than just sitting there listening. I highly recommend that. Now that I'm older, I have a much greater appreciation for General Conference and I feel like the talks apply more and more to my everyday life. Plus the gospel instruction we receive from these prophets and apostles are as if the Lord was talking to us Himself. How awesome is that?!

Besides Joseph Smith, President Gordon B. Hinckley is one of my favorite prophets. I was once told you shouldn't have favorites. Who made that a rule?! OF COURSE you can have favorites! Pres. Hinckley became the prophet when I was 10 years old and passed away during my last year of college, which was January of 2008. I remember he died just a week after actor Heath Ledger died. Don't ask me why I remember that. I also remember my Dad calling me and telling me the news. I was on my way to church and after he told me, I began to cry. Happy tears of course, but I was sad too.

I LOVED the interview Pres. Hinckley had with Larry King on September 8, 1998. Here is just a small portion of it:

Larry King: Do you think, like, maybe retiring?

Gordon B. Hinckley: No there's no chance, got to keep going, right until the end.

Larry King: You're going to go until the calling comes?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Right.

Larry King: What does the president entail? I have heard you called the prophet. Are you the -- when you speak, do you speak for the church?

Gordon B. Hinckley: I speak for the church, yes, I think so, yes.

Larry King: And this is a position you're appoint -- how do you get this? How do you get to be president?

Gordon B. Hinckley: You're appointed a member of the counsel of 12 and you out live everybody else.

(LAUGHTER)

The senior member of the 12 becomes the president of the church.

Larry King: The council takes turns?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Right.

Larry King: We'll cover some little bit about the faith and then lots of issues. Why are you a Mormon?

Gordon B. Hinckley: I believe in it. I believe very strongly in it. I come from a Mormon background. I am a third generation in the church, only the third -- from pioneer days, my grandfather came across the plains in a wagon with oxen, and my father was active in the church. I'm here, part of it, as a young man, I went on a mission and came back and I've moved up through the various steps.

Pres. Hinckley had a great sense of humor. He was personable, lovable, and genuine. He was noted for the building of temples, including a reconstruction of the historic Nauvoo Illinois Temple, the building of the 21,000 seat Conference Center, the issuance of the Proclamation of the Family, and the creation of the church's Perpetual Education Fund. He dedicated more LDS Church temples than anyone else, dedicating more than half of the current temples. At the time of his death, approximately one-third of the church's membership had joined the church under his leadership. AMAZING!

It has taken some time, but I have grown to love President Thomas S. Monson, the current prophet. I did a little research on him and found out he became a bishop at the young age of 22 and had over 1,000 people in his Salt Lake City ward, including 85 widows whom he visited regularly and continued to visit when he was released after five years of service. He brought them gifts during the Christmas season, including poultry he had raised himself and eventually spoke at the funerals of each of these women. At 27, he became a counselor in the Stake Presidency and he became a mission president at age 32. As mission president, he presided over the Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962, supervising church missionaries who were not much younger than he was. Upon his return to Utah after his mission to Canada, he resumed his work with the Deseret News until he was called to be an apostle at age 36—he was the youngest apostle in the church since Joseph Fielding Smith, who had become an apostle at age 33. He is a good man.

I have a plaque in my kitchen that has a quote in vinyl lettering from Pres. Monson that says:

HE WHO GIVES MONEY
GIVES MUCH.
HE WHO GIVES TIME
GIVES MORE.
HE WHO GIVES HIMSELF
GIVES ALL.

I love the prophet, I love this church, I love my Savior, and I love my Heavenly Father. So truly grateful for everything in my life.