For Family Home Evening this week, we talked about some of the things we will remember about President Hinckley. These are some of the reasons we love, respect, and admire Gordon B. Hinckley.
His testimony, his humor, his love for the youth, his love for the work, his vision, his broad knowledge of both spiritual and temporal things, his respect for the past, love of the here-and-now, and vision of the potential of the church as a whole and as individuals.
We hope President Hinckley is enjoying his reunion with his wife, parents, and other loved ones who have been waiting for him. We will miss him but will strive to make him proud of us.
Here are a few more things we love:
1. Building dozens of new temples was not just about numbers, but bringing the blessings to every member. There are 124 Temples with 12 more under construction.
From the April 1998 Conference, closing remarks:
Now, in conclusion I wish to make an announcement. As I have previously indicated, in recent months we have traveled far out among the membership of the Church. I have been with many who have very little of this world's goods. But they have in their hearts a great burning faith concerning this latter-day work. They love the Church. They love the gospel. They love the Lord and want to do His will. They are paying their tithing, modest as it is. They make tremendous sacrifices to visit the temples. They travel for days at a time in cheap buses and on old boats. They save their money and do without to make it all possible.
They need nearby temples--small, beautiful, serviceable temples.
Accordingly, I take this opportunity to announce to the entire Church a program to construct some 30 smaller temples immediately. They will be in Europe, in Asia, in Australia and Fiji, in Mexico and Central and South America and Africa, as well as in the United States and Canada. They will have all the necessary facilities to provide the ordinances of the Lord's house.
This will be a tremendous undertaking. Nothing even approaching it has ever been tried before. These will be in addition to the 17 buildings now going forward in England; Spain; Ecuador; Bolivia; the Dominican Republic; Brazil; Colombia; Billings, Montana; Houston, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; White Plains, New York; and Albuquerque, New Mexico; and the smaller temples in Anchorage, Alaska; Monticello, Utah; and Colonia Juárez, Mexico. This will make a total of 47 new temples in addition to the 51 now in operation. I think we had better add 2 more to make it an even 100 by the end of this century, being 2,000 years "since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh" (D&C 20:1). In this program we are moving on a scale the like of which we have never seen before.
2. He not only wanted every member to improve their lives, he made it happen by developing the perpetual education fund. This blesses lives in a way that a hand out could not, because it invests in the individual and allows those blessings to influence their family, community and nation.
From April 2001 Conference:
"Where there is widespread poverty among our people, we must do all we can to help them to lift themselves, to establish their lives upon a foundation of self-reliance that can come of training. Education is the key to opportunity."
3. He looked to the needs of the future while respecting the past. He saw that we needed more gathering places in SLC, so he took the opportunity to refurbish the Tabernacle. He restored, redesigned, and added to all of the church history sites. He was a great storyteller of our pioneer heritage.
Oct 1999 Conference, Last session:
As today we close the doors of this Tabernacle and look forward to opening the doors of the new Conference Center next April, we do so with love, with appreciation, with respect, with reverence--really with affection--for this building and for those who have gone before us, who built so well, and whose handiwork has served so long.
A building develops a personality of its own. The Spirit of the Lord has been in this structure. It is sacred unto us. We hope, we anticipate, we pray that the new structure will likewise radiate the same spirit.
4. He was such an optimist, but not naive. He preach love for all in spite of differences, but to not sink to the level of those who would drag us down.
From the Oct. 2001 Sunday Morning conference session:
Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).
Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.
5. He wanted us to be strong educated women:
From the Sept. 2007 New Era:
In this day and time, a girl needs an education. She needs the means and skills by which to earn a living should she find herself in a situation where it becomes necessary to do so.
The whole gamut of human endeavor is now open to women. There is not anything that you cannot do if you will set your mind to it. I am grateful that women today are afforded the same opportunity to study for science, for the professions, and for every other facet of human knowledge. You are as entitled as are men to the Spirit of Christ, which enlightens every man and woman who comes into the world (see D&C 84:46).
You can include in the dream of the woman you would like to be a picture of one qualified to serve society and make a significant contribution to the world of which she will be a part. Set your priorities in terms of marriage and family, but also pursue educational programs which will lead to satisfying work and productive employment in case you do not marry, or to a sense of security and fulfillment in the event you do marry. Education will increase your appreciation and refine your talent.
6. When he issued the challenge to Read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, I wanted to be a part of it as a family, but we were not reading as a family at that point. I guess I kept thinking that the girls were too young and we would start family scripture reading when they were older. When he issued the challenge, we decided to do it. By reading two-to-three chapters a day (pretty challenging for a second and fourth grader,) we were able to finish just days ahead of the new year. Because we had that habit, we just kept on reading (I chose to coordinate with the Sunday School curriculum.) So we read the Old Testament (not all, but 365 days worth,) the New Testament, and this year we are reading the Book of Mormon. We have a great habit and we are now reading the way I had always hoped. Thanks to following the prophet on that one challenge, we continue to be blessed. I know that if we hadn't followed President Hinckley, we would either not be reading or it would be sporadic. This was one principle that following his counsel made ALL the difference for us.
Some of the many things he accomplished as President of the Church:
1995
12 March - Set apart as 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
23 September - Read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" at general Relief Society meeting
20 December - Announced new logo design for the name of the Church
1996
7 April - Interviewed by Mike Wallace of CBS’s 60 Minutes
26 May - Dedicated Hong Kong China Temple
13 October - Dedicated Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple (We were there.)
1997
4–5 October - Announced plans to begin building smaller temples around the world
1998
8 September - Appeared on CNN's Larry King Live
1999
24 May - Linked by satellite broadcast between Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C., officially launched FamilySearch™ Internet Genealogy Service
24 December - Interviewed on Larry King Live
2000
22 February - His book Standing for Something: Ten Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes went on sale
1–2 April - "Special Witnesses of Christ”, a video production of the testimonies of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was shown between sessions of general conference
6 April - Dedicated Palmyra New York Temple; an estimated 1.3 million members participated in the dedication in stake centers in six time zones (We attended)
21 June - Announced that the two-year Ricks College will begin phasing into a four-year institution to be known as Brigham Young University–Idaho
1 October - Dedicated Boston Massachusetts Temple, marking the fulfillment of President Hinckley’s goal to have 100 operating temples by the end of the 20th century
8-Oct - During Sunday morning session of general conference, dedicated 21,000-seat Conference Center as a gathering place for members
2001
13 January - Named one of the most admired men in the world for the second consecutive year by an annual survey of Americans -- included on the list were Pope John Paul II, President Bill Clinton, Gen. Colin Powell and President-elect George W. Bush
31-Mar - Announced Perpetual Education Fund during priesthood session of general conference
14 September - Appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and delivered message of hope and comfort to citizens of the United States in the wake of the September 11 attacks
2002
7-Feb - Participated in Olympic torch relay
27-Jun - Dedicated rebuilt Nauvoo Illinois Temple (We attend, then went to Nauvoo a week later.)
2003
14-Sep - Dedicated Redlands California Temple (We attended this open house)
2004
6-Apr - President Hinckley's wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, passed away at age 92
23-Jun - Was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in the White House
2005
28 August - Dedicated the Newport Beach California Temple (We attended this open house)
23 December - Conducted and spoke at a Church wide meeting from the Joseph Smith birthplace in Sharon, Vermont. It culminated a year of activities celebrating the prophet’s 100th birthday
2007
31 March - Saturday afternoon session of the 177th Annual General Conference is held in the newly renovated Tabernacle
26 June - Announced Church membership has surpassed 13-million
26 June - Announced one-millionth missionary since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in 1830