President Gordon B. Hinckley

We were saddened by the news Sunday night that President Gordon B. Hinckley had passed away (he was 97). Our family loved President Hinckley and we will miss him. We looked forward to General Conference when we could hear our prophet speak. We loved his humor and eloquence; he always made me want to work hard and be a better person. President Hinckley has been the prophet for 12 years, the only prophet in Jackson's and Justin's life time, so I asked them what they remembered about him.

Justin remembers when we wrote a special verse of the song Follow the Prophet for President Hinckley, it went:
Now we have a prophet who listens to the Lord,
His Book of Mormon Challenge said read every word,
Building many temples, the most in history,
Gordon B. Hinckley knows the Way to Be!

Jackson remembers giving a Primary talk the week after General Conference in April of 2007 and he bore his testimony that he knew President Hinckley was a true prophet.

This is President Hinckley's testimony:
"I hope that all of you will remember that on this Sabbath day you heard me bear my witness that this is God's holy work. The vision given the Prophet Joseph in the grove of Palmyra was not an imaginary thing. It was real. It occurred in the broad light of day. Both the Father and the Son spoke to the boy. He saw Them standing in the air above him. He heard Their voices. He gave heed to Their instruction.

"It was the resurrected Lord who was introduced by His Father, the great God of the universe. For the first time in recorded history, both the Father and the Son appeared together to part the curtains and open this, the last and final dispensation, the dispensation of the fullness of times.

"The Book of Mormon is all that it purports to be—a work recorded by prophets who lived anciently and whose words have come forth "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations" (Book of Mormon title page).

"The priesthood has been restored under the hands of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John. All the keys and authority pertaining to eternal life are exercised in this Church.

"Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, the great Prophet of this dispensation. This Church, which carries the name of the Redeemer, is true.

"I leave you my testimony, my witness, and my love for each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

President Gordon B. Hinckley
April 1, 2006, Sunday morning session of the 176th Annual World General Conference