Well done my good and faithful servant…

2008-01-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

January 28^th 2008 I feel like writing today. Last night around nine in the evening Kim came into the bedroom where I was lying down watching TV. I thought she was coming to ask me to come up stairs with her so we could watch the movie we had rented. Instead she stepped heavily into the room her lips were frowning slightly and here eyes betrayed her with an overwhelming sadness. She said “I was just told that President Hinckley has died.”

“What?” was all I could manage her words washing around inside my head as I tried to comprehend what she was saying. She lay down beside me while we hugged and she began to cry. For Kim being a convert to the church in 1999 this was “Her Prophet” and I could feel that she mourned him now as if she had just lost her favorite grandfather. Her tears soon passed and we spoke briefly about President Hinckley and the sweet homecoming that he was surly enjoying, reunited with his beloved wife, and of course his Master that he served so diligently our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Soon Kim left with her thoughts and returned to the computer up stairs. Then the calls started pouring in friends, family, and church officials. Kim’s calling as a Media Assistant for the church meant she was in for a busy few days. I went up and sat with her as she pieced together what had happened and put together the news release for the various papers in our area. I knocked out on the couch sometime after eleven, while she was still furiously pecking away at the key board.

This morning I was standing on the frozen train platform in Gary, Indiana waiting for the seven o’clock south shore train that would take me into downtown Chicago for the day. I take this train about three times a week and usually keep to myself. A young woman passed by and as she did I noticed the small blue book with gold lettering spelled out in another language that I could not read, but it was unmistakable it was a copy of the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. I leaned over and asked; are you Mormon? I could tell I startled her a bit the, Gary train station is full of rough looking characters and most commuters keep to themselves for fear of falling prey to a sly thief or worse. As she looked up I repeated the question and she cautiously answered, yes.

I said so am I, and instantly her faced changed as if she knew I was safe a brother in the faith. I said did you hear the President Hinckley passed away last night? Yes, and she quickly recounted what she had heard and we shared our feelings on his passing. We chatted a second more explaining the wards we attended etc... Glad to have met a new friend, the train arrived and I slipped away to find a seat where I could loose my self in its window and my thoughts.

I had still not heard anything on the local news and marveled for a moment at the closely knit group to which I belong. The news had spread from one side of the content to the other with in a few hours and with out the help of the mass media giants. To me it is a testimony of the love our people have for our prophets.

Later at work I pulled up the official church web site www.lds.org and began to read the eulogy Gordon B. Hinckley the ninety seven years old fifteenth president of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That’s when it really started to hit me, like Kim president Hinckley was also the first prophet that I had come to feel a real connection with. It is now the end of the day I have spent much of it replaying the many times I sat and listened this great man speak. I once again felt the witness of the spirit as I thought of his counsel to me as a husband, father and son of the living God. His testimony of our Savior was one which only comes from having a personal relationship with Him. I thought of his boundless energy and his tireless commitment to bring souls to Christ. I thought of how far I have to go, and how much I can learn from this man.

Through the events of the last 17 hours I have not felt sad for this humble servant of God, rather inspired once again by him. I am sure he is happy and most likely still laboring diligently in the Lords work. I am happy for him, for surely he showed each of us the way to return home with honor. Yet I can’t help feel that the world grew a bit dimmer last night as his light has left us for a time.

The Astounding Life of Madjade

Well done my good and faithful servant…