My thoughts on the passing of a Prophet of God

I've been thinking quite a bit this week about what President Hinckley has meant to me and I hope that I can find adequate words to express the deep love and admiration I have for this great man. Some of my fond memories include:

• On the morning of my wedding, Pres. Watson performed the sealing. He is the secretary to the First Presidency, and directly before coming to the temple, he was in a meeting with the Prophet. Pres. Hinckley asked why Pres. Watson was in a hurry to leave and he mentioned he was on his way to the temple to perform a sealing, so he asked him to send his love and best wishes to us, the couple to be wed.
  
• In August 1998, I received my mission call to serve the Lord in the Romania Bucharest Mission - a call that has changed every aspect of my life from that day forward. At the bottom of my call letter was the noble signature of Gordon B. Hinckley (an actual signature, not just photocopied). I know that my call came through revelation and I was very proud to represent my church and teach the people of Romania the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and share the great news that we have a living prophet of God alive today and leading God's church.
• I think it was in 1997 when I was in the Ogden LDS Institute chorale choir and we were asked to sing in General Conference, which in and of itself was an amazing experience. But I will never forget at the end of the Conference session, Pres. Hinckley turned to the choir, waved to us, and thanked us for our music.
  
• President Hinckley was called to be Prophet in 1995 after President Hunter passed away. I remember being in high school and worried about the leadership of the church because President Hunter was so sick. I knew that the First Presidency was doing much of the work, but I just remember feeling such a gust of relief when President Hunter was able to pass on and complete his mission and the reins of the church were then passed on to President Hinckley. It seemed to me that the church was instantly re-energized and it was amazing to see a prophet who was so active and able to be a very visible leader.

Other thoughts:

• It's interesting to contrast President Hinckley's passing to that of the first Prophet of our dispensation, Joseph Smith. Both were very amazing men who had a lot of work to do. To see the outpouring of public admiration for our dear President Hinckley has been very inspiring, but I can't help but wish that Joseph Smith could have been offered the same courtesy. Instead of being able to quietly pass through this life with dignity and grace surrounded by his family, he was brutally gunned down by a cloaked, angry mob. I am so grateful that there were no ugly mobs trying to attack in our day. While opposition to the church still exists, we are widely respected and unharassed and I am very grateful for that.
• I add my testimony to all the others that have been expressed that I truly believe with all my heart that President Hinckley has been a true Prophet of God and I trust that he led our church with inspiration and revelation. Looking in his face, I could feel the love of God emanating from him. He was a great example of life-long dedication and service to the Gospel. Even with all his responsibilities, he still made his family a priority and loved to serve them and spend time with them.
• I think the thing I will miss most about President Hinckley is the way that he would speak to the church at General Conference. He was always so direct, concise, and personal. I remember him recently saying that his life was not his alone, but it belonged also to the entire church, and then went on to share some of his personal history stories. We will always remember his 6 "Be's" and his words of wisdom to try a little harder to be a little better.

So with humility and deep respect, I humbly say goodbye to our dear Prophet and leader. May God be with you till we meet again.