Today I went over to the Barretts to stay with napping Sidney while Lindy took Camden and Riley to the doctor to see which of them was the strep culprit--the carrier of the strep bug that has been making them all sick (Lindy, Nate and Sidney). The nurse thought Lindy was crazy (I guess she's never heard of a "carrier"), but she went ahead and tested the girls; and, sure enough, Miss Camden showed positive for strep even though she's not sick. So Lindy got a prescription for her; and, hopefully, it will help her get rid of the bug that's been causing the strep throats in their family.
This evening Steven came home for dinner so that we could drive in to the MTC together in the snow and only have one car in there instead of two. (Also we could go over to AF together afterward to pick Richard up.) After dinner we headed in to the MTC for tonight's devotional. The speaker was Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Seventy. He said he had prepared a talk for tonight about "Finding;" but with the passing of Pres. Hinckley, he decided he wanted to share some of his thoughts about Pres. Hinckley instead. He said, "This is a week to reflect and honor Pres. Hinckley in every way we can."
He told several experiences he had with Pres. Hinckley as he served as a mission president in New York City. One day Pres. Hinckley called Pres. Rasband at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time (7:30 a.m. Mountain time) to discuss something with him. After their conversation, Pres. Rasband told Pres. Hinckley that he was on his way to meet with the missionaries. Pres. Hinckley said, "Tell them what time it is in Salt Lake City." Elder Rasband said he did tell the missionaries and also told them to "always remember what Pres. Hinckley was doing at 7:30 in the morning."
Then he related some things Pres. Hinckley told the missionaries at a conference which was held in Madison Square Garden. He told them: "If you're not up to 100 per cent, you get there." Also, "Don't worry about the hard work--just do it!" "Don't be a deadbeat and don't be a dropout." "This, elders and sisters, is your great opportunity." And, "May you have more tears for your departure from your mission that you did when you came from home."
He also told about the day he was called to be a General Authority and Pres. Hinckley asked him, "Does the testimony of Jesus Christ still burn in your bosom as it did when you were a young missionary?" Elder Rasband asked the missionaries, "Is the testimony of Jesus burning in your bosom?" Then he said, "Go forward on your mission with excitement and with a testimony burning in your bosom. Go forward now and do it." He closed by saying that he was thankful for being on this earth during the days of Gordon B. Hinckley.
It was a wonderful devotional with a strong spirit there. The music added to the spirit, as well. For the opening hymn we sang the hymn written by Pres. Hinckley, "My Redeemer Lives," instead of the usual "Called to Serve." For the closing hymn, we sang "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet" with a picture of Pres. Hinckley on the big screen. I thought the singing was especially good--almost like there were other voices joining in. Of course, 2000 missionaries singing all at once sounds quite powerful. But it sounded extra powerful for some reason.
After the devotional we met with the new district that came in last Wednesday--eight elders and four sisters. They appreciated Elder Rasband's remarks about Pres. Hinckley and expressed their own thoughts and feelings about Pres. Hinckley along with their love and appreciation for him and that it was he who had called them on their missions. One of the elders in the group is Elder Warren Grant Gagon, who happens to be Aunt Kathy and Uncle Fred's nephew (John Gagon's son). It was a nice evening.
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