We had dinner tonight in the cafeteria at the MTC before going to the devotional where Elder Richard G. Hinckley was the speaker. His wife was in North Carolina visiting some of their children, so she wasn't with him. In his talk he spoke about a lot of things--about his father-in-law's conversion and baptism at age 89 and, ultimately, his sealing to his wife and family after his death (It's never too late. Don't give up on someone. The ultimate goal is to get people to the temple). He told about Pres. Hinckley recently performing the sealing of his granddaughter to her husband in the Salt Lake Temple. As part of his remarks at that time, Pres. Hinckley said, "I've sealed all five of my children and 24 of my grandchildren in this temple, and I consider that to be the finest thing I've ever done." Elder Hinckley said that is quite a statement from a man who has done so many remarkable things during his life. Then Elder Hinckley talked about missionary work. He said he had just seen Elder Perry and that Elder Perry's message to the missionaries is: "We need to do better. Your goal is to double baptisms worldwide this year." And the message from Pres. Hinckley to the missionaries is to: "retain the members you baptize." Next, Elder Hinckley told about his cousin, Terri Wadsworth Blake from Panaca, who is serving with her husband in the Majureau Islands, where he is the mission president. We have heard Elder Hinckley tell the story of their mission call three different times. I like the story--of how the Church had just created a new mission in the Majureau Islands and they were needing a mission president who could be called and attend the new mission president's training seminar in just three weeks. So they looked at a list of senior couple missionaries who had been called to serve missions in the near future (i.e., ready to go some place) to see if there was a possible mission president among the names. Elder Hinckley saw the names of his cousin and her husband on the list and knew they were the ones who should be called. Terri and her husband had been called on a mission to Canada Montreal; but their call was changed to that of mission president in the Majureau Islands. After Pres. Hinckley extended the call and the Blakes accepted, Elder Hinckley talked to Terri who asked, "Where's Majureau?" Elder Hinckley said, "I don't know." Then he proceeded to read an excerpt from one of her letters to their children. He has read part of a letter each time we've heard him speak, and the letters are beautiful. In the letter he read last night she said, "We've found that we can do more, even when we are sure we cannot breathe or move another moment." She went on to say more but I didn't get it in my notes.
[Terri is a neat lady. I knew her and her family in Panaca. Her mother is Pres. Hinckley's sister, Sylvia Hinckley Wadsworth, who was married to Don Wadsworth. They had 10 children. Sylvia died of cancer when she was just 49 years old, and Don died a couple of years later at age 53 leaving the children with no parents. Pres. Hinckley has always had a special interest in each one of them. Besides Terri, another of the children is John Wadsworth, who is one of the founders of Tahitian Noni and is currently a mission president in Las Vegas. When Pres. Hinckley went to Panaca for Sylvia's funeral in 1970, he said (in his biography) that as he went to the cemetery before the funeral and stood by her open grave, "It was too much for me. I cried in that lonely, quiet place...Here was to be the burial place of my youngest sister...Now as I walked quietly about the little cemetery a certain bitterness struck me--that she of such great promise should come to so dismal an end. I cried, and then a peace came into my heart...I thought of her ten children who had grown from the soil of this community. This is where she had been most loved, and one ought to lie where one is loved. I felt at peace." So I liked being reminded of Sylvia and Don and their children who have gone on to accomplish good things and render great service to the Church. I was able to drive Grandma Adair from Provo to Panaca for Sylvia's funeral, and I've never forgotten it. Pres. (Elder) Hinckley was there along with Elder Spencer W. Kimball and Elder Marion G. Romney, and they all three spoke. Elder Hinckley's talk last night reminded me of all this.]
After his remarks, Elder Hinckley opened it up for a few questions. An Elder asked, "What is our best tool for finding?" Elder Hinckley replied, "Be bold. Have faith. Be fearless, but don't be offensive or stupid. Have goals, and think outside the box." I always like it when the missionaries are charged to "be bold" that they are also reminded to not be "offensive or stupid."
After the devotional we met with District F and heard what they had to say about the devotional. They were all glad to have heard from Elder Hinckley. I think Elder Hinckley's relationship to Pres. Hinckley makes him especially interesting to the missionaries.
Earlier today I went down to the Sunset Heights 5th ward for Margaret Olsen's funeral. I was just thinking about her the other day, wondering about her and how she was doing. She died Jan. 17, and I think that's the day I was thinking about her. I was her visiting teacher, along with Cheryl Henrichsen, for quite a few years. She was a very lovely, special lady. Her children paid great tribute to her at her funeral. At the funeral I saw some of our old friends: Trudy Van Cott, Carolyn Mock, Marilyn Hellewell, Pam Rowbotham, Aldine Benson, Donna Paulson, Edel Erickson, and the Marcovs. It was nice to be down there and to remember old times. They have a great missionary board up with pictures of all the missionaries from the 5th ward who have served over the years. There are a lot of missionaries, with Richard and Lindy being among them.
When I talked to Tiff tonight, she said she had talked to Greg and they had decided that it would be a good idea to postpone their June 7 wedding date and wait to get married until after her internship. She said that an internship in Springfield might not happen, and she wants to be able to explore other options. I told her I thought that sounded like a good plan. We still have our plane tickets and our hotel reservations in Nauvoo; but Steven had said at the time we got the tickets that if the wedding didn't take place on that date, we could still take a nice family trip to Nauvoo.