What Is Your Favorite Prophet Experience

[Bernard Gui]

I'm sure we all have favorite experiences with our beloved Prophets. I would like to share two of mine and invite you to do the same.

 

David O. McKay.

Perhaps the perfect image of a prophet, at least that was my impression as a child and youth. My first year at BYU, I attended

a broadcast of the General Conference Priesthood session in the Smith Fieldhouse. It was shown on a large screen that

was hung over the basketball court. My only experience with the Priesthood session was the telephone broadcasts that we

received in our chapel in my small New Mexico city, so I was somewhat overwhelmed by the number of men and boys gathered

together in that big building. I really didn't know anyone yet, so I attended the meeting alone. When President McKay appeared

on the screen, mounting the platform of the Tabernacle, all the people in the room began singing "We Thank Thee Oh God for

a Prophet." The singing was passionate and strong. As the song progressed, the sound faded away, and as I looked around,

I saw that most of the men, including me, were no longer able to sing. Our voices grew silent as the Spirit witnessed that we

were indeed in the presence of a Prophet of God. That was the beginning of my testimony.

 

Harold B. Lee

Attending summer school as a graduate student at BYU, my recent bride and I were members of a small student branch in which

there were several children of General Authorities, including a grandson of President Lee. He attended a testimony meeting

at which his grandson blessed a baby. It was something bearing testimony in the presence of the Prophet! I don't recall if I had

the courage to do so, but I remember after the meeting he stayed and greeted us all. As my wife and I approached, he took my

hand, looked into my eyes, and said, "This is a beautiful daughter of God. You take very good care of her!" That advice has

served me well. It's impact was intensified by the witness that I was again in the presence of a true Prophet.

[Duncan]

I don't know if this is my fave but it's my only real experience with a Prophet. I live in Canada and we get apostles visiting here very rarely. So, in Spring of 1997 Pres. Hinckley visited 5 missions in the LA area and they all met at the Glendale Stake centre. I was here at that time. In Aug of 1998, Pres. Hinckley, Pres. Packer and Elder Kenneth Johnson visited my city and I was in Glendale, CA at that time. Pres. Hinckley and I missed each other. I have been a fan of Elder Marlin Jensen's since the mission field and word came he was supposed to come to the Pasadena Stake for conference. I had just served in that stake for 6 months and nothing and the next sunday I get transferred out he comes and speaks. I missed him by a blooming week. 

[Paddy]

Being in Oz we have limited direct contact. But I thought Hinkley was pretty genuine. I liked the small things like breaking out in prayer at the end of a conference address, instructing the saints on the hallelujah shout, or taking a break during his address to let the choir sing (I think that was a missionary broadcast or something). I was impressed that the spirit could "speak" just as loudly during a broadcast as it could in "real life". He was a great man and prophet.

[sunstoned]

I met SWK at the airport while I was awaiting my flight to take me into the mission field.  It was early, about 6:45 a.m., and I saw the president walking down the hall with another man, which was probably his body guard.  I ran over and introduced myself (in hind site, this was probably rude of me to do so) and we spoke for a few minutes.  He was very kind, and when he found out I was going to the Chicago Illinois mission he mentioned that his inactive son and family lived just south of Chicago and if I got the chance to look them up.   SWK struck me as a very humble man.

[Tsuzuki]

This is just LDS prophets, right?

[Senator]

This is just LDS prophets, right?

Heh,

 

Good question!

 

I've never met any of the Prophets, nor can I think of any significant experience in relation to them.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Senator

[Tacenda]

My husband and companion were invited to go to a birthday party for Camilla Kimball. The Kimball's came to the Jackson Mississippi mission for a conference, not sure what it was called. And wanted to meet my husband and his companion, since they taught and baptised a prominent Baptist Minister who because he joined the church, had lost his newspaper business. My husband has the cutest photo with SWK. Maybe I can attach it here. They are about the same height.

[ERayR]

I don't know if this is my fave but it's my only real experience with a Prophet. I live in Canada and we get apostles visiting here very rarely. So, in Spring of 1997 Pres. Hinckley visited 5 missions in the LA area and they all met at the Glendale Stake centre. I was here at that time. In Aug of 1998, Pres. Hinckley, Pres. Packer and Elder Kenneth Johnson visited my city and I was in Glendale, CA at that time. Pres. Hinckley and I missed each other. I have been a fan of Elder Marlin Jensen's since the mission field and word came he was supposed to come to the Pasadena Stake for conference. I had just served in that stake for 6 months and nothing and the next sunday I get transferred out he comes and speaks. I missed him by a blooming week. 

 

I am always a little late too.

[ERayR]

I met SWK at the airport while I was awaiting my flight to take me into the mission field.  It was early, about 6:45 a.m., and I saw the president walking down the hall with another man, which was probably his body guard.  I ran over and introduced myself (in hind site, this was probably rude of me to do so) and we spoke for a few minutes.  He was very kind, and when he found out I was going to the Chicago Illinois mission he mentioned that his inactive son and family lived just south of Chicago and if I got the chance to look them up.   SWK struck me as a very humble man.

 

When you are s Prophet I think you probably get used to rude people introducing themselves. 

Edited June 11, 2015 by ERayR

[cinepro]

I met SWK at the airport while I was awaiting my flight to take me into the mission field.  It was early, about 6:45 a.m., and I saw the president walking down the hall with another man, which was probably his body guard.  I ran over and introduced myself (in hind site, this was probably rude of me to do so) and we spoke for a few minutes.  He was very kind, and when he found out I was going to the Chicago Illinois mission he mentioned that his inactive son and family lived just south of Chicago and if I got the chance to look them up.   SWK struck me as a very humble man.

 

I would imagine President Kimball was always happy to meet a missionary on his way to the mission field.

 

Had you been crying, he might have even given you some gum...

 

Stranded in an airport because of bad weather, a young mother and her two-year-old daughter had been waiting in long lines for hours trying to get a flight home. The child was tired and fussy, but the mother, who was pregnant and at risk of miscarriage, did not pick her up. A doctor had advised the mother to avoid lifting the two-year-old unless absolutely necessary. The woman overheard disapproving comments from people around her as she used her foot to slide her crying daughter along in the line. Nobody offered to help. But then, the woman later recalled, “someone came towards us and with a kindly smile said, ‘Is there something I could do to help you?’ With a grateful sigh I accepted his offer. He lifted my sobbing little daughter from the cold floor and lovingly held her to him while he patted her gently on the back. He asked if she could chew a piece of gum. When she was settled down, he carried her with him and said something kindly to the others in the line ahead of me, about how I needed their help. They seemed to agree and then he went up to the ticket counter [at the front of the line] and made arrangements with the clerk for me to be put on a flight leaving shortly. He walked with us to a bench, where we chatted a moment, until he was assured that I would be fine. He went on his way. About a week later I saw a picture of Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and recognized him as the stranger in the airport.”¹⁷

 

^{https://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/01/spencer-w-kimball-man-of-action?lang=eng}

 

[Rain]

I ended up accidentally at a general authority viewing. My friend's mom had passed away and I came to support her and ended up at the GA viewing, rather than the public viewing. At this point I had figured out her dad was a seventy, but she had never told me.

Anyway, I was in line waiting to go into the room when I first recognized someone and then another someone. At that point I realized I was at the wrong viewing and felt I had intruded. I was a little embarrassed because I had my 8yo daughter with me, when I hadn't planned on it and she was casually dressed.

As we waited President Monson, then a counselor came up to us. He talked with us for some time, but 95% of the time he was talking to my daughter. He pointed to her school shirt and asked if that was the school she went to. He then just talked with her.

When we got in to the family my friend's dad pointed out that President Hinkley was just leaving and asked my daughter if she would like to go meet him. My daughter raced right over and gave him a hug and he hugged her back.

It wasn't long after that when President Hinckley died and President Monson was sustained as prophet. It was a sweet experience to sustain him because I had seen him as Christ's representative on earth when he suffered the little children to come unto him and focused, for a time, everything on my daughter.

[mormonnewb]

I would imagine President Kimball was always happy to meet a missionary on his way to the mission field.

 

Had you been crying, he might have even given you some gum...

 

Quote

Stranded in an airport because of bad weather, a young mother and her two-year-old daughter had been waiting in long lines for hours trying to get a flight home. The child was tired and fussy, but the mother, who was pregnant and at risk of miscarriage, did not pick her up. A doctor had advised the mother to avoid lifting the two-year-old unless absolutely necessary. The woman overheard disapproving comments from people around her as she used her foot to slide her crying daughter along in the line. Nobody offered to help. But then, the woman later recalled, “someone came towards us and with a kindly smile said, ‘Is there something I could do to help you?’ With a grateful sigh I accepted his offer. He lifted my sobbing little daughter from the cold floor and lovingly held her to him while he patted her gently on the back. He asked if she could chew a piece of gum. When she was settled down, he carried her with him and said something kindly to the others in the line ahead of me, about how I needed their help. They seemed to agree and then he went up to the ticket counter [at the front of the line] and made arrangements with the clerk for me to be put on a flight leaving shortly. He walked with us to a bench, where we chatted a moment, until he was assured that I would be fine. He went on his way. About a week later I saw a picture of Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and recognized him as the stranger in the airport.”¹⁷

 

^{https://www.lds.org/...action?lang=eng}

 

 

I would like to be skeptical about this story, but it matches an experience I had with an emeritus GA who briefly lived in our ward.  He was a teaching a GD lesson when a baby came crawling towards the front of the room.  He paused for a second, looked down lovingly, and then continued his lesson.  When the baby got to the front of the room and began playing around an electrical outlet, the GA stopped his lesson and said, "Oh no, sweetie."  He then did something that I (and probably only I) found stunning.  He walked over and picked up the baby and then spent the rest of the lesson (10-15 minutes) rocking the baby gently, kissing her on the top of her head and still giving one heck of a lesson.

 

I hadn't been Mormon long enough to sob uncontrollably (sorry, I couldn't help myself), but I was moved and though to myself, "This is why I stay in this church.  I've got to learn to be just like that."  When I give a talk, I am completely focused ... on ME -- what I'm going to say, what questions I'm going to ask, etc.  I confess that I wouldn't have noticed if there were 10 babies smoking meth in the front row.  I certainly wouldn't have stopped MY lesson to deal with just one baby.  And if I had, it would have been to hand the baby back to her mother with a look of disdain. "Lady, control your baby.  I'm teaching up here!"

 

So I can totally see Pres. Kimball doing something like that.

[Raingirl]

I love these stories.

 

I've never met a prophet (of course, I have only been a member since 2011) but don't expect I will ever have the chance.

 

Recently, a couple of people in my ward spoke of how common it was in their generation to have opportunities to be in the presence of one of the First Presidency or the Apostles.  They spoke of stake conferences of the like.  They spoke of how this is just not the case any more due to the size of the church.

 

Maybe it's selfish, but I am jealous of those who have had these opportunities.

 

Hmmm....maybe I should move to Salt Lake?  I've read a number of stories since Elder Perry's passing, of people sharing how they ran into him here and there and his engaging them in conversation.

[Freedom]

I met Pres Hunter when he was president of the 12. Very gentle and kind man. I asked him a doctrinal question and he said that my interpretation was probably correct but that if I asked each member of the 12 I would get 12 different answers. He must have met hundreds of members at the evening session I attended. The next day there was a conference where 2500 or more members attended and most of them went up to shake his hand. When my wife and I got to the front he remembered who I was, and turned to my wife and said 'well you must be Sis (insert my last name)'. 

 

I met Monson a few years ago and all i can say is, he is very frail, mostly deaf and blind. His handlers spoke into his ears telling him where to go, how many steps to take, when to grab a rail. He joked non-stop and wanted to say hello to everybody. I am so profoundly amazed that he continues to attend and speak at conferences. It is miraculous. 

[Tacenda]

I met Pres Hunter when he was president of the 12. Very gentle and kind man. I asked him a doctrinal question and he said that my interpretation was probably correct but that if I asked each member of the 12 I would get 12 different answers. He must have met hundreds of members at the evening session I attended. The next day there was a conference where 2500 or more members attended and most of them went up to shake his hand. When my wife and I got to the front he remembered who I was, and turned to my wife and said 'well you must be Sis (insert my last name)'.

I met Monson a few years ago and all i can say is, he is very frail, mostly deaf and blind. His handlers spoke into his ears telling him where to go, how many steps to take, when to grab a rail. He joked non-stop and wanted to say hello to everybody. I am so profoundly amazed that he continues to attend and speak at conferences. It is miraculous.

How can he read the teleprompter so well, if he's mostly blind? To me he seems so chipper and doesn't seem to be going down hill much. Just my observations. Freedom, I failed to notice you were female, always thought you were male. Edited June 12, 2015 by Tacenda

[Duncan]

How can he read the teleprompter so well, if he's mostly blind? To me he seems so chipper and doesn't seem to be going down hill much. Just my observations. Freedom, I failed to notice you were female, always thought you were male.

 

 

he's a man

[Bernard Gui]

This is just LDS prophets, right?

Yes, please.

[Bernard Gui]

Heh,

 

Good question!

 

I've never met any of the Prophets, nor can I think of any significant experience in relation to them.

Even insignificant ones count.

[Bernard Gui]

I love these stories.

 

I've never met a prophet (of course, I have only been a member since 2011) but don't expect I will ever have the chance.

 

Recently, a couple of people in my ward spoke of how common it was in their generation to have opportunities to be in the presence of one of the First Presidency or the Apostles.  They spoke of stake conferences of the like.  They spoke of how this is just not the case any more due to the size of the church.

 

Maybe it's selfish, but I am jealous of those who have had these opportunities.

 

Hmmm....maybe I should move to Salt Lake?  I've read a number of stories since Elder Perry's passing, of people sharing how they ran into him here and there and his engaging them in conversation.

Try to attend conference  in person and your wish shall be granted.

[Duncan]

My older sister yelled at a member of the Seventy, when he came here for a mission conf. and stake conference. I thought it was hilarious but my Mum didn't....

[Bernard Gui]

My father Quintissimo Gui was not a member of the Church. He was ok with mom and me attending, and once in a while he would go to social activities and had some friends in the church. He was a heavy smoker and was known to imbibe a bit. He went through many missionaries saying, "You can sit at the table and eat my food, but you won't cram your religion down my throat." 

 

Our branch was made into a ward. At that time, Apostles ordained bishops, so Mark E. Peterson and Delbert Stapley visited us to organize the ward and ordain the bishop. My dad consented to go to the meeting. After the services, we all went up to shake hands with the General Authorities. When my father was introduced to Elder Peterson, he put his arm around my dad and said, "Hello. My name is Mark, too." (My dad's real name). Dad said that when Elder Peterson touched him it was as if a powerful shock of electricity passed through his body and he knew without a doubt that he was in the presence of a true Apostle of Jesus Christ. From that moment, Dad was a changed man. He cold-turkeyed cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee and became the most humble, loving Latter-day Saint I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Bernard Gui

[Tacenda]

he's a man

Had to re-read the post. How did I miss that? It was his wife.

[Avatar4321]

The only apostle I've met is elder Anderson. He is a genuinely nice man and I thanked.him at the time because I knew he was personally working with a young lady I helped lead to the church.

Ironically at work yesterday a man came in with elder Anderson's same name. I found it amusing.

[Thinking]

When I was still TBM  and a student at BYU, I was walking through the Wilkinson Center on the 3rd floor and noticed Gordon B. Hinckley walking towards me. He stopped, shook my hand, asked how I was doing, then continued. He was very nice.

 

I don't know if it's still there, but there used to be a room on that floor where the BYU president entertained VIP's. I'm sure he was going to that room.

[Stargazer]

I've not met any President of the Church, but members of the Q12 of course count!   I was at the first Area General Conference, which was held in Manchester, England, I guess in 1970,  I was walking down a hallway at the event, and as I turned a corner was confronted by a small gaggle of elderly men.  I didn't quite run into them, but it seemed that the natural thing to do was to stick out my hand for a handshake of one of them, who was front and center.  He looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place him, and he smiled as he shook my hand.  It wasn't until about thirty seconds later that I realized that it was Spencer W. Kimball!