He has heard our prayers

Friday, June 9, 1978, was a pleasant morning such as we enjoy here in Utah in the early days of summer before the temperatures become so very hot. I had gone, as usual, to my work in the Missionary Department on the twelfth floor of the Church Office Building. Claudia was home with our four children: four-year-old Michael, three-year-old Rebecca, two-year-old Rachael, and one-year-old Talmage.

That morning all of the General Authorities of the Church who were in town were called to an early morning meeting in the Salt Lake Temple. They had been asked to come fasting and praying. During that solemn meeting, the First Presidency read the following statement:

To All General and Local Priesthood Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the World

Dear Brethren:

As we have witnessed the expansion of the work of the Lord over the earth, we have been grateful that people of many nations have responded to the message of the restored gospel, and have joined the Church in ever-increasing numbers. This, in turn, has inspired us with a desire to extend to every worthy member of the Church all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords.

Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God’s eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.

He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple. Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood leaders are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.

We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known His will for the blessing of all His children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of His authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel.

Sincerely yours,
/s/ Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner, and Marion G. Romney

President Kimball then responded, bearing his sweet and fervent testimony that the Lord had heard and answered by revelation his oft and fervent pleadings. Each General Authority present then had an opportunity to bear his testimony and share his feelings of joy and thanksgiving.

"Never have I felt the Spirit of the Lord more strongly," commented one of the Brethren to me later in the day, "than I did this morning in that temple meeting."

Shortly after that historic meeting, Elder Carlos E. Asay and Rex D. Pinegar called together all of the staff of the Missionary Department to make the announcement to us. As Elder Asay read the statement, my eyes filled with tears, my heart swelled with joy, and I felt like standing and shouting "Praise the Lord."

My reaction was not unique. The Spirit of the Lord was strongly present, and many in the room wept openly—as I was doing—and we were thrilled beyond all description at this monumental step forward.

Both Elder Asay and Elder Pinegar bore their testimonies and let us know in no uncertain terms that this was indeed a revelation from Almighty God. The Spirit confirmed their witness and riveted it into our souls. This was truth; it was so right; the Lord had spoken; the heavens had been opened.

Elder Pinegar opened the meeting for others to respond, and three or four of us bore our testimonies. I had that sacred opportunity, and only once before in my life during the bearing of my own testimony have I cried.

I recounted how I had served my mission in northern Brazil, where a large part of the population had the Negro lineage. The last city I worked in had an estimated 70 to 90 percent of its population who were black. Oh, how I grew to love those dear, humble people. They were warm, eager, and receptive. But their day and season had not yet arrived.

In Brazil there are many fine black members in the Church, many of them strong and faithful despite the restrictions they may not have understood but nevertheless accepted, grateful for those blessings of the gospel they were able to enjoy, and hoping for the day that has now arrived when the blessings of the priesthood would be theirs.

I recalled specifically one dear, humble family in Petropolis, just out of Rio de Janeiro. They were poor even by Brazilian standards. They lived in a tiny house with a dirt floor and no electricity. But they were solid people, and they taught a young elder from North America what happiness was. The husband, who held the priesthood, was a counselor in the branch presidency. His wife and consequently the children were of Negro lineage. For eight or nine years the family had faithfully attended meetings before the elders would baptize them. And now to think that in only a few months when the Sao Paulo Temple is dedicated they will be able to go there and all be sealed together forever as a family.

Oh, how I wish I were in Brazil today!

As soon as our little meeting ended, I phoned Claudia to share the joyful news. We were thrilled beyond all description. Words could not adequately express the overflowing feelings of our hearts.

Shortly after the temple meeting, the announcement of the revelation, which had actually been received the week earlier, was released to the media. All the rest of the day our telephones in the Missionary Department were ringing off the hook. We got little or none of our regular work done that day.

At the end of the exhilarating day at work I took the bus home to Bountiful. Claudia was sitting on the front lawn, with the children playing about, waiting for me to arrive. We sat there in the pleasant late afternoon turning into evening discussing all that had transpired on this remarkable, historic day.

The announcement was historic. In my mind it far surpassed in significance the Manifesto issued by President Wilford Woodruff in 1890. It perhaps even surpassed the revelation that came to Peter anciently when he was directed to begin taking the gospel to the gentiles (see Acts 10:1–11:18). This new revelation issued by President Kimball this week canceled what has been in effect through six long millennia since the days of Cain. It fulfills the promises and prophecies of various prophets that this day would come. We had witnessed prophecy fulfilled.

The Lord has declared in modern times, “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, . . . whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38). With announcement of this revelation we witnessed renewed evidence that what Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 as part of the Wentworth Letter is still true: “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9).

Two things immediately became very clear to me. First, President Kimball was a kind and loving man, filled with great concern for all of God's children. He had struggled long and pled much with the Lord before this revelation came. The very tone of the First Presidency's letter bears this out.

Second, President Kimball was a courageous man. It was one thing to hear the voice of the Lord, but it was another to have the courage to carry it out.

This action did not come about, as some were already erroneously speculating, because of outside pressures brought to bear against the Church. It came partly because we have a prophet who in the fulness of his near perfection was filled with charity, the pure love of Christ, and who paid the price to bring it about, prevailing upon the heavens with his giant Enoch-like faith. And it came because in the economy of heaven and in the wisdom, justice, and mercy of an all-knowing and all-loving God the time was right for the full blessings of the gospel to be extended to all people everywhere "who will hearken to the voice of His authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel."

What the Lord said specifically of the Prophet Joseph Smith seemed to apply so very well to President Spencer W. Kimball:

"Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

"For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith . . . .

"For thus saith the Lord God: Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good, and his diligence I know, and his prayers I have heard" (D&C 21:4–5, 7).

How fully that fit President Kimball and how appropriate to what had just happened this glorious June morning!

The First Presidency’s statement did not contain the phrase "thus saith the Lord," but it said it. They did say, "He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come." They did say, "We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known His will for the blessing of all His children."

The very next morning I published much of this account in a special issue of the Cleverly Newsletter that I sent to all my parents' family and to many others. I concluded the account with my testimony:

"I add my own humble testimony. God lives—of that there is no doubt. He has restored His priesthood in our day—of that there is no doubt. We have a mighty prophet in modern Israel—of that there is no doubt. The Spirit has borne powerful witness to my soul that this move to extend the priesthood to those who were formerly restricted is in fact a revelation from God. It is true. I know it as I know anything, and I declare that to you in the name of Jesus Christ, whose priesthood it is. Amen."

At the October general conference President N. Eldon Tanner, first counselor in the First Presidency, on September 30, 1978, read the June 8 letter announcing the revelation and proposed that the conference "accept this revelation as the word and will of the Lord." The vote was unanimous in the affirmative. It now appears as Official Declaration 2 in the Doctrine and Covenants.

A red-letter day in Recife

During the final months of my mission I served as both district leader and branch president in Maceió, the capital city of Alagoas, in northeastern Brazil. Those were days of great joy for a young servant of the Lord.

One of the red-letter days of my service in Maceió actually occurred four hours up the coast in Recife. It was Thursday, September 10, 1970. We had traveled to Recife for a missionary conference in the afternoon and a member district conference in the evening. And we topped the day off with a baptismal service that evening, ever and always a highlight for missionaries.

Elder Gordon B. Hinckley of the Council of the Twelve was in town, along with his dear wife, and with our mission president and his wife.

In the missionary conference, by some twist of fate, undoubtedly Presi­dent Johnson's twisting, I was the only missionary par­ticipant, shar­ing the program with Sister Marjorie Hinckley, Sister Virginia Johnson, President Hal R. Johnson, and Brother Hinckley, who spoke in that order. I was first on the program, discussing for a few moments priesthood stewardships and the blessing powers of the priesthood.

Sister Hinckley's talk really impressed me. She spoke of the modern-day miracles she has been seeing, including the growth of the Church and the members thereof. Last Sunday, she related, she saw the third stake in São Paulo being organized. South America holds a special spot in her heart. She compared the work here to the construction of a great building. Sometimes an elder may feel he has done nothing on his mission, but hundreds before have felt the same. In reality, they have all placed their bricks into the edifice, and the kingdom grows.

During President Johnson's talk I had a brief but wonderful inter­view with Brother Hinckley. Knowing I was branch president, he asked me a little about Maceió. We talked about both the city and our little branch. We talked about my companion briefly. He asked me what I most admired in him. I had to think on that one, not that I could not think of anything, but that I had to choose one trait of many that I admire. I answered, "His ability to love others."

Brother Hinckley asked, "Don't you love people?"

I responded, "I certainly try."

He rejoined, "But your companion does a better job?"

He told me he had recently been to stake conference in Nampa. When I asked how they were doing, he replied, "They miss you, Elder."

We also spoke of my schooling plans, and I learned that Brother Hinckley once had been an English major also.

My companion, Elder Dana Blackham, was interviewed right after me. He was asked about his companion too. That evening Elder Blackham shared with me what he said to the Apostle: "I love him for his ability to stay close to the Lord."

The highlight of the afternoon was when Brother Hinckley held a question-answer session and spoke to us. That was a marvelous ex­peri­ence. Once again the Spirit bore witness that here was an Apostle of the Almighty God. I was so impressed by so many things he said that I cannot even write them all here.

He taught us that there was no shame in saying, "I don't know," if we did not know something. He said that to him the gospel is be­coming simpler and more beautiful and his faith likewise simpler. To me that was profound. He told us to stick to the scriptures and not worry too much about reading everything else that comes off the presses.

Someone asked him about the Second Comforter. His response was that we have our hands full trying to keep the constant com­panionship of the First Comforter. Worry about that first.

His comments on the draft situation made things look rather hopeful as far as my being able to finish my education without interruption. At the time I had left on my mission, two years earlier, I assumed after my couple of years for the Lord that I would also be giving a couple of years to my country.

Brother Hinckley spoke also about adultery and fornication by way of inspired warn­ing. He said he did not always speak of that subject, as if inspired to do so on this occasion.

And then he bore his apostolic witness to the divine mission of the Savior and the truthfulness of the restoration of the gospel.

This evening's district conference was an added spiritual feast. We had the members from Maceió all sitting together on the front three rows. As great as the talks of President and Sister Johnson and Sister Hinckley were, and all of them were a spiritual treat, the highlight once again was Brother Hinckley's remarks.

The beauty of his lessons came from their simplicity. He took a flower from a bouquet on a nearby table and compared it to a member of the Church, beautiful today but tomorrow dry and withered because it had been cut from its stem. Inactivity because of misunderstanding, harsh words, personal weakness leaves us cut off from the Church, and we die spiritually.

He spoke about the word recife, which means reef, since he was in Recife, comparing it to the Church as it protects our lives and gives them peace and calm.

In addition to his inspired insights, Brother Hinckley also has a fantastic sense of humor. The members, unfortunately, had to experience that a step removed through an interpreter.

An elderly couple from Maceió had traveled to the conference, and we held a quick baptismal service for them after the session ended. We had decided that the four-hour car ride would be less strenuous for them, given their age and health, than finding a suitable location to baptize in the ocean at Maceió. The last time I had baptized someone in Maceió, we had to walk a quarter of a mile out from shore in ankle-deep water to find water deep enough to immerse the rather smallish eight-year-old boy. With adults we would have had to walk considerably farther, half way to Africa it would have seemed. At least the meetinghouse in Recife had a proper baptismal font.

Elder Blackham baptized Apolinário Cecílio dos Santos, and I afterward confirmed him. I baptized Idelta Craveiro Santos, and Elder Black­ham confirmed her. They were certainly happy. It had been a big day for them, but they survived. And we were filled with a special joy, Elder Blackham and I.

A visit with the Hinckleys

Mondays were preparation days in our mission. I remember one preparation day in the late winter of 1969, just before my companion and I were completing our seven months together in the mission office. It was a cold, rainy day in Rio de Janeiro. Most winter days in Rio were actually quite pleasant, unless it was raining. The winter rains could cause the cold to sink into our bones, it seemed, and there was no good way to get warm.

This particular Monday, September 8, we found a good way to get warm. We were being warmed and enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I wrote in my journal, "This afternoon I participated in one of the most uplifting spiritual experiences of my life. Twelve of us were sitting in a casual circle in the living room of the mission home, receiving precious insights and sharing testimonies of a special and holy nature. Among our number was an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley."

President Hal R. Johnson was running the show because, as Brother Hinckley had earlier pointed out while we circled the dinner table, he believed in being obedient to the mission president. However, as soon as the President had called us together and had called upon his assistant to offer the opening prayer, he turned the time over to Brother Hinckley.

He remained sitting in the easy chair he was in and suggested that each of the eight young elders present take about three minutes each to express a few thoughts. Some very touching testimonies were borne during those few minutes. It was a rare privilege and oppor­tunity to bear testimony to an Apostle.

Sister Virginia Johnson spoke next. She brought tears to my eyes as she told of how her parents had finally caught the vision of the gospel just before they, the Johnsons, were called to Brazil and had turned from inactivity to go to the House of the Lord.

Sister Marjorie Hinckley shared a few thoughts. She is an able and gracious companion to her husband. She spoke of her joy in be­ing with us and of the miracle of the great missionary system. She never worried about her sons while they were serving missions, she said. Only when they returned home did she begin to worry about them again.

Finally President Johnson bore his strong witness to us that he knew that this was the work and kingdom of God, expressing his overflowing gratitude and love for all those associated with him in this grand work.

Then all eyes turned to Brother Hinckley. Now it was his turn. He asked if he might remain seated because he wanted to talk casually and intimately with us, not wishing to preach. I saw true manhood and great humility as he sat there before us saying that he felt un­worthy of the office of the apostleship. As he meets with mission­aries across the width and breadth of the earth, he feels unworthy of the office. As he received such a warm welcome at the airport at 11:00 the evening before, he felt unworthy of the office. As he sits in meetings of counsel with the other Brethren in the Salt Lake Temple, he feels unworthy of the office.

He shared with us a few touching and close associations he has had with our beloved prophet and leader, President David O. McKay. Just last year the Brethren of the Twelve and First Presidency met in President McKay's apartment a few days before Christmas. As they each bore their testimonies, they expressed their love for President McKay.

Tears came to the Prophet's eyes, and he said, "I am not worthy of your love and trust." That was the Prophet speaking!

There is no doubt that he is a prophet, Brother Hinckley said. It was appropriate for him to speak of the Prophet—that very day was President McKay's 96th birth­day.

Often we sing, "We thank Thee, O God, for a prophet to guide us in these latter days." But if we would really follow the Prophet, the Church would be twice as strong as it is, and we would be twice as blessed as a people. Brother Hinckley assured us that the Lord was preparing a successor to President McKay—a man who would have wide and deep experience, years of long service, of capable judgment, of character molded by life and tempered by the Holy Spirit of God. He felt the Lord was taking His time in preparing such a replacement. President McKay's body is old and worn and weak, but his mind and spirit are firm and clear. When he passes away, there will be no poli­ticking, no power plays—the Lord's choice will be evident.

Brother Hinckley spoke of missionary work and the great miracle it is. He told us of how the Church is growing in the Far East, which was his res­ponsibility for eight years, of how it is surging forward in California. He said he felt a special spirit about Brazil. Years of slow and long preparation will be giving way to a time of rich and fuller harvest.

At times he feels concerned, in fact, about São Paulo baptizing too fast. Twelve years ago (when President Sherman Hibbard, now president of the Brazilian Mission, was working there), São Paulo had one branch of eighty mem­bers, seven of which were active. This year over 2,000 converts will swell the wards of the two stakes there now. It is difficult to integrate so many new members.

Brother Hinckley shared other missionary experiences with us. He has worked directly with the missionary effort since 1933. He mention­ed a letter from their son, who was called from the North Argentine Mission to open up the missionary work in Spain. One thing that im­pressed me from this letter was that he mentioned their most effective missionary tools were fasting and prayer.

He closed his brief remarks with an admonition to remain virtuous and faithful. He bore his witness, as a living Apostle, that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed His church and kingdom here upon the earth today.

Brother Hinckley is a great man. He carries with him the Spirit of the Lord. He is intense in his untiring and devoted service. The Spirit bore witness to every soul that here was indeed a servant of the Lord.

Our meeting closed with a brief word of prayer given by our dis­trict leader.

Brother Hinckley then walked around the circle, shaking every hand, piercing into every soul, offering his best wishes. Tight schedules and other business beckoned, but our hour and a half with this great man is an experience I will long cherish.

Earlier in the day we of the mission office staff also ate dinner with the Hinckleys and the Johnsons. The meeting in the afternoon was planned for all the missionaries in Rio, but since it was preparation day we couldn't reach any of them by phone.

The Hinckleys had arrived from São Paulo at eleven o'clock the previous night. He had presided over two stake conferences there during the day. This morning Brother Hinckley had sent a telegram to President McKay with birthday greetings from the 60,000 members in South America and the missionaries of the ten missions. In the evening the Hinckleys left for Lima.

The mantle of a prophet

Thomas S. Monson had been my brother Jerry's mission president in eastern Canada. After Jerry returned home in 1960, I recall his saying we needed to keep an eye on President Monson, that someday he would be called as a General Authority.

Undoubtedly a lot of returned missionaries are that impressed with their mission presidents, but just a couple years later Brother Monson was called as an apostle. That occurred at the October 1963 general conference when I was fourteen years old. He filled the vacancy created by the death of President Henry D. Moyle. I don't specifically remember President Moyle, but Elder Monson was the first person I consciously remember being called into the Twelve.

Through the years I have had occasional interactions with Elder Monson because of my work in the Missionary Department, especially after he became a counselor in the First Presidency. With his incredible memory, I was always intrigued that he never seemed to connect me with an Elder Cleverly who had served in his mission in Canada.

On Sunday, February 3, 2008, Thomas S. Monson became the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His appointment came a week following the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley. Two months later, on Saturday morning, April 5, in a solemn assembly at the beginning of the Church's annual general conference, President Monson was officially sustained as President of the Church.

That same evening in the priesthood session, near the end of President Monson's talk to the assembled brethren, the Holy Spirit quietly but powerfully bore witness to my soul that Thomas S. Monson was indeed the Lord's anointed prophet, seer, and revelator for the season ahead. I was grateful for that revealed knowledge. Now my heart knew what my head already accepted.

I appreciated, therefore, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's comment the next day as he began his masterful talk in the closing session on Sunday afternoon: "Of the many privileges we have had in this historic conference, including participation in a solemn assembly in which we were able to stand and sustain you [President Monson] as prophet, seer, and revelator, I cannot help but feel that the most important privilege we have all had has been to witness personally the settling of the sacred, prophetic mantle upon your shoulders, almost as it were by the very hands of angels themselves. Those in attendance at last night's general priesthood meeting and all who were present in the worldwide broadcast of this morning's session have been eyewitness to this event. For all the participants, I express our gratitude for such a moment. I say that with love to President Monson and especially love to our Father in Heaven for the wonderful opportunity it has been to be 'eyewitnesses of his majesty' (2 Peter 1:16), as the Apostle Peter once said."

The notion of a previous prophet's mantle falling upon a new prophet stems from Old Testament times. After Elijah was dramatically taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire (see 2 Kings 2:9–12), his mantle fell from him, and Elisha took it and performed his first prophetic miracle (see 2 Kings 2:13–14). The sacred text then records: "And when the sons of the prophets . . . saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha" (2 Kings 2:15).

And so it happened once again in our time. The mantle of the prophet so ably worn by Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) during the previous thirteen years had now fallen on Thomas S. Monson, and the Lord's Holy Spirit rested upon him.

My first general conference

I remember the first time I attended a general conference in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. It was the April 1966 general conference. I had watched conference sessions on television at home in Idaho, but this was the first time I had attended in person. My older brother Jerry and I had come to Salt Lake for the occasion. I was sixteen years old, a junior in high school.

Moments before the beginning of the Saturday morning session, President David O. McKay entered the rather noisy Tabernacle. In a moment a solemn hush filled the air as the thousands of gathered Saints rose in deepest respect to their prophet-leader. Tears of joy and gratitude gathered in my eyes as the Spirit bore force­ful witness that for the first time in my life I was standing in the pre­sence of a Prophet of God.

The next morning, Easter Sunday, dawned early upon us as we crowded into the historic conference site. At the concluding session that afternoon, President McKay delivered his own final address and left his blessing upon the Church. He was advanced in age, and it proved to be the last sermon he ever personally gave in a general conference. Once again the moment was thrilling.

As he finished, the mighty organ and choir joined together in "The Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. As is the tradition with this Easter anthem, the congre­ga­tion stood. After the last powerful strains had filled the air, the choir softly and reverently intoned President McKay's favorite hymn:

I need thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.
I need thee; O I need thee;
Every hour I need thee!
O bless me now, my Savior;
I come unto thee!

I doubt there was a dry eye or an untouched soul in the entire building.

The two of us, my brother and I, stayed in Salt Lake the following day to do genealogical research. During the afternoon I prevailed upon Jerry to take me to the Church Administration Building to be intro­duced to his mis­sion pre­si­dent, Elder Thomas S. Monson, now a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In those days you could still just walk into the building. Elder Monson was not in his office.

Feeling increasingly more confi­dent, we walked into Elder Harold B. Lee's office to look at his wall genealogy chart. We wondered if Brother Lee's family was related to Grand­ma Batt, who was a Lee before she married Grandpa. Elder Lee was also out of the office that after­noon, but his sec­retary kindly showed us the chart. Nothing seemed to match.

Then we waxed fully bold as we decided to visit President Joseph Fielding Smith, then president of the Twelve, and his good wife, Jessie Evans Smith, in their Eagle Gate apartment. I cannot believe we had the nerve. What an absolutely audacious thing to do!

When we knocked, Pre­si­dent Smith came to the door and graciously in­vited us in. The Smiths had been watching the evening news when we arrived but turned it off im­mediately to chat with us for some twenty minutes. I remember little of what tran­spired, but admittedly I left walking six inches off the ground. Now I appreciated this chief Apostle and great gospel scholar in a warm, new light. Four years later, following the death of President McKay, President Smith became the tenth President of the Church.