A Funny Story to Remember President Hinckley

I know this is a little late, but, better late than never. As you all know, President Hinckley passed away Jan. 27th. Well, I wanted to share an experience that my husband had on his mission. My husband served a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1995-1997. He served in Manaus, Brazil . That is in the Amazon region. In 1996 President Hinckley was coming to tour their mission. The mission symbol was a paddle. It is a symbol of moving forward. The Araras (parrots) were carved into the paddle because they are a bird that mates for life, meaning that after serving the Lord for two years the missionaries were to find their eternal companion. The paddle was also made from pau ferro, or iron wood. This wood takes a really long time to decay, symbolizing strength. On the back of the paddle has all the areas served in and the companions Derek had.

Well, President Hinckley came to the mission and toured. All the missionaries were priveledged to shake President Hinckley's hand and to have a special meeting with him. At this special meeting, one of the elders was asked to present President Hinckley with a paddle like the one I mentioned. After giving him the paddle, President Hinckley said, " What am I supposed to do with this?" He then promptly took the paddle and spanked the elder that gave it to him:) Of course everyone laughed. I love his sense of humor and his unwavering faith that helped him to always look to the future with optimism and not fear. I hope to do the same in my life.