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Show Volume XV Issue V The Ogden Valley news Page February 15, 2008 Storage Structure Collapses in Liberty The roof of a large storage structure in Liberty collapsed Tuesday, February 5 after 27 inches of new snow fell in the area earlier. All that remained standing was the south end of the structure as seen to the right of the photo. A few boards at the north end can be seen jutting out of the snow. The building had a metal, rounded roof. TRIBUTE cont. from page 7 Hinckley announced the creation of the worldwide Perpetual Education Fund to assist missionaries from areas of the world such as Asia, Africa, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Philippines, who often return to a life of poverty after Church service, lacking the resources to pay for an education. President Hinckley made clear this was not a welfare effort, but an educational opportunity. He said, “Where there is widespread poverty among our people, we must do all we can to help them lift themselves, to establish their lives upon a foundation of self-reliance that can come of training.” During the 2002 Winter Olympics, President Hinckley welcomed the world to Salt Lake City. He personally met with political leaders such as President George Bush and participated in 13 interviews with major media from all over the world. Many remember Church leaders on the steps of the Church Administration Building as the torch was passed to President Hinckley and he invited the crowd to salute the Games’ athletes and organizers, the state of Utah, the United States and the whole world as they joined in celebrations of excellence. On June 23, 2004, President Hinckley was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civil award, by President George Bush. President Hinckley said: “I will be deeply honored to receive this prestigious award from the president of the United States. I am profoundly grateful. In a larger sense, it recognizes and honors the Church which has given me so many opportunities and whose interests I have tried to serve.” And serve he did into his late 90s with the same unselfish vigor he was characteristically known for. In a rare moment of personal introspection, President Hinckley talked about his health during the Church’s general conference in October 2006. “The President of the Church belongs to the entire Church. His life is not his own. His mission is to serve. … The Lord has permitted me to live; I do not know for how long. But whatever the time, I shall continue to give my best to the task at hand.” Thomas S. Monson Named 16th Church President Thomas S. Monson was ordained and set apart Sunday, February, 3 2008 as the 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was announced at a press conference held February 4 in the Church Office Building. President Monson, 80, succeeds President Gordon B. Hinckley who died January 27, 2008 at the age of 97, after serving as spiritual leader and prophet for nearly 13 years, and 46 years in top church leadership positions. President Monson called to serve with him in the First Presidency, the top governing body of the 13-million-member faith, President Henry B. Eyring, 74, First Counselor; and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 67, Second Counselor. President Boyd K. Packer was also called and set apart as President of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. At the press conference, President Monson spoke of President Hinckley’s dedication and love for the people, and signaled “no abrupt changes” for the course of the Church. The new Church leader also paid tribute to the many hallmarks of President Hinckley’s administration, including the building of temples and the creation of the Perpetual Education Fund, a program for providing loans to young Church members so they can pay for their education. President Monson called the Perpetual Education Fund “a miracle.” When asked by a reporter about his own desire to reach out to the poor and the needy, President Monson said he learned it from his mother. He grew up watching her help young men, with meals and encouragement, coming to the West of the United States looking for employment during the Depression. One way that this attribute became part of his life was in the way he served the 84 widows in his congregation while he was a young bishop and for decades afterward. He said that they all asked him to speak at their funerals, assignments he was happy to accept notwithstanding heavy travel and other commitments. Responding to a reporter’s question about the Church’s openness in working with other churches and groups, President Monson said: “We should not be sequestered in a little cage. We should eliminate the weakness of the one standing alone and substitute it with the strength of working together to make this a better world.” “I believe in that spirit,” he said. Both counselors acknowledged their new leader’s commitment to people. “I’ve come to know of his goodness,” said President Eyring. President Uchtdorf stated, “I know of his heart, his soul, his commitment, his wonderful love for the people.” President Thomas S. Monson, named as the 16th prophet for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, addresses the media at a press conference held February 4, 2008 at the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City. President Henry B. Eyring, sitting to the right of Monson, was called as first counselor to the Prophet, with President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, directly to his left, was called as his second counselor. The calling of Uchtdorf leaves a vacancy within the council of the twelve apostles. It is expected that a new apostle will be called and sustained at the Church’s 178th Annual General Conference that will be held in April. Also seated, from left to right, Apostles Quentin L. Cook, David A. Bednar, Jeffrey R. Holland, Robert D. Hales, Richard G. Scott, Joseph B. Wirthlin, Boyd K. Packer, L. Tom Perry, Russell M. Nelson (seated behind President Monson), Dallin H. Oaks, and M. Russell Ballard. |