I went to the October 2008 general conference with my three questions, and I received my answers through the talks that were given. I observed spiritual growth in the youth who attended conference, and I felt the love and camaraderie within our little band of saints. I would have been content with that, but then God gave me even more.
In October 2008 I was serving in the Eager, Arizona second ward as the first counselor in the bishopric. The bishopric and our wives, the young men, young women, and a few of the youth leaders, thirty-five in total, decided to attend the October 2008 general conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The only problem was that none of us had tickets to any of the sessions. Our desire was to attend the Saturday afternoon general session and the Saturday evening priesthood session. With a prayer in our hearts and faith that God would provide the tickets we needed, our caravan of cars and trucks left the church parking lot on Thursday afternoon and headed to Salt Lake City. Bishop Doug Brown led the way. We spent Thursday night in Pleasant Grove, UT with Sister Brown’s family. We then made the rest of the trip to Salt Lake City on Friday. We arrived early enough on Friday that we were able to tour the BYU campus.
After spending the night at a local hotel our group got up early Saturday morning and headed to the conference center. We split up into smaller groups and then headed to different areas on and around the grounds of the conference center. We began asking members attending the Saturday morning session if they had any extra tickets for the Saturday afternoon session. Little by little our group began to acquire tickets for that session. We regrouped at the predetermined time and place and began to count the number of tickets we accumulated. Amazingly, we far exceeded our goal and ended up with 53 tickets. It was now our turn to distribute extra tickets to others who were also eager to attend the afternoon session but didn’t have tickets. We were able to give three of our tickets to a native family from Hawaii. The father of the family wept as we gave him those extra tickets. It was a tender moment for all of us.
We were able to gather the needed tickets early enough on that Saturday morning that our group was able to hike to the This is the Place monument and get back in time for the afternoon session. That was an added perk to our already wonderful conference experience. God was surely blessing our faithful little group.
As we went through the tickets to see where the seats were located they were, of course, scattered throughout the conference center. Bishop Brown noticed that one of the tickets was for a seat that was in the 17th row from the podium/stage. A coveted seat for sure! Bishop Brown put that ticket on top of the stack of tickets and announced to our group, “follow me.” He was determined to keep our group together. Bishop Brown is 6’ 8’’ tall. He has a commanding presence and speaks with authority. He is a great man and a wonderful bishop, but his large stature and confident demeanor can be intimidating for those who don’t know him.
With that special ticket on top of the stack, Bishop Brown showed the ticket to the attendant, and without stopping, we all made a bee line to row 17. Luckily, no one else was in that row and we took our seats, eager for conference to begin. There was a sense of anticipation in the air and a buzz of conversation around us, but as soon as President Thomas S. Monson entered that 21,000-seat conference center, you could have heard a pin drop. The quiet reverence for this man was deafening.
As President Monson stood at the podium, he began glancing from one side of the conference center to the other side. It seemed like he was taking in the large crowd that had assembled for this wonderful event. He stopped scanning the crowd and his gaze fell directly on me. It was as if I had tunnel vision. Our eyes locked and a laser beam of truth shot through me with an accompanying warm tingling sensation throughout my body. The Spirit confirmed to me that I was looking at God’s chosen prophet. Our eyes locked for just a couple seconds, but I will never forget the feeling and the sensation that I experienced. It was a once in a lifetime kind of moment. That feeling stayed with me for quite a while.
Our group also managed to get enough tickets for the priesthood session that night. General conference was a wonderful experience for the youth and leaders alike. Prior to leaving for conference, Bishop Brown instructed all who were attending general conference to write down three questions that they wanted to have answered during conference. On our way home on Sunday morning, we listened to conference on the radio for as long as the reception was available. Then each of us talked about the questions we wrote down and how answers and direction were received. Every one of us received answers to our questions. These discussions were both uplifting and spiritual and wonderful testimonies were shared.
I went to the October 2008 general conference with my three questions, and I received my answers through the talks that were given. I observed spiritual growth in the youth who attended conference, and I felt the love and camaraderie within our little band of saints. I would have been content with that, but then God gave me even more. He gave me a strong witness that the man I locked eyes with on that Saturday afternoon was a prophet of God. I have had many spiritual manifestations in my life, but that one continues to be particularly memorable. God was in my story that day, and I am grateful that He allowed me to have this personal and intimate experience. I now have a more profound appreciation for each of God’s prophets. Though my experience with President Monson was unique and special, I continue to receive confirmation from the Spirit that these men are chosen of God to lead and guide His church in these last days.
Submitted by Jerry Hathcock from Mesa, Arizona
July 2021
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