As we prepare for General Conference, here is an experience shared by Ann Rowan, granddaughter of Gordon B. Hinckley, as she came to know he was a prophet of God.

I was a freshman at the University of Utah when President Hunter passed away. When I heard the news from my mother, I remember a feeling of heavy awe and amazement. The previous year in seminary, we had studied the D&C and Church history. I had for the first time gained my own testimony of and love for the prophet Joseph Smith. Now this holy office would be held by my grandpa?! It was almost incomprehensible. It was not something I had ever anticipated or considered. I had to gain my own testimony of him as a prophet. That testimony came, and grew, but it didn’t happen in an instant. It was something that developed over time. I traveled with my grandpa on a day trip a year or so after he became the prophet. We flew to our destination early in the morning, he dedicated a monument, spoke at a missionary meeting, and then at an evening fireside for youth before flying home to Salt Lake City. Each talk was unique. He visited with individuals between meetings. He was at least 85 and fighting a bad cold that day. I was a healthy 19-year-old just along for the ride, and I was exhausted at the end of the day! It was obvious to me he was blessed with strength beyond his own to do the work he was called to do.