Stumbled across this today and was touched to the core, for I, too, loved Elder Packer and his influence on my life is immeasurable. When he passed away, I began doing the same thing you did. I went back to his earliest talk found in the General Conference section of Mormon Library. I am working my way back to his last given this past April. We are so very blessed to have lived during the time of his apostleship. Thank you, Scott, for this article and for the Meridian Magazine. I am grateful, also, to the man who introduced me to The Meridian many years ago. He an angel now, but he was an angel then, too.
Laura Conklin Nielsen HolbrookJuly 8, 2015
I tearfully and gratefully re-lived the talks as I read the wondeful tribute to President Boyd K. Packard. I'm also thankful to this apostle who I followed, loved and appreciated from my youth and throughout my life. My testimony of his devine calling came easily. I felt his love and guidance for me as a teenager, young mother and grandmother.
ChrisJuly 7, 2015
Who can forget his talks-- like the Debtor and the Creditor, and the Crocodiles you mentioned. Also I recall him making an inspired distinction between the "prophets" who are called of God himself and there are many, and the "president" who is sustained by the members in a solemn assembly and set apart by church leaders as in any other church calling. A prophet is not the same as a president.
Duane BoyceJuly 6, 2015
It was an honor to live on the same planet at the same time with President Packer. His influence on me has been immense and my gratitude will be eternal.
Gordon WellsJuly 6, 2015
How blessed we are to have a living Prophet and twelve Apostles to guide this Church!!!
I pray we all can sustain those who replace our beloved L. Tom Perry and Boyd. K. Packer. They are truly men of God, as those who will replace them will be also.
Tom JohnsonJuly 6, 2015
Scot, I share your love for Boyd K. Packer. I felt the Spirit of the Lord many times when he spoke. I think there was no more effective person in the Church in teaching the law of chastity.
Janice MorganJuly 6, 2015
I appreciate your letter very much. It brought many memories of hearing the talks you mentioned and I appreciate your including the link to the talks and videos. What great teachings in simple beautiful ways. Thank you for your efforts and willingness to share.
UnevaJuly 6, 2015
To think - this is just ONE profound letter of appreciation. Surely many other "letters" of appreciation lie in the hearts of millions of Saints Elder Packer has so divinely touched, over the years! And surely his spiritual essence will endure the eternities, continually blessing all who come in contact with this great man of God.
Grant IpsenJuly 6, 2015
Thank you for such a wonderful letter to Elder Packer. I well remember the teachings you mentioned. His influence in our lives, our family, cannot be expressed adequately in words. It must be and is felt in the spirit he emanated. Perhaps the most memorable in our lives is when He and Sister Packer visited Copenhagen Denmark stake at the first conference after being formed in 1974. He taught on priesthood succession using his and President Monson's calls to the Quorum of The Twelve. He also gave us precious and personal teachings and counsel as I was mission president at the time. A master teacher and and a special man, witness and prophet who knows the Savior.
Larry RichmanJuly 6, 2015
What a wonderful tribute, Scot. Thanks for sharing this with us.
LaRon WoolleyJuly 6, 2015
Thank you for your wonderful tribute. President Packer set me apart as a mission president in 2002. Though I don't remember the specific words spoken, they were wonderful. But what especially impressed me and has stuck with me ever since was his eyes. Looking into them I had a very strong sense that those eyes had seen marvelous scenes, that here was truly a prophet of the Lord. How blessed we have all been by Elder Packer's ministry.
Glenn L CoxJuly 6, 2015
I never knew President Packer personally but he had a deep impact on my life. I too shall miss him and his wonderful talks, I will always appreciate his forthrightness in every talk. An experience with President Packer which impacted my life: I was serving in the YMMIA organization of our ward in the days in which the church held in June of each year a YMMIA conference in which to teach the leaders. President Packer was one of those chosen to speak and teach. He spoke on the using of the scriptures and value of what ever we taught. But the point that stuck with me was when he said "becoming familiar with the scriptures and using them will become a protection to you and yours, those whom you love, throughout your life. As I have served in a number of priesthood assignments in my life I have literally seen by using the scriptures to teach, correct and instruct in both my family and with others, it changes lives and has become that which President Packer said would happen. He was to me the instrument in the hands of the Lord to teach, correct and counsel a young boy off the farm what it meant to a be a servant of our Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ. Truly he was a Prophet, Seer and Revelator and a wonder Apostle. God bless the memory of this wonderful servant President Boyd K. Packer of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. To these things I give my personal witness and testimony.
Robert WilliamsJuly 6, 2015
I have over 100 talks and devotionals of President Packer downloaded onto my iPod. I recently was inspired to listen through them all, and finished a day or two before he passed away. The conference talks I downloaded from lds.org. The devotionals I downloaded from the BYU Speeches website, and I think I got a few also from the BYU Hawaii and BYU Idaho web sites as well. A priceless collection available for free to anyone who makes the effort.
Robert SpielJuly 6, 2015
What a sweet tribute passing down the hallways of memory. Elder Packer was a giant of the restoration, and his talks were always so full of truth and love. I too remember so many of these and they have deeply blessed my life and the life of my family. God bless this wonderful leader as he now joins his voice to other witnesses in the next life to continue to do what he did so meticulously well here: testifying of Christ.
Bonnie HoltJuly 6, 2015
Thank you Brother Proctor! I love your insight! I too love Elder Packer. His words have also been an inspiration and comfort to me over the years. His boldness in proclaiming truth has always reinforced my testimony, while giving me such a sense of security in this shifting world. I personally will miss him!
Clint ToddJuly 6, 2015
Scot. I was there in priesthood meeting with you. Thanks for the reminder of that experience. Thanks for being my spiritual mentor. Thanks for this wonderful tribute shared. Thanks for being my friend. Love. Clinto
Charles McClellandJuly 6, 2015
Scott, I remember that Priesthood meeting you referred to in you letter and the spirit we felt on that occasion. What a great servant of the Lord - we are blessed to feel his influence in our lives!
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Darlene BurgiAugust 3, 2015
Stumbled across this today and was touched to the core, for I, too, loved Elder Packer and his influence on my life is immeasurable. When he passed away, I began doing the same thing you did. I went back to his earliest talk found in the General Conference section of Mormon Library. I am working my way back to his last given this past April. We are so very blessed to have lived during the time of his apostleship. Thank you, Scott, for this article and for the Meridian Magazine. I am grateful, also, to the man who introduced me to The Meridian many years ago. He an angel now, but he was an angel then, too.
Laura Conklin Nielsen HolbrookJuly 8, 2015
I tearfully and gratefully re-lived the talks as I read the wondeful tribute to President Boyd K. Packard. I'm also thankful to this apostle who I followed, loved and appreciated from my youth and throughout my life. My testimony of his devine calling came easily. I felt his love and guidance for me as a teenager, young mother and grandmother.
ChrisJuly 7, 2015
Who can forget his talks-- like the Debtor and the Creditor, and the Crocodiles you mentioned. Also I recall him making an inspired distinction between the "prophets" who are called of God himself and there are many, and the "president" who is sustained by the members in a solemn assembly and set apart by church leaders as in any other church calling. A prophet is not the same as a president.
Duane BoyceJuly 6, 2015
It was an honor to live on the same planet at the same time with President Packer. His influence on me has been immense and my gratitude will be eternal.
Gordon WellsJuly 6, 2015
How blessed we are to have a living Prophet and twelve Apostles to guide this Church!!! I pray we all can sustain those who replace our beloved L. Tom Perry and Boyd. K. Packer. They are truly men of God, as those who will replace them will be also.
Tom JohnsonJuly 6, 2015
Scot, I share your love for Boyd K. Packer. I felt the Spirit of the Lord many times when he spoke. I think there was no more effective person in the Church in teaching the law of chastity.
Janice MorganJuly 6, 2015
I appreciate your letter very much. It brought many memories of hearing the talks you mentioned and I appreciate your including the link to the talks and videos. What great teachings in simple beautiful ways. Thank you for your efforts and willingness to share.
UnevaJuly 6, 2015
To think - this is just ONE profound letter of appreciation. Surely many other "letters" of appreciation lie in the hearts of millions of Saints Elder Packer has so divinely touched, over the years! And surely his spiritual essence will endure the eternities, continually blessing all who come in contact with this great man of God.
Grant IpsenJuly 6, 2015
Thank you for such a wonderful letter to Elder Packer. I well remember the teachings you mentioned. His influence in our lives, our family, cannot be expressed adequately in words. It must be and is felt in the spirit he emanated. Perhaps the most memorable in our lives is when He and Sister Packer visited Copenhagen Denmark stake at the first conference after being formed in 1974. He taught on priesthood succession using his and President Monson's calls to the Quorum of The Twelve. He also gave us precious and personal teachings and counsel as I was mission president at the time. A master teacher and and a special man, witness and prophet who knows the Savior.
Larry RichmanJuly 6, 2015
What a wonderful tribute, Scot. Thanks for sharing this with us.
LaRon WoolleyJuly 6, 2015
Thank you for your wonderful tribute. President Packer set me apart as a mission president in 2002. Though I don't remember the specific words spoken, they were wonderful. But what especially impressed me and has stuck with me ever since was his eyes. Looking into them I had a very strong sense that those eyes had seen marvelous scenes, that here was truly a prophet of the Lord. How blessed we have all been by Elder Packer's ministry.
Glenn L CoxJuly 6, 2015
I never knew President Packer personally but he had a deep impact on my life. I too shall miss him and his wonderful talks, I will always appreciate his forthrightness in every talk. An experience with President Packer which impacted my life: I was serving in the YMMIA organization of our ward in the days in which the church held in June of each year a YMMIA conference in which to teach the leaders. President Packer was one of those chosen to speak and teach. He spoke on the using of the scriptures and value of what ever we taught. But the point that stuck with me was when he said "becoming familiar with the scriptures and using them will become a protection to you and yours, those whom you love, throughout your life. As I have served in a number of priesthood assignments in my life I have literally seen by using the scriptures to teach, correct and instruct in both my family and with others, it changes lives and has become that which President Packer said would happen. He was to me the instrument in the hands of the Lord to teach, correct and counsel a young boy off the farm what it meant to a be a servant of our Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ. Truly he was a Prophet, Seer and Revelator and a wonder Apostle. God bless the memory of this wonderful servant President Boyd K. Packer of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. To these things I give my personal witness and testimony.
Robert WilliamsJuly 6, 2015
I have over 100 talks and devotionals of President Packer downloaded onto my iPod. I recently was inspired to listen through them all, and finished a day or two before he passed away. The conference talks I downloaded from lds.org. The devotionals I downloaded from the BYU Speeches website, and I think I got a few also from the BYU Hawaii and BYU Idaho web sites as well. A priceless collection available for free to anyone who makes the effort.
Robert SpielJuly 6, 2015
What a sweet tribute passing down the hallways of memory. Elder Packer was a giant of the restoration, and his talks were always so full of truth and love. I too remember so many of these and they have deeply blessed my life and the life of my family. God bless this wonderful leader as he now joins his voice to other witnesses in the next life to continue to do what he did so meticulously well here: testifying of Christ.
Bonnie HoltJuly 6, 2015
Thank you Brother Proctor! I love your insight! I too love Elder Packer. His words have also been an inspiration and comfort to me over the years. His boldness in proclaiming truth has always reinforced my testimony, while giving me such a sense of security in this shifting world. I personally will miss him!
Clint ToddJuly 6, 2015
Scot. I was there in priesthood meeting with you. Thanks for the reminder of that experience. Thanks for being my spiritual mentor. Thanks for this wonderful tribute shared. Thanks for being my friend. Love. Clinto
Charles McClellandJuly 6, 2015
Scott, I remember that Priesthood meeting you referred to in you letter and the spirit we felt on that occasion. What a great servant of the Lord - we are blessed to feel his influence in our lives!
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