The life of a prophet belongs to the entire church, President Gordon B. Hinckley said Sunday in a reflection on his near-lifetime of service to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His personal recollections highlighted the Sunday morning session of the church's 176th Annual General Conference.

The personable leader of 12.6 million members worldwide has become known and loved for his efforts to embrace Latter-day Saints across the globe and to unite the membership by taking church leadership into their far-flung homelands.

In what he described as a departure from the usual gospel-themed talks of general conference, the 95-year-old leader who millions consider a prophet took a personal journey back through the years, focusing on the blessings that have come from his devotion to the latter-day cause and his lifelong commitment to the spread of the gospel.

He served as a missionary and then in ward and stake positions as a young man until being sustained a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve in April 1958. He became the church's 15th president on March 12, 1995.

"My talk this morning will be different from any previously heard in the general conferences of the church," President Hinckley said.

"I face the sunset of my life. I am totally in the hands of the Lord . . . I take this opportunity while it is available to express appreciation and gratitude for the remarkable blessings the Lord has showered upon me . . . Somehow, the Lord has watched over and guided my choices, although it was not always evident at the time."

The church leader said the concluding words of the poem by Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken," come to mind. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

Often, in recent years, the venerable leader has alluded to his age and the inevitable decline it entails. Although a vigorous and thoroughly alert nonagenarian whose sense of humor is legend, he has suffered challenges recently.

The death of his beloved companion, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, two years ago was a significant event. "I miss her more than I can say. She was a really remarkable woman, one with whom I walked side by side in perfect companionship for more than two-thirds of a century," he said.

President Hinckley also referred to recent surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his colon. "It was the first time I have been a patient in a hospital. I do not recommend it to anyone," he said, drawing knowing laughter from the audience. He said physicians involved in the Jan. 24 surgery have warned him that he may have continuing problems.

But he advised conferencegoers that his talk should not be regarded as "my obituary. I look forward to speaking to you in October." (The church's semiannual conference will be held in October.)