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.)

Despite the January surgery, the LDS leader was recovered sufficiently that by March 12, he was in Santiago, Chile, to preside over the rededication of an LDS temple there. Colleagues then described him as "absolutely amazing."

As he reminisced, President Hinckley credited his obedience to gospel principles for his rise in the church and the unexpected blessings that have ensued.

He said the address was one of more than 200 conference addresses he has presented since being called as a general authority in 1958. "I have dealt with a great variety of subjects, but running through all has been a dominant thread of testimony of this great latter-day work," he said.

During his time as a church authority, he said, he has hosted and mingled with presidents, prime ministers and ambassadors as well as having "walked among the impoverished and poor of the Earth, and shared with them my love, my concern and my faith. I hope I have made at least a small difference."

During his tenure, the church has created several humanitarian service projects, such as the Perpetual Education Fund, and greatly expanded humanitarian aid for many people around the world.

President Hinckley shared some notations from his personal journal in the 1950s, when he was serving in a stake presidency, illustrating the close association he then had with many of the church's top leaders.

"Such an opportunity could not now be had by anyone because the church is much larger," he said. The term of his service has seen enormous growth in the church, with a commensurate increase in the number of general authorities.

He spoke of a patriarchal blessing he received as a boy of 11. "It is personal and I will not read extensively from it. However, it contains the statement: 'The nations of the Earth shall hear thy voice and be brought to a knowledge of the truth by the wonderful testimony which thou shalt bear.' "

Later, after a mission in England, he traveled for a time in Europe, and was able to bear his testimony in Berlin and Paris and then again as he was in Washington, D.C. He felt this had fulfilled the promise in his blessing, he said.

"That proved to be a mere scratching of the surface. Since then, I have lifted my voice on every continent, in cities large and small, all up and down from north to south and east to west across this broad world . . . It is all a miracle."