Portraits of the past: Elder Hinckley's apartment

Early in his full-time mission to England, young Elder Gordon B. Hinckley and his companion lived in this apartment at 15 Wadham Road in Preston, Lancashire. While living here, a discouraged Elder Hinckley wrote a letter to his father, Bryant S. Hinckley. The letter raised the question that perhaps this mission was a waste of Elder Hinckley's time and his father's money. His father wrote back with the suggestion, "Forget yourself and go to work." Shortly afterward, according to the story told in the video biography of his life, Elder Hinckley had a moving experience. During his daily study of the scriptures in his apartment, he read the New Testament verse found in Mark 8:35 and took it to heart. The feelings he then felt led him to kneel in prayer and recommit himself to the work. This experience became a turning point in his life. In this image, the darker apartment at the left is 15 Wadham Road, the one Elder Hinckley lived in. The lighter colored unit at the right is number 13.