Experiences with Gordon B. Hinckley 30 years later

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from Jerry Johnston's book “Rescued: A Prodigal’s Journey Home" recently published by Covenant Communications.

Before 1969, nobody had heard of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But in the movie that would make them legends, the two bandits go to Bolivia. When they climb from the train, they’re greeted by some wandering llamas, a few rattle-trap shacks and a million miles of wasteland.

“All Bolivia can’t look like this,” Butch says.

“How do you know?” says Sundance. “This might be the garden spot of the whole country. People may travel hundreds of miles just to get to this spot where we’re standing now.”

But, as usual, Sundance was wrong. The garden spot of Bolivia then — and now — was Cochabamba, a lush little valley town six hours from La Paz. We elders called it “The Land of Milk and Honey,” because that’s what it was. “Coach” was one city where you could drink fresh milk and eat fresh honey every day at breakfast. It was also flat. You could ride bicycles there. And it was low enough so that even Americans could run and not be weary, walk and not faint.

Elder Tom Coleman, my companion, and I were working in Sucre, the country’s former capital, when we got a telegram telling us of a mission conference in Cochabamba with the dynamic young apostle Gordon B. Hinckley.

For us, it felt like winning a trip to Honolulu.

While Elder Hinckley made his way to Cochabamba from La Paz, Elder Coleman and I were making our way there from Sucre. … I threw up twice on the way. If you didn’t keep your eyes focused on the road ahead, you soon felt you were riding on a Tilt-a-Whirl.

We arrived on April 16, rattled and dusty. The following day we planned to play touch football, do some sightseeing, and, in the evening, have a steak banquet followed by remarks from Elder Hinckley. We felt as giddy as soldiers on leave.

Looking back now, he was the same Gordon B. Hinckley I would meet in Cochabamba 30 years later at the temple dedication. I even went back and read his general conference address from October 1969 where he talked about his trip to visit us. He sounds, in that talk, as he always sounds — his sentences short and strong. His English bold and punchy, clear and transparent. It was the kind of speech that left no doubt the speaker had no doubts. To crib a thought from Randall Jarrell, when President Hinckley spoke, even the dogs and cats could understand him.