In 1976 an area general conference was held in
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Following the closing session, President Spencer W. Kimball
desired to visit the Vor Frue Church, where the Thorvaldsen
statues of the Christus and the Twelve stand.
He visited there some years earlier and wanted of all of
us to see it, to go there.
To the front of the church, behind the altar, stands the
familiar stature of the Christus: His arms turned
forward and somewhat outstretched, the hands
showing the imprint of the nails, and the wound in His
side very clearly visible.
Along each side stand the statues of the Apostles, Peter
at the front to the right and the other Apostles in order.
Most of our group was near the rear of the
chapel with the custodian.
I stood up front with President Spencer W. Kimball
before the statue of Peter with Elder Rex D. Pinegar and
Johan Helge Benthin, president of the Copenhagen Stake.
In Peter's hand, depicted in marble, is a
set of heavy keys.
President Kimball pointed to those keys and explained what
they symbolize.
Then, in an act I shall never forget, he turned to President
Benthin and with unaccustomed firmness pointed his finger at
him and said, "I want you to tell everyone in Denmark that
I hold the keys!
We hold the real keys, and we use them every day."
I will never forget that declaration, that testimony
from the prophet.
The influence was powerful.
The impression was physical in its impact.
We walked to the back of the chapel where the rest of the
group was standing.
Pointing to the statues, President Kimball said to the
kind custodian, "These are the dead Apostles." Pointing to
me, he said, "Here we have living Apostles.
Elder Packer is an Apostle.
Elder Monson and Elder Perry are Apostles.
And I am an Apostle.
We are the living Apostles.
You read about the Seventies in the New Testament," he
said, "and here are two of the living Seventies, Elder
Pinegar and Elder Hales." The custodian, who up to that time
had shown no emotion, suddenly was in tears.
I felt I had had an experience of a lifetime.
"We believe in the same organization that existed in
the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors,
teachers, evangelists, and so forth."