BORN:
PLACE OF BIRTH:
FATHER:
MOTHER: Emma Jensen Packer
MOTHER: Emma Jensen Packer
PRESIDENT BOYD K. PACKER
President of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Key Doctrines:
President Packer
often teaches with parables. He worked for in the Church Education system and
has published several books about teaching. Themes heard frequently include,
agency, listening to the voice of the Spirit, the plan of life and salvation, missionary work, supporting the Lord’s chosen leaders, obedience as the key to happiness, and
questions of morality. He
has a deep understanding of our roles here on earth and does not shy away from
truth, often speaking on controversial topics.
He is a firm and steadfast witness of our Lord and Savior and the
restoration of His church on the earth in the Latter-days.
Elder James E. Faust tells us, “Elder Packer is very much a teacher.
While all of the Twelve are teachers, he’s a teacher in the Twelve ... As a
senior member of the Quorum, he offers instruction and approaches decisions
with deep insight into their possible effects on the Church and its
people.” Elder Russell M. Nelson
says, “The Book of Mormon has had a profound effect on Boyd Packer’s life. ...
Without the Book of Mormon, Elder Packer couldn’t be the prophet he is ... He
is a gifted seer. ... Often, when the Quorum is weighing a problem, Elder
Packer will search his mind for relevant teachings from the Book of Mormon and
apply them to the discussion.”
Many times, when I have wrestled
with difficult questions about life and the purpose of my existence, I have
found specific and detailed answers in the sermons, parables and also in the
example of Boyd K Packer. His example of tenacity and persistence in trying to
continually improve and learn encourages me. I have often felt comforted and
sustained by his teachings and have written several quotes in the front of my
scriptures.
I learned:
President Packer comes from a great family. Although they experienced many hardships and trials, including illness, accidents, and the death of a daughter, they always persevered, and these experiences drew them closer together. Their children were deeply affected by their examples.
Boyd’s childhood was full of love, adventure, and hardship. His sister Donna remembers him as a “happy child with plenty of smiles, and a bit of mischief.” Shortly after his 5th birthday, Boyd came down with a high fever. He was diagnosed with pneumonia. After the illness had apparently run its course, he had to learn to walk again. He did this by crawling on the floor, then pulling himself up to a chair. Later in life, he would learn that what had been thought to be pneumonia had actually been polio. As a young boy, while listening to President George Albert Smith in conference, he received a witness and knew that was a man of God.
He has raised many birds, including peacocks, golden pheasants, and pigeons. He is also a gifted artist. His Danish mother, spread newsprint on the floor where he would sprawl and draw. He has a great love for the outdoors, animals, and birds. He started by drawing them upside down - he says first the feet and then the legs and down from there. Soon he began carving animals out of wood using a coping saw. Art gave him confidence. This helped compensate for his lack of physical prowess. He had natural aptitude, keen powers of observation, and an imaginative approach to play or work, and developed these talents by diligent, patient persistence. As a young boy, he was encouraged to read, and study the world around him. [1]
Boyd’s childhood was full of love, adventure, and hardship. His sister Donna remembers him as a “happy child with plenty of smiles, and a bit of mischief.” Shortly after his 5th birthday, Boyd came down with a high fever. He was diagnosed with pneumonia. After the illness had apparently run its course, he had to learn to walk again. He did this by crawling on the floor, then pulling himself up to a chair. Later in life, he would learn that what had been thought to be pneumonia had actually been polio. As a young boy, while listening to President George Albert Smith in conference, he received a witness and knew that was a man of God.
He has raised many birds, including peacocks, golden pheasants, and pigeons. He is also a gifted artist. His Danish mother, spread newsprint on the floor where he would sprawl and draw. He has a great love for the outdoors, animals, and birds. He started by drawing them upside down - he says first the feet and then the legs and down from there. Soon he began carving animals out of wood using a coping saw. Art gave him confidence. This helped compensate for his lack of physical prowess. He had natural aptitude, keen powers of observation, and an imaginative approach to play or work, and developed these talents by diligent, patient persistence. As a young boy, he was encouraged to read, and study the world around him. [1]
President Packer was a key participant in developing the LDS
scriptures, putting all together in one with footnotes, maps, cross references,
and other study aids. The initial “Bible Aids Committee,” as it was first
known, included Elder Thomas S.
Monson as chairman, Elder Boyd K. Packer,
and Elder Marvin J. Ashton. Later, Elder Ashton was reassigned and Elder Bruce
R. McConkie joined the committee.
He teaches:
“Stand steady. Keep your faith. I bear witness that
the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. God lives and directs this work.
The Church [of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] is on the right course. It is
on schedule. And I bear witness that it is righteously led by a prophet of God.”
[2]
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