Gratitude for many blessings during a rich life was expressed by Elder David B. Haight of the Quorum of the Twelve in the Sunday afternoon session.

In expressing gratitude, he recounted experiences of his life during which he used "the gospel as a compass."Speaking without a prepared text, Elder Haight compared himself to the late Elder LeGrand Richards, who also spoke without a text. "During one of his talks he said, `There's a light here that keeps flashing.' The next time . . . he just put his hand over it. So I might resort to some of that today."

Elder Haight bore testimony "that the mantle of God's prophet rests comfortably and with divine authority on Gordon B. Hinckley, our prophet, president and leader.

"I've felt that as he spelled out his words of counsel to us this morning with such enthusiasm, and in raising our sights of achievement, and in all that he was attempting to do, the Lord's voice was being heard."

Elder Haight expressed gratitude for "the strength that we receive by being faithful, obedient members of the Church and living as we should."

He told of being reared in the small town of Oakley, in southcentral Idaho, and of his parents' 180-mile trip by buggy to be married in the Logan Temple in 1890. "Just imagine one of those old double-seat surrey buggies, pulled by a team of horses, without any sides on it, in the spring rains."

He said that young people of today should not feel it is inconvenient to drive in modern automobiles to the temple nearest them.

He spoke of his marriage to his wife, Ruby, on Sept. 4, 1930. Then the couple set off to California in their Model T Ford.

"We crossed Nevada going 100 miles per hour on these gravel, washboard roads - 30 miles an hour straight ahead, and 70 miles per hour up and down," he quipped as the congregation laughed.

He said during their 65 years of marriage, he and his wife eventually moved 27 times. "We look back upon it, with our three children, and our 50-plus grand- and great-grandchildren . . . we say, what a wonderful life.

"If we seek first the kingdom of God, and live as we should, all the rest of it seems to fall into place, and wonderful things can happen."

Elder Haight said he was in his home town of Oakley, Idaho, when he was told of the death of a childhood friend, George Romney, a prominent LDS member, who had served as governor of Michigan.

Elder Haight quoted the current governor of Michigan as saying that Brother Romney "never allowed service to man to obscure service to God." Elder Haight then said the Detroit newspaper said of George Romney, "He used his religion as a compass chart for his public life."

"You young people wondering about going out into the world," Elder Haight concluded, "bear in mind some people used the gospel as a compass to guide them. They have done pretty well."