"Adversity touches many, many lives. What makes the difference is how we accept it. It's important to know it's all within the purposes of the Lord, whatever they are for us. If we can submit ourselves to that, we can go forward in faith and understanding." =- Church News interview, June 25, 1988

President Howard W. Hunter, who faced a number of adversities during his life, was an example of rising above trials and tribulations and meeting them with faith and fortitude. His addresses often reflected this attribute. Following are examples of some of the adversities in the prophet's life, and excerpts from inspired counsel offered through the years:

Early in their marriage, Howard and Claire Hunter became acquainted with grief. In the summer of 1934, their first child, Howard William Hunter Jr., born in March, became seriously ill and was operated on. Three days later, late in the night, he died with his parents at his bedside.

"We were grief-stricken and numb as we left the hospital into the night," the prophet-to-be wrote in his journal. (Howard W. Hunter, by Eleanor Knowles, pp. 87-88.)

"Nothing matters if there is not a resurrection; everything would end in the darkness of death. . . . The reality of a resurrection gives hope; it is uplifting, a joy to the righteous." - April 1969 general conference.

In 1980, Elder Hunter underwent surgery on June 4 to remove a tumor. Doctors reported the tumor did not contain cancer cells. It seemed he was on the road to recovery when, on July 23, he was admitted to intensive care in a Salt Lake City hospital for a heart attack. He was not released from the hospital until Aug. 7. (Knowles, p. 272.)

"We came to mortal life to encounter resistance. It was part of the plan for our eternal progress. Without temptation, sickness, pain, and sorrow, there could be no goodness, virtue, appreciation for well-being, or joy. The law of opposition makes freedom of choice possible." - April 1980 general conference.

In the early 1970s, Sister Hunter was afflicted with a cerebral ailment. Her condition declined sharply in the early 1980s. She died Oct. 9, 1983, after 52 years of marriage. (Church News, June 11, 1994.)

"We will all have some adversity in our lives. I think we can be reasonably sure of that. Some of it will have the potential to be violent and damaging and destructive. Some of it may even strain our faith in a loving God who has the power to administer relief in our behalf.

"To those anxieties I think the Father of us all would say, `Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?' And of course that has to be faith for the whole journey, the entire experience, the fullness of our life, not simply around the bits and pieces and tempestuous moments. At the end of the journey, an end none of us can see now, we will say, `Master, the terror is over. . . . Linger, Oh, blessed Redeemer! Leave me alone no more.' " - October 1984 general conference.

After Sister Hunter's death, Elder Hunter continued to suffer with ill health himself. In October 1986, he had quadruple by-pass surgery for blockages in his coronary arteries. In April 1987, he underwent surgery for a bleeding ulcer, and then back surgery the following June. His back healed, but the nerves in his legs deteriorated, a complication of diabetes, and, as a result, he lost the use of his legs. He later regained the ability to walk with the aid of a walker. In the April 1988 general conference, he fell backward from the pulpit, breaking three ribs. However, he finished his address.

In December 1990, he was hospitalized for pneumonia, and two years later was in the hospital for 13 days for treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding. In May 1993, complications from gall bladder surgery put him in a coma for three weeks and was nearly fatal. He recovered and returned to work. (Church News, June 11, 1994; Deseret News, March 3, 1995; Deseret News 1995-96 Church Almanac, p. 14.)

". . . I have observed that life - every life - has a full share of ups and downs. Indeed, we see many joys and sorrows in the world, many changed plans and new directions, many blessings that do not always look or feel like blessings, and much that humbles us and improves our patience and our faith.

"Where one door shuts, another opens . . . . We are not always wise enough nor experienced enough to judge adequately all of the possible entries and exits. The mansion that God prepares for each of His beloved children may have only certain hallways and banisters, special carpets and curtains that He would have us pass on our way to possess it." - October 1987 general conference

At a BYU 19-stake/Church Educational System fireside Feb. 7, 1993, President Hunter was just beginning his address on adversity when a man approached the podium and threatened to detonate a bomb. The assailant handed President Hunter a letter to read aloud, which the Church leader refused. After a tense 10 minutes, the assailant was apprehended, and President Hunter continued his remarks apparently unshaken. (Church News, Feb. 13, 1993.)

"Life has a fair number of challenges in it, and that's true of life in the 1990s. Despair, Doom and Discouragement are not acceptable views of life for a Latter-day Saint. However high on the charts they are on the hit parade of contemporary news, we must not walk on our lower lip every time a few difficult moments happen to confront us.

"We need to have faith and hope, two of the great fundamental virtues of any discipleship of Christ." - Address given at BYU 19-stake/CES fireside Feb. 7, 1993, immediately after the assailant was apprehended.

President Hunter, who became president of the Church June 5, 1994, was hospitalized Jan. 12-16, 1995. According to a statement from the Church on Jan. 18, the prophet's attending physician, Dr. William F. Reilly, said: "President Hunter's condition is a serious one. He has cancer of the prostate gland, metastatic [transferred] to the bones, for which he is currently being treated." The cancer had first been diagnosed in 1980, and had now recurred. President Hunter died March 3, 1995. (Church News, Jan. 21, 1995.)

"Many today struggle with the challenges of life. Given the perplexities, turmoil and evils that are about us, it is natural for us to reach out for someone who can help.

"But we are not left comfortless! We have the scriptures, which contain enduring words of a loving Father in Heaven, who tells us that we are His first priority. He said, `For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.' " (Moses 1:39.) - General Relief Society Meeting, Sept. 24, 1994