TAIPEI, Taiwan — "I am so happy to be here. This brings back many memories," President Gordon B. Hinckley said as he spoke to some 1,200 members gathered in the new Church Administration Building-Taipei at the dedicatory meeting Aug. 1.

Photo by Emily Chien

President Gordon B. Hinckley addresses 1,200 members gathered in the new Church Administration Building-Taipei, which he later dedicated. His acquaintances with members in Taiwan started in the early 1960s, and have been renewed often.

Photo by Emily Chien

President Gordon B. Hinckley

"I have been here (in Taiwan) many times in the past. And I have become an old man," he said fondly.

Before coming to Taiwan, President Hinckley visited Korea. From Taiwan, he went to Hong Kong; New Delhi, India; Nairobi, Kenya; and Aba, Nigeria.

It was a meeting full of memories, with laughter and tears as well.

President Hinckley was accompanied by Elder Daryl H. Garn of the Seventy, president of the Asia Area, and his counselor, Elder D. Allen Andersen, Area Seventy, as well as two Taiwan Area Seventies, Elder Yang Tzung-Ting and Elder Ho Yu-Chen, and their wives.

The prophet has come to Taiwan many times since he became an apostle in the 1960s. Many visits pertained to the establishment of the first Church-owned meetinghouse in Taiwan and the Taiwan Taipei Temple located next to it.

President Hinckley shared an entry from his diary dated Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1962, telling the details of purchasing the building site. He remembered vividly the negotiation required to purchase the site and how members excavated the ground by hand as no machines were available. When the building was completed, "That was a glorious place of worship in Taiwan!"

The original stake center was the first Church-owned meetinghouse in Taiwan, known as the Chin Hua Chapel. At the groundbreaking in 1963 and the dedication in 1966, the handful of members was blessed to have the presence of Elder Gordon B. Hinckley to preside over the ceremony, as well as organize the first stake in Taiwan in this chapel in 1976.

With the increasing number of members, the old Chin Hua Chapel was demolished in 2002 and now in 2005, the Church Administration Building-Taipei was built to serve five wards and three stakes in the area. Now there are more than 42,000 members in 105 congregations, and three missions — Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung with about 500 missionaries — in this land.

"So now years later I am back again." Said President Hinckley affectionately.

President Hinckley's foresight and courage blessed this land and converts to the restored gospel. "I was criticized for wanting to build such a big building in this city (in the 1960s)," he explained, because "there were not very many members then. Just a handful. Now I am glad to see we cannot build one large enough to accommodate the membership of the Church!"

The new building has four stories, including two chapels, a culture hall with an indoor basketball floor and also the Family History Center, Taiwan Service Center, facilities for the Church Educational System, a distribution center and other services.

With the stories told in the meeting, everyone marveled at the prophet's memory. President Jon N. Vawdrey of the Taipei Taiwan Temple commented later, "When President Hinckley called me as the Taipei temple president, he remembered an interview he had with me on the train from Taipei heading to Kaohiuang in 1961!"

The Taipei temple, adjacent to the Chin Hua Chapel, and now the Church Administration Building-Taipei, is also on the site that was purchased by President Hinckley for the Church. He came to its groundbreaking in 1982 and dedication in 1984.

Before the dedicatory meeting, President Hinckley greeted his old friend, Hu Wei-I, who he set apart in 1963 to translate the Book of Mormon into Chinese.

President Hinckley recounted an experience of Brother Hu committing to pay tithing. The Hu family was taught about the law of tithing before joining the Church.

However, his wage made it very difficult for the couple to obey. After some discussion, Sister Hu insisted they obey the law. So they paid their tithing.

"Now what we are going to eat?" Brother Hu asked.

The next day, Brother Hu's supervisor gave him an envelope saying that Brother Hu was a good worker and he was going to give him a raise. When he opened the envelope, he found the same amount of money he had paid for tithing.

"I have never forgotten that story. The Lord can't bless you unless you keep His commandments," President Hinckley said. "I believe it with all my heart that He will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing beyond our comprehension. He has the power to keep His promises. It is my testimony that He does so."

Elder Garn and Elder Andersen also addressed the conference.

Elder Garn spoke of the importance of offering prayers. He emphasized that "questions during our prayer play a vital role in inviting inspiration." He told how young Prophet Joseph Smith's question "opened the heaven for the restoration of the gospel."

Elder Andersen challenged members to do five things:

• Follow the counsel of the First Presidency to finish reading the Book of Mormon by the end of this year.

• Go to the temple more often.

• Pay tithing faithfully.

• Love and be a friend to new members.

• Serve a mission.