You are a marvelous sight, and I'm delighted so many came to this reunion today. We are probably fortunate, however, that all of Sanford's descendants didn't come: I'm not sure we could have fit 30,000 people in this cultural hall.

Greetings from the First Presidency of the Church and from the Quorum of the Twelve. I want you to know that President Hinckley is doing just fine.

Last Saturday (5 Aug. 2006) Draper Temple groundbreaking. (Elder Porter told a story about President Hinckley at the ground breaking. He said, "President Hinckley put such gusto behind that first shovel full of dirt, that they thought He was going to build the temple right then and there.)

I have traveled to many stake conferences around the United States where people come up to me and ask if I am related to Sanford Porter ; it is very common to meet descendants of Sanford Porter. They of course are all my cousins, and your cousins, in varying numbers and degrees of removal. The furthest has been 7^th cousin, twice removed.

In thinking about his amazing posterity, my thoughts have turned to the covenant God made with Abraham:

As for me, behold, my ^acovenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a ^bfather of many ^cnations.

 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be ^aAbraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

 And I will make thee exceeding ^afruitful, and I will make ^bnations of thee, and ^ckings shall come out of thee.

And I will establish my ^bcovenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an ^ceverlasting covenant, to be a ^dGod unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. (Genesis 17:4-7)

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy ^aseed as the stars of the heaven, and as the ^bsand which is upon the sea shore. (Genesis 22:17)

That prophecy was given to a lone man in the desert of Canaan. How magnificently it has been fulfilled: today, even modern historians acknowledge that Abraham's seed fills most of the Middle East, including both Jew and Arab-both sides of the conflict raging even as we meet.

But we know that Abraham's posterity extends far beyond the Middle East. We-everyone here today-are all children of Abraham. It is likely that every person living on the earth is in some degree, along some line, a descendant of Abraham. (We know that's true of Adam and Noah, of course, but it is also true of Abraham.

The divine power of procreation extended over generations can take one family: a husband, wife, and their children, and result in posterity like the sands of the sea. I know individuals living today who already have more than 100 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Wait 150 years, and many of them, like Sanford, will have tens of thousands of posterity.

This glorious building up of a family kingdom does not end with mortal life, nor even with the life of this mortal planet called earth. It continues on into the eternities and is the very foundation of the universe itself. The galaxies are filled with the children of God, his kingdom, principalities, and dominions.

Miraculously, in the temples of God, every Latter-day Saint couple who is sealed, receive the promise given to Abraham. The meaning and magnitude of that promise are too sacred too even speak of here, and too vast for our mortal minds to comprehend.

I will say only this:

The gift of the priesthood is priceless.

The gift of grandparenthood is priceless.

The gift of families, including the extended family that meets here today, is priceless.

Cherish families; cherish family organizations.

Now if Sanford Porter were here today, what message would he impart to us?

Profound gratitude for our meeting together.

Profound gratitude for the faithfulness to God and God's kingdom of so many of his descendants.

He would send greetings of comfort, peace, and joy from beyond the veil. He would tell us that earth life is but an eyes blink in eternity that whatever adversity we face here will be "but a small moment" and heaven's healing touch awaits us.

He would tell us not to sorrow excessively or bitterly over early deaths in our families, or handicaps, or prolonged illness, for it is but a small moment, and as the prophet Joseph said, "All your losses will be made up in the resurrection."

He would tell us to keep the faith in everyday life: to fell the trees, cut the lumber, and keep the homestead looking good, for everything we do in this mortal realm is but a learning of lessons and a foreshadowing of a vastly greater realm to come.

He would bear witness to us of God the Eternal Father, His Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost. He would bear witness of the prophetic mission of the prophet Joseph Smith, of the Restoration, of the divine work of the Church………

And he would express his love to us, along with the love of Nancy, and of all our faithful fathers and mothers throughout the lines that connect us to him.