- Thousands gathered in Salt Lake City to honor President Russell M. Nelson at a public viewing ahead of his Tuesday funeral.
- Attendees expressed gratitude for his teachings and influence on their personal lives.
- The viewing featured a somber yet peaceful atmosphere with many sharing emotional tributes.
SALT LAKE CITY — Shaundi Killpack never knew President Russell M. Nelson personally, but she felt compelled to attend his public viewing and express her gratitude for the profound impact he had on her life.
So Monday afternoon, she snuck away from her five kids so she could have a moment alone to see President Nelson at his public viewing at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died on Sept. 27 at the age of 101.
"My heart just pulled me to step away and take a few minutes and be grateful for everything that he did for my life. To thank him and to honor him and to just have a moment with him," she said.
Killpack said it was a surreal moment to be so near him, as she had "never been so close to a prophet of God."
"You could feel the power coming from him. Even though his spirit is no longer with us, it was in that room," the Lehi mother said.
Killpack was emotional as she left the viewing, reflecting on all that she had learned from President Nelson.
"I've studied everything about him. I've read his biography. I've read his words every single day for years," she said. "What I learned from him is that Jesus Christ is real and leads and guides this church, and revelation exists for me personally, and Jesus loves me and is guiding me, always."
Bouquets of flowers in all colors filled the Hall of the Prophets where the viewing took place. Guest services missionaries ushered people through the building and into the upper room, where the former prophet lay in a casket, dressed in all white, located in the center of the room. This allowed attendees to walk up to him and take a moment.
From soft smiles to tears, the atmosphere at the viewing was somber, but peaceful.
Guest services missionary Sister Michelle Allred held a box of tissues that she offered to people leaving the Hall of the Prophets, providing comfort in a moment of grieving.
"It's wonderful just to know how many people loved him," she said. "It just means a lot to me. It's really softened my heart to know that there are so many people that care. There are really a lot of good people in the world, we just have to find them."
Sister Allred said she attended nursing school while President Nelson was a medical student at LDS Hospital. She looked up to him in the medical field, as a religious leader and as a person.
Families, friends, couples and individuals of all kinds came to pay their respects to the church's leader. By midday, a church statement said thousands of people had already attended the viewing, which lasts until 8 p.m. Monday.
In the first few hours of the viewing, people were lined up in the plaza waiting for the security check to get into the building. Although the lines died down from the morning, there was a steady stream of people arriving at the Conference Center throughout the day.
Sister Wendy Marsell is a guest services missionary who has been serving on Temple Square for nearly a decade. She was also an usher at President Thomas S. Monson's viewing in January 2018. She said it's a blessing to help serve the church leaders and God's children by ushering at various church events.
While the two prophets were different in their nature, the spirit that attends the viewing is "equally strong in both cases, equally peaceful in both cases."
Sister Marsell said she always feels the spirit while recognizing someone at an occasion like this, and said both President Nelson and President Monson looked "so peaceful" at their viewings.
"President Nelson always spoke to us of thinking celestial. To me, he looks very celestial," Sister Marsell said about seeing him in his casket.
The Mongas traveled more than 30 hours from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to get to Utah. Their trip was initially for general conference and to visit their son, who is attending UVU, but they decided to extend the trip by a few days to attend the viewing and funeral of President Nelson.
"I was emotional. I cried. I remember all the teachings I've heard from him and I promised myself not to forget what he taught us: Always to remember and be a true disciple of Jesus Christ," Vinney Monga said.
Monga said she was so happy she could attend the viewing and see President Nelson up close. She said it's a pleasure to be part of the church and she is so proud of the work the church does across the world.
Her husband, Elie Monga, echoed similar thoughts, saying President Nelson's death made him reflect on the influence the prophet had on his life "personally and individually." He said he remembers President Nelson emphasizing the importance and power of having the Holy Ghost to guide you, and he has tried to incorporate that into his own life.
"The only way I felt I could really say goodbye and honor President Nelson is to abide by his teachings," Elie Monga said. "When I saw him lying there, I said, 'I will do my best to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost in my life so I can be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.'"
