Post made on Granddaddy Lincoln's Family search profile.

Towards the end of his life, Grandfather Lincoln was ill and had started to use a walker to assist him in getting around.  This was a challenge for me to see because I always thought of my grandfather as being invincible.  He had always been a hard worker.  We have always been told how grandfather worked hard to build the church in Moultrie.  He would proselyte door to door after work to try and assist the missionaries in building the branch.  He held many callings in the church that required travel and long hours.  I’m sure his limited mobility was a frustration to him.  

About a year before grandfather passed Tiffany and I visited Moultrie to spend some time with our grandparents.  Emma was less than 2 years old.  Tiffany went to the door to greet Grandmother Mildred and to show Emma off.  I stayed behind to gather our luggage.  When I got to the door Grandfather was trying to get to the door as quickly as he could.  Before I could give him a hug he asked if I would be willing to assist him in his home teaching the next day.

We started very early and left in his car.  He did not want me to drive our rental.  We visited around a dozen homes that day and it took almost all day to complete the visits.  Most of these locations were in very humble areas.  It didn’t take long before I began to recognize that his car was known in these areas.  Once we parked, many children would run over to say hi.  Most of these children were not members of the church but knew him from the many visits he has made.  He was greeted at the door with an immense love and respect.  These families welcomed him in with reverence.   Grandfather told me most of these families do not go to church often.  Many had not been for over 10 years.  I wondered if he was assigned to all these families or if he had an interest in providing them a message.  Grandfather told me that when his health started to fail he would ask these families to come and visit him so he could share the home teaching message.  Not all would come but some would.  

This has always been a great example for me in my priesthood responsibilities.  When I think I might be struggling I think about my elderly, ill grandfather who had lived a life of service in building the church and towards the end of his life was concerned about completing his home teaching.  He is a perfect example of “enduring to the end until you are safely dead”.  We were told when we were young that we need to be better than those who have come before us.  Granddaddy Lincoln set the bar very high.