President Gordon B. Hinckley's early assignments in public relations gave him much experience with the media. His later appearances on television and radio gave the Church unprecedented opportunities to share the message of the restored gospel with the world. President Hinckley respected the media, but he was not afraid of them. With his understanding of Church history and facts, he was not derailed by questions that had not been previously pondered. He was quick mentally and he spoke the truth without pretense. Why is the Church growing so quickly? What purpose does it serve? Well, it's growing because it has a commission, to go in the world and teach the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. We consider that a divine commission and we're pursuing it very aggressively. And at the same time, while in that process, we think we're doing good. We think we're improving people's lives. We think that we're causing them to stand taller and straighter, and be better people. In February of 2002 Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics. Under President Hinckley's direction, thousands of volunteers represented the hospitality of Utah and the Church. In this time, and in numerous other moments of leadership, he met with world, national, and religious leaders. President Hinckley had a capacity to connect with people from all beliefs and nationalities and was eminently prepared to tell the story of the Church to the world.