Transcript
As an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and direct descendent of Hyrum Smith, brother of Church founder Joseph Smith, President M. Russell Ballard dedicated his life to the growth of the Church.
“We had the privilege of sitting beside a man who is the great-great-grandson of Hyrum Smith.
And Joseph Smith was his great-great-uncle.
Both of his grandfathers were Apostles of the Lord. His commitment and his consecration were in his blood.”
President Ballard was sustained as an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 6, 1985. “...Jesus is the Christ, that He lives. He is very close to this work and very close to all of us that are asked to perform the work throughout the earth in His name.” As with the Apostles in New Testament times, Latter-day Saint Apostles are called to be special witnesses of Jesus Christ. President Ballard was one of 15 men who helped oversee the growth and development of the global Church.
Melvin Russell Ballard was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 8, 1928, to Melvin R. and Geraldine Smith Ballard.
As a teenage boy, President Ballard learned how to drive, shuttling cars around his father's dealership. Under his dad's direction, he learned the value of hard work and how to inspire others. Those characteristics provided marvelous preparation for the future Church leader. Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Ballard worked in the automotive, real estate, and investment business.
“When he was a young businessman, if things didn’t go right, many business people would just say, "Well, sorry," but my dad would always figure out a way to make it right.” “In the Quorum of the Twelve there are people with many different professional backgrounds. Elder Ballard and a few other members of the Twelve brought business experience.
I will miss his extraordinary judgment and wisdom. I’ve been blessed by that again and again.”
He attended the University of Utah, where he met Barbara Bowen. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1951 and are the parents of seven children, with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“The best thing Elder Ballard has done in his life is to marry Barbara Bowen in the Salt Lake Temple on August 28, 1951.”
“Sister Ballard was a great complement to him.
Spelled both ways.
She complimented him when he did something nice. But she also made him more complete.” Sister Ballard passed away on October 1, 2018.
“I just think they were so in love with each other to begin with. Dad would often say, "I would never do anything that would hurt your mother. I would just think about her looking at me with those big blue eyes, and I had to just always behave."
President Ballard served as a full-time missionary to England, serving as a counselor to mission presidents Selvoy J. Boyer and Stayner Richards. He served as president of the Canada Toronto Mission. He was called as a General Authority in 1976, and in 1997 President Ballard served as the chair of the sesquicentennial committee marking the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley.
He became the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on January 14, 2018.
President Ballard cultivated relationships with leaders of the community and other faiths. He visited the Vatican to meet with senior Catholic leaders. He joined President Russell M. Nelson and all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in an historic visit to Rome, Italy, in 2019 to dedicate the temple.
President Ballard and President Nelson visited Pope Francis in the Vatican in the first meeting ever between a Latter-day Saint President and a pope.
President Ballard visited several refugee camps in Europe and other parts of the world to show his support for humanitarian efforts and to extend a helping hand to those impacted by natural disasters.
He loved missionary work and was instrumental in developing the Preach My Gospel guidebook for missionaries. President Ballard wrote several books that introduced many to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
With unfailing love in the gospel of Jesus Christ and a heartfelt love for his fellowman, President Ballard's ministry as an Apostle has blessed countless lives throughout the world.
“I bear witness that the resurrected Redeemer of mankind loves all of us, and He has promised if we will follow Him, He will lead us safely back into the presence of our Heavenly Father, of which I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”