Apostles and Prophets Minister to Saints around the World

On World Forgiveness Day in July, President Russell M. Nelson shared a message of forgiveness on social media. “Forgiveness is not just a one-time act but a continuous process that requires patience, compassion, and understanding,” he said. “It is not always easy to forgive those who have hurt you. You can receive strength from Jesus Christ.”

President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, urged young adults worldwide during a May 21 devotional to keep an eternal perspective as they navigate today’s “stressful times.”

“Whatever our own variations in the diversity of our Father in Heaven’s creations, He loves all of us, and His perfect plan of happiness has a place for all,” President Oaks said. “We show our love for Him by keeping His commandments, including love for His children.”

President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, encouraged Latter-day Saints attending the dedication of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple on August 13 to respond with faith and energy to the new house of the Lord.

Church members “have been given this temple as a sign of the Lord’s trust … and His confidence that [they] will respond with greater faith and energy,” President Eyring said. “This temple is where you can draw more often on the powers of temple covenants. He knows your hearts. He knows your desire to be lifted and to become a more righteous people—just as the world becomes more contentious and fallen.”

As members talk about and share the message of the Restoration, others will feel the truth of their words, said President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “The most remarkable thing in the history of the world happened in the Sacred Grove in 1820,” he said. “The heavens opened.”

Speaking to members and missionaries in Toronto, Ontario, in April, President Ballard bore testimony of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. “It must have been something that penetrated his being—from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet—when he heard our Heavenly Father call his name, ‘Joseph, this is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!’ [see Joseph Smith—History 1:17]. That is our message,” he told the missionaries.

In April, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf visited France, Egypt, and Israel. He attended sacrament meetings in Egypt, spoke to students at the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center, and visited holy sites.

“It is a joyful feeling beyond words that the Lord has granted me to be one of His disciples at this time,” he said. “Of course, we all need to be disciples, and we need to live up to the covenants we’ve made.

“But to be here and to bear witness as a disciple, as the Apostles did in the ancient times, is something which warms my heart and lifts me into spheres which are unimaginable. And with a great feeling of humility, I feel that the Lord trusts me to be a witness for Him and His name. What a joy to walk where our fellow Apostles lived and walked.”

Elder David A. Bednar dedicated the restored home of Joseph and Emma Smith in Kirtland, Ohio, on August 26. Elder Bednar told a group of about 300 people, including community dignitaries and religious leaders: “This house is far more than a building of historic interest. This house was truly a home to Joseph and Emma Smith—the place where they lived together for the longest period of time before Joseph’s death.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook spoke at Brigham Young University’s annual University Conference in August. He noted that experts on mental maturation have suggested that serving a mission provides a maturation process for learning that is a preparation for higher education.

More than two-thirds of BYU students have served missions, Elder Cook said. “Depending on the semester, that is more than 21,000 returned missionaries. Think of the strength that these BYU students have carried across the world. In turn, consider how their mission experiences strengthen the learning environment on this campus.”

During a visit to New Zealand and Australia in May, Elder D. Todd Christofferson invited Latter-day Saints in New Zealand to prepare for the Auckland Temple dedication in 2024 by becoming more holy and Christlike.

He invited them to ask themselves, “What could I do that would make me a holier person, a better offering and gift of myself to present to the Lord on that day of the dedication?”

Elder Neil L. Andersen testified of Jesus Christ during a September assignment to Asia. “My experiences as an Apostle of the Lord have given me a witness that Jesus is the Christ and that He guides His work on this earth through His prophet and through His Apostles,” he said. Elder Andersen was in the Church’s Asia North Area to meet with and minister to Latter-day Saints in Korea, Mongolia, and Japan.

On April 22, Elder Ronald A. Rasband met with the deputy president of South Africa, Paul Mashatile, second in command to the president of South Africa. This marks the first time a Church leader has met with a government official of this seniority in South Africa.

The leaders reflected on some of the ways in which the Church has helped relieve human suffering and empower the people of South Africa, amounting to R240 million (over US $13 million) worth of assistance since 2018. Donations have ranged from disaster relief to support for youth employment initiatives, subsistence farming programs, and gender-based violence interventions.

Elder Rasband said he hoped that these efforts showed that the Church is “here for the long term. We do this to follow the Lord’s two great commandments: to love God and love our fellow men.”

During a September visit to Iceland, Scotland, and England, Elder Gary E. Stevenson emphasized the need for Latter-day Saints to be “of one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18) with “lives centered on Jesus Christ,” doing all we can to follow Him. Accompanied by his wife, Lesa, Elder Stevenson visited Reykjavik, Iceland, on September 7 before heading to Edinburgh, Scotland, and Northampton, England, on September 9–10.

At a devotional in the Marriott Center during Brigham Young University’s Education Week on August 22, Elder Dale G. Renlund gave an in-depth sermon on how observation, reason, and faith work together to facilitate revelation. By themselves, observation, reason, and faith are unreliable, Elder Renlund taught. This trio must work together.

“Faith ‘without works’ [James 2:20] will not amplify itself. Faith will only grow by observation and reasoning, coupled with other spiritual work. In addition, observation, reason, and faith are often prerequisites not only to receive personal revelation but to understand that revelation.”

On June 15, Elder Gerrit W. Gong met with His Eminence Sheik Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam and Grand Mufti of the Republic of Ghana. The meeting took place at the residence of the Grand Mufti in Accra.

Elder Gong shared how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints treasures our first parents, Adam and Eve, as do the Muslims: “We, too, believe that we come from the same parents and should live in harmony as one family.” Elder Gong noted that we are led by a prophet of God, President Russell M. Nelson, whose teachings are similar to those of the Imam. “Our prophet teaches us to let God prevail, he teaches that we should all be peacemakers, he teaches that we should help our youth get education and training so they can succeed in life, and he teaches us to empower women and our rising generation. These are all things I have heard from you today.”

Elder Ulisses Soares made a 10-day journey to Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina in June. His time in Argentina included a talk at an interfaith conference, an interview with a prominent Argentine journalist, and ministering to members of the Church.

“Peace begins with respect for the uniqueness of each person,” Elder Soares told those gathered for the World Congress of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Buenos Aires. “The concept of human dignity may vary from culture to culture, but it acts as a constant in a volatile and changing world. Human rights smooth out the imbalances of privilege, wealth, and opportunity. And those rights must be universally applied.”