Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sustained 11 new General Authority Seventies during the Saturday morning session of the Church’s 194th Annual General Conference on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, presented the new General Authority Seventies for a sustaining vote, along with the sustaining of the Church’s general authorities and general officers.
This episode of the Church News podcast is dedicated to sharing their words and testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Listen to the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.
Transcript:
President Dallin H. Oaks: It is proposed that we sustain the following as General Authority Seventies: David L. Buckner, Gregorio E. Casillas, Aroldo B. Cavalcante, I. Raymond Egbo, D. Martin Goury, Karl D. Hirst, Christopher H. Kim, Sandino Roman, Steven D. Shumway, Michael B. Strong and Sergio R. Vargas.
1:02
Sarah Jane Weaver: This is Sarah Jane Weaver, executive editor of the Church News, welcoming you to the Church News podcast. We are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sustained 11 new General Authority Seventies during the Saturday morning session of the Church’s 194th Annual General Conference on Saturday, April 6, 2024. President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, presented the new General Authority Seventies along with the sustainings of the Church’s general authorities and general officers.
This episode of the Church News podcast is dedicated to helping you get to know them a little better, as we share their words and testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1:55
At the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder David L. Buckner from New York City, New York, was serving as a member of the Tenth Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Northeast Area.
Elder David L. Buckner: I was born when my dad was a bishop. So all my life, I saw a life of service for both my mother and my father. Being the youngest, Dad was gone, but he would always bring me along. I remember sitting, when he was a stake president, sitting in the front row as a child, looking up at him in stake conference.
I remember more poignantly bringing people to our home when he was a regional representative, never hiding me, sometimes my tenacious and gregarious kid that I was. I was a feisty kid, and Dad, I remember, Dad would introduce everyone. He would bring me to the front and say, “Come meet President Hinckley. Come meet Elder Kikuchi. This is Elder Ballard.” I mean, he was so inclusive that growing up, it was always Church service not only made sense, it felt like not only an opportunity, but a responsibility. Because I had been given so many opportunities to see disciples working, it was very clear to me that we all need to be all in, and that was Mom and Dad.
They never said, “I’ve got to go do my calling.” It was always joyful. It was my dad that used the term “same work, different shovel.” That was my dad every time. I said, “Dad, you’re going to be working with, you know, certain leaders.” “Same work, different shovel.” And to me, that’s it. This assignment, same work, different shovel. And sometimes the shovel gets larger, sometimes it gets smaller, sometimes it goes deeper, but it’s the same work.
It’s a different responsibility. I feel a duty to bring people into the room, that the sign on the door “Visitors Welcome” is not enough. People need to know the gospel is engaging. When the Savior uses the term “friends” — “Ye are my friends” (John 15:14) — it’s because of His deep love. We use the term “friends” with people that are searching for the gospel. I feel this incredible necessity and excitement to invite people who may not be baptized members of my faith but they are members of my family. And that isn’t a burden. That’s an exciting opportunity. And it’s that inclusion that I hope that we can engage in.
So, I’m excited to contribute where I can. We want to be all in. But I also recognize it’s got to be as He would have us do. And that’s a bit of the long prayers in the morning and weighty prayers at night where I say, “Teach me or take it from me, because I need to sleep tonight.”
5:35
Sarah Jane Weaver: Prior to his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Gregorio E. Casillas from Mexicali, Mexico, had been serving as a member of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy in the Mexico Area.
Elder Gregorio E. Casillas: Being born in the Church and living all of your life around the Church starts giving you testimonies, but sometimes you are too young to understand them.
When I was going to leave on my mission, I understood that I needed to have my own testimony. I needed to know for myself whether I was taught really good principles or whether this was actually God’s work. So I started to read the scriptures, pray and fast. I was actually into my fourth or fifth month into my mission service when I was still continuing to ask for this testimony. And I can say, like Alma, that the Spirit told me that, in fact, Joseph Smith talked with our Heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ. I know from the Spirit that these things actually happened.
I can now witness to you that Joseph Smith was called from God to do this amazing work that no man can do by himself. I know that Jesus is at the head of the Church and that He leads us through our prophets, seers and revelators. And last, I want to say that I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He lives. I know that He loves me. I know that He loves you and that He is the Son of God. And this is my witness.
7:36
Sarah Jane Weaver: Elder Aroldo B. Cavalcante was serving as president of the Brazil Rio de Janeiro South Mission at the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy. He is from Recife, Brazil.
Elder Aroldo B. Cavalcante: So, what is discipleship for me is to think in the next ordinance. I never think that I will be here three years after. Just thinking in the next ordinance, next sacrament meeting, next opportunity to go to the temple, to realize proxy ordinances for my family or for friends, for anyone that never heard about them. So, this is discipleship for me, thinking the next ordinance. And you can apply this in my life; we’ll pass 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, and just continue to serve our Lord.
For us, for our missionaries, for example, sometimes they asked me, “President, what will happen with my life in 20 years? Because it’s such a long time. It’s such a long time to be faithful. Such a long time to be obedient.” And for a young man or young woman, it’s impossible, because they understand a lot of trials they need to face in their lives. So, my answer to them is, “Don’t think in 20 years. Just think in the next ordinance. Just think in the next sacrament meeting, just the next time you are going to the temple, as regular as possible for you. If you’ll be weekly, every two weeks, it’s up to you. But try to be thinking in the next ordinance. So, we are going to realize if you really were a good missionary, not now. Now it’s easy.”
This is discipleship for me. I just want to be a good servant for my Lord, try to serve His Church in this world, try to change my life, change my mind, to become a real disciple of Him.
10:01
Sarah Jane Weaver: When called as a General Authority Seventy, Elder I. Raymond Egbo was serving as a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy in the Africa West Area. He is from Abuja, Nigeria.
Elder I. Raymond Egbo: So, my testimony came by reading about the scriptural recording of the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. And afterwards, the Book of Mormon solidified it. I think the Lord took me through that journey. Once I knew that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, it wasn’t difficult for me to accept that the Book of Mormon was a work that he was called to do, because he was a Prophet. And from that time on, I’ve had great respect for prophets and seen what they do, why they are called, and they’re called for a purpose.
I do tell students that story. I tell them that the only way you can come to know that what you’re doing is true is by doing it. It’s by being in the scriptures, studying the scriptures, because I won’t deny the fact that it was not just gleaning through the Doctrine and Covenants; it was studying the Doctrine and Covenants, studying the Doctrine and Covenants student manual, and studying “My Kingdom Shall Roll Forth,” which is like the experiences of the prophets.
So, all of that added, and I think it all culminated when I got to the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the section of the Doctrine and Covenants. It was like everything was pulling me towards that particular experience that I was going to have. And it was really marvelous and wonderful.
11:47
Sarah Jane Weaver: Elder D. Martin Goury was serving as a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy in the Africa West Area when sustained as a General Authority Seventy. He is from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Elder D. Martin Goury: I know that the Savior is my Friend. I am so grateful for the sacrifice that He made for me. Recently, as we were studying, as we were preparing for Easter, and we started, we watched some of the film, it reminded me the feelings I had after I joined the Church. Thinking of the sacrifice that He has paid for me, for my sins, I am so grateful for what He did. I know that God lives. I know that He knows me personally, and He knows everyone else. But I’m grateful that all the time He listens to my prayers.
I am ever so grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith, for what he did at a very young age. It is unbelievable what he’s done. Because of him, I was able to read the Book of Mormon, to know about my Savior, to learn about Him and be able to share what He would like us to do so that we can live with Him again. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on this earth. And I know that we have a living Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. I love reading what he says, and I hope and pray earnestly that I will put in practice every single thing that he asks us to do. My desire is to be able to live up to the covenants that I have made with the Savior. That is for me the way that I can show — I can’t pay Him back, but a way for me to show the love I have for Him.
So, I try as much as I can to talk about my faith, to talk about the Savior to those, especially those in my family, but the people back home.
14:14
Sarah Jane Weaver: At the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Karl D. Hirst was serving as an FSY session director. He is from Bolsover, England.
Elder Karl D. Hirst: My testimony has its origins in the Methodist church. I remember being taught stories of Jesus, singing the songs, feeling it clearly. And I’m older, and it feels like I understand my heart a bit better, and so I can make a more prominent place for those feelings in my heart. But essentially, they’ve not changed.
And when it was spoken about not having the pillar of light and having rays — that’s it. My heart is lit up by Jesus and by what He has done for me, by what He promises to do for me and for those that I love, and that’s it. No visitations, absolutely nothing spectacular, spiritually. And I have stopped worrying about that, because I am so fulfilled by the way that God has chosen to speak to me, even if He chooses to speak to other people in a different way. It is abundant. That is not just enough or good enough or just in time; it’s abundant in my heart. When I allow it to, when I clean it out, those feelings come into my heart, and they are shaken and pressed down and still flowing over. It’s beautiful, and it’s real. And, as Elder [Jeffrey R.] Holland would say, I’ve learned that you can take it to the bank.
15:55
Sarah Jane Weaver: Elder Christopher H. Kim from Seoul, Korea, was serving as a member of the Fourth Quorum of the Seventy in the Asia North Area when called as a General Authority Seventy.
Elder Christopher H. Kim: Yeah, I think the conversion process is just like what the Prophet taught us, that it’s actually a continual process. But a particular time, when I was about 14 years old, and I had the opportunity to share the gospel with three of my friends. And during the process, I was actually talking to them about the Church and the gospel, and then I realized that I needed to know for sure that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God and the Church is true, so I can share it with my friends with a conviction, or confidence.
So I, yes, I read the scriptures with our family and, you know, personally here and there. But back then, we didn’t have any seminary program in Korea, so I did my personal studies, and then I had to pray about this. And as I prayed about it, and I felt a soul-comforting feeling. And suddenly, there was not any questions or any doubts about the Book of Mormon. And I think since then, it’s easy for me to accept as what it is, and especially the teachings of the prophets. And it just, to me, it just makes a whole lot of sense.
And so that’s, I think, the first time that I really felt the Spirit, and also I knew about the Book of Mormon, and I knew that Joseph Smith was the Prophet of God. And since then, I had the opportunity to share with my friends, and they went to the, you know, the missionaries, and then they joined the Church.
17:34
Sarah Jane Weaver: Elder Sandino Roman from Toluca, Mexico, was serving as president of the Ecuador Quito North Mission at the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy.
Elder Sandino Roman: Well, missionary service is definitely one experience that defined my — I’d say my character, my commitment to the Church and the gospel and the way of living, right? The things that I wanted to have in my life later on. And personally, as well, my mother’s love and testimony, that was also key. I always think that we need to have faith in somebody we can see before we trust in the Lord, somebody up there that we are not able to see. As we trust somebody, we learn to trust Heavenly Father, and as we have somebody loving us, we now can trust Him to guide us for the rest of our lives.
Well, from my own experience as a young kid and being grown up in the Church, now I know the product, the result, the end result, the gospel brings into our lives. I know it brings happiness, hope. I don’t think I can see myself being without the gospel. I tend to believe that I wouldn’t be still alive on earth, considering the life and the direction my family was getting to. And I do recall the covenants that I made when I was a kid sitting in front of the altar with my parents and the hope that provided.
And years after, with Lupita and my children, and I’m sure I know I’ll have them forever. That’s the Lord’s promise, and I know. And that’s because of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I consider Him a friend. I’ve felt His love for me and for my family and for our missionaries. I know He loves us. And I’ve been talking about trust. My aim, my goal in life, is that I can earn His trust.
20:14
Sarah Jane Weaver: When called as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Steven D. Shumway from Pinetop, Arizona, was serving as a member of the Eleventh Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Southwest Area.
Elder Steven D. Shumway: There’s another thing that I’ve really learned that has become critical for me as I look back on my path of conversion to Jesus Christ, and it’s that the spiritual experiences are the key. That spiritual experience was a defining moment for me and my conversion to Jesus Christ. And spiritual experiences are what we need to get onto the path, the covenant path, and it’s what we need to continue to walk down the covenant path. Spiritual experiences carry us another day, another week, another month. Sometimes they’re powerful enough, they carry us our entire lifetime. And so, those spiritual experiences, small to larger, have been what have really been instrumental in my testimony and my conversion. We need them desperately to know and become like Jesus Christ.
I would say, too, that’s the other thing that we’ve learned in our home and that I’ve learned later as a dad, which I wish I would have known earlier, is that love opens the heart. The scriptures talk about how the Holy Ghost can carry a message right unto the heart (see 2 Nephi 33:1), but then Elder [David A.] Bednar says it won’t go into the heart. And I’ve wondered, then, “Why sometimes does it get into our hearts? Why do we sometimes have those converting experiences when the Spirit gets a message into our heart?” And I’ve come to the conclusion it’s because of love. When I know somebody loves me, I listen to them differently. I want to do what they ask me to do.
It’s like President Nelson — is there anybody who heard and saw him who doesn’t feel his love for us? It’s so genuine. It’s like Jesus Christ; we love Him because He loved us first (see 1 John 4:19). We feel that both from Christ and from our Prophet. They have loved us first, and so we love them. And because of that love, we open up our hearts and we listen to their teachings differently. So, in a home or in your Sunday School class, the most beautiful thing that can happen is for them to feel your genuine love for them — and the same with my children. Then they open their hearts, the Spirit comes in differently, and they have these spiritual experiences. It’s love.
22:48
Sarah Jane Weaver: At the time of his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Michael B. Strong was serving as a member of the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area. He is from Centerville, Utah.
Elder Michael B. Strong: The Lord has said all things are spiritual to Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 29:34) and all truth comes from Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:41). And what I saw is that as I made it a matter of prayer to “counsel with the Lord in all [of my] doings” (Alma 37:37), as Alma teaches, right, He gave me — I could just feel Him giving me ideas and making solutions become apparent to me that I would have never otherwise seen. So, I’ve just come to realize that the Lord truly cares about us. I think about the time in Alma: Pray over your flocks and your fields (see Alma 34:25). Well, my flocks and my fields were the IT systems and my patients. And the Lord blessed me to be able to see solutions that I would have never otherwise seen. And I just felt that quiet but ever-present, guiding influence in my life.
But it is true when we’re told to counsel with Him. As we counsel, He does respond. It’s remarkable to me that a God who has created worlds without number is also so personal and individually aware of us. And that is perhaps one of the deepest truths that I know, because He has just been there over and over and over again for us. He knows us by name, and I just marvel at that.
24:48
Sarah Jane Weaver: We close this special episode of the Church News podcast with Elder Sergio R. Vargas. When called as a new General Authority Seventy, Elder Vargas was serving as a member of the Ninth Quorum of the Seventy in the South America South Area. He is from Frutillar, Chile.
Elder Sergio R. Vargas: I am a witness for personal experience that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He lives. I know this. When I received my testimony of the gospel, I was in a ship. I was boating. I was in a ship with a crew. It was a long trip between Puerto Montt and Puerto Cisnes, like 25 hours of navigation. And I passed through a difficult situation. And I went to a private place in the ship, and I kneeled down, and I opened the Book of Mormon, in Moroni, Chapter 10, Verses 3-5, marked by my missionaries.
And I read those verses, and I asked my Heavenly Father if this is true. I knew in that very moment that Jesus Christ lives. That was an amazing personal experience, about that He knows me, He knew where I was, He knew my name. And I can say that this is true. It’s so true. And I always remember that place in the ship, the boat, that was my Sacred Grove. And I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer. Every time I go to the temple, I reaffirm my testimony of this. Every time I serve the people, I reaffirm my testimony that this is true.
This is true, and I am willing to serve Him for the rest of my life. This is a promise. And that’s why I want to say to all the people to know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. This is true, Jesus Christ is at the head, and Russell M. Nelson is our beloved Prophet.
27:12
Sarah Jane Weaver: You have been listening to the Church News podcast. I’m your host, Church News executive editor Sarah Jane Weaver. I hope you have learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by peering with me through the Church News window. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please make sure you share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates on the Church on TheChurchNews.com.
