During the week of June 2-8, the Church News reported on President Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his 100th birthday invitation for Church members to reach out to “the one.” Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at and dedicated the Taylorsville Utah Temple, encouraging Church members to come to the Lord.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles held an Instagram Live Q&A session with youth and young adult Church members, encouraging them to focus on trusting God. During his ministry in the Church Pacific Area, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified to four different groups of missionaries about the love that Church members and the Lord had for them. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on the Church News podcast about the upcoming dedication of the Salta Argentina Temple and his experiences as a young missionary in Argentina.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, spoke to a group of youth at a cultural celebration in Manilla, Philippines, inviting them to become disciples of Jesus Christ. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently traveled to French Polynesia to commemorate 180 years of Church activity in the region. Primary General President Susan H. Porter shared her thoughts on how recent updates in the Church’s General Handbook clarify how Primary-aged children can participate in sacrament meetings.
There were two temple groundbreakings last weekend — for the Cleveland Ohio Temple and the Teton River Idaho Temple in Rexburg, Idaho.
Read summaries and find links to these nine stories below.
1. President Nelson invites all to reach out to ‘the one’
President Nelson posted a message on his social media accounts in preparation for his 100th birthday. He explained that at 100 years old, he no longer had need of any physical gifts; instead, he encouraged readers to reach out to those who may be feeling lost or alone. President Nelson also invited readers to prayerfully consider who they should reach out to, promising them that God would inspire them to know who to reach out to and how they could help them.
Read more about President Nelson’s invitation here.
2. Elder Gong dedicates Taylorsville Utah Temple: ‘Come to the Lord in the house of the Lord’
Elder Gong dedicated the Taylorsville Utah Temple on Sunday, June 2. He invited members to enjoy the blessings of making sacred covenants as they “come to the Lord in the house of the Lord.” Elder Gong told the Church News the way he describes for himself temple worship and service is changing. “I used to describe what I was doing as going to the temple. Now I think less in terms of going to a place and more in terms of coming to the Lord through sacred covenants with Him in the house of the Lord,” Elder Gong said.
Read more about the Taylorsville Utah Temple dedication and see photos from the dedication.
3. Elder Bednar tells young adults in Instagram live Q&A to ‘trust in God’ as they strive to follow promptings
Elder Bednar held his sixth live question-and-answer on Instagram on Tuesday, June 4, where he answered questions submitted by young adult social-media followers, counseling them to trust God as they strive to follow promptings from the Holy Ghost and make important decisions in their lives.
Read the full article here.
4. Missionaries hear promises, strong testimony from Elder Cook across Pacific Area
Over the course of his 10-day ministry in the Pacific Area, Elder Cook visited with missionaries in Sydney, Australia; Suva, Fiji; Tarawa, Kiribati; and Majuro, Marshall Islands. He was accompanied at each mission meeting by his wife, Sister Mary Cook.
Read the full article here.
5. Elder Christofferson reflects on his own mission to Argentina and on returning to South America to dedicate the Salta Argentina Temple
Elder Christofferson will dedicate the Salta Argentina Temple on Sunday, June 16. Having served as a full-time missionary in northern Argentina in the mid-1960s, his return is a joyous opportunity to reflect on his own service as well as the growth of the Church in South America. He joins this episode of the Church News podcast to reflect on his mission and Argentina.
Also, in this week’s Church News video titled “Wonderful Association,” he shares about how the late Elder Richard G. Scott was his mission president and they later served together as Apostles.
Listen to this week’s Church News podcast here and watch the video here.
6. Elder and Sister Stevenson invite Filipino youth to become disciples of Jesus Christ
Elder Stevenson was on an 11-day ministry to the Philippines, accompanied by his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson. During his ministry, he presided over a country-wide devotional and cultural celebration for youth and young single adults in the activity center of the Philippines Missionary Training Center. The in-person event and online broadcast were viewed live by over 12,000 Filipino youth and young single adults at local meetinghouses and during watch parties throughout the Philippines. Elder Stevenson invited the rising generation to become disciples of Jesus Christ.
Read the full article here.
7. Celebrating 180 years: The deep, vibrant history of the Church in French Polynesia
Elder Soares traveled to French Polynesia to participate in the celebrations surrounding the 180th anniversary of missionaries from the Church landing on the island and teaching people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. In reflecting on his visit, Elder Soares told the Church’s Pacific Newsroom, “The Lord loves the people of French Polynesia and the South Pacific. He sent His missionaries to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and brought His blessings to this region. We should share that love, joy and blessings with everyone.”
Read the full article here.
8. Primary general president discusses recent General Handbook updates
President Porter said the Primary general presidency has thought and pondered on how to help children know what it means to be a covenant child of God, as taught by President Nelson. “We have looked at the meetings that we attend — starting with sacrament meetings and stake conferences — and we have asked ourselves the question, ‘What are we doing in this meeting to nourish everyone?’” President Porter said.
Her concern is that children may feel that their job in sacrament meeting and stake conference is to be quiet so that adults can listen. But children have been invited to those meetings, where they can learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and partake of the sacrament. Updates to the General Handbook of the Church allow and invite baptized primary children to speak in sacrament meetings.
Read the full article here, plus more about the recent General Handbook updates
9. Ground broken for two temples in Idaho, Ohio
The ground breaking for two North American temples occurred on the first Saturday of June. Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the North America Central Area presidency, presided over the groundbreaking of the Teton River Idaho Temple, while Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Church’s North America Northeast Area presidency, spoke at the groundbreaking for the Cleveland Ohio Temple, near Lake Erie. The Teton River Idaho Temple will be the second temple in Rexburg, while the Cleveland Ohio Temple will be located just 20 miles from the first temple built by members of the Church.
