Closing Remarks
May we dedicate and rededicate our lives to serving God and His children—on both sides of the veil.
My beloved brothers and sisters, as we come to the end of this historic conference, we thank the Lord for His inspiration and protection. The messages have instructed and edified us.
Topics were not assigned to the speakers. They each prayed for personal revelation in preparing their messages. To me, it is remarkable how those themes seem to fit so well with each other. As you study them, seek to learn what the Lord is trying to teach you through His servants.
The music has been glorious. We are deeply grateful to the many musicians who have blended their talents to bring the Spirit of the Lord into each session. And He has blessed the prayers and the congregations in every session. Truly, conference has again been a spiritual feast for us all.
We hope and pray that each member’s home will become a true sanctuary of faith, where the Spirit of the Lord may dwell. Despite contention all around us, one’s home can become a heavenly place, where study, prayer, and faith can be merged with love. We can truly become disciples of the Lord, standing up and speaking up for Him wherever we are.
God’s objective should be our objective. He wants His children to choose to return to Him, prepared, qualified, endowed, sealed, and faithful to covenants made in holy temples.
We now have 162 dedicated temples. The earliest ones stand as monuments to the faith and vision of our beloved pioneers. Each temple constructed by them resulted from their great personal sacrifice and effort. Each one stands as a stunning jewel in the crown of pioneer achievement.
Ours is a sacred responsibility to care for them. Therefore, these pioneer temples will soon undergo a period of renewal and refreshing and, for some, a major restoration. Efforts will be made to preserve the unique historicity of each temple wherever possible, preserving the inspiring beauty and unique craftsmanship of generations long-since passed.
Details for the St. George Utah Temple have already been released. Plans for the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple, Temple Square, and the adjoining plaza near the Church Office Building will be announced on Friday, April 19, 2019.
The Manti and Logan Utah Temples will also be renovated in coming years. When those plans are prepared, they too will be announced.
This work will require that each temple be closed for a period of time. Church members may continue to enjoy temple worship and service in other temples nearby. When each project is completed, each historic temple will be rededicated.
Brothers and sisters, we regard a temple as the most sacred structure in the Church. As we announce plans to construct a new temple, it becomes part of our sacred history. Now, please listen carefully and reverently. If I announce a temple in a place that is special to you, may I suggest that you simply bow your head with a silent prayer of gratitude in your heart. We do not want any verbal outbursts to detract from the sacred nature of this conference and the Lord’s holy temples.
Today we are pleased to announce plans to construct more temples, to be built in the following locations:
Pago Pago, American Samoa; Okinawa City, Okinawa; Neiafu, Tonga; Tooele Valley, Utah; Moses Lake, Washington; San Pedro Sula, Honduras; Antofagasta, Chile; Budapest, Hungary.
Thank you, my dear brothers and sisters.
As we speak of our temples old and new, may each of us signify by our actions that we are true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. May we renovate our lives through our faith and trust in Him. May we access the power of His Atonement by our repentance each day. And may we dedicate and rededicate our lives to serving God and His children—on both sides of the veil.
I leave my love and blessing with you, assuring you that revelation continues in this, the Lord’s Church. It will continue until “the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”1
I so bless you and bear my testimony that God lives! Jesus is the Christ! This is His Church. We are His people. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.