“Speaking Today,” Liahona, Feb. 2012, 78–79
Speaking Today
Elder Ballard, Elder Jensen Visit Members in Mexico
During the weekend of September 10–11, 2011, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy met with members and missionaries in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Elder Ballard asked members to embed the gospel in the hearts of the people of Mexico through spiritual experiences. “There is too much mental acceptance of the gospel without experiencing a spiritual acceptance,” he said. “Deep conversion of the spirit is necessary for our members to introduce to their hearts what they agreed to in their minds.”
Elder Oaks, Elder Andersen Visit Peru, Bolivia
In August 2011 Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to Bolivia and Peru in South America. Elder Andersen’s messages included his teaching that throughout the world, all people struggle to choose between good and evil. “The difficulty in making decisions regarding mortality is exactly the same for you as it is for me,” he said. “We are here to learn how to live with faith.”
Elder Bednar Fulfills Assignment in Europe
During the first part of September, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with Saints in England, Germany (where he served as a full-time missionary nearly 40 years ago), and Denmark. In each setting, Elder Bednar taught the doctrine of Christ and emphasized the power of the Atonement. He also continued to teach the principle of moral agency and our individual responsibility to act. “Moral agency is the power and capacity of independent action,” he said. “And as we act appropriately and in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ, our very natures are changed through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Photograph by Craig T. Olson