Apostles’ Worldwide Ministry Continues

Elder David A. Bednar visited Switzerland, Austria, Albania, and Hungary in October 2022. In Switzerland, he visited with high-level U.N. diplomats and representatives of global organizations that collaborate with the Church on humanitarian projects. In other countries he met with members, many of whom were pioneers in the faith in those countries.

“We’re mingling with Saints who are establishing the foundation of the Church that will last for generations,” he said.

From the São Paulo Temple Visitors’ Center on November 10, 2022, Elder Ronald A. Rasband participated in a Facebook Live broadcast, sharing his witness of the Savior Jesus Christ.

“Always remember that Jesus Christ is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords and Prince of Peace,” Elder Rasband testified.

Also in November, Elder Gary E. Stevenson addressed the G20 Religion Forum in Bali, Indonesia. He said that faiths can best help solve the world’s problems when “they hold true to their core principles while also being guided by additional divine light and knowledge.”

President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke to missionaries at the Mexico City Missionary Training Center in December 2022 and testified of the “privilege of declaring to the world that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Redeemer of all mankind.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland visited a seminary class in California, USA, and addressed Spanish-speaking members in eight stakes around Ventura, California, in December 2022. He spoke in both English and Spanish. He urged members to focus on youth and asked the youth and leaders in the audience to be missionaries right now because “God lives, brothers and sisters, God lives. The Church is true.”

President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, addressed members and friends of the Church in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, USA, on February 11, 2023. He spoke from the stake center in Wilmette, Illinois, with the meeting broadcast to 14 stakes. The next evening, he spoke to around 900 youth and young adults gathered at the Rockford Illinois Stake Center. The meeting was broadcast to additional locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Members and service volunteers of the Church in India welcomed Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf as he visited New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru from February 6 to 17. “We love India and the people,” Elder Uchtdorf exclaimed. “We were deeply touched and impressed.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook taught Saints in Madagascar, Zambia, and Mozambique during a visit in February. More than 500 people who aren’t members of the Church attended a combined stake conference in Maputo, Mozambique, to hear the Apostle speak. “Because there were so many who were not members of our faith in the Sunday meeting, we adapted our messages to cover doctrinal principles and leave a big-picture view of the gospel, introduce the significance of prophets, and build faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement,” Elder Cook said.

In February, Elder D. Todd Christofferson visited members in Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Liberia during a 12-day visit to the Africa West Area. The trip included a meeting with the president of Ghana. They discussed their shared focus on education and reviewed the BYU–Pathway Worldwide and Gathering Place programs.

Elder Dale G. Renlund visited Honduras, Belize, Panama, Nicaragua, and Guatemala in February. Elder Renlund was accompanied by his wife, Ruth. During his visit, he went to a hospital in Nicaragua, and Sister Renlund helped with a Church donation of hygiene kits and clothing for migrants in Honduras.

In March, Elder Neil L. Andersen visited Brazil, where he met with prominent civic leaders, visited the soon-to-be-dedicated Brasília Brazil Temple, and taught and testified to members, missionaries, and leaders throughout the country. During the tour, he and Sister Kathy Andersen met with the First Lady of Brazil.

During a March visit to Mexico, Elder Gerrit W. Gong met with Adán Augusto López, Mexico’s interior minister. López is the second-highest-ranking official in the Mexican government. In a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior, Elder Gong spoke about the efforts the Church makes to build up families in Mexico. “By doing so, we are contributing to the strengthening of society,” he said.

Elder Ulisses Soares encouraged Latter-day Saints in the Pacific Area to keep their focus on Jesus Christ. “When we focus our life on the Savior Jesus Christ and strive to live His restored gospel, we can always find peace, rest, and joy in our journey,” he said in March during a visit to Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji.