The Sunday morning session of the 191st Annual General Conference consisted of messages by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from every populated continent on Earth, all speaking on the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Elder Ulisses Soares, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, from Brazil, reminded members that Christ performed His atoning sacrifice so that everyone could experience a mighty change of heart and find peace and comfort through Him.
“I can assure you that Christ is ever aware of the adversities and experiences in mortality. He understands all of the bitterness, agony and physical pain as well as the emotional and spiritual challenges we face,” Elder Soares said.
Elder Soares also promised that putting faith and trust in God will reap further blessings. “I assure you that as we put our trust in Jesus Christ and His supernal atoning sacrifice, enduring in our faith to the end, we will enjoy the promises of our beloved Heavenly Father, who does everything within His power to help us return to His presence one day.”
Sister Reyna I. Aburto, second counselor of the Relief Society general presidency, from Nicaragua, shared a message of the hope that one day families will be reunited again.
“He has made it possible for us to all be reunited as families and have eternal joy in the presence of God if we will choose to make and keep sacred covenants with Him,” Sister Aburto said.
Elder S. Mark Palmer, a General Authority Seventy from New Zealand, also further addressed that Christ’s resurrection can give hope and meaning to life. “Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, and because of this, we too will live again after we die. This knowledge gives meaning and purpose to our lives.”
General Authority Seventy Elder Edward Dube, from Zimbabwe, talked about pressing toward the mark and continuing faithfully on the straight and narrow path that leads back to the Savior.
Elder Dube said life isn’t about the trials members face, but rather, what members choose to become through these experiences. “It is not so much about what we are going through in life, but what we are becoming. There is joy in pressing toward the mark. I testify that He who overcame all will help us as we look up to Him.”
Elder José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy, from Portugal, recommended four steps members can take to return back to their “heavenly home.”
“When we remember to pray, we find His sustaining love, and the more we pray to our Father in Heaven in Christ’s name, the more we bring the Savior into our life and the better we will recognize the path He has marked to our heavenly home,” Elder Teixeira said.
General Authority Seventy Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong, from China, shared ways in which God can prevail in the lives of members. Prayer and staying on the “sure foundation of Christ” will help members endure faithfully to the end.
Elder Wong further testified that Heavenly Father loves all of His children and knows even the most intricate details of their lives. “God is our Heavenly Father. He loves all of us. He knows our potential way better than we know ourselves. He knows not only the details of our lives. God knows the details of the details of the details of our lives.”
Elder Michael John U. Teh, a General Authority Seventy from the Philippines, addressed how members can increasingly come to know Christ by putting forth the effort to make the Savior a priority in their lives.
“On this Easter Sunday, just as the Savior came forth from His stone grave, may we awake from our spiritual slumber and rise above the clouds of doubt, the clutches of fear, the intoxicating pride, and the lull of complacency,” Elder Teh said.
President Russell M. Nelson, president of the Church, provided the session’s closing remarks and reminded members that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone, highlighting the international speakers in the session. “Truly, the blessings of the gospel are for every race, language, and people. The Church of Jesus Christ is a global Church. Jesus Christ is our Leader.”
President Nelson recommended five suggestions that can help members develop their faith and trust in God. “Faith takes work. Receiving revelation takes work. But ‘every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ God knows what will help your faith grow. Ask, and then ask again.”
President Nelson ended the session with a simple message that “all things are possible to them that believe.”
