President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was joyfully received by attendees during the Saturday afternoon session of general conference.
Though he entered in a wheelchair, President Nelson came with a bright smile on his face that made attendees, such as Cindy Calderon, feel loved.
Calderon said she felt especially blessed to have the prophet there.
“We have a prophet, a living prophet and despite his health complications, he loves us enough to be present. And just his presence, testifies of Christ and testifies of the Church,” Calderon said.
Five members of the Quorum of the Seventy and three members of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke in the Saturday afternoon session. Their messages focused on repentance, unity and the joy that comes from living the gospel.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve opened the session, relating the story found in the Book of Mormon of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis burying their weapons of rebellion. He used the example to invite listeners to let go of their own weapons of rebellion and submit to God’s will.
To further illustrate his point, Elder Christofferson suggested twisting the lyrics of Frank Sinatra’s classic song, “My Way” by instead singing, “I did it God’s way.”
Elder Christofferson promised that as we bury our weapons of rebellion, “the stain of sin and the desire for sin are taken from our hearts and we never will fall away.”
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve encouraged Church members to find a joyful reverence during their sacrament meetings each week.
“We can all contribute, no matter our age or our calling, to making our sacrament meetings the joy-filled, Christ-focused, welcoming hour they can be, alive with a spirit of joyful reverence,” Elder Kearon said.
Elder David L. Buckner of the Seventy encouraged members to focus on unity, especially in difficult times.
He related a story of finding unity with fellow religious leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No longer were we looking across the table at each other, but heavenward with each other,” Elder Buckner said.
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve taught the importance of following the Savior’s example in aligning our will with God’s.
“The ultimate test of our discipleship is found in our willingness to give up and lose our old self and submit our heart and our whole soul to God so that His will becomes ours,” Soares said.
Individuals across the world traveled to Salt Lake City to attend general conference in person. Enya Toailoa from Auckland, New Zealand took a 13 hour flight and a cross country roadtrip to attend.
“It was surreal because I’ve only watched it on a screen all my life, so being here was just a dream come true,” Toailoa said.
Music for the session was provided by a children’s choir from northern Utah. The children’s choir sang hymns which will be in the Church’s next hymn book.
To view the following sessions of general conference, click the link here.