Notable quotes:
During his October 2018 general conference address, Elder Uchtdorf spoke about finding healing, peace, happiness, and meaning:
“This very day — every day — He reaches out to you, desiring to heal you, lift you up, and to replace the emptiness in your heart with an abiding joy.”"The gospel of Jesus Christ offers hope. And, in the Church of Jesus Christ, we join with others who seek a place where we can feel at home — a place of growth where, together, we can believe, love and do.""I am grateful beyond measure to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to know that God loves His children enough to give them a blueprint for happiness and meaning in this life and a way to experience eternal joy in halls of glory in the life to come."
Talk summary:
With life’s sorrows, sadness and “weltschmerz” — a German word meaning the sadness from brooding about how the world is inferior to how one thinks it ought to be — there is hope.
That great hope is the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Savior’s redemptive power to heal "soul-sickness." Latter-day Saints achieve a more abundant life by not focusing on their own needs or achievements but by becoming true disciples.
Discipleship begins with three simple words: believe, love, do.
Believing God leads to faith in Him and trusting in His word. Faith causes hearts to grow in people's love for God and others. As that love grows, they are inspired to emulate the Savior as they continue their own journey on the path of discipleship. "We find the abundant life by forgetting ourselves and engaging in the great cause of Christ."
Promised blessings:
“I testify and leave you my blessing that as we believe in God, as we love Him and love His children with all our hearts, and strive to do as God has instructed us, we will find healing and peace, happiness and meaning."
Humorous moment:
Elder Uchtdorf noted the recent and renewed emphasis on ministering, or serving others:
"Great thought was taken to determine what we should call this special emphasis. One of the names considered was 'shepherding,' a fitting reference to Christ's invitation, 'Feed my sheep.' However, it had at least one complication: using that term would make me a 'German Shepherd.' Consequently, I am quite content with the term, 'ministering.'"
Speaker snapshot:
Elder Uchtdorf has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 2004.He served as the second counselor in the First Presidency for 10 years from February 2008 to January 2018.At age 20, he trained to become a fighter pilot for the German Air Force.He trained in Texas where he received the Commander’s Trophy for being the top student in his class.Elder Uchtdorf married his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, whom he refers to as the “sunshine of my life,” on Dec. 14, 1962.From 1965-1996, he was a pilot, captain and corporate executive for the German airline, Lufthansa.He and his wife have two children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he is currently the chair of the Missionary Executive Council, where he directs the global operation of all missionary activity for the Church.He recently spoke about the forthcoming temple in Russia and visited London and Moscow in September. He also stopped in front of the iconic Royal Albert Hall for a picture with missionaries in the England London Mission.
On the Web:
Elder Uchtdorf is active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.His Facebook account recently shared a message about building bridges with all people.
On Twitter, Elder Uchtdorf shared a similar sentiment reminding members to never forget who they are.
Catchy phrases:
“Judging Others? Stop It!”“Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.”“Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.”
