This week on social media, Church leaders took time to share testimonies about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, service, keeping the commandments, temples and prayer.
During President Russell M. Nelson’s devotional in Florida, President Nelson asked all the children in attendance to join him in singing “I Am a Child of God.”
In an Instagram post on June 14, he said: “Understanding who we are influences how we choose to live our lives. What we choose to do here will determine the kind of life we have throughout all eternity. We are never living just for today.”
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, rededicated the Oakland California Temple on Sunday, June 16, 2019. He shared his experience in an Instagram post on June 17.
He said: “Along with faithful members everywhere, I am grateful that our Heavenly Father has provided us with holy temples where we can go for teachings, covenants, and promised blessings and also for strength to combat the evil forces that confront us.”
In a Twitter post on June 19, President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, testified of Heavenly Father’s divinity and love for each person. He also testified of Jesus Christ, reminding others that “He has always loved you, and He offers you His loving help in your life.”
In a June 17 Instagram post, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared his love for the Oakland California Temple.
Elder Bednar was 12 years old when he attended the Oakland California Temple dedication on Nov. 17, 1964. He said he was “again blessed by the privilege of attending and participating in the rededication of the Oakland California Temple.”
“A temple literally is the house of the Lord, a sacred space specifically set apart for worshipping God and for receiving and remembering His great and precious promises,” he said.
In an Instagram post on June 13, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared about his recent ministry visit to Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Elder Christofferson counseled youth to “recognize the blessings we receive from keeping the commandments.”
Everyone should “think of commandments as stepping stones to a happier life,” he said. “By keeping the commandments, doors are opened to receive all that the Lord wants for us in our lives.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. In a Twitter post on June 14, he shared: “I pray for the continued recovery, hope, and peace of the beautiful Rwandan survivors.”
Sister Reyna I. Aburto, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, posted to Facebook on June 15 about her father in honor of Father’s Day in the United States.
In 1979, as the war zone edged closer to young Sister Aburto’s home in Managua, Nicaragua, her father sent her family to stay with an aunt so he could protect their house. Fortunately, her father and the house were safe when they returned a few weeks later. Her father was “willing to sacrifice for our sake,” she said. “And that made a profound impression on me.”
Sister Aburto encouraged all to follow the Savior’s example in “the way He honors His Father and always does His will.”
In a Facebook post on June 17, Sister Michelle D. Craig, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, shared how each person can be the Lord’s hands.
She quoted a conference address from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who told a story in his 2010 address of how a beloved statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged in a bombing during World War II. Though most of the statue could be repaired, its hands could not be restored. A sign at the base of the statue now reads “You are my hands.”
Young women and sisters are “being blessed by an increased focus on ministering,” Sister Craig said. “We are learning that Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost, will prompt us with thoughts and ideas as we pray to know who — and how — He would have us serve.”
