Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles took to social media this week to issue worldwide invitations and share testimonies pertaining to the Restoration of the gospel.
On Feb. 26, President Russell M. Nelson took to social media to issue his second invitation of 2020: to think deeply and often about the key question “How do you hear him?”
“There are few wonderful occasions in the scriptures when our Heavenly Father personally introduced His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, with a specific charge to ‘Hear Him!’” the post read.
“Today, this most-important invitation from our loving Heavenly Father to listen to the voice of the Lord and to follow His teachings is extended to us.”
As Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, have been preparing to speak at RootsTech on Feb. 29, Elder Stevenson was reminded of a moment he shared with his 4-year-old grandson, Liam, at the Rome Italy Temple Visitors’ Center.
On Feb. 27, he shared an Instagram post featuring a moment with Liam as they talked together about Jesus Christ and His holy house.
“A fortified home can be an extension of the House of the Lord,” he wrote. “Strive to nurture a desire within your children and grandchildren to attend the temple as a family and with their friends.”
Elder Stevenson invited readers to watch the RootsTech presentation, which will be broadcast live on ChurchofJesusChrist.org on Feb. 29 at 9:30 a.m. MST, in a Feb. 28 follow-up post on Facebook.
“In our presentation, we will offer some practical ideas for you and your family that can invite the Spirit of Elijah more fully into your lives,” he wrote. “Some of these ideas include sharing family stories, using technology appropriately to better live the gospel, and making meaningful family memories.”
As Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has been pondering about the Restoration this year, he’s had a recurring thought: “In Joseph Smith’s day, people were asking, ‘WHICH church is true?’” he wrote in a Feb. 27 Instagram post. “But in our day, many people are asking, ‘WHY should I go to church?’”
During his recent visit to Uruguay and Chile, he continued to ponder this thought. When someone today asks why he or she should go to church, “we can help them understand that church helps us know how to manage all circumstances in life,” he wrote. “Going to church helps us take a break from our troubles and ponder on what really matters.”
Once members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have helped their friends understand why they go to church, they can then explain “why THIS Church.”
“In this Church, we have a community of friends to support us. We come together, as people from all different backgrounds, to learn about our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Elder Uchtdorf concluded the post asking readers to leave comments about why they go to church and how doing so helps them manage their hardships.
Elder Uchtdorf also shared on Twitter that same day how he had met with Celestino Aós Braco, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile, during his recent visit.
“This city has had many hardships, including the vandalism of city parks, statues, and Catholic churches,” he wrote in the Feb. 27 tweet. “We offered help from our members to repair damaged churches. I feel strongly that we need to help each other.”
Shockingly, as he put it in a Feb. 23 Instagram post, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was once a young man who faced the same challenges and angst that many young people experience today.
When he was 19 years old, Elder Holland read the Book of Mormon with real intent for the first time and gained a powerful testimony if its truth.
“It was while reading this sacred record so hungrily, even ravenously, that I felt — again and again — the undeniable whispering of the Holy Ghost declaring to my soul the truthfulness of its message,” he wrote. “To those first convictions have been added all the other quickening moments and sanctifying manifestations that now give meaning to my days and purpose to my years. But the Book of Mormon was the first.”
Recently while reading about the history of the Salt Lake Temple in “Saints: Volume 2,” Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was struck by a quote from Brigham Young: “I want to see the temple built in a manner that it will endure through the Millennium. This is not the only temple we shall build. There will be hundreds of them built and dedicated to the Lord.”
This prophetic promise is being fulfilled today with more than 200 temples dedicated, under construction or announced, he wrote. “Throughout history, temples have been a place for humans to connect with heaven. It is no different in our day.”
A Face to Face event featuring President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, and his wife, Sister Kristen Oaks, was broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 23. The discussion focused on the new Children and Youth program and how children, youth, parents and leaders can set effective goals and utilize personal revelation.
The event was broadcast on President Oaks’ Facebook page and is still available to watch.