In the days since the April 2020 general conference, several Church leaders have posted on social media about today’s global fast and expressed their gratitude for God’s blessings.
On Wednesday, April 8, President Russell M. Nelson reminded his social media followers of the Good Friday fast he had announced in general conference a few days earlier.
He reiterated his invitation for all, including those who are not members of the Church, to join in a global fast on Friday, April 10, for relief from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sister Sharon Eubank, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, also invited her followers on Facebook to participate in the worldwide fast.
“Please join me and other devoted friends of many faiths in a worldwide fast on Good Friday, April 10. We are asking God our Father that caregivers will be protected, that the economy will be strengthened, that the pandemic may be controlled, that life will become normalized,” she wrote on Wednesday, April 8, adding a scripture from Moroni 7:29: “My beloved … , have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay.”
First counselor in the Young Women general presidency Sister Michelle Craig shared her thoughts on the global fast in a Facebook post on Good Friday. When her sister Emily was in kindergarten, the class was learning about words that are opposites, such as fast and slow. When asked what “fast” meant, Emily raised her hand and responded, “Fast is when you love Heavenly Father more than you love food.”
“Today I feel a great spirit and great sense of unity, knowing that I am joining with millions of faithful people, people of all faith traditions, who are fasting and pleading with the heavens for a miracle,” Sister Craig wrote.
“I know that miracles can happen as we exercise our faith together. I know that God is mighty,” she added before sharing a favorite story from the Book of Mormon. When Nephi and his brothers were asked to retrieve the brass plates from Laban in Jerusalem, Laman and Lemuel murmured and doubted their ability to accomplish the task.
But Nephi responded, “Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?” (1 Nephi 4:1). Sister Craig echoed Nephi’s conviction, adding, “Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than a coronavirus!”
Sister Craig also wrote about her gratitude for President Nelson in a Monday, April 6, Facebook post. “I can clearly see how he has been encouraging us to prepare,” she wrote, emphasizing the prophet’s focus on personal revelation and gospel learning in the home.
“As we are intentional about our discipleship, about doing our imperfect best to make and keep covenants and live worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, personal revelation will be an integral part of our everyday life — most often in small and simple ways,” Sister Craig wrote, concluding with a testimony of the Savior.
“I lack the words to convey the depth of my gratitude for Jesus Christ, for His perfect life and His perfect love, for His voice that speaks peace to our souls and assures us of our divine worth and potential, for His voice that calls out to us, ‘Come, follow me.’”
On Thursday, April 9, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles posted on Instagram about reading an experience of Gerald N. Lund, who worked as a newspaper delivery boy at 12 years old.
Gerald was responsible for collecting subscription fees. One day, a check that would have constituted his salary for the month fell out of his pocket. “Gerald walked up and down his mile-long route three times searching for the check. It was nowhere to be found,” Elder Andersen wrote. “After about an hour, Gerald said a prayer. He uttered a desperate plea for help. When Gerald opened his eyes, he spotted the check underneath a tumbleweed. God had answered his desperate plea for help.”
This childhood experience “became a spiritually defining memory in Gerald’s life. I too experienced the Lord’s kindness as a child. Can you remember your experiences?” Elder Andersen asked.
