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Elder Ricardo P. Giménez: ‘Finding Refuge From the Storms of Life’

General Authority Seventy

Elder Ricardo P. Giménez speaks during the Sunday afternoon session of the 190th Annual General Conference on April 5, 2020. Credit: Screenshot, ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Elder Ricardo P. Gimenez, General Authority Seventy Credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Notable quotes: 

“No matter what kind of storm is battering us — regardless of whether there is a solution to it or whether there’s an end in sight — there is only one refuge, and it is the same for all types of storms. This single refuge provided by our Heavenly Father is our Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement.”

“In order to enjoy the refuge that Jesus Christ and His Atonement offer, we must have faith in Him — a faith that will allow us to rise above all the pains of a limited, earthly perspective.”

“Come and see that He can lighten your burdens and be the refuge you are seeking. Come and help others find the refuge that they so yearn for. Come and stay with us in this refuge, which will help you resist the storms of life.”

Summary points:

  • Everyone will experience the challenges and storms of mortality, but the Savior offers refuge that will help those who have faith in Him to endure.
  • Suffering is universal, but responding with faith in Jesus Christ is an individual choice.
  • Latter-day Saints can be happy in any circumstance if they focus on Christ.

Talk summary: 

While working as a firefighter in Santiago, Chile, during college, Elder Giménez was called to respond to an emergency on New Year’s Eve. As the fire engine raced to the emergency, he noticed crowds of people celebrating the holiday and enjoying the summer night. Meanwhile, people nearby were in serious danger.

This juxtaposition prompted a realization that every person will experience storms in life that challenge their capacity to endure. Fear and despair are natural human responses to such difficulties, but President Russell M. Nelson has taught that faith in Jesus Christ is the antidote to fear.

Those who are suffering can choose to seek refuge in Jesus Christ, and He will make their burdens light. “However, we have limited understanding of the things that happen here on earth, and often we do not have answers to the question of why.”

“When answers evade us, that is when the words expressed by our Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail are completely applicable: ‘My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high’ ” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).

Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus Christ understands perfectly the pain of every human being and can succor them according to their needs. As President Nelson has taught, when Latter-day Saints focus on the Savior, they can feel joy in any circumstance.

“Of course, it is easier to say these things when we are not in the midst of a storm than to live and apply them during the storm. But as your brother, I hope you can feel that I sincerely want to share with you how valuable it is to know that Jesus Christ and His Atonement are the refuge that we all need, regardless of the storms that are battering our lives.”

About the speaker:

  • Elder Ricardo P. Giménez was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 6, 2019, at age 47. At the time of his call, he was serving as a counselor in a stake presidency in Nevada. 
  • He was born in Antofagasta, Chile, and was baptized at age 11. 
  • He served as a young full-time missionary in the Chile Concepción Mission. 
  • His professional career included mining and information technology. 
  • Elder Giménez and his wife, Sister Catherine Carrazana Giménez, were sealed in the Santiago Chile Temple on Sept. 12, 1997. They are the parents of two children. 
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