Elder Ronald A. Rasband was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 3, 2015. Born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Salt Lake City, he served as a young full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission and attended the University of Utah.
In 1976, he joined Huntsman Container Company as sales representative, and in 1987, he was appointed president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corporation. He presided over the New York New York North Mission from 1996 to 1999.
Prior to his call as an Apostle, Elder Rasband served as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. He served as a counselor in the Europe Central Area Presidency, president of the Utah Salt Lake City Area, executive director of the Temple Department; and supervised the North America West, Northwest, and three Utah areas as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. He married Melanie Twitchell in 1973. They are the parents of five children.
Here are eight quotes from Elder Rasband in the past year, in honor of his 71st birthday.
1. Determine to be steadfast and immovable
“Wherever you go, there will be those who wish to do the Church harm, who hope to dissuade you from truth, who mock faith and challenge doctrine. Determine right now you will not join them, that you will be ‘steadfast and immovable.’”
— Devotional broadcast to young adults in the North America Area, Jan. 9, 2022
2. Drawing on the Savior’s Atonement daily
“Drawing upon the power of the Savior’s Atonement is not an end-of-life experience when some make amends fearful of what is ahead. It is for today and tomorrow and every tomorrow after that.”
— Ensign College devotional, Oct. 26, 2021
3. A principal value of religion
“Religion encourages human beings to reach out beyond themselves and serve, encourage, help and ennoble their fellow man. Governments can’t solve human ills; people solve human ills. One of the principal values of religion and religious beliefs is that both tend to result in more caring, more compassion and more desire to alleviate human suffering.”
— An op-ed column published by the Hill, Oct. 15, 2021
4. Follow God’s living prophet
“The most important words we can hear, ponder and follow are those revealed through our living prophet. I bear witness that I have sat in counsel with President Nelson to discuss weighty matters of the Church and of the world, and I have seen revelation flow through him. He knows the Lord, he knows His ways, and he desires that all of God’s children will hear Him, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
— “The Things of My Soul,” October 2021 general conference
5. The need to protect religious freedom
“The good of religion, the reach of religion and the heroic acts of love which religion inspires only multiply when we protect religious freedom.”
— G20 Interfaith Forum in Bologna, Italy, Sept. 13, 2021
6. Receiving revelation
“When we are worthy to receive, we are given more light, more answers that teach doctrine, and speak of God’s plans for you and for me, for us individually.”
— Orange County Multi-Stake Institute Devotional, Aug. 29, 2021
7. Why the Lord performs miracles
“The Lord performs miracles to remind us of His power, His love for us, His reach from the heavens to our mortal experience, and His desire to teach of that which is of most worth.”
— “Behold! I Am a God of Miracles,” April 2021 general conference
8. The need for gratitude today
“Gratitude is more than just words of appreciation; it is an expression of the heart, one filled with love, humility, integrity, steadfastness, and courage. In a world facing tension, conflict, economic upsets and a raging virus, gratitude at times seems in short supply.”
— Devotional for young adults in the Church’s Asia, Asia North, Pacific and Philippines areas, March 13, 2021
