President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church, spoke during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2022 general conference. He concluded the conference by announcing 17 new temple locations. The following is a summary of what he said.
Notable quotes from President Nelson
“We have received important direction for the future. My prayer is that the Spirit has spoken to you directly about things the Lord would have you do.”
“I plead with you to counter worldly ways by focusing on the eternal blessings of the temple. Your time there brings blessings for eternity.”
“I love you, my dear brothers and sisters. More importantly, the Lord loves you. He is your Savior and your Redeemer. He leads and guides His Church.”
Summary of President Nelson’s talk
This conference has been a blessing through the prayers, messages and music. It has also come with important direction for the future. The future is always uncertain. Weather, economic cycles, disasters, wars, accidents and illness are unpredictable and can change life quickly. ”But there are some things we can control, including how we spend our time each day.”
Learning from the past and preparing for the future are important. But now is the time to learn, repent, bless others and “lift up the hands which hang down.”
“The adversary never sleeps. There will always be opposition to the truth. I repeat my urging from this morning to do those things that will increase your positive spiritual momentum … to keep you moving forward through whatever challenges and opportunities come.”
Positive spiritual momentum increases through worshiping in the temple. “Counter worldly ways by focusing on the eternal blessings of the temple.” The temples under construction and the 17 new announced temples will bless lives on both sides of the veil. The Lord leads and guides His Church. “May we be a people worthy of the Lord, who said, ‘Ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.’”
About President Nelson
- President Russell M. Nelson became the 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January 2018.
- A renowned surgeon, President Nelson assisted on the first human open-heart surgery in Utah using a heart-lung machine. In June 2018, the University of Utah honored President Nelson with an endowed chair in surgery.
- He and his late wife, Sister Dantzel White Nelson, who died in 2005, have 10 children, 57 grandchildren and more than 140 great-grandchildren. He married Sister Wendy Watson in 2006.
President Nelson in the news
- President Nelson and Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to members of the Church in 48 European countries on Jan. 23 in a devotional broadcast.
- President Nelson lauded the latest volume of the Joseph Smith Papers project that includes the original Book of Mormon manuscript, which was released on Jan. 25.
- President Nelson invited Church members in California to seek truth, make and keep covenants, and gather Israel, in a broadcast on Feb. 27.
- President Nelson spoke at the March 14 funeral of Sister Donna Edith Smith Packer, wife of the late President Boyd K. Packer, who served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He attended with his counselors in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring, along with several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other general authorities and officers of the Church.
President Nelson’s recent social posts
- On Jan. 1, President Nelson offered three suggestions for New Year’s resolutions: Strengthen one’s spiritual foundation, be kind to others and be resolute. “May God bless you, my dear friends, and may this be a wonderful year of purpose and possibilities for all of us,” he wrote.
- President Nelson taught that “regardless of relationship status, there is one source to whom we can all turn to either enhance the love we feel for others or mend our hearts when they feel broken — the Savior Jesus Christ” in a Feb. 14 post.
- President Nelson wrote a social media post about the Church in Europe following his devotional broadcast to the Europe Area on Jan. 23. “The Lord has never needed His faithful Saints more than right now as He gathers scattered Israel into His fold,” he wrote. “They are the hope of Europe and the hope of Israel!”
