Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, General Authority Seventy, spoke during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2026 general conference about eternal families. The following is a summary of what he said.
Elder Wakolo’s talk summary
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a wedge to divide families but a bridge to unite them, eternally.” One’s discipleship should reflect Christ’s patience, gentleness and perfect love.
Some individuals are in families yet to be sealed in the temple or have spouses who are not members of the Church; others are not Church members. “Today, I say to each of you: You are essential to God’s plan.”
Examples of stories “of patience, agency and the quiet, persistent invitation to come unto Christ” include that of a Fijian wife who waited eight years for her husband to join the Church. “Eight years of attending church alone while her husband remained uninterested and hesitant. Yet she did not withdraw or resent. She served.”
After 24 missionaries, the husband was baptized and the couple was sealed in the temple. “To be clearer, I should say, my wife, Anita, and I were sealed in the house of the Lord.”
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know the prayers of family members waiting for a family member to accept the gospel and be baptized. Conversion is personal; agency is sacred.
“The Savior never forces. He invites. He blesses. He fulfills promises according to faith and faithfulness.”
Read the full text of Elder Wakolo’s talk: ‘Come Unto Christ — Together’
Notable quotes
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a wedge to divide families but a bridge to unite them, eternally.”
“To all members of the Church — let’s continue to minister one by one and ensure that no one sits alone.”
“The Savior never forces. He invites. He blesses. He fulfills promises according to faith and faithfulness.”
Who is Elder Wakolo?
- Elder Taniela B. Wakolo has served as a General Authority Seventy since being sustained in the April 2017 general conference. He serves as first counselor in the Church’s Pacific Area presidency.
- Elder Wakolo is the first Fijian to serve as an Area Seventy, mission president (Arkansas Little Rock Mission) and General Authority Seventy.
- Elder Wakolo married Anita Herberta Moimoi, a convert to the Church, in August 1987 in Suva, Fiji. Over the first eight years of their marriage, he met with many missionaries, completing the discussions four times. They were later sealed in the Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple in 1995, a year after he was baptized. They are the parents of two children.
What has Elder Wakolo done recently?
- Elder Wakolo presided over the Aug. 2, 2025, groundbreaking ceremony of the Wellington New Zealand Temple.
- Following 107 baptisms in a single day, Elder Wakolo organized the Oro Papua New Guinea Stake — the fifth stake in the nation and the first in the remote province of Oro — June 14, 2025.
- He spoke about the history of the Church in Fiji as part of a celebration commemorating 70 years of the Church in this island country in May 2025.
Read Elder Wakolo’s previous general conference addresses.
