Elder Thierry K. Mutombo, a General Authority Seventy, spoke during the Sunday morning session of April 2026 general conference about Jesus Christ’s Atonement. The following is a summary of what he said.
Elder Mutombo’s talk summary
The understanding of what Jesus Christ offers through His Atonement and Resurrection brings comfort, peace and reassurance to all.
“Without Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, no one would have hope to return to our Heavenly Father. And without His Resurrection, death would be the end.”
Early in their marriage, he and his wife, Nathalie, experienced the loss of children, including their 9-month-old baby. After the funeral, extended family gathered and decided that tradition required the couple to separate.
Remembering the words of their temple sealing and the promises made to God and to each other, “I felt the Savior’s love and His hand lifting me up.”
He told his family they were “striving together to build an eternal family, and the Savior is helping us achieve it.”
Exercising faith in Jesus Christ made him stronger.
“The miracle Nathalie and I prayed for happened after we stood for the truth and the light that is in Jesus the Christ. We received a strong confirmation that Christ works miracles according to our faith in Him.”
Read the full text of Elder Mutombo’s talk: ‘The Joy of a Covenant Relationship With God’
Notable quotes
“Without Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, no one would have hope to return to our Heavenly Father.”
“During this mortal life, each of us will face our own dark days, times when things are not going as hoped. When you face this darkness of sorrow, please remember that dark day when Jesus Christ was humiliated, bruised, abused, reviled and lifted on the cross for you and me.”
“Our Heavenly Father’s plan for us is happiness now and joy forever in His presence.”
Who is Elder Mutombo?
- Elder Thierry K. Mutombo is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Missionaries taught his parents and changed the path of his family.
- He served a mission in the Ivory Coast as a young man. While he was attending university, his mother told him about a sister missionary named Sister Nathalie Sinda. Later the couple met and married.
- At the time of his call to the Seventy, he was serving as president of the Maryland Baltimore Mission. He is currently the president of the Church’s Africa Central Area.
What has Elder Mutombo done recently?
- In April 2021 general conference, Elder Mutombo gave an address titled “Ye Shall Be Free.”
- Elder Mutombo presided at the groundbreaking for the first temple in Republic of the Congo last August.
- As president of the Church’s Africa Central Area, Elder Mutombo signed a memorandum of understanding with leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo last June.
- Elder Mutombo strengthened relationships with leaders in Kenya after the Nairobi Kenya Temple open house last year.
Read Elder Mutombo’s previous general conference address.
