Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, General Authority Seventy, spoke during the Saturday morning session of October 2026 general conference about prophets, seers and revelators. The following is a summary of what he said.
Elder Sikahema’s talk summary
In 1947, Elder Sikahema’s maternal grandparents and their three children sailed across the Tongan islands to participate in the rare visit of a latter-day apostle. But their infant son died during the arduous journey.
“Perhaps you can appreciate why my beloved grandparents were so eager to be in the presence of one of the Lord’s anointed. Even in their despair and while mourning the tragic loss of their only son, … they solemnly buried him and made the herculean effort to sail to listen to an apostle of the Lord.”
The Savior foretold of false prophets who would decimate His ancient church. Reformers in the Middle Ages sought and yearned for prophetic voices but could not find them. Even in modern times, there are people who thirst to hear prophetic direction and guidance.
“I suspect the Lord knew that even when we would have these devices [cellphones] to easily see and hear His anointed servants, many of us would still take them for granted.”
What a blessing it is to live when apostles and prophets are on the earth. “Let us not be guilty of holding the oracles of God ‘as a light thing’ (Doctrine and Covenants 90:5).”
Notable quotes
“Even in their despair and while mourning the tragic loss of their only son, … they solemnly buried him and made the herculean effort to sail to listen to an apostle of the Lord.”
“I suspect the Lord knew that even when we would have these devices [cellphones] to easily see and hear His anointed servants, many of us would still take them for granted.”
“I witness of the truths of the restored gospel and of living prophets, seers and revelators.”
Who is Elder Sikahema?
- Elder Vai Sikahema served as an Area Seventy from April 2019 to April 2021, when he was sustained as a General Authority Seventy. He is the second counselor in the Africa South Area presidency.
- Originally from Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, Elder Sikahema and his family immigrated to the United States when he was a young boy.
- He previously played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, and has worked as a sports and news anchor for NBC10 Philadelphia.
- He married Keala Heder in the Mesa Arizona Temple on July 21, 1984. They have four children.
What has Elder Sikahema done recently?
- In the October 2021 general conference, Elder Sikahema taught about “sequential patterns in life and in the gospel.”
- This year he organized three new stakes, two in Zimbabwe and one in Zambia.
- In January, Elder Sikahema gave a tour of the Harare Zimbabwe Temple to the president and vice president of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Read Elder Sikahema’s previous general conference address.
