During the week of May 19-25, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, appeared in a Church News video reflecting on how a two-year assignment in the Philippines was “The Period of Greatest Learning” as an Apostle. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Puebla Mexico Temple, emphasizing holiness and covenants. On his first stop in the Pacific Area, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to Latter-day Saints in Australia about how to overcome feelings of inadequacy.
Meanwhile, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles expounded upon Christ’s teachings to missionaries, Church members and their friends in the African island nation of Madagascar. Elder Neal L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed Brigham Young University–Idaho students about the “never-changing truths from God about marriage and children.” Hundreds of women filled the Hyde Park Chapel in London, England, to hear Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testify of Jesus Christ’s divinity and healing power.
The Crossroads of the World International Trade Summit, held in the Zions Technology Center in Midvale, Utah, featured Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé, who spoke about pioneer values that contribute to success. In speaking to students of Brigham Young University–Hawaii during a campus devotional, Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran, a General Authority Seventy, shared the Prophet’s words and related how it applied to his own education. Finally, this week’s Church News Podcast featured Brent Roberts and Andy Kirby who discussed Salt Lake Temple renovation updates.
Read summaries and find links to these nine stories below.
1. Video: When President Oaks experienced ‘The Period of Greatest Learning’
Twenty years after working to “establish the Church” in the Philippines as part of a special two-year assignment in the southeast Asian nation, President Oaks looked back. The time was significant not only for the Church in the Philippines but also for President Oaks personally.
Going to the Philippines with his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks, 18 years after he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Oaks encountered many things he had not had the chance to learn before.
“I often tell people that the greatest period of my growth as an Apostle was the two years in the Philippines,” said President Oaks, now the first counselor in the First Presidency. “I had never served as a bishop or a stake president or a mission president or a full-time missionary.”
This Church News video, titled “The Period of Greatest Learning,” features President and Sister Oaks reflecting on that time.
Watch the Church News Video Here.
2. Elder Gong dedicates Puebla Mexico Temple, with emphasis on holiness and temple blessings
Teaching how temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are centered on the Savior and how the blessings of covenants are coming closer to families and individuals with an increase of temples worldwide, Elder Gong dedicated the Puebla Mexico Temple on Sunday, May 19.
Drawing on the theme of the “Holiness to the Lord, the house of the Lord” inscription found on the front exterior of the Puebla temple, Elder Gong said, “I truly believe ‘holiness’ is both an invitation and a declaration.”
Read the full article here.
3. Worship God the Father and Jesus Christ, Elder Cook encourages members in Australia
During the first stop of a multi-island Pacific Area ministry, Elder Cook spoke to members of the Church in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19.
Elder Cook shared his conviction that members of the Church worship only God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father has called Apostles and others to lead the Church, but Latter-day Saints worship only God, he said.
“We worship the Father and the Son, and we are ministered to by the Holy Spirit,” Elder Cook said.
Read the full article here.
4. ‘The Holy Ghost has told you’: Elder Christofferson invites Madagascar Saints to bear testimony of Jesus Christ to all who will listen
Before entering the chapel, Elder Christofferson walked through overflow rooms and a large tent on the grounds of the Antananarivo Madagascar Ivandry Stake Center to greet the approximately 3,000 Latter-day Saints and their friends who had gathered to hear him speak.
People started arriving several hours early for the meeting on Sunday, May 19, which included three stakes and was broadcast throughout this island nation off the eastern coast of southern Africa.
Elder Christofferson said that as an Apostle, he is called to go throughout the world to bear witness of the name of Jesus Christ — and he told the congregation that the Holy Ghost can bear that same witness to them.
Read the full article here.
5. Elder Andersen teaches ‘specific eternal, timeless, never-changing truths from God about marriage and children’
Members of the Church learn “specific eternal, timeless, never-changing truths from God about marriage and children” in the house of the Lord, said Elder Andersen during a BYU–Idaho devotional on Sunday, May 19.
“Look to your future with faith and hope,” Elder Andersen told thousands of students gathered in the I-Center on the Rexburg, Idaho, campus. “Especially, center your life in your faith in Jesus Christ and in the ordinances, covenants and teachings of His holy house. See yourself for who you really are. Pray and prepare yourself and envision an eternal companion with you. Anticipate your family and posterity, who will bring you unspeakable joy in the eternities ahead.”
Addressing the topic “Facing mortality as adults: marriage, children and the temple,” Elder Andersen said the culture and trends of the modern world “can present a perspective that, while inviting, is not eternally correct.”
Read more about his address here.
6. What Elder Renlund told Relief Society sisters at a devotional in London
Hundreds of women filled the Hyde Park Chapel in London, England, on May 19 to hear Elder Renlund give a Relief Society devotional, ChurchofJesusChrist.org reported.
Elder Renlund opened the meeting by testifying of the Savior. Quoting from the hymn “I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” he said: “Jesus Christ is the reason we are here. I absolutely know that He lives. He is your and my ‘kind, wise heavenly Friend.’ ... The real miracle happens in your life when you know it yourself. That’s when your life is changed. That’s what changes everyone’s life.”
Read the full article here.
7. Bishop Caussé shares 4 pioneer values that contribute to success in worldwide stewardship
The Latter-day Saint pioneer establishment of towns and cities throughout the American West “was certainly one of the most remarkable examples of a community that practiced self-reliance through faith and hard work,” said Bishop Caussé. However, this success was not immediate. Struggles from persecution to adverse weather conditions impeded the trek west. Yet pioneers persevered. Almost two centuries later, Bishop Caussé said, Utah consistently ranks highly in terms of economy, education, growth and overall opportunity.
He said the early Saints’ success can be attributed to four pioneer-held values Church members still strive to honor today: caring for the natural environment, serving one another, promoting education and being peacemakers.
Applying these pioneer values to today’s worldwide stewardship, Bishop Caussé — who oversees the Church’s global humanitarian aid, welfare and other programs — spoke to business and organization leaders on May 22. The Crossroads of the World International Trade Summit, held in the Zions Technology Center in Midvale, Utah, brought together listeners from around the world.
Read the full article here.
8. Elder Ojediran extends 4 invitations to BYUH students using the acronym of their school
On May 15, 2022, President Russell M. Nelson told Latter-day Saint young adults during a worldwide devotional that now is the time to establish “priorities and patterns that will dramatically affect not just your mortal life but also your eternal life.”
In speaking to students of BYU–Hawaii during a campus devotional Tuesday, May 21, Elder Ojediran shared the Prophet’s words and related how it applied to his own education.
Noting BYU–Hawaii’s beautiful beaches and mountains and temperate climate, Elder Ojediran advised students to establish their own academic priorities and patterns to help them keep focused on their educational and career goals and not become distracted by “the fun things” in their environment.
Read more about his address here.
9. Episode 189: Salt Lake Temple renovation update with Brent Roberts and Andy Kirby
During April 2024 general conference, President Nelson said, “The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us.”
Part of this continual focus on temple service is the extensive renovations of pioneer-era temples, including the iconic Salt Lake Temple, which closed in January 2020 for extensive renovations. This episode of the Church News podcast features an update on the renovations of the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square with Brent Roberts, managing director of the Church’s Special Projects Department, and Andy Kirby, director of historic temple renovations.
