Near the geographic center of South America, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles began a ministry in the South America Northwest Area of the Church meeting with Latter-day Saints in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
For 12 days in May and June, he met with members of the area presidency, Area Seventies, mission presidents, temple presidents, stake presidents, missionaries and many other members of the Church and community. Such area instruction meetings are presided over by an Apostle once per year in each area of the Church.
Following his ministry to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, he spoke with Church News about his observations and experiences.
His visit to South America came shortly after another ministry to the Church’s Pacific Area where he met with members in Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji. He also visited Canada between those two trips — meaning he served in 10 countries in 90 days.
While in Lima, Peru, Elder Rasband met with young adults in person and broadcast to many other locations across Peru and Bolivia. He invited them to “clean up their phones.”
“I told them to go through Jesus to get into their phones.”
— Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“Our lives will improve as we think more about Jesus Christ,” he told the young adults. One way he encouraged them to think more about the Savior involved the simple act of putting the Savior as the background image on their phones.
The South America Northwest Area posted on its Instagram account a series of images of the Savior that followers could then screenshot and use on their phones.
“I told them to go through Jesus to get into their phones,” he said, noting that he had already done what he invited them to do. He has an image of the Savior as the background image on his own phone.
At the Peru Missionary Training Center, he also met with 1,152 missionaries who are serving in six missions or training at that MTC. Serving currently as a member of the Missionary Executive Council, Elder Rasband called this meeting “one of the highlights of my trip.”
In a unique move, Elder Rasband spent part of his time in the missionary meeting fielding questions from mission leaders. They asked questions about the mission assignment process and how to overcome loneliness while serving as a missionary.
“I assured them first and foremost that Heavenly Father and the Lord know them and love them,” he said. “And when they are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is real. They are given a companion. If they are living the commandments and doing what they can do, then they are promised they will have the Holy Ghost with them, and therefore, they are never alone.”
Later, he also met with the missionaries from two missions in Quito, Ecuador.
While in Ecuador, Elder Rasband went to Otavalo to meet with Latter-day Saint leaders there.
“They are a pure and delightsome people,” Elder Rasband said of the Otavalan Saints. He had met with some of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from that region previously, and going to meet with them was an important moment for Elder Rasband.

“I am one of those who very much feels that you should write them down and go back to them during your life to remember the Spirit that you felt on that occasion,” he said. “It will give you strength in your current environment and in your current situation when you refer to spiritual experiences of the past, and Otavalo is one of those for me.”
On his final day in South America, Elder Rasband presided at meetings in Colombia where leaders from Venezuela joined the Saints in Bogotá.
The Apostle took time to meet separately with the visitors from Venezuela and to share his testimony with them. They shared with him their testimonies of a current prophet — President Russell M. Nelson. They also shared their excitement at President Nelson’s April announcement of a house of the Lord to be built in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo.
“It showed them that the Lord had not forgotten them, that the Prophet had not forgotten them,” he said. He reassured them that not only are they not forgotten, but they are a blessing to those around them and they are needed.

Outside of the companionship of the Holy Ghost, Elder Rasband said that he also taught that members of the Church can help each other much like members of a support group.
“You have your ward, your mission. You are part of the Church family. You have the Godhead, and you have your earthly immediate family, and you have your larger Church family. And we are all here for you at all times, in all places and in every circumstance,” he said.
