Elder Ronald A. Rasband was born Feb. 6, 1951, in Salt Lake City and sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 3, 2015. He served as a young full-time missionary in the Eastern States Mission and attended the University of Utah. He married Melanie Twitchell in 1973. They are the parents of five children.
In 1976, he joined Huntsman Container Co. as a sales representative, and in 1987, he was appointed president and chief operating officer of Huntsman Chemical Corp. He and Sister Rasband were mission leaders for the New York New York North Mission from 1996 to 1999.
Prior to his call as an Apostle, Elder Rasband served as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. He served as a counselor in the Europe Central Area presidency, president of the Utah Salt Lake City Area and executive director of the Temple Department. He also supervised the North America West, Northwest and three Utah areas as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.
In honor of his 74th birthday, here are nine quotes from Elder Rasband over the past year.
1. ‘The Lord’s Church needs you’
“You must remember: We love you, we thank you and the Lord’s Church needs you. We need you today, and we need you all for the rest of your lives as devoted servants to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
— BYU–Pathway Worldwide devotional broadcast, Dec. 6, 2024
2. Remember
“In the Book of Mormon, one of the most-often-spoken phrases is ‘remember, remember.’ How are you going to remember if you have nothing recorded?”
— Meeting with missionaries in Barbados, Nov. 16, 2024
3. Give the Lord equal time
“You might be thinking, ‘I just do not have time, Elder Rasband. I am already over-committed; I have to get good grades; I am taking too many credit hours; I have tough professors who expect my full attention; I am working; and I can barely get to church on Sunday.’
“Know this, you cannot put your testimony on the shelf during your college years.”
— Devotional at the University of Utah, Oct. 13, 2024
4. Hold up the Lord’s light
“We hold up the Lord’s light when we hold fast to our covenants and when we support our dear living Prophet as he speaks the words of God.”
— “Behold I Am the Light Which Ye Shall Hold Up,” October 2024 general conference
5. President Nelson is the Prophet of God
“Brothers and sisters, I witness to you that President Russell M. Nelson is the Prophet of God. He represents the Savior, whose Church this is, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Nelson is a prophet, seer and revelator and is our watchman on the tower in these tumultuous times.”
— Address to BYU faculty and staff, Aug. 26, 2024
6. Mission leadership councils
“Teach the missionary purpose and the doctrine of Christ during the meeting. Invite young missionary leaders to render an account of their efforts to help people receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation. Ensure the meeting ends with action items that help the young missionary leaders to invite and help all, including other missionaries, to come unto Christ.”
— 2024 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 22, 2024
7. Part of the Church family
“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.”
— Ministry in South America, May 2024
8. Words Matter
“I promise that if we ‘feast upon the words of Christ’ that lead to salvation, our Prophet’s words that guide and encourage us, and our own words that speak of who we are and what we hold dear, the powers of heaven will pour down upon us.”
— “Words Matter,” April 2024 general conference
9. Invitation to all
“Keep your eyes on Jesus.”
— Ministry in Pacific Area, March 2024
