As Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with members and missionaries in Cambodia, Taiwan and Malaysia during his recent Asia Area ministry, he shared a common theme of encouraging Latter-day Saints to remain steadfast and immovable in their faith in Jesus Christ and to look to the Lord’s Prophet on the earth.
Accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook, and the area presidency during the Feb. 14-23 ministry, Elder Cook said he was impressed with those attending at each location. “I see in the people I met with a commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is what I am most pleased about,” he said in a report published on the area’s Hong Kong Newsroom site.
Elder Cook repeatedly testified to listeners at each location that President Russell M. Nelson is God’s Prophet on earth and is directing the Church under the Savior’s guidance.
“President Nelson is unique because he is so decisive,” said Elder Cook, explaining that the decisiveness comes because of direction from the Lord. “In a world in commotion and contention, we have a kind and decisive Prophet who is close to the Lord, giving us the guidance that we need for our day.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a minority faith in all three Asian nations, with Buddhism the dominant religion in Cambodia and Taiwan and Malaysia having a Muslim-majority population. Both Elder and Sister Cook encouraged and celebrated the faith of Latter-day Saints in all three countries.
“We love to meet members in different countries all across the world,” Sister Cook said. “No matter where we live, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are of one mind and one heart. We take great comfort in knowing that the Lord is mindful of us. … No matter what circumstances we are in, the Lord knows us personally.”
Elder Cook shared a lesson he learned from then-Elder Harold B. Lee of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — and later the 11th President of the Church — while the Cooks were raising their family in the San Francisco, California, area during the social unrest of the 1960s, when the relatively few members there were trying to decide if they should stay.
Elder Lee taught that members and their families would be guided and protected by following three simple principles:
- Build Zion in the heart and in the home, emphasizing faithful religious observance.
- Be an example and pillar of light in the community.
- Focus on the principles and covenants taught in the house of the Lord.
Yu-Fang Chou from the Taichung Taiwan West Stake said she and her husband had been considering emigrating elsewhere for better opportunities for their children. “However, I found peace and assurance in Elder Cook’s counsel,” she said, “which stated that as long as we do these three things, we can raise our children in the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Duncan Horne of Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Branch said, “We really enjoyed learning about the three things that we can do ... especially out where we are, away from many other Saints.”
Elder Cook’s Asian ministry began in Cambodia, where Latter-day Saints last year celebrated 30 years of the Church in their country and now number approximately 17,000 members. They’re anticipating the finish of the under-construction Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple, since attending the house of the Lord — first in Hong Kong and more recently in Bangkok, Thailand — often has depleted lifetime savings just for a single trip.
In a multistake conference in Phnom Penh, Elder Cook bestowed a blessing on the Latter-day Saints: “In this special time, when a temple is coming to Cambodia, may the blessings of heaven rain down on you, and may you be blessed in ways you cannot even imagine, particularly in your families.”
Both the temple and the future of the Church in Cambodia came to mind as Elder Cook reflected on seeing a large choir of young single adults performing at the conference. “They looked good,” he said, noting that while Cambodia doesn’t have a Church history as long as other countries, “the future is very bright. I came away with feelings that marvelous things are going to happen, and I can hardly wait to see the temple finished.”
Elder Benjamin M.Z. Tai, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Asia Area, is helping Cambodian Latter-day Saints prepare to make covenants in the house of the Lord by encouraging them to attend temple preparation classes, become worthy to obtain temple recommends and search for deceased ancestors who are waiting for their saving ordinances to be performed.
