Elder Neil L. Andersen was born on Aug. 9, 1951, in Logan, Utah, and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. He met his wife, Sister Kathy Williams Andersen, while attending Brigham Young University; they have four children. He has been serving in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since April 4, 2009.
Elder Andersen earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. After the family moved to Tampa, Florida, Elder Andersen served as president of the Tampa Florida Stake. From 1989 to 1992, Elder and Sister Andersen were mission leaders of the France Bordeaux Mission.
Elder Andersen was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 1993 and had Church assignments and responsibilities in Brazil, Western Europe, Mexico and Central America. In addition to English, he speaks French, Portuguese and Spanish.
In honor of Elder Andersen’s birthday today, here are nine of his quotes from the past year.
1. Discipleship
“Discipleship is built on the desire of a son or daughter of God to fully embrace the Savior, as prayer, obedience and humility allow the spiritual gifts of heaven to distill like the morning dew, bringing the loving power of the Father and the Son, through the influence of the Holy Ghost, upon the soul of a welcoming child of God.”
— Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 18, 2026
2. Declare knowledge of Jesus Christ
“This is a time for us to declare very strongly our knowledge of Jesus Christ, our belief in Him, our faith in Him, our hope in Him. Some people do not know where we stand on this, but we are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are so happy to be able to declare His name, to be open with our faith in Him, our confidence, and help bring confidence to others who are seeking to have that faith in Him.”
— San Diego California Temple media day, June 15, 2026
3. Covenants in the house of the Lord
“These houses of the Lord bring a power to the people. It allows the people to covenant with the Lord and remember those covenants on a regular basis because they are in the house of the Lord. And the Lord blesses them for keeping their covenants.”
— Bacolod City Philippines Temple dedication, May 31, 2026
4. A powerful assurance
“As a witness of Christ, I give you this assurance: If you will continue on this path of believing in Him and putting trust in Him and reading His words and praying to the Father, you will have a most powerful assurance in your life — a steadiness that you can hold on to with firmness — that He is the Son of God.”
— Young adult devotional in Placentia, California, May 16, 2026
5. Eternal marriage
“In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we proclaim that ‘marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.’ We believe in eternal marriage, we teach of eternal marriage, and we seek an eternal marriage.”
— “Eternal Marriage Is an Eternal Journey,” April 2026 general conference
6. Follow the Prophet
“Listening to President Oaks can lift our souls, but taking deliberate steps to follow his counsel can change our lives. I pray that ... our spiritual understanding of what he shared with us will be enlarged and your feeling of urgency in following the counsel of our Prophet will be strengthened.”
— BYU–Idaho devotional, Feb. 22, 2026
7. Devotion
“The devotion I found was the devotion you find all over the world — of people who love the Savior Jesus Christ, are deeply converted to the restored gospel and have testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and living prophets.”
— Ministry in Mexico City, Mexico, Nov. 22-23, 2025
8. Compensatory power
“As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord sends compensatory power to you, His disciples. Two of the greatest compensatory blessings for the righteous are the teachings of the prophets and the gifts of the house of the Lord.”
— Young adult devotional, Nov. 2, 2025
9. Forgiveness and healing
“The powerful compassion of the Savior in forgiving sin and in healing the wounds caused by the sins of others is a most miraculous manifestation of the love of God.”
— “The Atoning Love of Jesus Christ,” October 2025 general conference
