WE THANK THEE OH GOD FOR A PROPHET

PASSING OF PRESIDENT RUSSELL M. NELSON

We received news of the death of Pres. Nelson, our prophet, just as we were leaving church on Sept. 28th, 2025.  (It was Sunday here; Saturday back home - Sept. 27th.)  Believe it or not, we were ahead of the main line of news with Annie sending us the instagram link which was posted within minutes of his passing.  Amazing to hear the news that fast on the other side of the world, in the middle of a remote area!

What a legacy!!  What a prophet!!   Pres. Nelson was 101 years old and served as the prophet since 2018, for 7 years.  I remember clearly when he was called to be a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles in 1984!  It was the same day as Pres. Dallin H. Oaks.  His joy and vibrance will always be remembered!

Throughout his decades of serivce, he bore a strong witness of Jesus Christ.  His example was one of anchored discipleship, and he always pleaded with us to live true to our covenants.  

His teachings were many.  He loved to teach with short phrases that captured so much and were easy to grasp onto and remember.  Here are some of my favorites (among MANY!): 

I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.  Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

The JOY we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel JOY regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.

• FAITH in Jesus Christ is the greatest power in this life. Your growing faith in Him will move mountains.
• Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is ALWAYS found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.  Turn to Him. Follow Him.
• Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life?”
• Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants!”
• SPIRITUAL MOMENTUM can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary, and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation.

• Time in the TEMPLE will help you to think celestial and to catch a vision of who you really are, who you can become, and the kind of life you can have forever.

• SEEK AND EXPECT MIRACLES
• Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. 
• I am a child of God; I am a child of the covenant; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
• The Lord is HASTENING HIS WORK TO GATHER ISRAEL. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty.

• The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.

• I invite you to take intentional steps to grow in your CONFIDENCE BEFORE THE LORD.  Then, as we go to our Heavenly Father with increasing confidence, we will be filled with more joy, and your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will begin to experience spiritual power that exceeds our greatest hopes.
• Begin with the end in mind. Shape your own destiny.
• We can’t fully appreciate joyful reunions later without tearful separations now. The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.
• When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the SABBATH, I simply asked myself, ‘What sign do I want to give to God?’ That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear.
• In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
• 
  

• HEAR HIM.
• 
  
• THINK CELESTIAL.
• --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I think of Pres. Nelson's ministry, many proactive changes also come to mind:  

- announcing temples and more temples (185 announced during his time as prophet!).  Also with temples, the ceremony had some changes and was shortened.  Women and children are now allowed to be witnesses.  The temple recommend questions were slightly altered. Civil marriages to temple sealings now shorter (before had to wait a year).

- starting Come Follow Me, with an increased focused on home study (very inspired in timing before Covid hit)

- reducing the church meetings to a 2-hour block, with Sunday School and Relief Society/Priesthood alternating every other week

- changing from visiting teachers to MINISTERING to the one

- letting go of the association with the Boy Scouts of America and with the Young Women personal progress program, and changed to a more general program for children and youth that reaches an increased global membership.

-changing the names of the church magazines to "For the Strength of Youth" and "The Liahona."  The magazines became free for all members.

-updating the "For the Strength of Youth" book to be more of a guide than a list of do's and don'ts

-combining the priesthood quorums, and changing the aaronic priesthood age to the calendar year they turn 12 (so starts when they are 11)

- focusing on calling the church by its correct name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, instead of the nickname of Mormons.  This included changing the church logo, as well.

(SO MANY CHANGES!!  I still laugh at something Elder Holland said in one of the conference sessions:  “To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'the most memorable moments in life are those in which we feel the rush of revelation.'  President Nelson, I don’t know how many more ‘rushes’ we can handle this weekend. Some of us have weak hearts. But as I think about it, you can take care of that too. What a prophet!”)

I love Pres. Nelson!  I know that he was a prophet of God!  He loved the Savior and loved the people.  His testimony stands as a voice of conviction and faith.  He has inspired me to full-heartedly walk the covenant path and live with deep integrity to the gospel truths.  He has shown us the way to live with true joy!