Numbers
According to Elder Rasband, as of 2024, the Church had approximately X number of missionaries serving in Y missions around the world.
80,000 & 450
Elder Gong noted that when he was memorizing scriptures for his early-morning Seminary class, he preferred these.
Short verses.
He pointed out that the shortest verse in scripture--"Jesus wept" (John 11:35) in fact "testifies of the miraculous reality: the divine Son of God came into physical mortality and learned according to the flesh how always to be with and bless us. When we cry out in grief or joy, Jesus Christ understands perfectly. He can be present in the moments when we most need eternity’s great gifts: Jesus Christ’s Atonement, Resurrection, restoration.
Elder Shumway quoted President Nelson as saying: "Now is the time for you and for me to prepare for" this.
"the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ."
Elder Holland recounted the story of a newly ordained Deacon with muscular dystrophy who had to pull himself up to the podium to do this.
Pass the Sacrament to his father, the bishop.
Elder Holland then commented:
Faith, loyalty, purity, trust, honor, and, in the end, love for that father he so wished to please. These and a dozen other qualities make us also say, “Whosoever … shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
"Many of such deviations [e.g. inactivity in the Church] occur when members fail to follow the fundamental spiritual maintenance plan of personal prayer, regular scripture study, and frequent repentance."
Elder Oaks
RS General Pres. Camille Johnson noted that in the story of the ten lepers, the Savior told the one who returned to thank him that he had been made this.
(Spiritually) whole.
Bite
Pres. Nelson taught us that we should have this in God.
Confidence.
To gain "confidence in the presence of God," we need to develop charity and virtue.
Elder Stevenson and his wife were confronted with a grumpy customs agent at the airport who instantly became kinder to them when she saw this.
A picture of Jesus in his wife's passport.
"The unity we seek is not to have everyone stand in the same place; it is to have everyone face in the same direction—toward Jesus Christ.
We are one not because of where we’ve been but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are but who we seek to become.
That is what Christ’s true Church is all about."
Elder Uchtdorf
Pres. Nelson announced construction of this many new temples.
15
Why did Elder Uchtdorf describe a church he attended as follows?
"The singing . . . didn’t exactly sound like the Tabernacle Choir. Restless, noisy children could be heard during the sacrament. The speakers did their best, but they were not skilled at public speaking. I sat uncomfortably through the meeting, hoping that maybe Sunday School would be better. It wasn’t."
He and his wife had invited a friend to church.He felt that the meetings were not very good, but his friend was "impressed with how people treat each other in your church."
He went on to remind us that, when people encounter the Church for the first time, "[w]hat they’re likely to notice, above all else, is how they feel when they’re with us and how we treat each other."
Elder Kim quoted Pres. Nelson as teaching that "The Savior loves us always but especially when we ____.”
repent
YM General Pres., Elder Steven Lund, told a story of young men who ministered to "Alan," a cranky older man who eventually asked the boys to pray that he would be able to do this.
Quit smoking.
He later asked to be baptized but then passed away; one of the boys was baptized in the temple on his behalf.
"Reverence for sacred things is the greatest manifestation of a vital spiritual quality; it is a by-product of our connection to holiness and reflects our love for and proximity to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. "
Elder Soares
This many talks mentioned the Second Coming.
Elder Whiting told a story about an adolescent prank that ended with him hiding in some bushes and sitting on this.
A prickly pear cactus.
His point was that, when we make mistakes, we should not run and hide, but "avail [ourselves] of the miraculous healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."
Elder Strong quoted Pres. Nelson as saying we should “make our _____ our highest priority.”
discipleship
Elder Strong went on to say that "[a] disciple is a follower or student of another. Disciples are 'apprentices' who devote their lives to becoming like their teacher."
Elder Mark Palmer told the story of this kind of tree as a metaphor for people who return to the Savior/Church after having gone astray.
"[K]nowing that Jesus Christ understands life’s pains and joys can give us strength beyond our own as we navigate bitter and sweet."
Elder Gong
In his talk, Elder Rasband noted that there are currently this many temples in operation or under planning/construction.
367
Elder Stevenson admitted that his family's attempts to conduct an Easter play included "rudimentary costumes, reading of scriptures from the New Testament and Book of Mormon, music, Easter pictures, palm fronds—and" this.
"a little chaos, if I’m being completely honest."
Elder Cook quoted Pres. Nelson from the Nov. 2024 G.C. by saying that these would "help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!”
Temple blessings.
Elder Renlund recounted a Finnish poem involving the farmer Paavo, whose family had to eat this substance during years of famine.
Paavo later had a year of plenty, but he still had his wife mix tree bark with flour so that they could share flour with their destitute neighbors. Elder Renlund's point was that we should always seek ways to use our talents to help other people.
"Whatever takes precedence over worship of the Father and the Son becomes an idol."
Elder Christofferson.
These are the names of all 3 members of the First Presidency and 12 members of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Russel M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, Henry B. Eyring
Elder Shumway had just been called as a new General Authority when Elder Anderson passed him in the hallway and said this.
“Well, there looks like a man who has no idea what he is doing.”
And I thought, “There is a true prophet and seer.”
Elder Andersen then whispered, “Don’t worry, Elder Shumway. It gets better—in five or six years.”
"[E]very man and every woman who participates in _____ and who makes and keeps _____ with God has direct access to the power of God.”
priesthood ordinances, covenants
(Elder Christofferson quoting Pres. Nelson)
Elder Gérald Caussé recounted a time when he was in the French military and wanted to watch Elder Maxwell speak; he was late due to his military duties and arrived just in time for this.
Elder Maxwell's apostolic blessing.
His point was that "When circumstances beyond our control prevent us from fulfilling the righteous desires of our hearts, the Lord will compensate in ways that allow us to receive His promised blessings."
"We don’t stay on the covenant path by never making a mistake. We stay on the path by repenting every day."
Sis. Tamara Runia