Apostles and Church Leaders Take Major Tours | News, Sports, Jobs

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Latter-day Saint Association president Sharon Eubank, second from left, and Relief Society general president, John B. Bingham, third from left, visit Camp Sharya, located just south of the Iraqi border with Turkey in northern Iraq. (Courtesy of intellectual reserve)

The world may still be in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that does not prevent members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other auxiliary leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from fulfill their designated calls to serve the world.

In the past week or so, President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with Jeffery R. Holland and Quentin L. Cook have spent a week in the British Isles speaking to missionaries and to congregations, to visit the church historic sites and their own family historic sites.

All three served missions in Britain with Holland and Cook as fellow missionaries between 1960 and 1962. Ballard served from 1948 to 1950.

On Sunday, a special conference was held for all members of Great Britain and Ireland of the Stake Center in Hyde Park in London. The talk was broadcast to the Saints and has since been posted on YouTube for other church members.

The message was clear to the members: you have the gospel, now give it. Ballard challenged each member to pray and choose a person to share the gospel message with before Christmas.

Latter-day Saint Charities President Sharon Eubank meets Omed Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil. (Courtesy of intellectual reserve)

Brother Holland said, “The great days of the UK are still ahead of us. There is still a lot of Israeli blood to be found here, ”said Martin Henderson, a member living in Britain.

In a combined meeting for missionaries from the London and Birmingham missions on Friday, Sister Mary G. Cook encouraged missionaries to meet challenges in faith.

“I testify that if you strive to become like the Savior, you will have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. And the windows of paradise will open to you in ways you can’t even imagine. I know that you are on a mission for the Lord and that you will be blessed by your service, ”she said.

Speaking at the same meeting, Sister Patricia T. Holland told the missionaries to see themselves as a “companion” with the Three Apostles who were there to teach and testify to them.

“These three men love this land. They liked their missions. You are the companions of all these wonderful people. You can have a very similar experience if you can just keep your eyes on the glory of God, ”Sister Holland said.

Courtesy intellectual reserve

David A. Bednar and his wife, Susan, visit Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, October 27, 2021. (Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve)

While these Apostles ministered in the British Isles, David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve visited the Middle East.

Bednar and his wife Susan concluded a week-long ministry in the Middle East, where they met members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. They also visited the general area where the advertised temple in Dubai, United Arab Emirates will be built.

In April 2020 general conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the construction of the first temple in the Middle East. He announced that the temple will be built in Dubai.

“It makes perfect sense that the temple is located here,” Elder Bednar said. “Transportation systems have been geared towards getting people here. It will provide ease of access, and it is in a very vibrant neighborhood. It seems to me that the Lord has chosen a perfect location for his temple.

He added, “It will bless the saints here in Dubai, in the countries of the Middle East, and the saints throughout Eastern Europe. Dubai is a transportation hub; it will be easier for them to come to this temple.

Courtesy intellectual reserve

David A. Bednar addresses church members in Dubai. (Courtesy of intellectual reserve)

He expressed his appreciation for the heads of government. “The United Arab Emirates have been the most supportive,” he said. “They offer the possibility of creating synagogues, cathedrals, various Christian churches, obviously mosques and a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

“I think the UAE is playing a key role in trying to show an openness and a welcoming nature,” Elder Bednar said.

There are dozens of humanitarian projects underway in the Middle East, as Sister Bednar noted.

“I have been impressed with the work that Latter-day Saint Charities does across the region. Work helps bless people’s lives, ”Sister Bednar continued. “I had the opportunity a few years ago to visit a refugee camp in Kurdistan. The church has worked in a remarkable way to provide better living conditions for those who are far from their country.

“There is an endless need,” Elder Bednar said. “We can’t meet all of the needs, but we can meet many. And we will help as many people as possible. “

President Jeanne B. Bingham and her first counselor sister Sharon Eubank of the Relief Society general presidency have responded to some of these needs.

The women have just completed a trip to the Middle East to visit the Iraqi Kurdistan region. They met with government leaders and visited Camp Sharya, located just south of its border with Turkey in northern Iraq.

Built seven years ago, the refugee camp is now home to 12,000 Yazidis, who have been relocated against their will after suffering violence and political unrest. Some missing family members were taken by ISIS to Sinjar.

Bingham and Eubank, who is president of Latter-day Saint Charities, walked through some of the thousands of tents that house 2,350 families, many of them women with children.

“They have faith and they trust that God will help them. And that’s something we have in common with those who were in this region and have a different faith than ours, ”said Bingham.

In June, part of the camp burned down, destroying nearly 188 tents. Today, thanks to the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) and Latter-day Saint Charities, new concrete structures have replaced the lost homes.

“They had a cement floor [and] cement walls, ”Bingham said. “They had privacy. It was clean and new, and you could tell they felt a lot better about themselves.

Sister Eubank remembers visiting the camp four years ago: “We sat down with a mother and her family, and I said, ‘Is this better?’ … And she said, ‘I have a kitchen, I have a bathroom. So that makes all the difference. We feel safe.

Sister Eubank continued, “You absolutely cannot replace sitting in someone’s new house, asking about their children, looking at their new sewing machine they just bought with it. his small savings. You just can’t get that without being here in person. “

While closer to home, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Winnipeg Manitoba Canada Temple to Canada on Sunday in three dedication services.

In his dedication prayer, Elder Gong honored and recognized the patience of the local members. He said, “Dear Father, please smile at those who come to this house of the Lord. We recognize with gratitude the pioneering spirit, the consecrated sacrifice and the legacy of evangelical life and the service of generations past and present offered in hearts, homes and communities here.

This is one of the largest overseas touring missions for church leaders since COVID-19 stopped traveling in March 2020.

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