Follow the Prophet

President Nielsen came to AZ to speak to the members in the Phoenix area.  We received tickets from our Bishop and we were able to go.  President Oaks and his wife accompanied President Nielsen and his wife to the stadium.  There were a lot of members of our stake there, especially parents of teenage kids.  The youth and their families were encouraged to attend.  They broadcasted this meeting to the stake centers for those who wanted to hear the prophet but could not attend.  I was able to take pictures of the prophet, we were pretty close.  The comments were really good and I'm really glad that I was able to attend.  

President and Sister Nielsen
President and Sister Oaks

Sister Nelson recounted personal and shared experiences with her prophet-husband in the 13 months since the passing of his predecessor, President Thomas S. Monson, and President Nelson’s sustaining as the Church’s leader. She also acknowledged the personal confirmation she received—twice—of his mantle.

She also shared her witness of him receiving inspiration and revelation—often in the middle of the night, sometimes while she is in the room with him, and other times when she leaves him to be alone. “I am a witness of being present, and I am a witness by being absent, that the Lord indeed instructs His prophet. …

“Everything in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints belongs to Jesus Christ,” Sister Nelson said. “The doctrine is His, the covenants are His, the ordinances are His, the priesthood power is His power. The Apostles are His. And the prophet is His prophet, chosen and instructed by Him.”

President Neilsen - “I have an invitation for you as the Arizona battalion of the Lord’s army to help gather Israel on both sides of the veil,”

“My dear brothers and sisters, these promises—first given to Abraham and later reaffirmed with his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, who became ‘Israel’—are known as the Abrahamic covenant and are available to all of God’s children,” President Nelson said. “Yes, these divine promises are available to you!”

President Nelson posed the question of what the gathering of Israel looks like, then listed four examples, punctuating each with a pointed phrase at the end of each.

“As you work together to remodel your home into a sanctuary of faith-filled with learning together from the home-centered, Church-supported curriculum—that is gathering Israel.

“As you parents create experiences where your children can learn to feel the Spirit of the Lord—that is gathering Israel.

“As you do family history, serve and worship in the temple, use your discretionary time to draw closer to Heavenly Father and to His Son and to help someone else do the same—that is gathering Israel.

“As you help to strengthen the testimonies of others, as you repent and help others to repent, as you reach out in your communities and participate in worthy efforts to alleviate suffering—that is gathering Israel.