‘Think celestial’: Sunday afternoon session of general conference recap

Elder Dale G. Renlund, Quorum of the Twelve

Elder Renlund spoke about “looking beyond the mark.”

He told the story of George Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, and his attempt to discover King Tutankhamun’s tomb. He and his team searched everywhere and it turned out to be right under their base camp, right under their feet.

The people in Jerusalem were “looking beyond the mark” when they decided to crucify Christ instead of “recognizing his role in fulfilling Heavenly Father’s plan” as the Savior of the world.

“The Savior has given us many ways to focus on Him intentionally, including the daily opportunity to repent,” Elder Renlund said. “Sometimes, we undervalue how great this offered blessing is.”

Elder John C. Pingree Jr., General Authority Seventy

Elder Pingree spoke about the importance of seeking truth from God.

“Truth is critical for us to establish and strengthen our relationship with God, find peace and joy and reach our divine potential,” Elder Pingree said.

Elder Pingree invites us to consider the following questions:

— What is truth, and why is it important?

— How do we find truth?

— When we find truth, how can we share it?

Elder Pingree shared eternal truths that he has come to know through his experiences.

“I know that God is our Heavenly Father,” Elder Pingry said. “He is all-knowing, all-powerful and perfectly loving. He created a plan for us to gain eternal life and become like Him.”

Elder Valeri V. Cordón, General Authority Seventy

Elder Cordon emphasized the importance of making the home the center of gospel learning. He gave a set of three responsibilities for parents to use to help “establish a higher gospel culture” in their homes.

1. Teach freely

2. Model discipleship

3. Invite to act

“As parents, we are God’s agents in the care of our children. We must do everything we can to create an environment where our children can feel His divine influence,” Elder Cordon said.

He quoted Sister Joy D. Jones, the former General Primary president when she said that conversion does not simply happen to children.

Elder J. Kimo Esplin, General Authority Seventy

Elder Esplin began with a story about a sister from Okinawa, Japan, who had a spiritual experience that “gave her a tangible sense of the reality of God and His love for her.”

When the battle was over, the sister and her family were converted and were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This sister heard about the importance of temple covenants, and she took the journey to the closest temple in Hawaii with many other Japanese members.

“Temple covenants are gifts from our Heavenly Father to the faithful followers of His Son Jesus Christ,” Elder Esplin said. “Through the temple, our Heavenly Father binds individuals and families to the Savior and each other.”

Elder Garet W. Gong, Quorum of the Twelve

Elder Gong spoke about the importance of the language of love.

He gave us three languages of gospel love:

1. The language of warmth and reverence

2. The language of service and sacrifice

3. The language of covenant belonging

He concluded his remarks, “When we meet the Lord, I imagine Him saying, with words of instruction and promise, ‘My love is spoken here.'”

Elder Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier, General Authority Seventy

Elder Giraud-Carrier talked about the importance of treating others with kindness and not letting prejudices get in the way.

“May we likewise not let our eyes, our ears or our fears mislead us, but open our hearts and minds and minister freely to those around us as He did,” Elder Giraud-Carrier said.

He told a story about his wife, Isabelle. She was asked to minister to an elderly woman who had made it very clear she did not want to be visited. Isabelle didn’t let that stop her from serving the woman.

“She never saw ugliness; she never smelt stench,” Elder Giraud-Carrier said. “She only ever saw a beautiful daughter of God in need of love and tender care.”

Elder Giraud-Carrier quoted President Nelson when he taught, “The adversary rejoices in labels because they divide us and restrict the way we think about ourselves and each other … Any abuse or prejudice toward another because of nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, educational degrees, culture or other significant identifiers is offensive to our Maker.”

President Russel M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Due to an injury, President Nelson’s message was prerecorded.

“I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible,” President Nelson said.

President Nelson invited the audience to “think celestial.” He said that celestial thinking requires a connection to God.

“When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial,” President Nelson said. “When tested by temptation, think celestial.”

If we decide to make “telestial” choices, then we are choosing not to be with God and our families forever.

“As you focus on thinking celestial, expect to encounter opposition … As you think celestial, you will view trials and opposition in a new light … As you think celestial, your faith will increase,” President Nelson said.

President Nelson announced 20 new temples:

— Savai’i, Samoa

— Kahului, Hawaii

— Fairbanks, Alaska

— Vancouver, Washington

— Colorado Springs, Colorado

— Tulsa, Oklahoma

— Roanoke, Virginia

— Cancún, Mexico

— Piura, Peru

— Huancayo, Peru

— Viña del Mar, Chile

— Goiânia, Brazil

— João Pessoa, Brazil

— Cape Coast, Ghana

— Calabar, Nigeria

— Luanda, Angola

— Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

— Laoag, Philippines

— Osaka, Japan

— Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia