Photo supplied, Intellectual Reserve

I was recently reflecting on my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when something in particular about the experience resonated with me in a way that it hadn’t before. I was thinking about how if someone asked me before I received my mission call where in the world I thought I would have fit the most, Taiwan would not have made any sort of list — not a top 10, not a top 50, not a top 100. I don’t know if you gave me an unlimited number of places to guess I would have ever thought to say Taiwan. I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have. And yet, that is where I went, and I learned very quickly — even while I was in the Missionary Training Center before I set foot in Taiwan — that I actually did fit there. More than that, I fit there more than I would have fit anywhere else. I had a sure knowledge of this.

How is that possible? How is it that of all the places I could have served my mission, the place where I went was the place where I truly felt like I belonged, a place where I would have never guessed I would have fit beforehand?

Through this experience, I became a witness to God’s knowledge of me individually, and my testimony of that couldn’t be more powerful. God knew me, he knew the people of Taiwan and he knew that I would fit there, even though there was no possible way for me to know that. This knowledge gave me the confidence that I needed to push through 12 brutal weeks in the MTC learning Chinese. This knowledge gave me the confidence to push through when I arrived in Taiwan and realized that all that I had learned in the MTC — which at the time felt like a lot — was actually not adequate at all for the task that I was given.

The concept of witnesses and testimonies served as the lead-in to an address at the April general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Elder Brent H. Nielson as he discussed his own witness of what he had seen and heard throughout his ministry. The conclusion Elder Nielson has reached because of what he has seen and heard is that there has never been a better time to be a Latter-day Saint.

“After I graduated from law school, my wife, Marcia, and I chose to join a law firm that specialized in trial law,” said Elder Nielson, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy in the church. “As I began my on-the-job training, I spent much of my time preparing witnesses to testify at trial. I quickly learned that facts were determined in a courtroom as witnesses, under oath, testified to the truthfulness of what they had both seen and heard. As witnesses testified, their words were both recorded and preserved. The importance of credible witnesses was always at the forefront of my preparation.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

“It didn’t take long for me to realize that the very same terms I was using every day as a lawyer were also the terms I used in my gospel conversations. ‘Witness’ and ‘testimony’ are terms that we use as we share our knowledge and feelings about the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“When I was sustained as a new Area Seventy, I opened the scriptures to learn my duties and read Doctrine and Covenants 107:25, which states, ‘The Seventy are also called … to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world.’ As you can imagine, my eyes were drawn to the term ‘especial witnesses.’ It became clear to me that I had a responsibility to bear my witness — to testify of the name of Jesus Christ — wherever I traveled in the world.”

The older I get, the more grateful I am for “especial witnesses” like Elder Nielson. We need people whose job it is to boldly declare the gospel of Jesus Christ. I anxiously await the next time I can hear from them at general conference. I wish there could be more than two general conferences a year.

The idea of people testifying of their experiences is, of course, not new.

“There are many examples in the scriptures of those who were eyewitnesses and who testified to what they both saw and heard,” Elder Nielson said.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

“As the ancient prophet Mormon begins his record, he writes, ‘And now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of Mormon.’ (Mormon 1:1)

“The savior’s apostles Peter and John healed a man in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. (Acts 3:6) When commanded not to speak in the name of Jesus, they responded:

“‘Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

“‘For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’ (Acts 4:19-20)

“Another compelling testimony comes from the Book of Mormon saints who witnessed the visit of the savior Jesus Christ. Listen to this description of their witness: ‘And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father.’ (3 Nephi 17:16)

“Brothers and sisters, today I declare my witness and make a record of what I have both seen and heard during my sacred ministry as a Seventy of the Lord Jesus Christ. In doing so, I testify to you of a loving Heavenly Father and his benevolent son, Jesus Christ, who suffered, died and rose again to offer eternal life to God’s children. I testify of ‘a marvelous work and a wonder’ (2 Nephi 27:26; Isaiah 29:14) and that the Lord has set his hand once again to restore his gospel on the earth through his living prophets and apostles. (2 Nephi 29:1) I testify that based upon what I have both seen and heard, there has never been a better time to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than today. I know this of my own knowledge, independent of any other source, because of what I have both seen and heard.”

I’ve broken down the rest of Elder Nielson’s talk into three sections that highlight how he bore witness of what he has both seen and heard during his ministry as a Seventy that compels him to say that there has never been a better time than today to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I think about that concept in general, I can’t help but think it’s more important for Latter-day Saints to hear that positivity now more than ever, especially with the challenges Latter-day Saints face regarding criticisms of values and beliefs by those all too comfortable in what Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of the church, called “a declining world.”

Point 1: Temple work and the gathering of Israel is flourishing

Said Elder Nielson:

“During my senior year of high school, to graduate from seminary I had to identify all 15 temples of the church. A picture of each temple was at the front of our classroom, and I had to know where each was located. Now, years later, it would be an enormous challenge — with 335 operating or announced temples — to identify each one. I have personally seen many of these houses of the Lord and testify that the Lord is offering his blessings and ordinances to more and more of his children across the world.

“My friends at FamilySearch have taught me that over 1 million new names are added to FamilySearch each day. If you didn’t find your ancestor yesterday, I invite you to look again tomorrow. When it comes to gathering Israel on the other side of the veil, there has never been a better time to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than today.”

You know what’s a fun exercise with FamilySearch? The “Relatives Around Me” feature that allows you to find out if and how exactly you are related to people around you, provided they also have the app open on their phone. It’s also fun to look up historical figures and see how you are related to them. Being the baseball fan that I am, I searched to see if and how I was related to Babe Ruth. I found out that he is the husband of my fifth cousin three times removed. The exact lineage is Me > Father > Mother > Mother> Father > Father > Father > Father > Mother > Sister > Son > Son > Daughter > Son > Daughter > Husband. Got all that?

Since the Layton temple opened, I have tried to make my visits as frequent as possible. I try to do all the various ordinances rather than doing the same ordinance each time. Prior to the school year starting, I noted how difficult it was to get an appointment to do baptisms. There were so many youth going to the temple. There is so much work to be done, yet there are so many who are willing to do it. If anyone is inclined to say there are too many temples in Utah, I would say those people have not seen how busy the current temples can be. As the gathering continues, and more people are baptized, the need for more temples will only increase.

Point 2: The church is flourishing worldwide

Said Elder Nielson:

“As we raised our children in Twin Falls, Idaho, our perspective of the worldwide church was limited. When I was called to be a general authority, Marcia and I were assigned to serve in the Pacific Area, a place we had never been. We were pleased to find stakes from the top of New Zealand to the bottom, with a temple that was dedicated in 1958. It was one of those 15 I had to memorize in seminary. We found temples in every major city of Australia, with stakes across that continent. We had assignments in Samoa, where there are 25 stakes, and Tonga, where almost half the population are members of the church. We had an assignment on the island of Kiribati, where we found two stakes. We had assignments to visit stakes in Ebeye in the Marshall Islands and Daru in Papua New Guinea.

“After our service in the Pacific Islands, we were assigned to serve in the Philippines. To my surprise, the Church of Jesus Christ in the Philippines is growing beyond anything I had realized. There are now 125 stakes, 23 missions and 13 operating or announced temples. I witnessed a church of over 850,000 members in that country. How had I missed the establishment of Christ’s church across the world?

“After three years in the Philippines, I was asked to serve in the missionary department. My assignment took us to missions all over the world. My view of the savior’s worldwide church expanded exponentially. Marcia and I were assigned to visit missions in Asia. We found a beautiful stake center in Singapore, with amazing, faithful members. We visited members and missionaries in a chapel in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. We met missionaries in Hong Kong and participated in a wonderful stake conference with faithful, devoted saints.

“This experience was repeated as we met missionaries and members across Europe, in Latin America, in the Caribbean and in Africa. The Church of Jesus Christ is experiencing tremendous growth in Africa.”

To Elder Nielson’s point regarding Africa, the first temple on the continent was the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, dedicated in 1985. The next temple wasn’t dedicated until the Accra Ghana Temple in 2004, but since then, four more have been dedicated, with three since 2019. A whopping 19 additional temples have been announced on the continent. Nigeria is the country that leads the way, with one currently dedicated temple and four more in the works. The Democratic Republic of Congo has one currently dedicated temple and three more in the works. Ghana and South Africa each have three currently dedicated or in the works temples.

In Taiwan, the only temple for the longest time has been the Taipei Temple, dedicated in 1984. There will soon be two with the Kaohsiung Taiwan Temple, which is currently under construction in the city where my mission was located, and I wouldn’t be surprised if another temple was announced in a city like Taichung, the second largest city in the country, to serve those living in the central part of the country.

Point 3: Missionary work is flourishing

Said Elder Nielson:

“I am an eyewitness to the ongoing restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the fulfilling of the prophecy of Joseph Smith that ‘the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country and sounded in every ear.’

“Our wonderful missionaries who now cover the globe are 74,000 strong. Working together with members, they baptize over 20,000 people every month. It has recently been 18-, 19- and 20-year-old young men and young women who, with the help of the Lord, have produced this mighty miracle of gathering. We find these young women and young men in the small villages of Vanuatu and in the large cities of New York, Paris and London. I have watched them teach about the savior in remote congregations in Fiji and larger gatherings in places like Texas, California and Florida in the United States.

“You will find missionaries in every corner of the earth speaking 60 different languages and fulfilling the savior’s great commission in Matthew 28: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ (Matthew 28:19) I honor the past and current missionaries of the church and remind our rising generation of President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to come and gather Israel.

“I testify today that I have observed this profound restoration of the savior’s gospel with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. I am a witness of God’s work across the world. There has never been a better time to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than today.”

A week ago, I went to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. As I sat there awaiting my turn in the font, one of the temple workers came up to me and asked me if I would like to be baptized for more people than the ones I had planned on. I agreed. A few moments later, he returned and asked if I would like to be baptized for even more people. Again, I agreed. My turn came, so I got into the font and was baptized for somewhere between 20 and 25 people. The person who was performing the baptisms was a missionary. I noted that he was in the process of baptizing someone when I walked into the baptistry, and he had baptized a woman before me probably a dozen times at least.

After I completed my baptisms, changed and walked back into the baptistry to be confirmed for the people I had just been baptized for, I noted this missionary just chilling in the font waiting for the next person to come into the baptistry. In my head, I wondered if he got tired of being in the font performing so many baptisms and then having to wait for several minutes for someone new to walk into the baptistry. He honestly didn’t seem tired of it at all. He seemed to simply realize this was what he was called to do and he was going to do it joyfully. He genuinely seemed to be enjoying it. I really appreciated that missionary’s example. This is how so many Latter-day Saint missionaries are. They’re thrust into situations all across the world, and whatever the situation, they’re just focused on their duty.

If I recall my own mission, I can say I was that way as well. I think about the humidity levels in Taiwan and how I don’t remember ever feeling bothered. So often my body was completely drenched in sweat from all the bicycle riding as I frequently rode as fast as I could to get where I needed to go in time, but I never remember feeling like it was unbearable. I hear a lot of people say they prefer dry heat to humid heat, and I’ve always thought it odd because for all the time I spent outdoors in Taiwan, I never remember feeling like the heat was oppressive in any way. Then I realized that this was probably a blessing from being a missionary. The Lord was giving me the ability to handle a difficult situation and not be weighed down by it.

Point 4: Latter-day Saint righteousness is flourishing

Said Elder Nielson:

“Perhaps the most inspiring miracle of the restoration that I have witnessed is you, the faithful members of the church in every land. You, the Latter-day Saints, are described by Nephi in the Book of Mormon as he saw our day and testified, ‘And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.’ (1 Nephi 14:14)

“I testify that I have seen with my own eyes what Nephi saw — you, the covenant saints in every land, armed with righteousness and the power of God. As I was at the pulpit in one of these great nations of the world, the Lord impressed upon my mind something that King Benjamin taught in Mosiah 2 in the Book of Mormon. Brent, ‘I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual.’ (Mosiah 2:41)

“I witness to you that I have seen this with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears as I have met you, faithful saints of God across the earth who keep the commandments. You are the covenant children of the Father. You are disciples of Jesus Christ. You also know what I know because you have received your personal witness of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The savior taught, ‘But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.’ (Matthew 13:16)

“Under the direction of the Lord and the leadership of his prophets and apostles, we will continue to prepare missionaries, make and keep sacred covenants, establish Christ’s church across the world and receive the blessings that come as we keep the commandments of God. We are united. We are God’s children. We know him and we love him.”

I have been impressed as I have witnessed the righteousness of so many of the Latter-day Saint youth. There seems to be an increasing understanding of and appreciation for the gospel of Jesus Christ among them. They know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church of Jesus Christ, they know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and they know that President Russell M. Nelson is the prophet of the Lord. I have heard their talks in sacrament meeting and their testimonies and I know that they know. It is truly inspiring. Speaking broadly, not just about the youth, there are so many members of the church who are steadfast in their obedience, nothing like how certain “members” are portrayed in television programs and movies that aim to do nothing more capitalize on tawdry smut and farcical stereotypes.

Concluding his remarks, Elder Nielson said:

“I join all of you, my friends, as we unitedly testify that these things are true. We make a record of what we have both seen and heard. You and I are witnesses who testify. It is with the power of this united witness that we continue to move forward with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel. I declare my witness that Jesus Christ lives. He is our savior and our redeemer.”

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388.

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