A reminder that you can also get summaries of these talks here.

President Uchtdorf conducts.

President Monson presides.

Choir: “Redeemer of Israel.”

Invocation: (Did not catch his name. Sorry).

Choir: “If the Savior Stood Beside Me.”

President Monson

Saddened by the loss of three of our apostles. Returned to their heavenly home. Grateful for this examples. Heartfelt welcome to our new apostles. Well qualified to fill the positions to what they have been called.

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.”

“Be thou an example of the believers in word and in conversation.”

The second scriptures explains how we can accomplish the first. Our lives will shine for others to see if we do so.

1)Be a good example in word and in conversation. Avoid profanity. Avoid coarse comments. Let us speak to others with love and respect, ever keeping our language clean and avoiding comments that would wound and offend.

2)Charity. Pure love of Christ.

3)Example in spirit. Kindness and good will. A pure and loving spirit.

4)Faith. Faith and doubt cannot exist in one mind at the same time.

5)Be pure. Our bodies are a temple, and our minds should be kept free from things that would pollute. Purity will bring peace of mind.

Latter-day Saints will be different. We will stand out as we make choices regarding morality, choices that adhere to Gospel standards.

With help from our Heavenly Father, we can regain the light that will illuminate our path.

(President Monson gave a great testimony at the end of this talk, but appeared very weak at the end).

Now we get to hear from the three new apostles.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

“I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me.” President Monson said: “This call comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Elder Rasband says he will serve with all of his might, mind and strength. Gives credit to his wife Melanie. He is from a pioneer family. He is grateful to friends and family.

The Lord has said love one another as I have loved you. The Lord will always love all people. He does not excuse sinful conduct. We are to reach out to our fellow man in love.

He ended with a testimony of Joseph Smith, the BoM and President Monson.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

Sustains President Monson. Tuesday at 9 a.m. was called to meet with Pres. Monson. He commented that I seemed quite young. He gasped and then responded affirmatively. Then a lot of emotion: feelings of inadequacy. Pres. Monson said: “The Lord will qualify whom he calls.”

Very grateful to family and friends. The presiding bishopric enjoys an almost heavenly unity.

The fulness of the Gospel will be proclaimed by the weak to the world.

Ends with his testimony.

Elder Dale G. Renlund

Grateful to his wife and daughter. I am one of those weak and simple. (To proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the world).

Received call from older brother: you have to perform your calling the Lord’s way.

“This calling is not about me. It is about the Lord and serving his children.”

He was a cardiologist. He saw many people die, developed an emotional distance. In 1986, a young man name Chad developed a heart problem and had a transplant. The last few years of his life were challenging. He had a cardiac arrest, we worked for a long time to restore circulation. Could not revive him. I declared him dead. Emotional distance. His parents saw their son lying on a stretcher. Then I saw Chad through his mother’s and father’s eye. Hopes and desires that he would live a bit longer. With this realization, I began to weep. Chad’s parents comforted him.

We must see people through a parent’s eyes, though Heavenly Father’s eyes. Only then can we sense the Savior’s concern for them. Heavenly Father will comfort us, just as Chad’s parents comforted me.

Choir: “How Firm a Foundation.”

Elder Nelson

The women of this dispensation are distinct from other times. Covenant-keeping women would have a profound impact on the women (prophecy from Pres. Kimball). The women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives, and to the extent that the women of the Church are seen as distinct from the women of the world.

We need women who are organized, women with executive experience, women who can view the trends of the world and detect them.

Today, we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith who defend morality and their families in a sin-sick world.

Women who know how to receive personal revelation, women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen families.

Told a story about helping three people who died in the same family from heart problems (Elder Nelson is also a heart surgeon). His wife supported him while he cried, and then said: “Are you finished crying? Get dressed, go back to the lab, you need to learn more. You can’t quit.” He needed his wife’s vision and grit and love. Elder Nelson later learned more and then saved the life of President Kimball with heart surgery.

We need women to speak up and speak out in ward councils. Women should participate as a full partner. Married or single, sisters possess special abilities. The culminating act of all creation was the creation of women. Attacks against the Church are going to increase. We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ.

Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer

Compared defending the Gospel to using a musical instrument. We need the clarion call of the trumpet.

Peter defended the Church: “God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ.”

One man or woman who is willing to testify when the world seems to be going in the opposite direction can make a difference. When we are willing to testify, we take the Lord’s countenance upon us.

True disciples of Christ are not looking to make excuses when the doctrine doesn’t fit the world’s current interpretation. True disciples represent the Lord when it may not be convenient.

The voices from the Great and Spacious building: mockers. They try to drown out the message of the Gospel by attacking. They are attacking the very heart of our doctrine and the laws of God. We as disciples must never let go of that iron rod. We must rise above the noise of the world.

Claudio R. M. Costa of the Seventy

Tell the stories of Jesus. Taking the sacrament. Meditated on the prayers. Went over in his mind and heart events connected to the sacrament. He thought about all of the events during the Atonement. He felt like he was there at the Last Supper. His soul was filled by a desire to be a better person.

Then thought about the weekly sacrament. “Always remember him.” To me, it means to remember his premortal life, to remember his birth and events in his life.

(Editor: this is a great and powerful talk, but difficult to summarize. I strongly recommend watching the whole thing).

Choir: “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today.”

President Eyring

Receive the Holy Ghost. From that moment our lives change forever. We have the blessing of having the Spirit with us.

The Holy Ghost makes temptation less compelling.

We can discern truth from falsehood.

Truths of the restored gospel are given to us by the Holy Ghost. We need a constant influence of the spirit of truth to spare us moments of doubt. Make a constant quest for the spirit to be with us. If we do this, we will “never lack for knowledge of the truth, our faith will be strong and our joy full.”

We can offend the spirit. Our hearts must be full of charity, and virtue varnishes our thoughts unceasingly. Treat moments of inspiration of the Holy Ghost like the seed that Alma described (Alma 32). You will be inspired to do the things that God would have you do. Whatever it is, do it. If you obey, the spirit will send you more impressions. As you obey, the impressions will come more frequently, and then you can have constant companionship.

(Note to readers: my kids are not letting me take notes very well today. Sorry if my notes are very incomplete. Anybody want to adopt a few kids?)

Choir: “The Spirit of God.”