During his recent 10-day mission in Brazil, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over five missionary devotionals, a multistake conference, an area presidency overview of the Brazil area, and a devotional with area staff.
These meetings all took place during what Elder Rasband called “the two bookends of the weekend” and the mission’s main mission March 13-22: the two-day annual area leadership meeting with area, mission, temple, and stake leaders in Brazil.
And the extensive four-hour training session became even longer, and certainly more meaningful, as the apostle invited participants to begin their work of worship and ordinances in the Lord’s house on both days.
The morning temple session created an “interesting and wonderful dimension,” he said.
Guidance meetings and leaders
Guidance meetings were held in Recife on Saturday, March 14th and in Curitiba on Saturday, March 21st. The former targeted leaders living in northern Brazil, and the latter targeted leaders in southern Brazil. Area reviews, staff devotionals, and devotionals for three of the five missionaries were held in São Paulo, where the area office is located.
Combined with both area leadership conferences, the Church’s six general authorities, led by Elder Rasband, trained a total of 23 Area Seventies, 37 mission presidents, 11 temple presidents, and approximately 290 stake presidents.
Elder Rasband was accompanied by his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, and Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Sister Pilar Valenzuela. Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell and his wife, Sister Carol Waddell, and the Brazil Area Presidency and their wives, Area Presidents Elder Joni L. Koch and Sister Michele Koch. First Counselor Elder Chilo Schmail and Sister Alessandra Schmail. Elder Mark D. Eddy and Sister Annette Eddy also participated in various events.
The members of the Area Presidency are the Seventy General Authorities.
“With the end in mind”
Elder Rasband compared starting in the temple before area training to the emphasis of the late President Russell M. Nelson. He held an inaugural press conference as the Church’s new leader in January 2018 at the Salt Lake Temple Annex. President Nelson said that our connection to the temple is a call to “begin with the end in mind.”
Similarly, Elder Rasband said the two mornings in the Recife Brazil Temple and the Curitiba Brazil Temple provided a “beautiful connection” between temple and training. “If you wanted the temple to be the focus of these leaders, that was the way to do it.”
Elder and Mrs. Rasband’s son and his entire family were in Recife at the same time and joined them at the temple. Elder Rasband said: “One of the things I did was go to the baptismal place and do all the confirmations for my grandchildren in the temple.”
“Immerse yourself in missionary work”
Elder Rasband, who chairs the church’s Missionary Executive Council and says he wants to “immerse himself in missionary work,” held five devotionals that gathered over 1,000 elders and sisters.
March 15th (Sunday) With missionaries undergoing training at Brazil MTC, Brazil Recife North Mission and Brazil Recife South Mission. Friday, March 20, with Curitiba Brazil and Curitiba Brazil South Mission.
A highlight for Elder Rasband during his stay at MTC Brazil was meeting with 13 Venezuelan missionaries who are being trained before returning to serve in Venezuela.
Acknowledging the difficulties of the country and the church’s work there, he said: “It’s just a small opening where the church is now seeing a little bit of movement in moving missionaries in and out of Venezuela, and it was exciting for me to meet the Venezuelan missionaries.”
Stake conferences and social media videos
Elder Rasband also presided over a multi-stake conference on Sunday, March 15, in the Jaboaton dos Guararapes Brazil Stake and the Jaboaton Brazil Litoral Stake in Metro Recife South.
He also invited Elder Koch to participate in a social media video filmed at the Sao Paulo Brazil Temple Visitor Center. The two-and-a-half-minute reel emphasizes the Church’s political neutrality around the world and its teaching that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace.
