I have fervently prayed that the Holy Ghost
will be with each of us today on this heavenly occasion.
What we have collectively witnessed
has been most impressive as the 17th prophet
of this dispensation has been sustained in solemn assembly.
As I sought guidance to know the topic the Lord would have
me address today, my mind was directed
to a recent conversation with the newly called First
Presidency.
In this discussion, one of the counselors
shared words to this effect: "I deeply
hope that the membership of the Church
can comprehend the magnitude of what has taken place
with the calling of our new prophet, President Russell M.
Nelson, and the significance and sacredness of the solemn
assembly that will take place at general conference."
He further observed, "It has been 10 years,
and many, especially the youth of the Church, do not remember
or have not experienced this before."
This caused me to reflect on experiences I have had.
The first prophet I remember is President David O. McKay.
I was 14 years old when he passed away.
I remember a sense of loss that accompanied
his passing, the tears in my mother's eyes,
and the sorrow felt by our whole family.
I remember how the words "Please bless President David O. McKay"
fell out of my lips so naturally in my prayers
that if I wasn't mindful, even following his passing,
I would find myself using to those same words.
I wondered if my mind and heart would transition
to the same feeling and conviction for the prophets
succeeding him.
But almost like parents who love each of their children,
I found a love for, connection with,
and testimony of President Joseph Fielding Smith, who
followed President McKay, and for each prophet thereafter:
Harold B. Lee, Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson,
Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson,
and today President Russell M. Nelson.
I fully sustained each prophet with uplifted hand--and
uplifted heart.
As each of our beloved prophets have passed on,
it is only natural to feel a sense of sorrow and loss.
But our sadness is tempered by the joy and hope that
comes as we experience one of the great blessings
of the Restoration: the calling and sustaining of a living
prophet on the earth.
To that end, I will speak to this divine process as observed
over the past 90 days.
I will describe it in four segments: first,
the passing of our prophet and the dissolution
of the First Presidency; second, the period of time awaiting
the reorganization of the new First Presidency;
third, the calling of the new prophet;
and fourth, the sustaining of the new prophet
and First Presidency in solemn assembly.
The passing of a prophet.
On January 2, 2018, our dear prophet Thomas S. Monson
passed to the other side of the veil.
He will forever have a place in our hearts.
President Henry B. Eyring offered sentiments at President
Monson's passing which succinctly describe
our feelings: "The hallmark of his life,
like the Savior's, will be his individual concern in reaching
out to the poor, the sick--even all individuals--worldwide."
President Spencer W. Kimball explained:
"As one star sinks behind the horizon,
another comes into the picture, and death spawns life.
"The work of the Lord is endless.
Even when a powerful leader dies, not for a single instant
is the Church without leadership, thanks to the kind
Providence who gave his kingdom continuity and perpetuity.
As it already has happened ... before in this dispensation,
a people reverently close a grave, dry their tears,
and turn their faces to the future."
The apostolic interregnum.
The period of time between the death of a prophet
and the reorganization of the First Presidency
is referred to as an "apostolic interregnum."
During this period, the Quorum of the Twelve,
under the leadership of the quorum president,
jointly holds the keys to administer
the leadership of the Church.
President Joseph F. Smith taught, "There is always
a head in the Church, and if the Presidency of the Church
are removed by death or other cause,
then the next head of the Church is
the Twelve Apostles, until a presidency is again organized."
The most recent interregnum period
began when President Monson passed away on January 2
and ended 12 days later, on Sunday, January 14.
On that Sabbath morning, the Quorum of the Twelve
met in the upper room of the Salt Lake Temple
in a spirit of fasting and prayer,
under the presiding direction of President Russell M.
Nelson, the senior Apostle and President
of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Calling of a new prophet.
In this sacred and memorable meeting,
following a well-established precedent
in unity and unanimity, the Brethren
were seated by seniority in a semicircle of 13 chairs
and raised their hands first to sustain
the organization of a First Presidency
and then to sustain President Russell Marion
Nelson as President of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This sustaining was followed by the Quorum of the Twelve
gathering in a circle and placing hands
upon the head of President Nelson
to ordain and set him apart, with the next most-senior
Apostle acting as voice.
President Nelson then named his counselors, President Dallin
Harris Oaks, President Henry Bennion Eyring,
with President Oaks as the President
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and President Melvin
Russell Ballard as the Acting President of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles.
Following similar sustaining votes, each of these Brethren
were set apart to their respective offices
by President Nelson.
This was a deeply sacred experience,
with an outpouring of the Spirit.
I offer to you my absolute witness
that the will of the Lord, for which we fervently prayed,
was powerfully manifest in the activities
and events of that day.
With the ordination of President Nelson
and the reorganization of the First Presidency,
the apostolic interregnum ended and the newly constituted First
Presidency began to operate without, remarkably, even one
second of interruption in governing the Lord's
kingdom on the earth.
Solemn assembly.
This morning, this divine process is culminated
in accordance with scriptural mandate outlined
in the Doctrine and Covenants: "For all things must be done
in order, and by common consent in the church,
by the prayer of faith," and "three Presiding High Priests,
... upheld by the confidence, faith,
and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency
of the Church."
Elder David B. Haight described a previous occurrence
of what we participated in today:
"We are witnesses to and participants in a most sacred
occasion--a solemn assembly to act upon heavenly things.
As in olden times, there has been much fasting and prayer
offered by the Saints throughout the world that they may receive
an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord,
which is so much in evidence ... on this occasion this morning.
"A solemn assembly, as the name implies,
denotes a sacred, sober, and reverent occasion
when the Saints assemble under the direction of the First
Presidency."
Brothers and sisters, we can rejoice--even shout,
"Hosanna!"--that the Lord's mouthpiece, a prophet of God,
is in place and that the Lord is pleased that His work is being
done in the way that He has divinely prescribed.
President Russell M. Nelson.
This divinely ordained process leads to another divinely
called prophet.
Just as President Monson was one of the grandest inhabitants
to grace this earth, so is President Nelson.
He has been profoundly prepared and specifically tutored
by the Lord to lead us at this time.
It is a great blessing to now have dear President Russell M.
Nelson as our loving and devoted prophet--the 17th President
of the Church in this final dispensation.
President Nelson is truly a remarkable man.
I had the privilege of serving in the Quorum of the Twelve
with him as my quorum president for just over two years.
I have traveled with him and marvel at his energy,
as one must move quickly to keep up with his pace!
In total, he has visited 133 countries in his lifetime.
His outreach is to all, young and old.
He seems to know everyone and is particularly
gifted at remembering names.
All who know him feel that they are his favorite.
And so it is with each of us--because of his genuine love
and concern for everyone.
My primary association with President Nelson
has been in ecclesiastical roles,
yet I have also become familiar with the professional life
that President Nelson led before he was
called as a General Authority.
As many of you know, President Nelson
was a world-renowned heart surgeon
and, early in his medical career,
a pioneer developer of the heart-lung machine.
He was on the research team that supported
the first open-heart operation on a human being,
in 1951, using a heart-lung bypass.
President Nelson performed a heart operation
on President Spencer W. Kimball not long
before President Kimball became the prophet.
Interestingly, as President Nelson's call to the Twelve
34 years ago ended a professional medical career
of strengthening and repairing hearts,
it began a ministry as an Apostle devoted
to strengthening and repairing hearts
of countless tens of thousands around the world,
each having been lifted and healed
by his words and acts of wisdom, service, and love.
A Christlike heart.
When I envision a Christlike heart in daily practice,
I see President Nelson.
I have not met anyone who exemplifies this trait
at a higher level than him.
It has been a remarkable tutelage for me
to be in the position to observe firsthand
the manifestations of the Christlike heart of President
Nelson.
Within weeks of my call to the Twelve in October 2015,
I had the opportunity to get an up-close glimpse
of the past professional life of President Nelson.
I was invited to attend an event where
he received the Cardiothoracic Surgery Award.
When I entered the venue, I was astonished
to see the large number of professionals
there to honor and recognize the work that President Nelson had
done many years before as a medical doctor and surgeon.
That evening, numerous professionals
expressed their respect and admiration
for President Nelson's outstanding contribution
to his medical specialty.
As impressive as each of the presenters
was in describing President Nelson's
various accomplishments, I was even more
spellbound by a conversation I struck
up with a man seated next to me.
He did not know who I was, but he knew President Nelson
as Dr. Nelson, director of the thoracic surgery residency
program at a medical school in 1955.
This man was President Nelson's former student.
He shared many memories.
Most interesting was his description
of President Nelson's teaching style, which, he said,
brought with it a large measure of notoriety.
He explained that much of the teaching of heart surgery
residents was conducted in the operating room.
There, residents observed and performed surgery
under faculty supervision, as a laboratory classroom.
He shared that the operating room environment
under certain faculty surgeons was chaotic,
competitive, pressure filled, and even ego driven.
This man described it as a difficult environment,
sometimes even demeaning.
As a result, resident surgeons even
felt their careers were often on the line.
He then explained the unique environment
found in President Nelson's operating room.
It was peaceful, calm, and dignified.
Residents were treated with deep respect.
However, following the demonstration of a procedure,
Dr. Nelson expected the highest standard of performance
from each of the residents.
This man further described how the best patient outcomes
and the best surgeons came out of Dr. Nelson's operating room.
This is no surprise to me at all.
This is what I have observed firsthand and been
truly blessed by in the Quorum of the Twelve.
I feel like I have been, in a sense,
one of his "residents in training."
President Nelson has an exceptional way
of teaching others and offering correction
in a positive, respectful, and uplifting manner.
He is the embodiment of a Christlike heart
and an example to us all.
From him, we learn that in any circumstance we find ourselves,
our conduct and hearts can be in accordance
with the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We now have the great blessing to sustain our prophet,
President Russell M. Nelson.
Throughout his life, he has magnified his numerous roles
as student, father, professor, husband, doctor,
priesthood leader, grandfather, and Apostle.
He fulfilled these roles then--and continues to do
so--with the heart of a prophet.
Brothers and sisters, what we have witnessed and participated
in today, a solemn assembly, leads to my witness
that President Russell M. Nelson is the Lord's living
mouthpiece for all humankind.
I also add my testimony of God the Father, of Jesus Christ,
and of His role as our Savior and Redeemer.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.