Elder Ronald A. Rasband was born February 6, 1951
in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
He was the youngest of four children.
His mother loved the scriptures and taught
Ron to love them too.
His father was a hard worker and a faithful priesthood holder.
When he was little, Ron always liked
to stand or sit in between his mother and father
when they were together.
When Ron was about eight, he learned an important lesson
in Primary.
He wasn't being reverent and his Primary teacher,
Sister Pettigrew, was trying to teach
the class about the Holy Ghost.
Sister Pettigrew asked Ron to read a scripture
about the Holy Ghost.
It said we can hear the Holy Ghost like a still, small voice
in our hearts.
Ron realized the Holy Ghost wasn't scary
and he never forgot that important lesson.
He always tried to remember to listen reverently
for those thoughts and feelings.
Ron's family did not have very much money,
so Ron worked to help his family, like mow the lawn
and helping with other chores.
His father was a good example of hard work,
and his mother made a warm, loving home.
Ron's childhood was filled with fun family times, games,
chores, Scouting, Church activities,
and scripture study.
Ron didn't have much time for school sports
or other activities because he had to work,
but he did have loyal, lifelong friends
and was a leader among them.
Ron also had good priesthood leaders who helped him a lot.
One of his favorite leaders was President James E. Faust,
who was later in the First Presidency.
As he grew, Ron prepared to serve a mission.
He was sure he would be called to serve
in Germany like his father and brother had.
Even his sister's husband had served in Germany.
But Heavenly Father had other plans for Ron.
He was called to the Eastern States Mission in New York!
When Ron read his mission call, he was very disappointed.
He went to his bedroom, knelt by his bed, and prayed.
After his prayer, he decided to read the scriptures.
As he picked up his scriptures, the page opened to a place
in Doctrine and Covenants which said ...a door would be opened
in the regions in the eastern land and the Lord wanted him
to come to this place...because it was important that he should
help with the salvation of the people in that area.
Just as he learned about the Holy Ghost
many years ago in Primary, Ron knew
that now the Holy Ghost was giving him
another special message.
His mission call to the Eastern States was not a mistake.
This was a very important spiritual experience, too.
From then on, he always accepted Heavenly Father's will in all
that he did.
When Elder Rasband returned from his mission,
he went to the University of Utah.
There he met Melanie Twitchell.
As she got to know him, she was impressed by his kindness,
courtesy, and gospel knowledge.
Soon they realized they were a perfect match for each other.
They were married in September 1974 in the Salt Lake Temple.
They have five children and 24 grandchildren
and always love and support each other.
Elder Rasband became the president of a big company.
He had a busy schedule traveling all over the world,
but he always tried to be home with his family on weekends.
Sometimes he even took family members with him
on business trips.
When he was home, each of his children
always wanted to sit by him in Church.
Whether they were shooting basketballs or playing
board games, his children always felt great love from their dad.
They also saw the love Elder Rasband had for others.
He inspired everyone he met to do their best.
In 1996 Elder Rasband was called to be
mission president of the New York New York North Mission.
In 2000 he was called as a Seventy, and in October 2015,
he was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
In Elder Rasband's office are two paintings
of Mormon missionaries teaching and preaching
in the early days of the Church.
These paintings remind him of his pioneer ancestry.
Elder Rasband feels these early pioneers gave their
all to the gospel of Jesus Christ,
and they left a legacy for him to follow.
"What they felt," he says, "I feel.
What they knew, I know.
I too can bear testimony of the name of Jesus Christ in all
the world."