Every ministry trip made by members of the Quorum of the Twelve includes opportunities for individuals to hear them bear testimony of the Savior. Few see 518 people who aren’t members of the Church come to hear their message. That’s what happened on Sunday, February 26, in Maputo, Mozambique, when Elder Quentin L. Cook spoke at a combined stake conference.
Missionaries and members of the Church invited friends to learn from a current Apostle, and they came. Many arrived hours early to have a seat at the front of the hotel ballroom where the meeting was held. The regional gathering was one of many meetings held with members, church leaders and missionaries over three days in Mozambique. The speakers at Sunday’s event each spent some time focused on foundational principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Cook focused his remarks on prophets and the Saviour.
“In our Church, we proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “Think about prophets like Abraham, Enoch and Noah. They were prophets in their dispensations.” From Joseph Smith in the early 1800s to now, there is an unbroken line of prophets who have received revelation that has blessed members of the Church. Elder Cook talked about President Russell M. Nelson, his invitation for members to journey along the “covenant path” by making promises with God, and the revelations he has received.
Sister Mary Cook, who accompanied her husband, encouraged parents to get their children involved in Come Follow Me and Family Home Evening activities. “When your children participate at home when they are young, they will learn how to build their testimonies throughout their lives,” she said. Elder Aidukaitis, first counselor in the Africa South Area and General Authority Seventy, talked about that principle as he taught the law of the harvest.
“This law says you harvest from that which you plant,” he said. “But that isn’t all. You harvest what you care for, not just what you plant.” He then shared Mosiah 2:17 and 41 from The Book of Mormon, and talked about the happiness that comes from serving others and the blessings of being obedient to the Lord’s commandments. “Following the commandments isn’t only a good thing for us to do, it is the path to happiness,” Elder Aidukaitis said.