Elder Carl B. CookBy Elder Carl Cook

It is exciting to be with you in the Africa Southeast Area. Sister Cook and I began our service here in August, and we are grateful to be with you.  Thank you for your faith and dedication to the gospel. Thank you for your many hours of service, for your tireless efforts in building the kingdom, and for your unselfishness in caring for the poor. We are humbled to serve with you.

It is a sacred privilege to be part of the historic events that are unfolding in this part of the world. The Church is well established in some our areas, but it is in its infancy compared to the growth yet to come. Each of us is blessed to witness the powerful hand of the Lord moving across this land. As covenant members of His Church, we must do all in our power to further the work. We must establish centres of strength from which the Church can expand, so that all of God’s children might enjoy the full blessings of the gospel. We create centres of strength by establishing the Lord’s kingdom in our personal lives, our families, branches, and wards. As we do this, the Lord’s work will progress, and each of us will be richly blessed, as will future generations to come.

Source:  LDS.org

Continuing his trip to the African continent and Madagascar, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at a Church area office devotional in Johannesburg, South Africa, teaching the Saints of the importance of country dedications, the responsibility of record-keeping, and the power of sacred ordinances. He also spoke to local officials and to missionaries in separate gatherings.

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