During a visit to Washington, D.C., October 23-27, 2023, Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with ambassadors from nine countries (including eight from Asia) and U.S. senators from Idaho and Utah.
The Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strengthened relations with representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan , Thailand and Vietnam. He also met with U.S. Senator Jim Risch of Idaho and Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney of Utah.
“The Church always enters through the front door of a country,” Elder Uchtdorf said as he reflected on these visits in his office in the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. “We are totally transparent. We want everyone to know that we have no hidden agenda. Our work is not motivated by selfish or economic reasons. We respond to invitations to enter a nation because we believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can make this world a better place. Our activities of humanitarian aid, emotional support and spiritual enlightenment center around the One who is our model and leader – Jesus Christ. We invite everyone to come help and belong of their own free will and choice – everyone is welcome, everyone!
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“The ambassadors appreciated our efforts to strengthen the youth by teaching the moral values of integrity, honesty and service.” Elder Uchtdorf said, “Some have shown great interest in the “For the Strength of Youth” guide and expressed interest in learning more about our children and youth program.
For example, during his visit with Malaysian Ambassador to the United States Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, the apostle discussed the booklet “For the Strength of Youth” in detail.
“These leaders always want to raise their young people appropriately and correctly, with integrity and honesty,” he said. The apostle also shared with the ambassador of Malaysia, whose country is home to more than 10,000 Latter-day Saints, the purpose of the Lord’s house and the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of our members. “These are things of spiritual and emotional significance that unite people,” Elder Uchtdorf said.
German welcomed the opportunity to share more information about the Church of Jesus Christ. Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan, for example, asked many profound questions about faith. One of them was: “What is your Mecca?” » Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the holiest city in Islam. Brother Uchtdorf explained to him that the temples of the Church or houses of the Lord are the places of our most sacred worship to God throughout the world.
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Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy share a laugh with Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan in Washington, D.C., Thursday 26 October 2023.© 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
“If you want to compare, you could say we have several Meccas. Our temples are our most sacred places of worship,” Elder Uchtdorf said of the Church’s 335 Lord’s Houses in operation or in various stages of design or construction.
In response to the Pakistani Ambassador’s question and reference to continued prayer and worship around the Kaaba in Mecca, Brother Uchtdorf shared that we have members in many countries around the world. Therefore, there is almost always someone who worships and prays to God, whether in personal or corporate prayers. In our worship services, we commit to remembering God and always having His spirit with us.
“We have temples all over the world, so we worship God 24/7 and we pray for His children,” Elder Uchtdorf said.
In recent years, The Church of Jesus Christ has announced that it will build houses of the Lord in Cambodia, India, And Indonesia. And just last month, the Church opened its first temple in Thailand.
The visit of Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dzung reminded Brother Uchtdorf of the power of reconciliation.
“It is a wonderful example that after a bitter war in Southeast Asia with all its suffering, the same nations and their citizens are now engaged in a beautiful process of reconciliation,” Brother Uchtdorf said. “We are grateful for the wonderful relationships we have with our friends in Asia.”
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Dieter F. Uchtdorf and his wife Harriet visit Vietnam’s Ambassador to the United States, Nguyen Quoc Dzung, and his wife, Tran Thi Bich Van, at the Vietnam House in Washington, DC, Tuesday, October 24, 2023 .© 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
A Vietnamese delegation visited the First Presidency in June 2019, and President Russell M. Nelson visited Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in November of the same year.
With countries like Brunei, where the Church of Jesus Christ does not yet have an official presence, Elder Uchtdorf said developing relationships remains of great importance.
“International ambassadors often know and respect each other. They work on similar topics and share experiences,” Brother Uchtdorf said. “As we work with embassies to proceed in their countries in accordance with their laws, we establish a relationship of trust and as friends of their nation and their people. The Church and the Gospel have a universal message of peace. Our members seek to be honest, live with integrity, and strive to make this world a better place. These are good things that ambassadors want for their staff as well.
On Monday, October 23, Brother Uchtdorf also participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery. Joined by Sister Harriet Uchtdorf and Elder José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Filomena, Elder Uchtdorf laid the wreath on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ.
“We honor those who give their lives to make the world a better place,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “Through our own history, the Church of Jesus Christ can identify with deep emotion with those who defend their beliefs in the process of protecting the freedoms of all people around the world. »
Meetings with senior government officials are led and guided by the First Presidency to ensure that the overall purpose of the Church is always kept in mind. There are multiple points of connection for the global Church. Most of them are in the country itself, and then some are here in the United States, mostly at Church headquarters. For example, every year, important representatives from many countries gather for an international law symposium at Brigham Young University (BYU).
BYU also invites ambassadors to participate in a series of diplomatic conferences in Provo. Elder Uchtdorf extended, on behalf of BYU, such invitations to two of the ambassadors he visited.
The ambassadors expressed gratitude for these opportunities to learn more about the Church and its global purpose and to share with students and faculty their insight and experience in current world affairs. It is a highlight of their visit to Utah when they have the opportunity to meet with the First Presidency.
The temple open days are other events they mention as a learning experience in their diplomatic life. Since ambassadors often serve in their host country for several years, they greatly appreciate invitations to activities in which their families participate. Some had just attended the Marriott Family Western Family Picnic event and were sharing how their children were enjoying this cultural event.
Normal daily life consists of many touchpoints and experiences. Through these experiences, we learn to know, respect and love our neighbors. Elder Uchtdorf expressed hope that while he had learned important things during these diplomatic contacts, their representatives would also feel the Spirit of the Lord as His work expanded throughout the world.
The Church has very talented and deeply dedicated members working in places of governmental importance. “The Washington team is exceptionally committed and working hard to build strong relationships with all nations of the world,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “They are highly respected by representatives of other nations.”
It is through the many daily acts of kindness that the work advances. The Lord said, “Great things are accomplished through small and simple things” (Alma 37:6). Elder Uchtdorf added, “The Lord expects us to do our part, which may not be perfect. But He expects it because we can do it. And then our work will be perfected in Christ. This applies to our public service, to our callings and responsibilities in the Church, but especially to our personal lives. We can trust in Jesus Christ. He is at the center of this work.