On the latest episode of the Church News podcast, Sister Sheri Dew, executive vice president of Deseret Management Corporation and former member of the Relief Society General Presidency, interviews Sister Wendy Watson Nelson. Together, the two look back on highlights from President Russell M. Nelson’s ministry and life. Here are just three things we took away from this beautiful interview.
1. When you’re on the Lord’s errand, the Lord provides a way.
When Sister Nelson married President Nelson in 2006, her life changed in more ways than one. Sister Dew points out prior to that point, Sister Nelson had been a successful professor and published several articles in her field.
All that stopped as she stepped into a new life with President Nelson. And despite the massive transition, Sister Nelson explains that she learned that God provides the way when you are on His errand.
“When you are working with God—nothing is impossible,” Sister Nelson says. “So what looked really impossible, what felt just overwhelming, over time, really diminished. And like I say, my husband and I threw away our rearview mirror a long time ago. I live with a man who is totally, hopelessly, present in the present. And then he’s moving on. And he’s looking to the next thing. What’s the next thing the Lord needs him to do?”
► You may also like: The prayers that led Sister Nelson to meet her husband
2. President Nelson canceled his 2020 trips in early January.
In the episode, Sister Nelson describes looking at her calendar in December 2019 to see what was coming up in 2020. There were huge trips and huge arenas booked. Then one day in January, she returned to the calendar and all of the trips were gone.
On the episode, Sister Nelson describes “So this is early January, this is pre-COVID. And I said, I said, ‘Where did those trips go?’ And he said, ‘I just felt like we didn’t need to do them. I just felt like I should take those off the calendar.’ So there is a prophet in the land. His name is Russell Marion Nelson.”
3. Since becoming prophet three years ago, President Nelson has changed.
Sister Nelson shares how President Nelson has changed since becoming the prophet three years ago. She lists several ways she has seen him change, including how his prayers have changed.
“His prayers are different,” she says. “I wish it were appropriate for me to tell you how his prayers have changed. But I can tell you that one of the sweetest joys of my life is to hear him pray. To have him be voice when we are having our family prayer is really something. I can tell you that his prayers are more global. He really does pray for the people of the world, even when there isn’t a camera rolling.”
Listen to the full podcast episode at Church News to learn more about the ways President Nelson has changed and what Sister Nelson would say if she could have a heart-to-heart conversation with every woman in the Church.
