January 14, 2023, marks the five-year anniversary of President Russell M. Nelson becoming the 17th prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In honor of this historic anniversary, we thought it would be fitting to share some of our favorite moments, captured in photos, of President Nelson’s ministry.
President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Sister Wendy W. Nelson, greet young adults after a devotional held in Las Vegas on February 18, 2018.
President Nelson meets Linwood mosque victim Ahmed Jahangir and imams in Auckland, New Zealand, on May 21, 2019. Jahangir is recovering from his injuries from the attack. Two imams represented the Al Noor and Linwood mosques, where innocent worshippers were gunned down March 15 in Christchurch. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred.
President Nelson and other Church leaders joined together with leaders of the NAACP Thursday, May 17, 2018, to call for increased civility, harmony, and respect. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
President Nelson hugs children after a devotional in Asunción, Paraguay, on Monday, October 22, 2018. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, smile and wave to the Amway Center attendees following the June 9, 2019, devotional in Orlando, Florida. Photo by Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News.
President Russell M. Nelson delivers a devotional address at the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, in Provo, Utah. Photo by Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo.
President Nelson looks over destroyed homes with his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, in Paradise, California, on Sunday, January 13, 2019, two months after the Camp Fire destroyed 1,400 homes and hundreds of businesses. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
President Nelson of and President M. Russell Ballard, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome, Italy on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
Vatican
President Nelson pauses to talk with Ammon and Emma Schar of Basel, Switzerland, in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, March 9, 2019. The Schar family was in Rome for the temple dedication. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
President Russell M. Nelson, center, hoists his hammer after driving a golden spike during the 150th-anniversary celebration of the transcontinental railroad at the Golden Spike National Historical Park at Promontory Summit on Friday, May 10, 2019. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
In a video shown during the Sunday morning session of the 190th Annual General Conference broadcast on April 5, 2020, President Russell M. Nelson reads a new proclamation in the Sacred Grove.
President Russell M. Nelson records a video message on the healing power of gratitude, which was shared on social media on Nov. 20, 2020.
President Russell M. Nelson gives a thumbs up prior to the start of the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020.
President Nelson received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination on Tuesday morning, Jan. 19, 2021.
President Nelson tours the Salt Lake Utah Temple in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
President Russell M. Nelson, Sister Wendy Nelson, Elder David A. Bednar and Sister Susan Bednar visit prior to recording a devotional for members of the Church from 48 countries in Europe. The broadcast originated from Church headquarters and was broadcast on Jan. 23, 2022.
President Nelson handles a volume of the Joseph Smith Papers at the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. The papers will publish its final two volumes in 2023.
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, pose for a photo outside of the Washington D.C. Temple in Kensington, Md., on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022.
President Russell M. Nelson speaks prior to giving the dedicatory prayer at the groundbreaking of the Heber Valley Utah Temple ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022.
Editor's note: All photos appear courtesy of Church News and Church Newsroom.
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