Now in his “10th decade of life,” President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shared 10 spiritual truths he has learned and left an apostolic blessing on the approximately 1,200 Latter-day Saints, community leaders and an interfaith Tongan choir attending the first stop of his current Pacific ministry tour.
His wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, accompanied the 94-year-old prophet-president, as did Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, all of whom also spoke during the special devotional Thursday, May 16, in the Kona Hawaii Stake Center in Kailua next to the Kona Hawaii Temple.
The four continued the nine-day ministry tour, leaving Hawaii the next day for additional stops in Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Tahiti.
After tracing some of the highlights of his large family, professional medical career and long life, President Nelson shared ten things he has learned:
1. “God is our Father. He loves us and He wants us to have joy. He does want us to have immortality and eternal life, but He wants us to choose this course. He honors our agency.”