"Right Before Our Eyes" - General Conference Applied

Last updated on July 20th, 2025 at 07:13 pm

General Conference Applied

S5 E12 – Thursday, May 22, 2025 | “Right Before Our Eyes” by Elder Ronald A. Rasband; April 2025 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

Bio

Elder Ronald A. Rasband, “The Divine Call of a Missionary“, April 2010 General Conference: “As we were nearing the completion of that assignment meeting, a picture of a certain missionary appeared on the screen. I had the strongest prompting, the strongest of the morning, that the missionary we had before us was to be assigned to Japan. I did not know that Elder Eyring was going to ask me on this one, but amazingly he did. I rather tentatively and humbly said to him, ‘Japan?’ Elder Eyring responded immediately, ‘Yes, let’s go there.’ And up on the computer screen the missions of Japan appeared. I instantly knew that the missionary was to go to the Japan Sapporo Mission.

“Elder Eyring did not ask me the exact name of the mission, but he did assign that missionary to the Japan Sapporo Mission.

“Privately in my heart I was deeply touched and sincerely grateful to the Lord for allowing me to experience the prompting to know where that missionary should go.

“At the end of the meeting Elder Eyring bore his witness to me of the love of the Savior, which He has for each missionary assigned to go out into the world and preach the restored gospel. He said that it is by the great love of the Savior that His servants know where these wonderful young men and women, senior missionaries, and senior couple missionaries are to serve. I had a further witness that morning that every missionary called in this Church, and assigned or reassigned to a particular mission, is called by revelation from the Lord God Almighty through one of these, His servants.”
This was Elder Rasband’s 26th general conference address. His most recent address was “‘Behold I Am the Light Which Ye Shall Hold Up’” from the October 2024 General Conference.

Invitations

“Share our testimonies of [Jesus Christ], His Church, His ways, and His covenant path.”
“I encourage us to stand tall as His disciples, eyewitnesses of the fulfillment of prophecy, both ancient and modern.”
“[Hasten] our holiness as we live temple worthy, as we worship in the house of the Lord, and as we make covenants with God for ourselves and on behalf of our ancestors on the other side of the veil.”
Be prepared temporally and spiritually to better thwart the adversary’s cunning attacks.
- Clay Application: Study the church’s Self-Reliance materials and set a temple appointment.
“President Nelson has said: ‘The assaults of the adversary are increasing exponentially, in intensity and in variety. Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater. I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time.'”
“My message to those students was clear: Give the Lord equal time. I counseled them to balance their studies with true higher learning, even a study of ‘the Son of the living God.’ I ask the same of everyone today: Whatever is on your to-do list, give equal time, not spare time, to the Lord in personal scripture study, family study of Come, Follow Me, prayer, Church callings, ministering, partaking of the sacrament, worshipping in the temple, and pondering the things of God.”
- Mitch Application: I will pray and then study The Book of Mormon first thing each morning, before I start working on my tasks for the day. I will first set a goal to do this for seven days in a row. Once I have completed that goal, I will set a goal to do this for an entire month (30 days in a row).
“Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the answer. Start with Him. Look for His hand in your life. Listen to Him.”
“Know that He understands. He took upon Himself all our sins, mistakes, misery, and very bad days that we might live again with our Father in Heaven in eternity. He has said, ‘Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.’ Faith in Jesus Christ can lift you up and heal your wounded soul. Trust Him and you will hasten your return to ‘the arms of his love.'”
“May we as disciples of our day shout, ‘Hurrah for Israel’ as we prepare for the return of our Lord and Savior.”

Discussion Questions

What is the Lord, through Elder Rasband, inviting us to do?
Elder Rasband said: “In my assignments this year, I have had a front-row seat to the Lord hastening His work.” What has he shared on social media this year that has given us a glimpse of his “front-row seat to the Lord hastening His work”?
What are some spiritual and temporal “acorns” in our lives? What are we doing to help them grow into “mighty oaks”?
Elder Rasband stated: “One of the things that distinguishes us as a church is our emphasis on education.” If we are no longer participating in formal education, are we still placing an emphasis on education in our lives?
“The more prepared we are temporally and spiritually, the more we can thwart the adversary’s cunning attacks.” In what ways have we seen that promise fulfilled in our lives?

External Resources Referenced In This Episode

Elder Ronald A. Rasband, “Thy Friends Do Stand by Thee“, March 7, 2020, BYU Speech
General Conference Applied S4 E28, Sunday, March 9, 2025, “‘Ye Are My Friends'” by Elder David L. Buckner, October 2024 General Conference
President Jeffrey R. Holland, “Motions of a Hidden Fire“, April 2024 General Conference: “Virtually all my experience in the hospital during that first period is lost to my memory. What is not lost is my memory of a journey outside the hospital, out to what seemed the edge of eternity. I cannot speak fully of that experience here, but I can say that part of what I received was an admonition to return to my ministry with more urgency, more consecration, more focus on the Savior, more faith in His word.”
General Conference Applied S5 E10, Thursday, May 15, 2025, Non-General Conference Applied – April 2025
“Financial Star is a Recruiter for His Faith”, 1996 New York Times Article on Mission President Rasband
President Boyd K. Packer, “The Honor and Order of the Priesthood“, June 2012 Ensign: “In 1976 an area general conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Following the closing session, President Spencer W. Kimball [1895–1985] desired to visit the Vor Frue Church, where the Thorvaldsen statues of the Christus and of the Twelve Apostles stand. …

“To the front of the church, behind the altar, stands the familiar statue of the Christus with His arms turned forward and somewhat outstretched, the hands showing the imprint of the nails, and the wound in His side very clearly visible. Along each side stand the statues of the Apostles, Peter at the front to the right and the other Apostles in order.

“Most of our group was near the rear of the chapel with the custodian. I stood up front with President Kimball before the statue of Peter with Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Johan Helge Benthin, president of the Copenhagen stake.

“In Peter’s hand, depicted in marble, is a set of heavy keys. President Kimball pointed to those keys and explained what they symbolized. Then, in an act I shall never forget, he turned to President Benthin and with unaccustomed firmness pointed his finger at him and said, ‘I want you to tell everyone in Denmark that I hold the keys! We hold the real keys, and we use them every day.’

“I will never forget that declaration, that testimony from the prophet. The influence was spiritually powerful; the impression was physical in its impact.

“We walked to the back of the chapel where the rest of the group was standing. Pointing to the statues, President Kimball said to the kind custodian, ‘These are the dead Apostles.’ Pointing to me, he said, ‘Here we have the living Apostles. Elder Packer is an Apostle. Elder Thomas S. Monson and Elder L. Tom Perry are Apostles, and I am an Apostle. We are the living Apostles.

“‘You read about the Seventies in the New Testament, and here are two of the living Seventies, Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Elder Robert D. Hales.’

“The custodian, who up to that time had shown no emotion, suddenly was in tears.

“I felt I had had an experience of a lifetime.”

What will you do?

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

The focus of our next podcast episode will be the April 2025 General Conference address that was delivered by Elder Gary E. Stevenson and was entitled “And We Talk of Christ.”

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Thank you for joining us in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (“Cherishing Life” by Elder Neil L. Andersen)

Next Podcast Episode (“And We Talk of Christ” by Elder Gary E. Stevenson)

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