Dale G. Renlund

The authorized account for Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Monseñor Javier del Río Alba has been a dear friend to me, and to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for many years, and I am grateful for the recent opportunity to visit together.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

It was remarkable to have been in Otavalo, Ecuador and hear that the prophet of the Lord has authorized the building of a temple here.

To see the faith of the people here who came to a devotional on a Thursday evening, not knowing this would also be a temple announcement, is incredible.

I’ve been so impressed with the faith in Jesus Christ that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ecuador have and feel grateful for them and their example over the decades.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

In recent months, we’ve seen remarkable growth in the number of missionary applications and in the creation of new missions around the world. Many wonder why this is happening now when it contrasts with trends that suggest that the rising generation is less engaged in religiosity.

Several factors are probably operative, including some intentional changes the Church has made over the past several years for children and youth. One of the most important is focusing bishoprics more intensively on the rising generation, specifically on the young men and young women.

Another is that the For the Strength of Youth Conferences are more readily available. These are spiritual experiences for so many and spur interest in sharing the joy of the gospel.

Finally, more families are engaging in earlier scriptures study, especially with the aid of Come, Follow Me curriculum. This has altered Sunday worship practices.

As more young women choose to serve as sister missionaries, there seems to be a leavening effect. They affect the work with members, they affect how young elders serve, and they have a significant impact in their missions.

And importantly, young women and young men learn to work in counsel with each other. I believe this will have a major impact on the work of salvation and exaltation as these missionaries return home and already know how to work and function in councils in ward and stake settings.

What we are witnessing today is more than growth in numbers. Across the world, missionaries are demonstrating a deep devotion to the Savior and a sincere consecration to His work. An increasing number express that their fundamental reason for serving is their love for Jesus Christ and their desire to join Him in His work—an inspiring reflection of the faith and commitment that characterize today’s missionary force.

As the work goes forward, this is indeed a joyous and marvelous work and a wonder.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Mount Apo, also known as Apo Sandawa, is the tallest mountain in the Philippines, rising to an elevation of 2,954 meters above sea level. It is located just 45 kilometers southwest of Davao City and is a landmark on the island of Mindanao. Anciently, Apo Sandawa was considered sacred to many people. Some people would visit to feel close to God. Some would visit to honor their ancestors. Others would visit to try to gain strength to deal with challenges. Apo Sandawa still inspires many today.

But, as special as the mountain is, it does not have the power to transform us to become heirs in God’s kingdom, offer ordinances of salvation and exaltation to our ancestors, or bind our families together for all eternity. Nor does it provide us greater access to God’s power to help us in our lives.

By assignment, I had the privilege today of dedicating “the mountain of the Lord’s house” (Isaiah 2:2) in Davao, Philippines. Here, priesthood keys and priesthood authority will be available to administer sacred ordinances and covenants to worthy, prepared, and willing people. Only in dedicated temples can the promised blessings be realized because of Jesus Christ.

I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He lived a perfect life, wrought a perfect atoning sacrifice, and rose from the tomb the third day. He “ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men” (Moroni 7:27). He has become our Advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ advocates what our Heavenly Father has wanted all along, for us to return to our heavenly home, “crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life” (Doctrine and Covenants 75:5).

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Jesus Christ has both the power and the desire to save us from our sins.

Because He completed the Atonement, He has the power to help you along your earthly journey and to redeem you from death, both physical and spiritual.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Focusing on the Savior, His infinite Atonement, and what He has done for us will bring joy and clarity into our lives, no matter how many other concerns we have.

I cannot add more time to your days or eliminate the many concerns modern life brings. But I can offer this counsel: Not all matters are of equal value, and maintaining an eternal perspective helps us prioritize the things that are of greatest value.

This is why ancient and modern prophets have always and will always direct us to Christ.

Because Jesus Christ completed the Atonement, He has the power to help you along your earthly journey and to redeem you from death, both physical and spiritual. Celebrate the joyous message of Easter every day by reflecting every day on the blessings you receive because of Him.

Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Worthy Lamb who was slain, our Redeemer, our Savior, our Advocate, and most assuredly, the Risen Lord. #GeneralConference #GreaterLove

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

The more we identify with and remember Jesus Christ, the more we want to be like Him. As His disciples, we change for the better when we focus on Him, more so than when we focus on ourselves.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

I have never known anyone like President Jeffrey R. Holland. Words were the brushes of his artistry, passion the oil of his paint, and love of Jesus Christ the canvas on which he painted. Like no one else, he had the capacity to break through a teleprompter or a pulpit or a microphone and squeeze my heart.

I loved seeing him laugh. I loved hearing him teach. I loved being with him. When assigned to speak in the same meeting with him, I realized I was out of my league, much like I would have been had I ever tried to play basketball with Michael Jordan.

When I learned of President Holland’s last hospitalization, I felt something a bit different than with his prior hospitalizations. He had completely worn himself out in the service of the Master. He had given all he could—and more. He had “fought a good fight… finished [his] course… [and] kept the faith" (see 2 Timothy 4:7).

I will deeply miss the President of my Quorum, my fellow Apostle, and my dear friend.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Each Christmas Eve, my father read to our family from Luke, chapter 2 about the birth of Jesus Christ. He also always read the account of Mary and Joseph bringing the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem.

My father read about Simeon who knew that he would not die before he had seen the Savior of the world. Simeon saw Jesus, held Him up, and said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou has prepared before the face of all people.”

At that point, my father always bore his testimony in heavily accented English, “I may not be able to hold dat little baby Yesus in my arms, but I know, yust as vell as Simeon knew, dat dat baby vas the Son of God, my Savior and Redeemer. He is real and He lives.” My father then looked at each of us with his piercing blue eyes and said with an emphatic nod, “And you can know it, too.”

My father and mother knew who that babe in Bethlehem was and what He would accomplish. This knowledge transformed them. It has transformed me.

This Christmas, seek the spiritual gift of knowing of the living reality of the Savior of the world. You can know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He atoned for your sins. This knowledge is longer lasting than any gift you will receive this or any other Christmas because it can transform you.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

In South America, the Church has grown from a small acorn into a powerful tree.

What the Lord needs now is for second-century pioneers—the youth and young adults—to go forward with faith and create an extensive forest of faith.

My advice to you is to lean into it. Become the kind of pioneers the Lord needs.

En Sudamérica, la Iglesia ha pasado de ser una pequeña bellota a un árbol poderoso.

Lo que el Señor necesita ahora son pioneros del segundo siglo — los jóvenes y adultos jóvenes — que avancen con fe y creen un extenso bosque de fe.

Mi consejo para ustedes es que se entreguen de lleno. Conviértanse en el tipo de pioneros que el Señor necesita.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we should always try to live our lives to be a light. That light we share is the light of Jesus Christ.
Ruth and I were grateful to share that light with some of Heavenly Father’s most challenged children at a pediatric specialty hospital in Argentina.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we go about doing good as the Savior did and try to follow the first and second great commandments.

Part of loving God is loving your fellow man, so as a church, we are thrilled to help with some projects at this very important hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Come unto our Heavenly Father. Take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ. Identify with Him. Always remember Him. Strive to be like Him. Join Him in His work. Receive His power and blessings in your life. #GeneralConference

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

When I was first called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Russell M. Nelson was the president of the quorum. You can imagine how intimidating it was for me to sit in counsel with President Nelson and these other remarkable and faithful servants of our Savior.

But President Nelson invited, welcomed, and encouraged me. He went out of his way to teach me and support me. He helped me to have confidence in my apostolic call and in learning to rely on the Savior as I serve. I learned from his example and continue to do so today. For him, I will always be grateful. #PresidentNelson101

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

My dear friends, I invite you to commit yourself more fully to the Savior, His gospel, and His Church. As you do so, you will find that the combination of the Savior’s gospel and His Church brings power into your life.

This power is far greater than dynamite. It will shatter the rocks in your way and transform you into an inheritor in God’s kingdom. You will be “filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory” (Helaman 5:44).

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

When we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ at baptism, we join Him in His work. To make the Savior's work our work, we focus on His purposes, keep His commandments, and love one another.

Doing our part is simpler than we might imagine because we need not bring extraordinary talents or abilities to the Lord's work. His requirement is simply commitment and willingness. The Lord can make the willing able, but He cannot or will not make the able willing. In other words, if we are committed and willing, He can use us.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

When we are baptized, we begin the process of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, including joining the Savior in His work, which is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Joining Jesus Christ in His work is exhilarating because His works, designs, and purposes “cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1).

For those who feel discouraged, the Lord counseled: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33). We let the Lord worry about the harvest, and we simply do our part.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Since telling the story of Farmer Paavo and his wife in my 2025 general conference message, I have learned that there is a Lutheran Church in Saarijärvi, Finland, that has on the grounds a statue honoring Farmer Paavo and his wife. The inscription on the front says, Mutta Jumalalta kasvun toivoi (He hoped God would give growth). On the back of the statue it says, "Pane leipään puolet petäjäistä Veihän naapurimme touon halla" (Mix a half of bark in the bread, as the frost has nipped our neighbor’s cornfield).

As we continue to prepare for the Savior’s second coming, may we consider the lesson of the Savior’s parable of the sheep and goats is that we are to use the gifts we have been given—time, talents, and blessings—to serve Heavenly Father’s children, especially the most vulnerable and needy.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

Music is a language of the Spirit. It can deepen our love and appreciation for God and His Divine Son and the restoration of the Lord’s Church in these latter days.

[Dale G. Renlund @DaleGRenlund]

On Saturday, April 12, 2025, my wife, Ruth, and I attended the unveiling of a statue of Dr. Henry Eyring in the Chemistry Department at the University of Utah. Dr. Eyring is the father of President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wanted to attend because three degrees in chemistry from that department were awarded to my immediate family: bachelor’s degrees for my brother, Gary, and for me, and a PhD for my sister, Anita.

This ceremony celebrated the career of Dr. Eyring, a world-renowned professor of chemistry who left a prestigious faculty position at Princeton University to join the faculty of the University of Utah in 1946. Many spoke at this unveiling ceremony, including the interim chairperson of the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Peter Armentrout; the president of the University of Utah, President Taylor Randall; and the remarkable benefactor and philanthropist Khosrow Semnani, who made the statue possible. All honored a truly remarkable scientist.

The remarks made by President @EyringHB, though, were the highlight for us. He spoke insightfully and lovingly about his father. Often, President Eyring did so in endearingly self-deprecating ways.

When President Eyring was majoring in physics as an undergraduate, his father would invite him downstairs to the basement of their home to work the physics problems he had as homework. “Other families,” said President Eyring, “had ping-pong tables in their basements. We had blackboards!” When President Eyring suggested that he would do adequately if he could just use the equations he had been given, his father said, “No, let’s develop it from first principles,” and the tutelage would begin. We have noticed that President Eyring follows this advice in his talks. These talks frequently start with first principles that then lead to wise counsel for us.

After President Eyring was awarded a PhD from Harvard University, was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was a professor at Stanford University, his father had told him, “Hal, you have a problem. You think that who you are is where you have been. The truth is you are what you can do.” We have observed that President Eyring has taken this caution to heart. He is always concerned about what he can do to accomplish the Lord’s work.

President Eyring said his father had a hard time separating science from his faith. On one occasion when Dr. Eyring was the president of the American Chemical Society, he gave a keynote speech at their annual meeting. Afterward, President Eyring told his father, “Dad, I think you bore your testimony.” Dr. Eyring innocently asked, “Did I?” In the secular unveiling ceremony on Saturday, President Eyring followed his father’s example. It was impossible to separate his testimony of the Lord and His work from his laudatory reminiscences of his dear, late father. What a joyous day this was for all who attended.