A faithful people: 'We can feel the Spirit'
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"Some time ago I asked President Monson if I could go to Russia," President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, addressing members in the Cosmos Hotel in Moscow, Russia, the evening of June 1.
"Yes, you go," President Thomas S. Monson responded. "They are a people who have shown faith."
"I will tell President Monson that I have been with a faithful people," President Uchtdorf said, smiling over a large audience of members, some of whom had traveled significant distances to hear the second counselor in the First Presidency. President Uchtdorf was in Eastern Europe to visit members in Kyiv, Ukraine, as well as Yekaterinburg, Russia, and Samara, Russia.
Accompanying President Uchtdorf were his wife, Harriet, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife, Kathy, and Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Seventy and president of the Europe East Area.
President Uchtdorf reminded members they are gospel pioneers in Russia.
Recounting his travel three days earlier in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he visited the site of the temple and stake center that are under construction, he expressed hope that a temple would be built some day in Russia.
Recalling a memory from his youth in Germany, President Uchtdorf said, "When I passed the memorial where the Germans were stopped, my heart hurt. I was 4 years old when the war ended. There have been too many wars. Be positive. Build on the future. As a 4-year-old, I saw an American Army move into my hometown. Then the American Army moved out and the Russian army moved in. I saw how a country was destroyed. When my family thought about the future, there was no future.
"When we found the gospel, it gave us strength and hope for the future. This gospel is the answer to any challenges in life. There are challenges, but we have to overcome them by living the gospel."
Continuing, he said, "You are the citizens of Moscow and of Russia. You are the people of this country. You know how to bring the gospel to this people. Tell the people what you do on Sunday and how you live. Be not afraid. Talk about what your family is doing and how you feel about it. Tell others what is right. We honor other religions and the good you do. We invite others to see what we can do for you. We proclaim that others who live the principles will learn that the gospel is back on the earth. Do not have the spirit of fear. Invite others to come and see and experience for themselves. We don't just say what is right. We have to do what is right. Joseph Smith had a pure heart. Follow him. This is the only Church that invites questions. To most questions we have answers. We have answers from the prophets and the scriptures."
He bore testimony of Jesus Christ and of His restored gospel and Church and added, "I am with President Monson almost daily, and I know he is a prophet. I am an apostle of the Lord."
President Uchtdorf counseled, "Make yourselves worthy to have a temple recommend, a temple will come to Russia. The Lord is ready. You need to be ready."
President Uchtdorf continued, "I love to see the children and see how happy they are. Everywhere we go people are celebrating. ... Our Heavenly Father is over all of us. Even with the difficulties in the world, the Church is growing. We will be able to be in the presence of the Father. He made sure the Restoration would take place. There will be a restitution of all things. It has happened. The Church is back on the Earth. The apostles were given the charge to seal on Earth and in heaven. The priesthood keys are back on Earth. Marriage is forever."
In his comments, Elder Andersen said, "I can feel your goodness and the Spirit of Christ. I feel courage from you. … The fate of the Church in Russia depends on you."
Elder Andersen said there is nothing magical about getting a stake. "A stake is the signal of the strength of the Church. If all missionaries were withdrawn, a stake would continue to grow. … A stake is mostly a testimony of the strength of those who live there. When will there be a stake in Russia? Only the Lord knows. Members have to be strong enough that without the missionaries the stake can still stand. … It rests on each of you."
Closing his testimony, he said, "We know more about the Savior than anyone else. In the existence before this life, we knew Christ. He was the greatest among us. He would come to Earth in an ordinary life. He taught us how to live.
Prior to meeting with the Russian members, President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen met with about 100 missionaries in the Saturn room at the Cosmos Hotel.
"We know this is a great missionary area," President Uchtdorf said. "We can feel the Spirit."
He told the missionaries, "Every day is a new day. Make every day a beautiful day in your life. Move forward."
In his comments, Elder Andersen told the missionaries, "I know your task is not easy. If I had a son on a mission, I would want President Uchtdorf to teach him how to be a good missionary because he grew up in an area of the world like this. Rejection is plentiful. When you received your call, you got a mantle to aid you."
Sister Uchtdorf told the missionaries about her own conversion when she was 13 years old. Her father had died and her mother was very sad all the time. When the missionaries contacted them with a message of hope and joy, they accepted the gospel. Their lives totally changed, she said. "It was so good to see my mother happy again," she said.
Since that time, Sister Uchtdorf's family has kept in touch with the missionary who baptized them. They met him many years later when he was a grandfather. When she referred to him as "my elder," he told her that he wasn't an elder anymore. She said, "You are my elder for eternity." She expressed gratitude for missionaries in the four corners of the Earth."
Among those who attended the member meeting was Sveta, a young single adult. Eighteen months earlier she attended an English class in Moscow when the missionaries taught her. She said she already knew the doctrines they taught. They were embarrassed, thinking she was already a member of the Church, though she wasn't. She returned to her home city and went to English class. On her third visit she arrived with an application to be a missionary. They decided they better hurry and teach her. She was quickly baptized.
She came to Moscow to work almost immediately. Her comment as a new member was, "Oh, I so much love this Church. I so much wish that I had had this Church earlier. I wanted to go to Primary and Young Women." Now she teaches in the Young Women organization.
About the apostles' visit, she said she loved "everything!"
Also attending was Gyla, a young single adult baptized nine years ago at age 16. She wanted to be baptized at that time, but her mother refused to give permission. She continued attending Church and praying. One day on the radio her mother heard a positive report about the Church's humanitarian work. Her mother turned to her and said, "If that is the kind of Church it is, you can be baptized." She was baptized shortly after.
Ramon Nabotnakov, a counselor in the Moscow District presidency, said, "God is ready and we must be ready to do His work and not be afraid. We need to tell all the people what we do on Sundays and in the evenings on Monday, what our sons and our daughters are doing in the Church. We have greater spiritual blessing at this time when temple sealings are available to us."
Members lingered and visited following the meeting, exchanging hugs and expressions of love, showing no eagerness to leave until the lights were finally dimmed.
