After the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, He appeared to His apostles and commanded them to be “witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the Mormon Church) is given the same charge. In a revelation on the priesthood given in 1835 through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the “twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:23).
“An apostle is an ordained leader in the Melchizedek Priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Apostles are chosen through inspiration by the president of the Church, sustained by the general membership of the Church, and ordained by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by the laying on of hands. They serve as general authorities as distinguished from local and regional officers—holding their office as apostle for the duration of their lives. The senior apostle is the president of the Church.”1
With over 14 million members of the Church worldwide, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ “traverse the globe to meet with members, train local Church leaders, visit government and civic leaders,” and administer the affairs of the Church. Like the Apostle Paul in the early church, they proclaim the gospel, bear testimony, and strengthen the members of the church.
For example, Elder Russell M. Nelson visited Japan in March 2013, where he met with Japan’s foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, and justice minister, Sadakazu Tanigaki.
“Foreign Minister Kishida and Justice Minister Tanigaki thanked the Church for the service it provided following the devastating tsunami in 2011, including financial contributions and 400,000-plus man-hours of service from local Latter-day Saints.”
Elder Nelson also devoted time to ministering to Church members in Japan and Guam.
During February, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland traveled to Europe where he visited with Latter-day Saints in Holland and Germany. While visiting England on the same trip, he spoke to Mormons and missionaries in the Church’s London Missionary Training Center, participated in an interfaith dinner, and met with members of Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Also in February, Elder Neil L. Andersen traveled to the Caribbean where he met with local priesthood leaders, missionaries, and members of the Church through the Caribbean region. He also visited Haiti to commemorate the Church’s 30-year anniversary in the country. As part of his visit, he unveiled a commemorative plaque on a hill above Port au Prince—the same spot where Church President Thomas S. Monson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated the land for the preaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
Mormons dedicate lands and countries for “divinely appointed purposes.”
“Dedication is the act of devoting or consecrating something to the Lord, or ‘setting apart’ something for a specific purpose in building the kingdom of God. It is a priesthood function performed through an official and formal act of prayer.”2
Elder Andersen said that several Church-sponsored projects continue in Haiti, each intended to continue to help members of the Church and the citizens of Haiti progress after the devastating effects of the earthquake that struck three years ago.
Elder Quentin L. Cook visited the Ivory Coast in February. He met with 9,000 members of the Church, trained local Church leaders, and visited local government officials.
In January, Elder D. Todd Christofferson visited with Latter-day Saints in several countries in Central America. “Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla extended the time allotted for Elder Christofferson’s visit to speak at greater length about the importance of strengthening the family.” He thanked President Chinchilla for “ways in which the national government has made it easier for the Church to do charitable work in the country.”
Missionary service was one of the topics Elder Christofferson discussed with Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina. Almost 1,000 Mormon missionaries serve in Guatemala and about the same number of missionaries from Guatemala serve in other countries. They also discussed a Guatemala initiative that encourages reading in Guatemalan families.
Former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley once quipped that he traveled so extensively, he had to check the LDS Church News to find out where he’d been.
Although members of the Church of Jesus Christ gather twice a year for General Conference of the Church, most Latter-day Saints watch the conference through television, satellite broadcast, or through the Internet. The personal visits from the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of the Church to their countries excite, encourage, and strengthen them.
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2. What do Mormons mean by “dedicating” something?
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This article was written by Paula Hicken, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Paula Hicken was an editor with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship from 2000 to 2013. She earned her BA degree in English from Brigham Young University. She edited Insights, the Maxwell Institute newsletter, and was the production editor for Faith, Philosophy, Scripture, Hebrew Law in Biblical Times (2nd ed.), Third Nephi: An Incomparable Scripture, and was one of the copy editors for Analysis of the Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. She also helped manage the Maxwell Institute intellectual property and oversaw rights and permissions. She has published in the Ensign, the Liahona, the LDS Church News, and the FARMS Review.
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