Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reminded attendees at a special conference in the Marshall Islands on the weekend that “God loves the people of the islands of the sea.”
Elder Cook in the Marshall Islands
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks to the Majuro Marshall Islands Stake Conference, Sunday 26 May 2024.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Elder Cook, accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook, and Pacific Area President Elder Peter F. Meurs, and his wife, Sister Maxine Meurs, addressed a special stake conference of the Church held in Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands, on Sunday 26 May 2024.
This was the final meeting of his tour of Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands, which began in Sydney on 19 May.
Elder Cook speaks to the Majuro Marshall Islands Stake Conference
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks to the Majuro Marshall Islands Stake Conference, Sunday 26 May 2024.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Elder Cook said as a new General Authority of the Church in 1996, he was assigned to serve in the Philippines Area Presidency, and the Marshall Islands was then a part of that Area.
“I came to Majuro every year and spent time here. I learned to love the people and to love the isles of the sea,” Elder Cook explained. “
Elder Cook cited scripture as he reminded the Church members in the Marshall Islands that they should never forget that their Father in Heaven is aware of them.
“In the very first verse of the Doctrine and Covenants, it says simply: “. . . verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together,” he said. “The Lord loves the people who live on the islands of the seas.”
Elder Cook and Elder Tune
Elder Quentin L. Cook greets Elder Iotua Tune, Area Seventy, before his remarks to a devotional held at the Kwajalein Marshall Islands Stake this past weekend.© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.“I am so grateful to be here.”
He added that he was also grateful to represent the Saviour, Jesus Christ, before such a faithful and dedicated people. “I am an Apostle, and one of my responsibilities is to testify of Jesus Christ.
“I testify to you that He lives, that He is divine, that He is our Saviour and our Redeemer. We can have the assurance of eternal life because of Jesus Christ.”
Pacific Area President, Elder Peter F. Meurs, said that focusing on simple things will give us the ability to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. “The first thing we can do is offer our prayers as families and individuals.
“We can ask in faith for ourselves and seek His blessings,” Elder Meurs said. “We can also pray for each other.”
He noted that as people perform service for others, their faith in the Saviour will also grow. “In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we all have opportunities to serve. We serve when we minister to each other, and we are called to sustain one another.
“As we do so, we become more united,” Elder Meurs said.
He said, "Each week we can prepare for the sacrament through daily repentance. Then as we participate, we remember the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and feel of His healing and redeeming power.
"With His continuing help all of us can return to Heavenly Father and enjoy eternal family associations," Elder Meurs said.
Elder Meurs said that “in the Pacific area, we are blessed to have 10 operating temples, with 10 more announced. Temples are coming closer to us, and a great way to show the Lord that we are ready for a temple is for us to see our priesthood leader and make sure we have a current recommend (an authorisation) for us to attend the temple.”
