On March 31, 2018, I recorded the following brief entry in my journal after Russell M. Nelson was sustained as the 17th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

“I had a powerful experience during the solemn assembly this morning. I absolutely know that Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God.”

At the time, little did I know that this experience would prepare me for the following 7.5 years where the Church would see rapid change and the world would dive into further commotion.

When a friend let me know on Saturday night that President Nelson had passed away, I was sad; but my friend quickly reminded me that there must have been so much joy for President Nelson to be reunited with loved ones in heaven. This thought brought me joy.

As I pondered further, I reflected on the things I had learned from him. President Nelson’s messages were timely for turbulent times; many things he taught brought me love, joy, and hope amid life’s challenges. Here are ten of his teachings that impacted me:

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”¹

“Contention drives away the Spirit—every time. Contention reinforces the false notion that confrontation is the way to resolve differences; but it never is. Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is a choice. You have your agency to choose contention or reconciliation. I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always.”²

“Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path. Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life! Start today to experience the joy of putting off the natural man. The Savior loves us always but especially when we repent.”³

“Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance—of doing and being a little better each day. When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him.”⁴

“Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy. In the Hebrew language, that covenantal love is called hesed . . . Because God has hesed for those who have covenanted with Him, He will love them. He will continue to work with them and offer them opportunities to change. He will forgive them when they repent. And should they stray, He will help them find their way back to Him. Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us.”⁵

“The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God.”⁶

” . . . The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation . . . and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.”⁷

“The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves steadfastness.”⁸

“The best is yet to come for those who spend their lives building up others.”⁹

“The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.”¹⁰

I am grateful for the impact this prophet of God had on me. I am grateful to have lived in this time when Russell M. Nelson was President of the Church. And I am grateful for a powerful spiritual experience that prepared my heart for his ministry as he led through challenging times.

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1. Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives”, General Conference, April 2018
2. Russell M. Nelson, “Peacemakers Needed”, General Conference, April 2023
3. Russell M. Nelson, “The Power of Spiritual Momentum“, General Conference, April 2022
4. Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better“, General Conference, April 2019
5. Russell M. Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant“, Liahona, October 2022
6. Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest“, General Conference, October 2022
7. Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival“, General Conference, October 2016
8. Russell M. Nelson, Facebook Post, January 1, 2022
9. Russell M. Nelson, “Peacemakers Needed”, General Conference, April 2023
10. Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again“, General Conference, April 2024