Right Before Our Eyes

Elder Rasband

Written by April T Giauque

President Nelson and Elder Rasband

President Nelson said at our last conference, “Do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.”

My eyes were frantic when I heard this statement. Was I seeing the Lord’s work right before my eyes, or have I been focused in the wrong direction? I opened the computer and searched online to see The Lord’s work. What was I missing? I saw political intensities, terror, hurt, pain, rage, and anger. Where is the work of the Lord? I bowed my head and prayed….and looked again, I found that I was looking in the wrong place. I need to look at who is reporting on the Lord and not who is reporting satan. 

I went to Church news, podcasts, and church-friendly sites, and this is what I found.  Devotionals, Apostles’ assignments worldwide, reports about Jackson County, Temple dedications, the saints exploding in Asia, Africa, and South America. I saw a record number of MTCs and missionaries entering the field. I turned to social media and found missionaries after missionaries sharing and proclaiming their testimony in very creative and fun ways. 

The massive project and work of the temple building, especially the Salt Lake temple, were everywhere. The church education for the world: seminaries, institutes, and BYU pathways blew me away! It is happening right before my eyes. Then, I was reminded by a gentle whisper of the Spirit, “With eyes to see…”

Hastening His work

Elder Rasband spoke of the word Hastening. “Hastening” is a word that matters. “It suggests moving quickly, accelerating, and even urgency. Hastening is happening in the Church's growth and Christ's plan. And we are all a part of it.”

He then spoke about Kirtland and the event that happened there. In April 1834 in Kirtland, Ohio, the Prophet Joseph Smith gathered all who held the priesthood into a little schoolhouse. . . Joseph Smith said, “It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world.”  I looked back at all the open tabs on my computer about the Lord’s work and grinned ear to ear!

Right Before Our Eyes

Christ Blessing the Children

Prophecy is being fulfilled “right before our eyes.”  Elder Rasband then said, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing in members and families, missions and missionaries, meetinghouses and temples, and enrollment in our seminaries, institutes, and universities worldwide.” 

We should all “marvel” at what President Nelson calls the “majesty of this moment” and express profound gratitude to the Lord for His work. Elder Rasband then encouraged us “to stand tall as His disciples, eyewitnesses of the fulfillment of ancient and modern prophecy.”

As things are happening right before our eyes, if we know where to look, there will be a group of people that will shout, “there’s nothing to see here,” or “The Lord is not returning.” We can be pulled away from the truth if we are searching in the wrong areas. Please don’t get lost in the chaos. Stay on the Lord’s side!  

Satan is terrified. He knows we will lose in the end so he will do all that he can to bring it down; however, 

“No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, … but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

Three Areas 

We all have a front-row seat to the Lord hastening His work. How is the Work being hastened? In three areas:

1. Temple building

2. Missionary work

3. Church Education

Elder Rasband reports, “Today, the Church has 367 temples in various stages of design, construction, or operation. And for what purpose? The answer is proclaimed on each temple: ‘Holiness to the Lord.’” 

As we continue to attend the temple, “we are hastening our holiness as we live temple-worthy lives, worship in the house of the Lord, and make covenants with God for ourselves and on behalf of our ancestors on the other side of the veil.”

President Nelson has said: “The assaults of the adversary are increasing exponentially, in intensity and variety. Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater. I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time.” As I attend weekly, I can feel the Lord. Elder Rasband, “In His house, we can feel the Lord’s hallowed presence and transcendent peace.”

Missionary Work

Elder Rasband was assigned to go to Lima, Peru, where he saw Elder Melvin J. Ballard’s 1926 prophecy that the work of the Lord would grow slowly for a time in South America, “just as an oak grows slowly from an acorn. It will not shoot up in a day.” Still, thousands would join the Church, and the nations of South America would become “a power in the Church.” He said, “I saw that prophecy fulfilled right before my eyes.”

Look at what is happening statistically in the Chruch. In 2024, 80,000 missionaries were serving in 450 missions. Thirty-six of those are new missions. Last year, missionary work brought over 308,000 new members into the Church. More than numbers, the spirit of the gathering is bringing souls to Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Brigham Young and Elder Kimball shouting "Hurrah for Israel!"

It is a sacrifice to serve Missions, which have existed since the prophet, Joseph Smith, sent out Missionaries to gather people to the Lord. Elder Rasband shares one story about Brigham Young and Heber C Kimball. They were asked to serve their mission, leave their families, and go to England. On the day they were to leave, both were deathly ill. They were in a wagon riding away when Brigham told Kimball they needed to give the families hope before leaving. They stood up in the wagon and shouted, “Hurrah for Israel!”  Missionary work is not about us, but it is about gathering God’s children!

Rasband served at the missionary training center in Lima, Peru. “At the end of our meeting, the missionaries had a special surprise for me. They rose up and cheered, ‘Hurrah for Israel.’ I will never forget that moment; I wish all of you could have been there. Right before my eyes were missionaries who had set aside “the things of this world” to serve the Lord and help hasten His coming.”

Church Education

Elder Rasband then shared how the Lord commands us to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” That is happening today and is worthy of a resounding “hurrah.” More than 800,000 students worldwide are enrolled in seminaries and institutes, the highest enrollment in the Church's history. 

Elder Rasband said to “Give the Lord equal time.” He counsels youth to balance their studies with true higher learning, even a study of “the Son of the living God.”

He then asked the rest of us, “Whatever is on your to-do list, give equal time, not spare time, to the Lord in personal scripture study, family study of Come, Follow Me, prayer, Church callings, ministering, partaking of the sacrament, worshipping in the temple, and pondering the things of God.”

President Nelson has said, “I plead with you to let God prevail in your life. Give Him a fair share of your time. As you do, notice what happens to your positive spiritual momentum.”

Under the Lord’s direction, the Church has built seminaries, institutes, and Church universities. Again, if you have eyes to see, you will see that attending seminaries and institutes is a priority, and it should be in our lives as well. 

Jesus is the Answer! 

The Savior

Remember Peter's words: “The devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Elder Rasband recognizes that amid the gospel's good news, some struggle with faith challenges, doubts, and questions that seem to have no answers. 

“Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the answer. Start with Him. Look for His hand in your life. Listen to Him. ‘Let not your heart be troubled,’ He said in His last hours to His disciples before Gethsemane, before carrying His cross through the streets of Jerusalem, before Golgotha, where He completed His atoning sacrifice—what only He, the Begotten Son of God, could do.”

“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” Elder Rasband pleads with us to have Faith in Jesus Christ, who can lift you up and heal your wounded soul. Trust Him and you will hasten your return to “the arms of his love.”

He emphasizes the words of our living prophet: “Do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is hastening His work.” May we, as disciples of our day, shout, “Hurrah for Israel” as we prepare for the return of our Lord and Savior.

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SlideShow

General Conference References

Saturday Morning General Conference Notes

YOUTUBE videos

YOUTUBE ASL videos