In his first media interview in seven months, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with his wife, Wendy, recently sat down with Church media for nearly one hour to reflect on a variety of themes.
Over the next few weeks, Newsroom and Church News will release various segments of the interview. In the first of a three-part series, today’s article focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how President and Sister Nelson, the Church, and Church membership have responded.
“Even Through Clouds of Sorrow, There Can Be Silver Linings”
“What I feel about the pandemic is sorrow,” said President Nelson as he sat next to his wife, Wendy. “I have suffered with the family of a loved one as he went through the illness and lost his life from it.”
Prior to becoming the senior leader of over 16 million Latter-day Saints, President Nelson dedicated much of his life to the medical field as a researcher and internationally renowned heart surgeon.
“There’s no way you can measure the depths of sorrow watching a dear friend or relative suffer with an infection and die,” he said. “These feelings of sorrow I feel with great sincerity and compassion.”
The global faith leader added that feelings of deep sorrow are shared by people around the world who, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, face dire circumstances.
“Huge holes have developed in all of our financial safety nets,” said President Nelson. “Many people throughout the world have not adequate food. Graduation ceremonies have been canceled for high schools, colleges and universities. Marriages have been postponed.”
“I’ve learned that even through clouds of sorrow, there can be silver linings found,” he said.
According to the 95-year-old prophet, those silver linings include Latter-day Saints’ increased focus on service, home-centered worship and family history work. “I’ve learned how marvelous our members are,” said President Nelson. “Their home is now reenthroned as the primary sanctuary of their faith.”
As the coronavirus disease unfolded globally, the Church’s First Presidency announced multiple precautionary measures to prevent COVID-19's spread. “It has been a period of unprecedented action,” said President Nelson.
Some of these changes included the initial suspension of Church meetings and temporary temple closures, the cancellation of large gatherings and changes to missionary work—all in harmony with local government regulations and policies. In recent weeks, out of a continued abundance of caution, a reintegration of meetings and temple reopenings are occurring in various phases.
President and Sister Nelson Interview June 2020
Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Wendy, answer questions during an interview with Newsroom and Church News. President Nelson and Sister Nelson reflected on several topics, including COVID-19’s impact and the Church’s involvement in humanitarian work during the pandemic.© 2020 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved.“Missionaries are teaching more than ever,” said President Nelson. “Even though temples have been closed, family history work is taking a huge leap forward. Technology has also been one of the silver linings. Our missionaries, they’ve been creative. Now they reach out to people using social media. People now know better than ever that the family really is ordained of God, with an eternal destiny.”
President Nelson also noted that since the pandemic, Latter-day Saints’ voluntary fast offerings have increased, as has humanitarian aid.
“These emotions of fear, isolation and danger are best handled by immersing oneself in the care of other people,” said President Nelson. “Individual heroes have emerged. For example, countless health care professionals and providers have risked their own lives to care for others.”
How President and Sister Nelson Have Faced the Pandemic
In addition to the Churchwide changes, COVID-19 also impacted the Nelsons on a personal level.
“Our priority lists have shifted dramatically,” said Sister Nelson.
She said it was “really traumatic” to have the coronavirus spread paired with a 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked their home in Salt Lake City, Utah, in mid-March 2020.
“I started baking,” said Sister Nelson. “I wanted to be roasting vegetables. I wanted to be making every cookie and cupcake I could find, trying to modify the recipe to make it as healthy as possible, but kitchen therapy is what I went directly for.” President Nelson quipped, “I’m in favor of that kind of therapy.”
“I found myself thinking about a lot of people from my past and thought, ‘why have these people been in my life?’... Was there something else I should be doing to help them?” Sister Nelson added.
She said her curiosity about her own family’s background influenced her to reach out to friends and help them with their genealogy work. “Just last week I helped a friend in Canada with her family history research, and I think she and her ancestors were pretty happy,” said Sister Nelson. “My family history work has only increased. It’s been great, and so my family history research has actually accelerated during this period of time.”
In addition to some kitchen therapy and more time to dedicate to family history work, she said President Nelson has found more time to play the piano.
Sister Nelson said having an eternal perspective has helped her keep grounded during these unprecedented times.
“The eternal perspective was really important to me, to say ‘this isn’t catching God off guard, He knows the end from the beginning,’” said Sister Nelson. “That was really comforting to me.”
“We Used to Think that We Had to Leave Home to Go to Church”
During the October 2018 general conference, President Nelson announced adjustments to balance Latter-day Saint gospel study at home and at Church. In his remarks, President Nelson explained that starting in January 2019, members around the world would see changes made to their Sunday meeting schedule, as well as the implementation of a new home-centered and Church-supported curriculum called, “Come, Follow Me.”
This new curriculum emphasizes scripture study in the home as individuals and families, with Sunday lessons supporting what is learned.
President Nelson said the COVID-19 pandemic has advanced the Church’s mission of emphasizing home-centered worship even more.
“Our people were well prepared for closure in churches because they had ‘Come, Follow Me,’” said President Nelson. “We used to think that we had to leave home to go to church. Now we hope every home has that rich spiritual feeling: prayer, learning, service—all those attributes of the gospel.”Sister Nelson said people have shared with her faith-strengthening experiences they have had with home-centered worship during the pandemic.
“On the very first Sabbath day, when sacrament was held in the homes, a 99-year-old grandfather, now blind, deaf, [with] mobility problems, blessed the sacrament for the first time,” said Sister Nelson.
She said the soon-to-be centenarian revealed to his family that it was his first time participating in the sacred ordinance. They were in awe.
“What I learned from that is that the Lord would take whatever situation you’re in … and turn it into good,” said Sister Nelson.
Next week, in part two of this three-part series, President and Sister Nelson will share their thoughts about the Church’s largest humanitarian project ever — COVID-19 — as well as the sudden closing and gradual reopening of all temples.