Thank you to my Pearl among Women for her notes from meeting held 12 April 2018  at Hyde Park, London with President and Sister Nelson, Elder and Sister Holland

During the opening song by the choir, the prophet turned around in his seat and looked at all the singers and the conductor for all the song and then expressed a deep appreciation for them in his talk. Quite something when he has had the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing behind him for so many years

Sister Holland – her voice was not good, she said she was tired poor lady, she thanked the choir saying it was a beautiful hymn and a beautiful performance. She counted this as one of the greatest privileges of her life to accompany the President on his first major tour as Prophet and what a compliment it is that this is his first stop! What a privilege to be here on the Prophet’s first ministering tour. She described Sister Nelson as “the perfect wife to her husband and a perfect friend to me”. She makes you feel so wonderful, she is filled with faith, instils confidence, lives with exactness, she has turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to their fathers. She is a true and loyal friend.

She has known President Nelson well. He may be the man for whom the word “gentleman” was created. He has the Saviour’s gentleness and the Saviour’s compassion. Each person in the room is important to him. She has never heard him raise his voice or seen him get angry. He listens more than he speaks and wishes every person in the group to be heard – maybe this comes from being a father of nine daughters!

Those who honour the prophet will have peace like a river. President Nelson gives this peace like a river. The Lord magnifies his servants and gives them rest. “….peace as thy river and righteousness as the waves of the sea”(Isaiah)

Testified of the prophet.

Elder Holland

Well what do I do after Sister Holland??? I could sing, say a prayer.. but you might think that’s the benediction! He talked about memories of being here in England and the fact that he is the only true Irish general authority. My life began spiritually on my mission as it often does. I was in this building when it was dedicated by a prophet.As a young man I was in the presence of a prophet and as an older man here in the presence of a prophet. As Area President I got to travel and meet many of you and it kind of buckles my knees to think about it but I have never been the same since I touched down in Heathrow in the fall of 1960. I never want to change. Blessings and gifts of that change so great. Joseph Smith sent the majority of the Quorum of the Twelve here as missionaries. He talked of the remarkable conference and of how the spirit there was palpable many were weeping, there was a profound, magesterial manifestation of the spirit. The word we continued to hear was “revelation” That is our message. This is the living church of the living God. God speaks to His children. He gives answers to individual prayers but institutionally, universally through prophets. An unbroken chain of prophets. There is constant communication through a living prophet from heaven to earth. We have ordinances but people have to understand first there is a God and that the heavens are open then ordinances will flow from that.

“Rush of revelation”. He remarked on how he had quipped at conference about not knowing how much more we could handle then he got up and gave some more!!!Remind you of what he said… his message was revelation. He shared the way Joseph Smith set a pattern for u; the sermon on the day was to do what a prophet of God was illustrating and modelling. To quote a Scot.. George MacDonald:

“Is every Christian expected to bear witness? A man content to bear no witness to the truth is not in the kingdom of heaven. One who believes must bear witness. One who sees the truth, must live witnessing to it. Is our life, then, a witnessing to the truth? Do we carry ourselves in bank, on farm, in house or shop, in study or chamber or workshop, as the Lord would, or as the Lord would not? Are we careful to be true? Do we endeavor to live to the height of our ideas? Or are we mean, self-serving, world-flattering, fawning slaves? When contempt is cast on the truth, do we smile? Wronged in our presence, do we make no sign that we hold by it? I do not say we are called upon to dispute, and defend with logic and argument, but we are called upon to show that we are on the other side. But when I say truth, I do not mean opinion: to treat opinion as if that were truth, is grievously to wrong the truth. The soul that loves the truth and tries to be true will know when to speak and when to be silent; but the true man will never look as if he did not care.”

Testified of the Prophet.

Sister Wendy Watson Nelson

Thanked the choir. Talked of 3 ancestral lines of her family belonging here. The hymn “Where Can I Turn for Peace?” reminded her of 11.01pm when they got the call to say President Monson had passed on, she and her husband had talked for a while then put out the lights and she stared into the dark and into the future. This hymn came to mind but one line in particular– “where can I run?” Three months on, how would I feel in the solemn assembly? I expected to feel a little anxious instead felt overwhelmingly at peace.

Early this morning as I was thinking about speaking to you tonight I pictured being in the kitchen having a hot chocolate. Having a heart to heart. I would like to share with you what life has been like since husband being prophet. It is often remarked the wife is the last to know but not on this occasion. Two days after President Monson died, she and husband – she always referred to him as (“my husband” as if she just relished that – lovely) had a remarkable experience together and two days after that the exact same thing happened to her all over again. Too sacred to share but she could never deny. She knows her husband after 12 years of marriage, he wakes through the night to write notes on a pad of lined yellow paper he keeps by bedside but since becoming a prophet revelation is coming fast. Just the other night he said “Ok Wendy, it’s happening again” He was sitting writing notes. On another occasion she got a prompting to wake early – it was Saturday, no need to get up yet, her sleep wasn’t out but get up she did and did some tasks around the house. Two hours later, he emerged from the bedroom and said the Lord had given him detailed instructions of a process he needed to follow.

Every day the man who comes back in the evening is a little different to the man she kissed goodbye on his way to work. Bruce r McConkie speaking of life pre-mortally and of another prophet said this and she inserted his name:

“By obedience, by conformity, by personal righteousness, because he elected to follow in the path of the Chosen and Beloved Son, Russell Nelson was noble and great in the pre-existence. Above all his other talents, he developed the talent for spirituality—the talent to believe and accept the truth, the talent to desire righteousness.

He knew and worshiped the Lord Jehovah, who was “like unto God.” (Abr. 3:24.) He was a friend of Adam and Enoch. He took counsel from Noah and Abraham. He sat in meetings with Isaiah and Nephi. He served in the heavenly kingdom with Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.”

She prayed we would seek to remember our own premortal valour…..

President Nelson

Humbly and kindly and graciously thanked everyone for being here, didn’t have to be here! Thanked the choir and his team for cheering him on! He said he did not know whether to live or die – his funeral could not be better than this!!! But it is really all about the calling and office.

Explained about being here in 1987 with president Benson and President Hinckley for a special dinner at The Savoy Hotel in London. Trumpets were played at the beginning and the end of that occasion and he was given a gift as a memento of the occasion – a Book of Mormon the same edition the one presented by Brigham Young to Queen Victoria. That is still in the Royal Library somewhere – he had not looked but thought it would be!

Then another occasion he came to England was in 1988 when he took an airplane from new York to London where he had an appointment to speak at a fireside in the Crawley chapel at 7pm. An hour from touchdown the pilot explained due to fog at Heathrow, the plane had been rerouted to Manchester. He just prayed and prayed because he knew he could not keep that appointment if the plane went to Manchester and he wanted to make good on that appointment. Then the plot announced they did not have enough gas to go to Manchester! He said they would go to Gatwick – no one could get off the plane there they would refuel then go on to Manchester. So he asked the stewardess if they could get off at Gatwick but the answer was no. President Nelson said there was a thousand people waiting for him to speak to them. She said it was no for two reasons – 1 there would be no customs officer to allow him entry to the country and 2 they would not be able to get his baggage. Pres Nelson said they only had cabin baggage and they would find a customs officer themselves. She agreed – no one else got off that plane at Gatwick but they did! The mission President and wife were waiting for them at Heathrow but his secretary had given him the number of Crawley chapel so they called to have someone come and get them. Which they did. They got there to find they had only missed the opening prayer. The Mission President and wife arrived shortly after and said “How did you get here?!” Heaven had intervened. He has seen lots of answers to prayers.

Thank you to all those who were involved in cleaning the chapel to get it ready for the Inspector General. He had heard that even some painting and renewal of carpets had happened and even cleaning using toothbrushes to get it ready for Inspector General! That got him thinking maybe we should clean up our lives? The only way we can do that is to focus on Him. The Latter-day saints have the an advantage – all the scriptures and prophets who receive continuing revelation. He testified powerfully of the savior – He is the Son of God, the Anointed One making life eternal possible for everyone. He has another two titles – messiah and The Christ both meaning “anointed”. He is the Creator of this and other worlds. He mentioned Abraham 1 where it spoke of numberless heavenly bodies and planets so it is no surprise to us – it is part of our doctrine. Jesus was also the Jehovah of the Old Testament. One time when president Nelson was in Hollywood at an event he was given an invitation to pray. He prayed in the name of The Great God Jehovah. The Jewish comedian George Burns turned to him afterwards and said “That’s my God!”

Through Abraham’s line came the Saviour. Through Judah’s line came those to prepare for the coming of the Lord and through Ephraim and Manasseh came those preparing for the second coming of the Lord. That’s us! There is much work to be done. There are two promises to be fulfilled:

1.Israel will be gathered

2. The world will be prepared for the great millennium.

The first principles of the gospel are faith, repentance, Baptism then ordinances to qualify us for eternal life. If someone is prepared then it does not matter when they die, eternal life will be theirs, even if someone dies young, ( if they are prepared it is alright for them).

Jesus is our exemplar. We need to be ministers – how? Just the way Jesus would , that’s all. Look to the lonely, afraid, feeling unwanted, unloved. Maybe they have had a bad day or bad news. Ministering in a holier way a step higher – really loving someone, being a spiritual physician think about where is the pain coming from? No matter what it is the gospel will lift. We thought about names for visiting and home teaching and the thought about shepherds but no, just ministers.

An example – Pres Nelson was working to clear the ice from his driveway when his Tongan home teacher came and took over and sorted the ice on the driveway for him – that was his way of ministering. It is not complicated, convoluted or complex. You love God, you love your neighbour.. by caring, loving, making life better for people. Opening doors of countries to the preaching of the gospel is the only way to make lives better. 2 Nephi 9:41.  O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

The scriptures talk about the Book of Mormon being a marvellous work and a wonder. In the Hebrew language the same word translated as marvellous and wonder literally means miracle. So you can say the Book of Mormon is a miraculous miracle and be right!He told of the quorum of the Twelve – how they are never late all come early to a meeting. There is great unity among them, they are united in their love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

That’s where we are. It is President Nelson’s desire that we be willing to speak in the name of the Lord. As head of the church, he said he could absolutely testify that Christ leads the church. He left a blessing on us and I was able to get most of it…

That we will feast upon the words of Christ and apply those teachings in our lives. That we will be kind and considerate to neighbours, family and friends, that we will have safety in our travels, that we will have strength and fidelity in our families and that through the love of the Lord, you will become closer. Should there be illness among you …I bless you with healing and health commensurate with faith, need and the will of the Lord.