Biographical information from the Church website

Church Service

Elder Thierry K. Mutombo was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4, 2020. At the time of his call, he had been serving as president of the Maryland Baltimore Mission. He is currently serving as President of the Africa Central Area.

Elder Mutombo has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Côte d’Ivoire Abidjan Mission, ward mission leader, ward Sunday School teacher, stake executive secretary, counselor in a stake presidency, and stake president.

Professional Life

Elder Mutombo graduated in business management from the University of Cepromad in 2010. In 2012 he received a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from the University of Cepromad. He owned a travel business from 2000 to 2005. He has worked for the Church as a supervisor in the Materials Management Department and manager of the Human Resources Department in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He most recently worked as manager of the Family History Department in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Personal Life

Thierry Kasuangi Mutombo was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on January 31, 1976. He married Nathalie Tshay Sinda in 2002. They are the parents of six children.

Brief summary

Elder Thierry K. Mutombo testifies that the greatest joy, strength, and peace come through a covenant relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Centring his message on the Saviour’s Atonement and Resurrection, he teaches that God’s love is available to all who come unto Christ and is deepened through faithful covenant keeping. Drawing on the heartbreaking loss of four children and intense cultural pressure to abandon his marriage, Elder Mutombo shares how temple covenants, faith in Jesus Christ, and the Saviour’s sustaining love carried him and his wife through profound sorrow. He assures us that however dark our circumstances may seem, “Sunday will come” through Jesus Christ.

Key quotes

‘Without Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, no one would have hope to return to our Heavenly Father. And without His Resurrection, death would be the end.’ (Paragraph 5)

‘Indeed, our Heavenly Father has a special love for each person who makes the covenant with Him in the waters of baptism. That divine love deepens as additional covenants are made in the house of the Lord and are faithfully kept.’ (Paragraph 8)

‘Sometimes things do not work out in mortality as we hope, and sometimes we need the faith in Jesus Christ that all will work out in the end.’ (Paragraph 20)

‘During this mortal life, each of us will face our own dark days, times when things are not going as hoped. When you face this darkness of sorrow, please remember that dark day when Jesus Christ was humiliated, bruised, abused, reviled, and lifted on the cross for you and me.’ (Paragraph 21)

‘Our Heavenly Father’s plan for us is happiness now and joy forever in His presence. He gives us laws and commandments and makes covenants with us to bless us.’ (Paragraph 23)

‘We can grow in humility and strengthen our covenantal relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ if we change our nature to become like a child, building our life on the rock, who is the Savior Jesus Christ, yielding in faith in Him, responding to the Holy Ghost’s direction to faithfully keep the covenants made with the Lord at our baptism and in the house of the Lord.’ (Paragraph 29)

Questions to discuss or ponder

What do you take away from Elder Mutombo’s story about the death of four children?

What does Christ’s invitation to ‘Come unto me’ mean? (Paragraph 7)

When have you experienced divine love during a difficult time in your life? (Paragraph 9)

When have temple covenants brought you peace and reassurance? (Paragraphs 14-15)

How can we develop faith that all will work out in the end? (Paragraph 20)

What does Elder Mutombo mean when he says that ‘Sunday will come?’ (Paragraph 22)

Why is loving the Lord the great commandment of life? (Page 26)

Invitations and application

‘“Come unto me” is a divine invitation which means wherever you are now or whatever you are going through in your life, you can feel God’s infinite love manifested through His Son, Jesus Christ.’ (Paragraph 7)

The enduring message of Elder Mutombo’s talk is that true joy is not the absence of trials but the presence of a covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As we come unto Him, make and keep covenants, and trust Him through our darkest days, we can feel His love, receive His strength, and look forward with confidence to eternal joy.

Additional thoughts

Christ’s atoning power overcomes all the effects of the Fall, including physical death. Because of Him, every person who has ever lived will be resurrected. Although Christ was not subject to death, He willingly allowed Himself to be sacrificed, and through that sacrifice gained power over the grave.

In Mosiah 15:8 we read:

“And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men.”

“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 (חֶסֶד)” (President Russell M. Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant,” Liahona, Oct. 2022, 5).’

You can watch Elder Mutombo’s talk here.

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