Apostles Visit Church Members in India, Hong Kong and Mongolia

This story was updated on 2 June 2011.

Two apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently visited Church members in India, Hong Kong and Mongolia to extend their love and blessings. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland visited Latter-day Saints in India and Mongolia on 22 May 2011 and 28 May 2011 respectively, and Elder Holland was accompanied by Elder David A. Bednar on a visit to Hong Kong on 25 May 2011.

Just as their counterparts in ancient times were sent throughout the world, members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles today travel the world as witnesses of Christ to strengthen and encourage Church members and conduct the business of the Church.

“The ministry of the Brethren is focused on individuals and families, so that’s what we’re doing in Hong Kong, that’s what we do anywhere that we go," Elder Bednar said.

One of the purposes of their visit was to train local priesthood leaders and become personally acquainted with the unique challenges and needs of members. The Church now has more than 14 million members, most of whom live outside of the United States.

“I’ve come halfway around the world literally to say basically one thing. … We love you,” Elder Holland said. “You may be a long ways away from us physically or geographically, but you’re not more than a prayer away and a heartbeat away from our affections and our admiration.”

In India, Elder Holland held a conference with local priesthood leaders, and leaders in Lahore, Pakistan, participated via video conference and members in 25 other locations listened through webcasts.

Elder Holland also counseled Church members to continue to make correct choices and then blessed the people with health, safety and prosperity.

"We are truly a global church," Elder Holland said. "We are an international church. We are in Asia for Asians, we are in South America for South Americans, we are in Eastern Europe for Eastern Europeans. We haven't come to take away, or siphon off, or run anything back to the United States. We're there to give and to plant and to build and to see the Church grow by those local people, for those local people in those local countries."

The Church has approximately 9,200 Church members in India in 36 congregations.

In Hong Kong, Elders Holland and Bednar addressed nearly 1,000 adult Latter-day Saints at a devotional. Elder Holland taught Church members that they can overcome life’s challenges through prayer and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Elder Bednar said he sees much to be optimistic about in his worldwide travels.

"The more I travel the world, the more nations I visit, the more people I'm blessed to learn from, the more I find that in all the world people are basically the same," Elder Bednar said. "I think we highlight the differences in culture and language, but in all the places that I've been, fundamentally, in terms of what matters most, people are the same. Most people have a yearning to love and worship God. They love their spouses, they love their children, and in that it is exactly the same everywhere — in Hong Kong, in the United States, in Europe, wherever it might be."

The Church has nearly 25,000 members in Hong Kong in 32 congregations.

In his visit to Mongolia, Elder Holland said he was pleased to see the many people who have joined the Church since its inception in the country in 1992.

"To come here and see the Church in Mongolia — born in a day in a sense — 10,000 strong [and] nearly one in every 10 citizens in Ulaanbaater are members of the Church, I was just unprepared for this," Elder Holland said. "Elder [Carl B.] Pratt [of the Seventy] and I have just come from a priesthoood leadership conference with 120 men or so. All of them have to be, by definition, new to the Church; they are first generation because that's as long as we've been here. And we've got a stake, we had two districts present, we had full presidencies and full councils, bishops and branch presidents. The Church has been born in a day in Mongolia."

The first missionaries who arrived in Mongolia lived in Ulaanbaatar, which is home to about half the country's population. Mongolia now has nearly 10,000 Church members spread among 23 congregations.

To learn more about the role of an apostle, see this video from Elder Bednar.

Read more about the visits to India and Hong Kong at LDS.org’s Church News and Events pages below:

Elder Holland Blesses Members in India

Elder Holland Tells Hong Kong Saints Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

Transcription of Elder Holland and Bednar soundbites (downloadable broll):

:00 – Elder Holland - “We've got a stake, we had two districts present in addition to the stake, we had full presidencies and full councils, bishops and branch presidents. The Church has been born in a day in Mongolia."

:22 – Elder Holland - “To see the Church in Mongolia — born in a day in a sense — 10,000 strong [and] nearly one in every 10 citizens in Ulaanbaater are members of the Church.”

:39 – Elder Bednar - “The ministry of the Brethren is focused on individuals and families, so that’s what we’re doing in Hong Kong, that’s what we do anywhere that we go.”

:56 – Elder Bednar - “Most people have a yearning to love and worship God. They love their spouses, they love their children, and in that it is exactly the same everywhere — in Hong Kong, in the United States, in Europe, wherever it might be."

1:15 – Elder Bednar - “The more I travel the world, the more nations I visit, the more people I'm blessed to learn from, the more I find that in all the world people are basically the same.”