In a live Face to Face broadcast for young adults, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Melanie, answered questions and shared insights with Latter-day Saints ages 18–30 about the Church’s founding events.
The event focused on the 200th anniversary of the Restoration, known to followers of the global faith as a compilation of events that led to the reestablishment of the ancient church and gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed by Joseph Smith.
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“I believe that studying the Restoration lifts and builds their faith in Jesus Christ,” said Elder Rasband in an interview with Church Newsroom shortly after the event.
The apostle and his wife answered questions submitted by young adults through social media leading up to the event. The Sunday evening broadcast originated from the Church’s movie set of ancient Jerusalem in Goshen, Utah, that included a limited number of guests.
To prepare for the discussion, Elder Rasband asked young adults on his Facebook page to ask themselves, “How does the restored gospel help me overcome the challenges of today’s world?” and then post their response on social media using #SacredGrove.
The Rasbands also invited young adults to watch the broadcast with family, fellow congregants and friends of the faith.
“How can I better use ... the Restoration of the gospel to combat the fear and worry with faith, assurance, and hope in the Savior and His plan for me?” asked Kealey, one of many Latter-day Saints who submitted their questions through Facebook, Instagram and other social media channels.
“We know these are difficult times. We know there are those of you that are mourning. We know fires are burning, hurricanes are occurring, we know winds are coming,” answered Elder Rasband. “And yet we can take comfort and confidence that the Lord Jesus Christ loves this church, loves His people and as He has said numerous times, ‘If you stand on holy ground ye need not be troubled.’”
Sister Rasband added that, “at a time of potential fear and a lot of great change” in her family’s life, she found comfort in a specific scripture.
“‘Be of good cheer and do not fear, because I the Lord am with you and will stand by you” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6), she read.
In addition to questions about how to use the gospel of Jesus Christ to overcome life’s challenges, and as part of the live discussion, a viewer from Chile asked Elder Rasband to offer additional insights into how the bicentennial proclamation known as “The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World” came to be.
“[President Nelson] allowed all of the apostles to write and edit the proclamation,” said Elder Rasband. “In the end, I want you all to know that we reached unity and we knew that what we were doing in preparing that proclamation to the world was the mind and will of Jesus Christ.”
Elder Rasband explained that once the process was completed, it was shared with Latter-day Saints around the world.
“It was a wonderful and special revelatory experience,” he added.
Church President Russell M. Nelson issued the commemorative proclamation at the April 2020 General Conference in honor of the 200th anniversary of the appearance of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, to Joseph Smith, founder and first president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Young adults also asked Elder and Sister Rasband for advice and guidance on other topics, including Church policies and history.
“What advice do you have for when we feel uncomfortable with certain Church teachings or policies?” wrote Harriet from Wyoming.
In response, Elder Rasband emphasized the importance of that question and called the gospel principle behind it “a critical doctrine.”
The Rasbands read several scriptures, including Amos 3:7: “Surely the Lord will do nothing but He revealeth His secret unto His servants, the prophets.”
“We wanted to firmly establish for all you the importance of following God’s living prophet on the earth,” said Elder Rasband. “That’s the safest, most sure way …”
Sister Rasband shared that when she and Elder Rasband were first married and in school, Church President Spencer W. Kimball encouraged Latter-day Saint young adults to not delay having children.
“We felt that we had to pray about this and felt strongly that we had to follow the prophet,” she said. “I added my trust and my faith with [Elder Rasband’s] and we moved forward.”
Harry, a Latter-day Saint from California, said, “I have serious problems with the truth claims of the church and I’m considering removing my name from the records of the Church. Can you give me a reason why I should stay?”
“Harry, the first thing I want to say to you is, don’t you do it,” said Elder Rasband. “Maybe it would help to reframe your question … think of it as, ‘Why do I choose to stay?’”
During the broadcast, the Rasbands shared a video about Dominic Still, a young adult from Washington who faced many personal challenges, including suicidal thoughts.
Still, who narrated the video, said that after finding the gospel of Jesus Christ and attending a Church meeting, he prayed to God and received a personal confirmation of its truthfulness.
“It changed everything for me,” said Still. “When I look at that person in the mirror, I see light in his eyes.”
“[God has] already given you one of the biggest reasons to stay, and that includes Christ, His Son,” said Still, who was a part of the event’s live audience.
Without hesitation, Elder Rasband expressed his love for Harry and any young adults in the Church that may have similar types of concerns.
“You also need to think about what your decision means and how it impacts future generations [of your family],” said Elder Rasband.
“The leaders of this Church are not foreign to what is going on in your lives,” added Elder Rasband. “We love you, we thank you and we need you as we go forward into what the world is going to offer us in the future.”
The Face to Face event was originally planned to take place in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York. But, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Church leaders changed the location and invited a limited group of guests.
The broadcast was interpreted into more than 10 languages, including Spanish, Portuguese and French.
“All of your questions can be answered by the Lord Jesus Christ. He truly has the great answer for every one of our questions,” said Elder Rasband.
The Face to Face with Elder and Sister Rasband can now be viewed on ChurchOfJesusChrist.org and the Church’s official YouTube channel.