Elder Renlund Ministers to Venezuelan Latter-day Saints From Across the Border

“On behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ, thank you,” said Elder Renlund, a common message at the start of each of the day’s three sessions with different collections of leaders. “Thank you for accepting your callings, thank you for your faith and faithfulness, thank you for helping God’s children, and thank you for being a disciple of Jesus Christ and an example of His teachings.

“May you never forget this day,” he continued, acknowledging greetings and similar gratitude from President Russell M. Nelson, “that four Seventies and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were specifically sent to you to say ‘thank you.’”

Many individuals and families have emigrated from Venezuela to other countries in recent years for a variety of reasons. Church members who have stayed in Venezuela have sustained membership growth and developed new leaders. The four missions in Venezuela have been served by full-time missionaries drawn only from within the borders.

But the members in Venezuela have not been alone.

 
Beginning with President Nelson’s devotional message in February 2020, Church leaders are making inroads to — as directly as possible — interact, encourage and minister to the Venezuelan Latter-day Saints.

One of two South American Seventies recently receiving religious visas from Venezuela, Elder Zeballos traveled there in July of this year to meet with stake presidents, mission presidents and missionaries — the first visit by a general authority in nearly five years.

In September, unable to enter Venezuela, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited Area Seventies, stake presidents and mission presidents to travel across the county — by plane, car or bus — and into Colombia to unite with peer leaders there for a day’s instruction in the capital city of Bogotá.

And the latest is Elder Renlund, having reached the western doorstep of Venezuela.

“It has been a year of spiritual feasting, of much revelation and inspiration,” said Elder Hiranandani following the Dec. 10 trainings. “The Lord has us in mind, and we are very grateful for the instructions received from the area presidency, the Presidency of the Seventy, and our beloved Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.”

 
A Look Back

Venezuelan leaders and members believe the most recent visit to Venezuela by an Apostle came in mid-August 2013, when Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Twelve and Elder Tad R. Callister, then of the Presidency of the Seventy, joined the area presidency for leadership training and a country-wide adult devotional broadcast.

“I know that there’s been hardship in their lives that are beyond what most of the Saints across the world face,” Elder Cook told the Church News following his return. “And I felt inspired to talk to them about how the Savior’s Atonement overcomes not only sin and death, not only allows us to have exaltation and salvation, but that it does cover all of the heartache, all of the heartbreak, all of the evils, all of the seeming unfairness of life.”

With Venezuela’s first branch organized in 1966 and first mission in 1971, the Church has a strong and growing membership in Venezuela.

In 2013, the country had some 150,000 members, four missions and a temple dedicated in 2000 by President Gordon B. Hinckley, which many think is the last in-country visit by a member of the First Presidency.

North American missionaries were withdrawn in 2005, later followed by all non-Venezuelan missionaries. As the Church looked at consolidating the four missions because of decreased numbers, local leaders asked to keep all four functioning, promising to prepare and call more to help fill the void.

Venezuela today is home to more than 173,000 members in 34 stakes and congregations, with the temple operating in Caracas — and still four missions, in Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia and Barcelona.

 
February 2020: President Nelson Speaks to Venezuela

On Sunday, February 2, 2020, nearly 24,000 Latter-day Saints across Venezuela gathered in meetinghouses to watch a devotional presented by President Nelson and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

“When we face challenges and afflictions, we may feel discouraged or perhaps forgotten,” President Nelson said. “I assure you that God has not forgotten you. … I testify that the Lord knows you. You are engraved upon the palms of the hands of the Son of God. He will not abandon you.”

Elder Christofferson served as a second witness of the personal peace and progress possible for the Venezuelan Saints, as both he and President Nelson delivered their remarks in Spanish.

The two had prerecorded their videotaped messages, which were transmitted to Venezuela, copied onto thumb drives and then delivered to each stake and district in Venezuela to be shown locally.
 

May 2022: Religious Visas Granted to Two Seventies

 
Elder Zeballos recently explained that for almost five years, “it was not possible for any general authority to visit Venezuela, since we were not given religious visas.”

That changed in May of this year, when Venezuela granted religious visas to General Authority Seventies native to South America — he, a Chilean, and Elder Mathias Held, of Colombia.

In July, Elder Zeballos’ landmark visit to Venezuela included meeting with Area Seventies, mission and stake presidents and missionaries in three of the country’s four coordinating councils and missions. He’ll return in March 2023 to meet with the fourth ones in continuing to ministering there in person.

 
Last month, Elder Held traveled to Venezuela to preside over a stake presidency reorganization and stake conference.
 

August 2022: With Elder Andersen in Bogotá

In a late-August assignment in the South America Northwest Area and unable to go into Venezuela, Elder Andersen invited that Venezuela’s priesthood leaders to join their Colombian peers for a day of meetings in Bogotá.

Venezuela’s four Area Seventies, four mission presidents and 31 of 34 stake presidents traveled by plane, car or bus, depending on their passport status — some on the road for as long as 36 hours across Venezuela and into Colombia.

“I was very, very moved,” said Elder Andersen of being with the Venezuelan leaders who traveled great distances for the August 28 meetings.
 

December 2022: Elders Renlund, Zeballos on Venezuela’s Doorstep

 
From the pulpit in the Cúcuta stake center for the December 10 meetings, Elder Renlund and Elder Zeballos spoke to two cameras in the middle of the nearly bare chapel and watched the two video monitors placed up front.

They invited the Cúcuta stake presidency to attend, the three members being the sole on-site audience.

Elder Renlund cited several reasons for going to Cúcuta for the training broadcast rather than doing so from Salt Lake City — one, to be as close as possible to the Venezuelan attendees, and second, be with Elder Zeballos.

“Having Elder Zeballos, the area president, be here with me in proximity makes all the difference to me,” Elder Renlund said. “It brings a different spirit, and I think sometimes you need to get close to the issues at hand in order for revelation to come.”

An additional benefit was spending Friday with the local Latter-day Saints in Cúcuta — afternoon meetings with missionaries of the Colombia Bogotá North Mission serving in the city and older youth planning to serve missions, followed by an evening member devotional.

Said Elder Zeballos: “It would have been easier for Elder Renlund to stay in Salt Lake and do the broadcast from there, but I’m sure the members in Venezuela are very, very grateful for and mindful of his presence here — just a couple of miles from the border. Even though we are here 350 miles in a straight line from Valencia, the Venezuelans I’m sure felt his presence.”

Elder Zeballos lauds the faithfulness of Venezuelan Latter-day Saints, despite facing challenges for years. “When I visited them last July, I found a group of strong leaders — very optimistic, even despite the current situations,” he said, adding that the members there “have absolutely wanted to be self-reliant — and not just in terms of finances but spiritually self-reliant, too.”

 

 
Elder Godoy and Elder Pino Participate in Venezuela

Having Elder Godoy and Elder Pino in person at the Valencia site was “powerful,” said Elder Renlund, “because we felt like a team.”

Neither needed a visa to enter Venezuela — Elder Pino as a native of Venezuela and Elder Godoy because Brazilians need no visa.

And both had special reasons to relish the opportunity to be on assignment in Valencia. Elder Godoy was back in the country where he has both instructed and ministered previously as well as provided area oversight.

“It was like coming back to the past, but a better past,” said Elder Godoy, adding “Elder Renlund’s decision to be in Cúcuta when he could be in Salt Lake City was a message of itself. The members and leaders felt his love and care for them. It touched their hearts.”

 
For Elder Pino, it was more than just returning to his native land for his first in-country assignment in in nearly nine years.

“My heart overflows with gratitude for the assignment I received to participate in these meetings in Valencia, Venezuela,” he said. “This is the city where I was born to wonderful parents, baptized, went on a mission, and married my loving wife. It was very moving for me to see and be with many of the people I knew from my youth and who had a very positive influence on my life. It was wonderful to find them faithful in the gospel even when many of them had faced great adversity.”

More than 90 leaders attended from the Valencia stakes and wards, with another 180-plus coming from the five other stakes.

Participants included stake presidencies; stake Relief Society, Young Women and Primary presidencies; bishops and branch presidents; and elders quorum presidents and ward Relief Society, Young Women and Primary presidents.

Later that evening, Elder Godoy and Elder Pino held a devotional for young single adults in the eight stakes, with that meeting broadcast to the five stakes outside of Valencia. They presided at two stake conferences in Valencia the next day and together made several ministering visits to members during their time there.

 
‘He Was Among Us’

Elder Pino summarized Elder Renlund’s instruction and almost-there presence as “a tender mercy.”

“The members truly felt the genuine love and interest that he has for the Venezuelan Saints and his understanding of the circumstances and challenges they have had to face. The leaders feel the Lord has blessed them not only through Elder Renlund’s messages and ministry, but also through the directives that will bless the Venezuelan Saints.

“Although the Apostle’s participation came from Cúcuta, Colombia virtually, the leaders and members sincerely appreciated his effort to be as close to them as possible — in fact, the feeling during all the meetings was that he was among us.”