Tender Highlights from the Tribute to President Nelson

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hosted a broadcast in celebration of President Russell M. Nelson’s life. Here are recaps and tender highlights from the powerful gathering of Saints in honor of their beloved prophet. 

Opening Prayer

Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela gave the opening prayer:

“Our beloved Heavenly Father, we come to Thee with gratitude as we gather to honor Thy prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. We thank Thee Father for his devoted service, for his prophetic counsel, and for his unwavering witness of thee and thy Son, Jesus Christ. We ask Thy spirit to be with us during this tribute, that our hearts may be lifted, our faith strengthened, and our commitment to follow thee father may be increased too. and to keep our covenants. please bless pn family with comfort and peace and bless us all that we may honor his memory by leaving us true disciples of christ. we offer this prayer in the sacred name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, amen.” 

President Dallin H. Oaks

President Oaks began his remarks by remembering President Nelson as a “prophet of love.” 

“President Nelson showed us the meaning of love in a world with billions of people in many nations,” President Oaks said. “He caused our church humanitarian efforts to reach out beyond our membership, to include many nations with whom our earlier relationships have been frayed or non existent.”

This dedication to following the example of Jesu Christ was the basis of his tribute and President Oaks shared many teachings from President Nelson about love.

“President Nelson was our model in loving one another. He loved us and we felt it,” President Oaks said. “His love strengthened us when we fell short, such as in failing to love our enemies or difficult neighbors. President Nelson’s confidence in us gave us the determination and strength to try to follow the example of Jesus Christ.”

The most personal portion of President Oak’s tribute occurred when he shared his final meeting with President Nelson. 

He said, “The last time President Eyring and I saw President Nelson was two days before he died, we expressed our love for Him, our dearest friend, and gave him assurances that we were carrying on with the decisions he had made. He smiled and tried hard to communicate with us. Words were difficult, but his efforts and his smile conveyed the love he felt for us as his counselors and for each of you in this great work.”

President Susan H. Porter

President Porter shared her personal experiences with President Nelson that highlighted his compassion and care for all. 

When Sister Porter’s husband Bruce as called as a General Authority, their family moved to Frankfurt, Germany. However, less than two years into their assignment, Bruce experienced kidney failure and has to be rushed back to the United States for medical care. 

“Remarkably, Elder Nelson was there to meet us at the airport, even through the grief of suddenly losing his beloved wife, dansel and later his dear daughter, Wendy, Elder Nelson continued to answer the call of the Savior: ‘I was sick and ye visited me.’ He visited many, including Bruce, who underwent multiple surgeries over a decade.”

She continued, “Elder Nelson’s visits followed a remarkable pattern he would enter very quietly, tenderly hold Bruce’s hand, and if he was awake, he would speak softly and gently to him. He always took time to encourage and uplift me.”

Sister Porter also shared a powerful experience of President Nelson ministering to the one. 

“Years later, after successful kidney transplant, Bruce received an assignment to serve in the area presidency in Moscow, Russia. In May of 2015 we were overjoyed to welcome Elder and Sister Nelson to Moscow. We traveled with them and President and Sister Britain, 5000 kilometers east to Irkutsk near Lake Baikal. Members traveled long distances on busses, as this would be the first visit of an apostle to this beautiful area.”

“At the close of the meeting, Elder Nelson offered an apostolic blessing, including a sacred blessing of health and healing. As Elder Nelson came off the stand, he reached out and shook hands with one person among the hundreds gathered a gentleman seated in the first row unknown to Elder Nelson. This man had prayed fervently to receive a blessing of healing, as he had suffered with poor health for many years, his joyful, tear stained face is still etched in my memory. I had witnessed the love of God offered to this precious soul in far off Siberia by the apostolic blessing an outstretched hand of an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Bishop Gerald Caussé

“For my counselors and me, it has been a sacred privilege to serve under President Nelson’s leadership over the past seven and a half years,” Bishop Caussé began. “Meeting with him weekly, we witnessed firsthand a prophet of God. Many have asked me what it was like to work with him, what kind of man he truly was, my answer is simple. President Russell M. Nelson was exactly the man you believed him to be. He embodied unwavering faith, pure love and profound compassion for all of God’s children.”

Bishop Caussé shared how President Nelson’s gift for remembering names and his listening ear made him a true shepherd, always giving his complete attention to every word.

He also told a touching story about a time when President Nelson joined his family for dinner. 

“President Nelson was also a devoted family man. His love for family was evident when he presided over our state conference in Paris, France in 2005. At the time, I was serving as tech president, and went to meet him at the airport. Late in the evening after several flight delays, seeing his fatigue, I suggested canceling the dinner at our home. With a warm smile, he assured me that dinner with our family was the most important meeting of the conference, and he had no intention of missing it. That evening became unforgettable.

“He connected tenderly with each of our children, and learning of our love for music, proposed a family concert. After a few of us played, he concluded with a moving performance of Chopin’s Prelude in C Minor, one of his favorites.”

“As we stepped outside, he turned to me with piercing eyes and bore a powerful testimony of the blessing of family. Then with deep conviction, he reminded me that caring for my beautiful wife was my most important priesthood duty. I will never forget that inspired counsel. My dear brothers and sisters, serving under President Russell M. Nelson’s inspired leadership has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

Elder Carl B. Cook

Elder Cook testified that President Nelson truly cared for the one and described him as a Christ-like leader who showed personal interest in each person he met, using their names and expressing love and concern for them.

“As President Nelson approached the April 2018 General Conference as our new prophet, he invited General Authority Seventies and general officers of the Church and our spouses to come to his office in the Church Administration Building to greet him and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson. It was a very special invitation. As my wife and I stood in line, we heard President Nelson addressing each person by their first name. When it was our turn, he said, ‘Hello, Carl B!’ That is what he called me.”

“President and Sister Nelson welcomed us warmly and invited us to come into his office and take a look around. We felt so honored. The amazing thing to me is there were well over 200 people who had a similar experience that day. He thanked each of us for our service. It was so personal, so warm and expressed with so much love. President Nelson was genuinely interested in everyone in a very Christ like way, and we all felt it.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Elder Holland bore his witness that President Nelson was a man of unwavering virtue and integrity in his many roles in the Church. He spoke of President Nelson’s ministering heart and holy soul. 

“We felt close enough to him to measure his integrity, by the words that He spoke, the very pupil of his eye, or the behavior he demonstrated when none but God could hear or see him, by these and any other measurement of whom He really was.”

“Russell Nelson gets an unblemished straight A, the grade he got in every course he ever took, academic, scientific, musical or moral.”

With feeling, Elder Holland called President Nelson a “living temple.”   

“He has loved temples. He has built them. He has dedicated and attended them. He has encouraged all to hold a temple recommend and to use them. My only disappointment at this bittersweet time of loss and love is that Russell Nelson was not able to dedicated his beloved Salt Lake Temple. But he’ll have a much better view of it all now, and those in charge better do it correctly.”

Elder Holland concluded, “I’m honored to have known President Russell M Nelson,
to have loved him, and to have felt his love for me. I include in that exchange of love his wonderful wife, Wendy Watson Nelson. I pay tribute to President Nelson’s life, to the wonderful accomplishments that are the fruits of his character, which will be evident in his magnificent legacy left to this church to which he gave His life.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring

Elder Eyring focused on President Nelson’s prophetic call. He discussed his youth and the warm feelings of testimony that helped him know prophets were true and called of God. 

“Years later, I felt that same warm assurance I knew that President Russell M. Nelson had been called of God as a prophet to guide and counsel us,” Elder Eyring said. 

“Countless times [President Nelson] would come from his president’s office to begin the meeting of The First Presidency. He would, at times, hold on a sheet of paper and say, ‘I woke up at 2:30 this morning, got up and wrote this down. Would you read it? What do you think about it?’ I never remembered an instance of our making any suggestion. I felt again, the quiet and clear assurance that the Lord leads his church by revelation to his prophets.” 

Music

President Oaks said, “We all know President Nelson love’s for beautiful music. Our tribute would not be complete without music from the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.” 

The choir sang: 

• I Know That My Redeemer Lives
• I Feel My Savior’s Love
• His Eye Is On the Sparrow

You can rewatch the entire broadcast below. 

Aleah Ingram

Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.