My dear brothers and sisters, Sister Rasband and I are thrilled to be with you tonight. President Russell M. Nelson has asked us to say on his behalf: “I love you.” Such heartfelt words come from a Prophet who speaks for God.
We have been looking forward to this evening ever since we returned from the Rome Temple. President Nelson called the Rome Temple dedication “a hinge point in the history of the Church.” [1] He said, "The Church is going to have an unprecedented future, unparalleled. We're just building up to what's ahead." [2]
Young friends, what lies ahead for you is an “unprecedented future, unparalleled.” [3] Take to heart the promise and responsibility of those words spoken by our living prophet.
President Nelson has charged the Twelve Apostles, as they travel throughout the world, to speak about the dedication of the Rome Temple. He has recounted how the Lord told him to take the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to Rome:
“I was just following the instructions I received,” he said. “It was very clear to me.” Only a few times in history has the entire senior leadership of the Church been together outside of Utah, the most recent being the Nauvoo Illinois Temple dedication in 2002.
President Nelson said the Church leaders’ time in Rome will be “a blessing for the people all over the world because these Apostles now will go . . . and recap the experiences that they felt here as this holy house was dedicated.” [4]
So tonight, at the invitation of the President of the Church, Sister Rasband and I want to share with you some of our experiences and feelings. We begin with this photo showing the two of us with the Rome Temple in the background.
I would like to introduce my eternal companion, Sister Melanie Rasband—who I met, by the way, while I was in college—and have her share some of her observations about our time in Rome, one of the most influential cities in the history of Christianity.
Sister Melanie Rasband:
Good evening, dear sisters and brothers. Let me take you far away for a glimpse of our Rome temple experience. Rome, lovingly referred to as the Eternal City. The city where so many dedicated Christians were persecuted and killed for their beliefs. We were grateful for the spirit of rejoicing with those early dedicated believers of Christ, and surely throngs of heavenly hosts that was felt at the Rome temple dedication.
While there, I wondered: “What made Rome so extremely special? What was this I was feeling?” Was it the joy of the Italians to finally have a house of the Lord in their country?
Was it the symbol of the oval representing eternity, depicted in the shape of the temple and found throughout its celestially beautiful halls, a constant reminder of the eternal covenants made in the house of the Lord?
Was it the wonderful temple piazza with magnificent 500-year-old olive trees that took our hearts back to Gethsemane where the Lord bled for each of us?
Perhaps it was walking beside the cascading fountain that ran through the center of the piazza from the temple to the visitors’ center, reminding us of Christ's offered living water, as it led us to the welcoming arms of the magnificent Thorvaldsen’s replicated statue of the Christ, and behind Him the Twelve Apostles—the original Twelve Apostles, who took the gospel out to the world to fulfill the work that their Savior had commanded them to do.
Perhaps it was our love for each other as wives of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in sharing this unique opportunity together.
In the magnificent moment where the photo of our husbands was taken in front of those statues, we were deeply humbled honoring these faithful Brethren we love in their divinely appointed roles as prophets, seers, and revelators beside their predecessors.
I felt the blessed honor to live in these latter-days and to bear witness that the same priesthood keys of the kingdom of God are on the earth, restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith to go forth as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that a prophet still holds those keys today, our beloved President Russell M. Nelson.
Surely I was feeling the spirit of the magnificent curved art glass behind the statues in the visitors’ center, created by Tom and Gayle Holdman and their team, representing the Savior’s life, His miracles, and parables through beautiful symbolism.
I was tenderly moved seeing the Savior standing in the center of the glass, His foot pointed towards us and His hand reaching out to us, welcoming all to come unto Him. From Doctrine and Covenants 88, the Lord says unto us, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you.” [5] He waits for us to turn unto Him.
The last paragraph of the book entitled Come unto Me, written about the breath-taking art glass window, says:
Like the figures represented in the stained-glass window, each of us is in different places along the path of discipleship.
We have . . . individual needs, and unique challenges as well as opportunities. No matter our circumstances, each of us can respond today to Jesus Christ’s loving invitation, “Come unto me.” [6]
My question was answered: all of these things contributed to the powerful spirit of being at the Rome Temple, because they all bore witness that Jesus is the Christ! We testify He lived, we testify He died, we testify of the resurrected Christ, and that in glory He will come again! Because of Him, we have been shown the way by which we can return to our Father in Heaven and obtain eternal life. Because of Him!
I hope that the greatest thing that you will learn in life is how to come unto your Savior Jesus Christ. The more we learn of and know Him, the more we will love Him, which will increase our desire to serve and be like Him.
I add my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ, that this is His true gospel, that we are on His errand in serving Him in declaring to the world that His gospel has been restored. May we find joy in living His gospel and being His messengers to share the good news, to love our neighbors as He loved, as we come unto Him is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Rasband:
Thank you, my dear. Our experience in Rome actually began back in January when as companions, Elder David A. Bednar and I, with our wives, were assigned to go to Rome for a press conference, media open house, and tours with dignitaries. This is the first day of the press conference. In the yellow chairs are Elder Massimo De Feo, our Italian General Authority; Elder Bednar; and me. Many members of the press came from not only Italy, but throughout Europe and around the world.
One of the reporters asked, “Can you tell us what this temple in Rome means to the members of your Church in Italy?” Elder Bednar and I turned to Elder De Feo, our General Authority from Italy, to answer that question. With tears flowing down his face, Elder De Feo said, “Just 25 years ago my family and I were meeting in a garage, here in Rome, for our Sunday Church meetings. So can you imagine, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, what it means for us to have this beautiful temple and visitors’ center built here?”
Thankfully, as you all know, temples are built by the faithful tithes of the members of the Church. As you are faithful tithe payers, you contribute to temples, like this one in Rome, being built all over the world.
When Sister Rasband and I prepared to take tours through the temple, we realized that when we were just a little bit older than you—newly married, living in Sandy, Utah, and raising children—the Church dedicated the 20 th temple: the Jordan River Temple in the Salt Lake Valley. In our lifetime, with the Rome Italy Temple and the recently dedicated Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple, the Church is now at 163 temples. That is an increase of 143—and President Nelson just announced 8 more.
One of the first tours that Sister Rasband and I led was a very important delegation from the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican, the world headquarters of their church right there in Rome.
You can imagine I was a little concerned about how the Catholic Church would welcome the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and our temple to Rome. Well, we learned quickly that they brought love and best wishes. One of their leaders made quite an interesting comment. He said: “Brother Rasband, will you please base this tour on the holy scriptures so we know how to tie this temple work to the scriptures?”
I thought to myself, “This is what I have prepared for.” Then I said a little prayer that Heavenly Father would help me, and He did. Let me give you a couple of examples of His help.
We went out on the piazza and looked up at the exterior of the temple. I felt inspired to say to this wonderful delegation of Catholic leaders, “May I say that this temple in Rome, and all temples of our Church, did not originate with the Latter-day Saints? In fact, temples have been built since the earliest of times.” We discussed Solomon’s temple and Herod’s temple, the temple at the time of Christ. I then added, “You have heard about The Book of Mormon. In that scripture, the people in the Americas also built temples. A prophet named Nephi had a temple, as did King Benjamin, and the Savior appeared after His resurrection at one of their temple sites.”
We then discussed the manner in which the temples were built, including their fine quality and workmanship, and I said, “As we go through this temple, that is what you are going to see: a temple built of the finest materials and of the very best workmanship that man could offer to the Lord for His holy house."
Our tour included the baptistery. Most of you here have done baptisms for the dead. As I stood at the railing with them, one asked, “Elder Rasband, what basis in scripture is there for your baptisms for the dead?” I recalled a passage of scripture I had learned as a missionary and said: “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” [7]
The brother responded, “Elder Rasband, I have never considered that scripture this way before.” Privately in my heart, I rejoiced.
I told them the oxen that support the baptismal font were mentioned in the Old Testament regarding Solomon’s temple. The twelve oxen symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel, holding up a “molten sea” [8] or basin. I said, “That is the baptistery where we perform these ordinances.”
Our tour concluded in the sealing room where Sister Rasband and I took turns bearing our testimonies that the temple is “the great symbol of our membership” [9] in our Church and everything in the temple culminates in eternal marriage and the creation of eternal families.
Before we left, we invited them to look in the mirrors in the sealing room. I told them that as they could see themselves going on forever, that is what we see for eternity, symbolizing that marriages performed in the holy temple are eternal.
At the end of this tour I presented the archbishop with a Christus statue and reminded him of the Thorvaldsen replica in the visitors’ center. I testified that not only do we teach about the Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane and upon the cross, but we teach with great reverence of His glorious Resurrection.
This past week you received an invitation from Sister Rasband and me that was posted on your discussion board. It gave you the links of two different videos that Elder Bednar and I made while we were in Rome. Sister Rasband and I asked if you would please watch the videos and then share them with your friends. We have now had the opportunity to read a few of your posts and have been very touched by your comments; thank you for responding to our invitation.
As you may recall, one of the videos is with Elder Bednar and I standing in front of the Mamertine Prison in Rome, where the Apostles Paul and Peter were imprisoned. We went into that prison, a dungeon, two levels underground. There is just a little rock stump where Paul was chained for two years; you can imagine how that made us feel. We had decided to record spontaneously, with no teleprompter, no script—to just stand out in front of this prison and testify to the world that the same keys that were on the earth at the time of Peter and Paul are on the earth again with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
In reference to the other video where Elder Bednar and I gave a virtual tour of the Rome Temple, we hope you have had the opportunity to share this video with your member and non-member friends. Think of someone you can do a little missionary work with using one or both of these videos.
Perhaps you could send a little note such as, “I am sending you a video of two of the Apostles of our Church bearing testimony in Rome of the divinity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Then you could add your testimony. Or you could say, “I know you have wondered about our temples. Well, let me show you a virtual tour of the recently dedicated Rome Italy Temple.” Then bear your testimony about temples. I hope you are willing to do this if you have not already done so.
While we were in Rome, President Nelson met with Pope Francis. This is the first time in the history of our Church, theirs too, that a pope and a prophet have met together.
President Nelson stated after his visit with Pope Francis: “The differences in doctrine are real, . . . [and] they are important. But they are not nearly as important as the things we have in common—our concern for human suffering, the importance of religious liberty for all of society, and the importance of building bridges of friendship instead of building walls of segregation.” [10]
Here is another photo of the group that met with Pope Francis, including President Nelson, President Ballard, and two of our Italian leaders. They presented Pope Francis a precious replica of the Thorvaldsen Christus statue.
It is no surprise that when President Nelson heard the news of the devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, he sent a hand-written note to his new friend, Pope Francis.
During the open house, Sister Rasband and I met with the sister missionaries assigned to the visitors’ center. About 30 at a time serve helping, as President Nelson has asked, to gather Israel on both sides of the veil.
There were seven beautiful dedicatory sessions of the temple. This is just an example. Every session had many people waiting to participate.
Here President Nelson is going out to do the traditional cornerstone ceremony at the temple.
Before we all left for Rome, President Nelson informed us that he had arranged for an official photograph of The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to be photographed in our white suits in front of the Christus Statue. This show of unity is, perhaps, my second most favorite picture. The next one I am going to show you is my very favorite—a very tender moment for me.
I so love our dear Prophet. When Melanie and I arrived in Rome, we saw President Nelson, and he greeted me warmly. One of the wonderful Church photographers standing to the side snapped this picture; I did not even know it had been taken. I will always treasure the pure joy that is on President Nelson’s face.
When President Nelson announced the new First Presidency just 15 months ago, he called a press conference in the annex of the Salt Lake Temple. He said, “The new First Presidency wants ‘to begin with the end in mind,’” [11] meaning the temple and the endowment. If you have been paying attention to the revelations, moves, changes, new directives from the First Presidency and the Twelve, you know the covenant path that leads through the temple is what our worship is all about. To the degree you include the temple in your daily lives, the stronger you and your testimonies will be.
Having been in this eternal city, having been in this eternal temple, having been with God’s Prophet on the earth and my Brethren of the the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles, we came away more united than ever to go forward as witnesses of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world to bear our testimonies that the keys that the Lord Jesus Christ did give to Peter and the Apostles of that day are on the earth today.
As daunting and as humble as it makes me feel to say this, I too hold those keys and I want to bear my personal witness to you that this is the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today. President Nelson is our prophet, and Jesus Christ presides at the head of this Church. I love Him. I am so honored to follow Him. I am so grateful that He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace, and hundreds and hundreds of other names that apply to our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Tonight, it is my precious privilege to call upon the office of the holy apostleship to pray that Heavenly Father will bless you—every one of you, one by one. I pray the Lord will bless you with what you most sincerely and righteously desire in your heart. If you are lonely, if you are discouraged, if you are feeling anxious about what lies ahead, I pray that the Holy Ghost will bless you with peace—the kind of peace that comes from our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you will go forward in faith.
May God bless you in your efforts to draw close to Him. May you be renewed in your commitment to worship in the temple, to feel the peace and promise in your unparalleled work to come, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[1] Sarah Jane Weaver, “President Nelson Calls Rome Temple Dedication a ‘Hinge Point’ in Church History,”
Church News, Mar. 15, 2019.
[2] Sarah Jane Weaver, “President Nelson Calls Rome Temple Dedication a ‘Hinge Point’ in Church History,”
Church News, Mar. 15, 2019.
[3] Tad Walch, “Rome Temple a 'Hinge Point' in Latter-day Saint History, President Nelson says as he leaves Italy,” Deseret News online, Mar. 11, 2019.
[4] Sarah Jane Weaver, “President Nelson Calls Rome Temple Dedication a ‘Hinge Point’ in Church History,” Church News, Mar. 15, 2019.
[5] Doctrine and Covenants 88:63.
[6] Brad Wilcox, Gayle Holdman, Tyler Griffin, Anthony Sweat, Come Unto Me: Illuminating the Savior’s Life, Mission, Parables, and Miracles, (Deseret Book, 2019).
[7] 1 Corinthians 15:29.
[8] 2 Chronicles 4:2-4.
[9] “Chapter 13: The Temple—The Great Symbol of Our Membership,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Howard W. Hunter (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2015), 176–86.
[10] Sarah Jane Weaver, “President Nelson Meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican,” Church News Online, Mar. 9, 2019.
[11] R. Scott Lloyd, “President Russell M. Nelson Named 17 th President of the Church,” Church News Online, Jan. 16, 2018.