Coverage of the April 2020 General Conference Sunday Afternoon Session

Contributed By Jason Swensen, Church News staff writer

  • 5 April 2020

A family in Olmoe, Chile, watches the Saturday afternoon session of the 190th Annual General Conference on April 4, 2020.

President Dallin H. Oaks

Elder Quentin L. Cook

Elder Ricardo P. Giménez

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Elder L. Whitney Clayton

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

President Russell M. Nelson

President Russell M. Nelson concluded the historic 190th Annual General Conference on Sunday afternoon by announcing eight new temples—signaling a hopeful future at a global moment defined by uncertainty.

New temples will be built in Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Tallahassee, Florida; Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Benin City, Nigeria; Syracuse, Utah; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

“These eight new temples will bless the lives of many people on both sides of the veil of death,” said President Nelson. “Temples are a crowning part of the Restoration of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In God’s goodness and generosity, He is bringing the blessings of the temple closer to His children everywhere.”

The many “inspiring components” of general conference, he added, can be summarized by two divinely decreed words: “Hear Him.”

President Nelson’s First Counselor in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks, spoke of the central role of the Atonement in Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness.

God’s plan, he said, provides four great assurances: His suffering and one’s repentance allow sins to be forgiven and remembered no more. He took upon Himself all mortal infirmities. His resurrection revokes the finality of physical death. And finally, one’s progress need not conclude with the end of mortality.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified that the Savior’s embrace and His atoning gospel are inclusive—they are offered to all.

“Actively participating in the Church of Jesus Christ and its great variety of opportunities will help us to be better prepared for life’s changing circumstances, whatever and how serious they may be,” he said.

All who seek to be counted among Christ’s disciples are duty-bound to invite others to come unto the Savior, taught Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Share the Book of Mormon and be a good example, he added. “What you are lends authenticity to your invitation to come experience the joy of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

A man from Germany watches the Sunday morning session of general conference from his home on April 5, 2020.

Elder Uchtdorf’s fellow Apostle Elder Quentin L. Cook testified that revelation continues to bless lives. 

Even as latter-day prophets receive revelation for the Church, “personal revelation is available to all those who humbly seek guidance from the Lord. It is as important as prophetic revelation.”

He also taught that we should seek guidance from the Holy Ghost.

The finest characteristic of any home is the image of Jesus Christ reflected in its residents, declared Elder L. Whitney Clayton, Senior President of the Seventy.

“Christlike attributes adorn the lives of those who strive to live with goodness,” he said. “They fill homes with gospel light, whether the floor is mud or marble.”

Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, a General Authority Seventy, testified that the Savior offers singular refuge from life’s many storms.

Latter-day Saints in Star, Idaho, watch the Saturday afternoon session of general conference and sustain leaders of the Church by the raising of their right hand, April 4, 2020.

“In order to enjoy the refuge that Jesus Christ and His Atonement offer, we must have faith in Him—a faith that will allow us to rise above all the pains of a limited, earthly perspective,” he said.

President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, conducted Sunday afternoon’s session. Prayers were offered by Elder Kevin R. Duncan and Elder Lynn G. Robbins, both General Authority Seventies.

Pre-recorded hymns performed by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square included “Praise to the Man,” “The Day Dawn is Breaking,” “I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” and, in conclusion, “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.”

President Dallin H. Oaks speaks during the April 2020 Sunday afternoon session.

President Russell M. Nelson and other speakers of the April 2020 Sunday afternoon session stand up for the intermediate hymn.

President Russell M. Nelson waves before the start of the April 2020 Sunday afternoon session.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf visits with Elder D. Todd Christofferson and Elder Quentin L. Cook before the April 2020 Sunday afternoon session.

President Henry B. Eyring speaks to President Dallin H. Oaks prior to the Sunday afternoon session of April 2020 general conference on April 5, 2020.

Construction site of the Salt Lake Temple on Sunday, April 5, 2020.

A statue of the Prophet Joseph Smith on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday, April 5.

President Russell M. Nelson speaks during the April 2020 Sunday afternoon session of general conference on April 5, 2020.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2020 general conference.

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2020 general conference.

President Henry B. Eyring conducts the Sunday afternoon session of April 2020 general conference.

A creek near the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 5, 2020.

A statue of the Prophet Joseph Smith on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 5, 2020.

People in Olmue, Chile, watch the Saturday morning session of the 190th Annual General Conference on April 4, 2020.

A woman in Sandy, Utah, joins in one of the prayers offered during the Saturday evening session of general conference on April 4, 2020.

A couple from Olmue, Chile, watches the Saturday afternoon session of the 190th Annual General Conference on a mobile phone on April 4, 2020.

A family in Brazil watches the Sunday morning session of general conference from their home on April 5, 2020.

Family members in Guatemala bow their heads in prayer during the Saturday morning session of the 190th Annual General Conference on April 4, 2020.

A family in Accra, Ghana, watches the Saturday morning session of general conference from their home on April 4, 2020.

Individuals in Guatemala participate in a session of the 190th Annual General Conference by writing down their feelings and impressions on April 4, 2020.

A small group of people in Star, Idaho, gathers to watch the Saturday morning session of the 190th Annual General Conference on April 4, 2020.

A small gathering of people in Olmue, Chile, watches the Saturday morning session of the 190th Annual General Conference on April 4, 2020.

A woman in Utah takes notes while watching general conference during the Saturday evening session on April 4, 2020.

A couple from Utah watches the Saturday evening session of general conference on April 4, 2020, from their backyard.

  Listen