President and Sister Nelson Plan Visit to Pacific Northwest

Contributed By Scott Taylor, Church News Managing Editor

  • 8 August 2018

President Russell M. Nelson and Sister Wendy Nelson.

President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, will conduct a pair of weekend devotionals next month in the north Pacific Coast region—Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Joining the Nelsons for the Northwest devotionals will be President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

The September 15 date could draw the largest in-person crowd in his first year as Church President—the Saturday evening event is slated to be held in Seattle’s Safeco Field, the 47,943-seat ballpark with a retractable roof that is home to the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball.

On Sunday, September 16, the Vancouver devotional will be held at the Langley Events Centre, in the Vancouver suburb of Langley. Both meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m.

With its 10 provinces and three territories, Canada is home to nearly 200,000 members in 496 congregations as well as eight temples and seven missions, including the Vancouver Canada Temple and the Canada Vancouver Mission.

Church statistics for the state of Washington include 288,515 members in 546 congregations as well as three temples and seven missions. Located in the Seattle metro area are the Seattle Washington Temple and missions headquartered in Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma; an earlier fourth metro-area mission—the Washington Federal Way Mission—was folded into the Seattle and Tacoma missions this summer.

Image by Aaron Thorup.

This will be the Nelsons’ fourth major trip to meet with Church members in devotional settings since his ordination and sustaining as President of the Church. The April 2018 global ministry tour concluded with a devotional stop in Laie, Hawaii, while the Nelsons spoke in a June 3 worldwide youth devotional that originated from Salt Lake City.

For that initial international foray into Europe and Asia, the Nelsons—joined by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Patricia Holland—spoke in meetings held in London, England; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; Jerusalem, Israel; Bengaluru, India; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; and Laie.

It will be their third trip to Canada, after a pair of three-stop visits earlier this summer—their June visit to the Canadian province of Alberta and a planned itinerary to central and eastern provinces later this month. (See related story.)

For the latter, the Nelsons—along with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen—are scheduled to conduct three evening devotionals in as many days. Planned stops are Friday, August 17, in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Saturday, August 18, in Montreal, Quebec; and Sunday, August 19, in Hamilton, Ontario.

The June 8–10 Alberta tour included daily stops and devotionals in Edmonton, Calgary, and Raymond. President and Sister Nelson were accompanied there by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband. (See related story.)

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