President of Colombia Receives Priesthood Blessing

By Nury Lara N.

The president of the Republic of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, welcomed Elder Claudio R. M. Costa of the Seventy, President of the South America North Area, along with Elder Roberto García, Area Authority Seventy and Second Counselor in the Area Presidency, and five other leaders and members of the Church to the presidential palace on 7 November 2003.

President Uribe thanked the members for the humanitarian work the Church is doing in Colombia in coordination with the First Lady, Lina María Moreno de Uribe (see “Church, Colombian First Lady Team Up to Aid Needy,” News of the Church, Ensign, Feb. 2004, 75–76). “I am very grateful for all you do and for the kind of citizens you make. On behalf of the government, please accept my support, endorsement, and gratitude.”

Elder Costa testified of Jesus Christ and explained the priesthood authority. As one holding that power, Elder Costa offered to give the president a priesthood blessing, which President Uribe accepted. During the blessing promises were extended to the president, his family, and his country. A president of the republic has never before received a priesthood blessing.

Elder Costa also presented the president with a copy of several generations of President Uribe’s and the First Lady’s family histories, along with a CD containing FamilySearch™ Personal Ancestral File software and a statuette of a family.