Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
- Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife spoke about the temple at RootsTech's Family Discovery Day.
- President Jeffrey R. Holland, who decided to join the session days before, encouraged church members to pray more and testify more.
- Inspirational stories about family were shared by a gold medal couple and The Piano Guys.
SALT LAKE CITY — Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said with the rate at which temples are being built, 80% of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will live within an hour of a temple in just a few years.
"It is a glorious day, isn't it?" he said after applause in the full hall at the Salt Palace on Saturday.
He spoke at Family Discovery Day, the final event of RootsTech, which is geared toward church members but open to anyone. Elder Andersen encouraged people to simply add what they know to FamilySearch, echoing a statement throughout the conference about helping others learn.
"Whether you are the first in your family to embrace the restored gospel or in a family of many generations, we honor those who have helped us become who we are," he said. Elder Andersen said bringing the names of ancestors to the temple to perform ordinances on their behalf helps members realize the world is bigger and brings a focus on the Savior.
"The temple is a testimony to the immortality of the soul," he said.
He and his wife were joined at the final talk of the event by President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Patrick Kearon was in the audience. Elder Andersen said he begged President Holland to speak with them a few days earlier.
"I don't know how this happened. I heard there was a discovery day ... and I wandered over for a hot dog and some cotton candy, and I'm here on this stage with my friends," Elder Holland said.
Sister Kathy Andersen shared two stories of her family traveling from Florida to Utah to go to a temple — her great-grandfather got on a train with 11 children and her father brought her and her siblings to the Salt Lake Temple when she was just 4 years old. She vividly remembers walking into the room as a child with her brothers so they could be sealed to her parents, a temple ordinance church members believe binds families for eternity.
"It was a journey of faith into the unknown but filled with the brightness of hope for their family and for their future," she said about her family's trip.
President Holland said that she reminds him so much of his wife, thanking her for her friendship with his late wife.
"I can't be with you without feeling like I'm with her. And that's part of why we're here, to believe that I'm going to be with her again," he said.
He said he was deeply moved by her story of going to the temple, noting that hearing about the loss of a suitcase with white clothes her mother had made for their temple trip made him cry.
"In my experience, and this isn't doctrine, this is just me to you on Discovery Day — there's only one thing more powerful than a man talking about the priesthood, and that is a woman talking about the priesthood. I am deeply moved when a woman chooses to talk, as she rightfully could and should ... about the priesthood," Elder Holland said.
Elder Andersen spoke about lessons he learned while growing up on a small Idaho dairy farm, including the miracle of life, and how Heavenly Father cares for him and the power of prayer.
President Holland echoed his message about prayer, saying that while he spent four weeks "with a foot in another world" while he was sick, he learned two lessons — to pray more and to testify more. He encouraged attendees, no matter how much they pray, to pray more, at more times of the day and in more locations. And he said no matter how many people they have declared the gospel to, "it's got to be more."
"I care very much about it," he said.
Before the message from the apostles, The Piano Guys played music and shared some stories from their family history. Steven Sharp Nelson said he was praying to know what to do with his time while dealing with insomnia on tour, and he began looking into his family history. He said he abridged and rewrote the stories of his children's ancestors in the first person, as if they were talking to their descendants.
He said he wants his children to have their ancestors as their heroes, so he reads about them at bedtime.
"Our children should know that they're part of something bigger than themselves," Nelson said.
John Schmidt shared a video his mom made with the church, where she spoke about her experience trying to find bread for her parents and siblings in Germany during World War II. She said after checking multiple places that were out of bread and praying, she found someone who gave her seven loaves of bread for her food stamps — something that was unheard of.
Schmidt said her testimony of the gospel was a blessing in his life, and she left a great legacy that he wants to pass on to his children. He also said he is grateful she encouraged him to practice the piano daily before playing a song he composed at 17, along with a video of Richard Elliott playing the song on the organ in the Conference Center.
Earlier on Saturday, gold medal couple Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall talked about how their family members inspired them before hearing a FamilySearch specialist talk about their family history. Davis-Woodhall said having her father as a coach is what got her to where she is.
"He truly understands what I'm capable of, and he never once doubted me, and he knew that I would become the Olympic gold medalist one day," she said.
Woodhall talked about the support of his family, who, when he was a child missing his legs, believed he could do anything when others said he couldn't.
The couple, who lived in Utah and California, met at a high school track meet in Idaho and were both interested in each other, later connecting over social media. They will get to compete in U.S. Championships together soon for the first time, as it is allowing disabled athletes to compete with able-bodied athletes for the first time. Woodhall said being together is a superpower.
"We're able to achieve things together that by ourselves we would not be able to achieve," he said.
Much of the programming from RootsTech, including these keynote messages, will remain available online after the conference ends.
