Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles concluded his visit to the Middle East by meeting with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Manama, Bahrain, on Friday, October 29, 2021. The meetings in Bahrain followed Elder and Sister Bednar’s visits to Jordan and Dubai.
Elder Bednar and his wife, Susan, met with the members of the Manama Ward and answered questions. They also held a special devotional for the youth.
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One of the questions Elder Bednar addressed was how to build an unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ.
“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a principle of action and of power,” he said. “Perhaps some of us think that faith is an ethereal, even mystical thing. I would suggest to you that it is very practical… We study, we learn the teachings of Christ, and then we do our best to live them... We act in accordance with the teachings of Christ, and we are blessed with His power.”
A young woman, Jamila Pineda, said that Elder Bednar’s counsel about faith really resonated with her.
“Elder Bednar said that power comes from how we act,” she said. “So as a youth, it really matters that we listen to the messages that they're telling us, but we also need to combine it with action.”
Elder Bednar also addressed the topic of agency. “The ultimate purpose of mortality is to use our moral agency to choose God and to choose to love and serve our brothers and sisters. That is why we are blessed with agency—to choose the right. God does not compel us to exercise our agency in that way. We have the opportunity to choose God and His plan. And it is incorrect to believe: ‘I have my agency, and I can just do what I want.’ That is not the purpose for which agency was given,” he said.
Sister Bednar shared that when her husband received the call to be an apostle, the first thing she said was, “I don't think I can do this.”
“I've said that many times in my life, and maybe you have too, but I have learned all through my life and especially the last 17 years, that in the strength of the Lord and with His help, I can do all things,” she said. “I might not do it the best. I might not be perfect in the way I do it or in the way that it turns out. But in the strength of the Lord, I can do hard things.”
Church member Gary Olsen said he appreciated the chance to hear from the Bednars.
“It was just a tremendous blessing to be able to have an Apostle of the Lord out here in the Middle East,” he said. “Sometimes we feel so removed from back home that for a lot of us it was just great to feel his presence and feel his love for the Saints here.”