President Russell M. Nelson Remembered as “the Holder of Hands and the Healer of Hearts”

At President Russell M. Nelson’s funeral on Tuesday in the Conference Center, he was remembered by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as “the holder of hands and the healer of hearts.”

He also said, “I once introduced President Nelson as the man for whom the word ‘gentleman’ was created, and for the rest of his life, he proved me true day in and day out. He was dignified and courteous with every man and woman he met, be they diplomats or other dignitaries, new neighbors, or complete strangers.”

It was a funeral where personal moments and perceptions were shared about the prophet, opening our eyes to insights into what a great man looks like, not only when he is on stage, but behind the scenes. In fact, if ever there were a graduate course on how to be, how to negotiate life with grace and love, it is in remembering President Nelson’s life.

Six people spoke at the funeral, including two of his children, Laurie N. Marsh and Russell M. Nelson Jr., and Sister Camille N. Johnson, General Relief Society President; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Henry R. Eyring, and President Dallin H. Oaks.

President Dallin H. Oaks: The Prophet’s “Warmth and Welcome”

President Oaks said, “I sat beside Russell M. Nelson for 34 years in the Quorum of the Twelve  Apostles. In that council, he was thoughtful and wise, but never as active in the discussions as a few others, mostly former lawyers. So I was not prepared for what happened in January 2018 when he became our President with the mantle of the Prophet settled upon him.

“Suddenly, I saw Russell M. Nelson as a decisive church decision maker. Imagine how that transition looked to his fellow apostles, some of whom were former lawyers, whose traditions of professional work could always seek a continuance or advocate appointing a committee to study a question and make a recommendation before a decision was reached.” (This, of course, President Oaks said tongue in cheek because he is a lawyer.)

“I came to understand that his professional work as a surgeon assumed and required quick decision makers because those they served were sometimes immobilized on a gurney with no time for postponement for their surgeon to make further study, and no opportunity to ask for a continuance.

“I saw this contrast in the first meeting of the new First Presidency. A question came before us to decide who should write the introductory page in the monthly issue of the Ensign Magazine. First Presidency members had done this for many years.

Before President Eyring and I could get involved in any discussion of which one of us would do that, President Nelson said, ‘Why do we do this? Is this really necessary? Let’s stop doing it.’

“The decision was quickly made. That approach was repeated again and again… Figuratively speaking, I tied my seat belt a few more notches and said to myself, ‘Being a counselor in this First Presidency is going to be fun.’

At the same time, President Nelson greeted the councils or committees of the church with warmth and welcome, listening wholeheartedly to their ideas.

Those same qualities were evident when he greeted national and religious leaders. President Oaks said, “His smile, the warmth of his voice, and the power of his presence melted hearts. He asked about their families and their countries…President Nelson’s great love of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was evident to each of these visitors. He would pick up a Book of Mormon, hold it close, and explain that this was the most precious gift he could share. An important book, a holy book, a book that changed lives.

“He would open the Book of Mormon to 3rd Nephi chapter 11, where Jesus Christ visited the Americas. He would read several verses aloud tears would glisten in his eyes. He knew it was true.

The Savior lives, and you visited and taught on this American continent. All present could recognize the conviction and love he felt. He always ended every visit with a sincere and burning testimony. In all of this, I recognize that I was seeing and hearing one of Israel’s most powerful missionaries in action”.

President Oaks quoted the assessment of a “wise and fervent member of another denomination” who said, “President Nelson’s ministry was marked by bold reforms, including a renewed emphasis on the name of the church a restructuring of worship practices and the announcement of hundreds of new temples. His teachings, travels, and tireless service touched millions across continents and cultures. ” He will be remembered not only as a prophet, but as a bridge builder, a hero, and a man whose life bore witness to the power of faith in action.”

President Henry B Eyring: A Personal Witness that God Inspires His Prophet

“As I served by his side in the First Presidency, beginning in January 2018, I became a personal witness to the fact that the Lord inspires his prophet. I have seen how the Holy Spirit opens President Nelson’s mind and heart to receive direction for the Lord’s Church here on earth.

I have been an eyewitness to President Nelson’s ability to help each person in a meeting to feel that his or her opinion on a particular matter was important to him. President Nelson’s desire to hear these opinions and views was real. He sincerely wanted to hear what others thought.

At times, I believe President Nelson’s final decision about a given matter was influenced by the information provided by others. He sincerely sought for it and received counsel. He received revelation from the inspiration of others.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: President Nelson Belonged to the Church

Commenting on President Nelson’s proverbial kindness, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland quipped, “I love President Nelson for so many reasons, not the least of which was his unfailing kindness to everyone that he met in the church. I knew I had lost the little ground when my own mother told me, after yet another of then Elder Nelson’s many courtesies to her personally, that I was not to worry, that I was still clear ahead of the rest of the pack as her second-favorite apostle. Now he said that in the presence of both me and my mother, and we were all laughing, but I haven’t been sure.”

Elder Holland said, “When we hear the common question, ‘Does he or she belong to the Church?’ The answer, when applied to Russell Nelson, is, ‘He surely did.’ We all know that there were moments when they wished he could have belonged a little more to the family. But he always responded to duty. Yes, Russell Nelson belonged to the Church.”

Sister Camille N. Johnson: He was Careful to Observe

Sister Johnson said, “To President Nelson’s posterity, particularly his children, I express gratitude to you for sharing your daddy.

He treated me with the kindness and tenderness of a loving father, though I was not his daughter. Just as the good Shepherd knows names and numbers his sheep, President Nelson always called me by name. Every time we were together, he looked me directly in the eyes, and I felt deeply through him that Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ know and love me.

Like the ancient prophet Mormon, President Nelson had the spiritual gift of being quick to observe and the antecedent gift of discernment. He once discerned and lovingly addressed my personal need, one I had not articulated to anyone outside my immediate family. When I saw him next, I shook his hand and whispered, ‘Thank you for knowing.’

He responded. ‘He knows. He loves you. So do I.’

Sister Johnson made it a habit of including the words of President Nelson every day in her daily devotional, and she noted, “The delicious fruit of President Nelson’s prophetic counsel is optimism in the face of uncertainty. It is confidence, even when we don’t have an answer to every question. It is joy and grief coexisting.

It is trusting Jesus Christ. Despite my sadness that is pressing, I continue to have hope and optimism for the future. As President Nelson declared, the future is bright for God’s covenant-keeping people.

Because of President Nelson’s influence, invitations and counsel, my testimony that Jesus Christ Church is led by prophets, including one chosen to exercise all the keys of his restored priesthood, is sure.”

She remembered an experience that has deeply impressed her. “I was sitting in a congregation of saints in Aquipa, Peru, listening to a live broadcast of President Nelson delivering a message from Lima to the saints throughout Peru. When he kindly excused his translator and delivered his message in Spanish, we all wept.

The dear saints in Peru heard the voice of a prophet in their own tongue and through the language of the spirit.

“I was once invited to have dinner with a foreign ambassador who had, earlier in the day, met with President Nelson. She was a highly articulate woman who told me, ‘I just can’t come up with words to describe how I felt being with him.’

Laurie N. Marsh:  He Lived with Joy

Laurie N. Marsh, one of President Nelson’s nine daughters, said, “President Russell M. Nelson’s life was a joyful life because he centered it on our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We were raised in a home centered on the Savior and filled with joy. When our parents were married, they chose a motto that they lived by, found in Matthew 6:33: ‘Seek ye first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you,’ and that is how they raised their family.

There are many members in our family, but we had one goal: to be an eternal family.”

She said, “Being a Nelson man watching Mother and Daddy attend the temple on or near their wedding anniversary each August 31st. It meant fun family vacations together. It also meant fishing, hiking, snowing, and water skiing with our dad. I remember many times, especially on particularly beautiful bluebird snow ski days, we would sit on the ski lift looking at the beautiful surroundings, and he would take a deep breath and say, ‘Girls, the church is true.’

“It meant being invited individually to go on trips with him for a little one-on-one time. It meant taking walks and often skipping together. It meant hearing him whistle, having him give us a perfect pitch to start singing a song, popping popcorn and slicing apples on Sunday nights, listening to him play the organ and listening to and singing Handel’s Messiah together as we decorated the Christmas tree as we grew older and had families of our own, and then watching our parents love and snuggle our babies, when they were born, watching them toss Taffy off the balcony at our family reunions.”

President Nelson took photos and made photo albums for each newly-baptized member of the family.

She said, “We will sorely miss the joy and light that my Dad’s physical presence has brought to my life.

But I know he has great faith in you and in me, and he will always be cheering each and every one of us on, inviting us to joyfully live with Christ in the center of our lives. I’m eternally grateful for the blessing of being raised by extraordinary parents that lived their lives riveted on the Savior Jesus Christ and invited others around them to do the same.

Russell M. Nelson, Jr.: He was Tireless

The only son in a family of ten children and the prophet’s namesake explained that Russell M. Nelson was tireless.

Brother Nelson said of his father, “In his very first address, as President of the church on January 16th, 2018, he challenged us to keep on the covenant path, make and keep sacred covenants. He reminded us that our goals should be, ‘to be endowed with power in the house of the Lord.’

“Then we all watched in awe as President Nelson traveled the world. Over the course of his prophetic ministry, he enlightened us with the notion that the restoration did not happen in a single moment to Joseph Smith, but it’s a living thing that is still happening today…

“President Nelson showed us firsthand that there is no rest in his version of the restoration.

I had opportunities to accompany him on a few of his apostolic assignments. What a treasured memory each and every one of those opportunities was. One experience I had was during my high school years. I was fortunate enough to go with my parents to Europe, where my dad had several assignments over a three-week span. On that trip, we visited England, Wales, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. After about 10 or so days, I recall thinking to myself, I was exhausted, and I was only 14 years old.

At the time, he was in his 60s and carried on with no problem, fulfilling all the assignments in sacred duties that were his. He was tireless in his service.”

Conclusion

We will remember President Nelson because we will not only carry him in our hearts, but because he has changed our hearts. We are better people because we have known you, our beloved prophet.