We're Sorry

On Thursday, September 9, 2021, President Russell M. Nelson turned 97 years old, and in less than a year he will become the oldest General Authority in the Church’s history.

In Fall 2019, President Kevin J Worthen delivered a BYU devotional address that encouraged something that just six months later when the pandemic hit was prohibited in most areas of the world: gathering.

Derek Parra experienced a thrill most of us never will—he earned not one but two Olympic medals in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Yet for this speed skater, having the medals draped around his neck wasn’t the most memorable moment of his Olympic experience. What was? Carrying an American flag that had flown above the World Trade Center on 9/11 into the Opening Ceremonies.

As a teenager, Elder D. Todd Christofferson had the opportunity to visit the Sacred Grove. He decided while he was there that he would seek answers just as Joseph Smith did.

I had done it again. I had just snapped at my wife, and as I tried to apologize and pick up the pieces after having overreacted, I wondered to myself, “What just happened?” I couldn’t understand how my anger had exploded so quickly; in fact, it seemed to show up before I even consciously processed what my wife had said. What added to my frustration was that I had no idea how to address this in a healthy way. Even though I was able to keep the anger under wraps most of the time, it was a problem, and being the bishop of my local ward only added to the pressure to get my life and house in order (SeeDoctrine and Covenants 93:50).

You may have heard the Latter-day Saint folklore of a mission conference that had been scheduled in the World Trade Center on 9/11. It is one of those stories that spread via word of mouth “long before the advent of today’s social media,” Church News reports.

Many have suggested that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plays a role in Utah’s higher-than-average suicide rates. But what does the data show?

Everyone had a distinct, life-altering experience that day, offering us something to remember when we hear the admonishing phrase to “never forget” September 11.

Editor’s note: The following excerpt comes from a book about special witnesses of Jesus Christ. You can read this chapter in its entirety at truthwillprevail.xyz as well as other chapters as they are posted. This excerpt is republished here with permission.