(I typically save this space [title preambled with an asterisk] for those who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However the Lord directed me to this message… from the experiences of Russell M. Nelson and his wife, long before he came to hold his current position as Prophet and Leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is an experience that all Christians would do well to remember… how we in this world are very much a minority… and what we can do about it.)
Russell M. Nelson said…”Sister Nelson and I where [once] guests at a new theme park in Szenchen, China, not far from Hong Kong. One section of the park was called “Windows of the World”. There we were transported on a little bus with an intelligent, English-speaking Chinese guide. He ushered us through exhibits that portrayed the Tower of London; Paris and its Eiffel Tower; Washington, D.C., with its replicas of the White House and Capitol Building; and so on. Then we came to the window of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, with its miniaturized harbor and replications of Sugar Loaf and nearby Corcovado—the peak crowned with a large statue of Jesus Christ. As the guide explained these sights, he mentioned that the statue atop the mountain was erected to “a god of some kind.” We were stunned! Later I asked him if he knew that the statue represented the Lord Jesus Christ. He replied, “No—never heard of him.”
No doubt most of his countrymen would be likewise uninformed. Indeed, ours is the challenge to invite all to come unto Christ and to encourage them to adhere to that commitment. In this world where Christianity is a minority religion and where our church is a minority among that minority, ours is a solemn obligation to teach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. (“Called to Serve and to Save,” Address to Collegium Aesculapium. September 30, 1999)
From his book, ‘Teachings of Russell M. Nelson’ p.160, Deseret Book 2018
