Elder Russell M. Nelson, as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in a North America Southeast Area Conference January 26, 2014:
“Long ago, my own dear parents were among the many third-generation members [of the Church] who had let other interests take a higher priority in their lives. [I remember] . . . my deep concern, even anguish—over the eternal welfare of my beloved mother and father. Because I was living far away from them during my long period of advanced surgical training, I wrote a letter to the Bishop of my parents. I asked this good bishop if he could please invite someone to teach the gospel to my dear mother and daddy. I fervently prayed that the bishop could provide help. He replied, expressing sincere regret that he did not have anyone upon whom he could call to teach my parents!
The bishop’s response crushed my hopes. My parents knew a little about the Church but they didn’t know much about the glorious truths of God’s restored gospel. Decades later they learned the doctrine, became truly converted, and were sealed in the holy temple. For that, my siblings and I and our families are forever grateful.
Yes, loved ones in our families and neighborhoods here at the heart of the Church are just as precious in the sight of the Lord as those who live far away. Missionary work in the Lord’s kingdom is a rescue effort. We love to bring people to their first covenant baptism. And equally important, we love to rescue people and bring them back to their previous covenants. (“The Doctrine,” North America Southeast Area Stake Conference Broadcast, January 26, 2014. . . quoted here from “Teachings of Russell M. Nelson (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989), 225-26
