Sunday general conference: ‘Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find him in the temple’

President Russell M. Nelson promised Sunday that those who seek Jesus Christ will find him in the temple, then announced plans for 17 new temples as he closed the 194th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The 100-year-old leader sat in a chair and used a desktop teleprompter during a prerecorded message because, he said, “my eyes are getting older.”
He said God instructed church leaders to build temples at this unprecedented pace — President Nelson has announced 185 new temples over the past six years — because temple blessings prepare people for Jesus Christ’s second coming.
“Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find him in the temple. You will feel his mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of his gospel,” he said.
Temple worship helps Christ’s disciples find peace and spiritual reassurance in a turbulent world filled with dizzying distractions, he said.
“In the house of the Lord, we focus on Jesus Christ. We learn of him. We make covenants to follow him. We come to know him. As we keep our temple covenants, we gain greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power. In the temple, we receive protection from the buffetings of the world. We experience the pure love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in great abundance!”
President Nelson also announced that the Salt Lake Temple renovation is projected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The locations for the new temples are:
“I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment!” President Nelson said, adding that “Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority.”
President Nelson shared additional insights during his 15-minute address.
“I have learned that the most crucial question we each must answer is this: To whom or to what will I give my life? My decision to follow Jesus Christ is the most important decision I have ever made,” he said.
He also issued two invitations.
Millions around the world watched broadcasts of Sunday’s sessions. More than 19,000 people attended a session at the Conference Center for the first time since 2019, when limits began due to the COVID-19 pandemic and construction related to the Salt Lake Temple renovation, which in some cases limited parking.
A total of 38,202 attended on Sunday. The total for all five sessions was 92,848.
Thirty-four of the church’s leaders taught Saturday and Sunday from the Bible and Book of Mormon.
“Whether handheld or digital, the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, provide spiritual guidance and teaching from Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world,” said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “We treasure these books for their profound role in documenting God’s direction to ancient prophets and people and the guidance they provide for our own personal lives.”
Leaders also provided guidance and advice for living a life of faith on unseasonably warm days at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Fourteen of those talks were given on Sunday by:
President Eyring said church members can find comfort in the stories of scriptural families in which those who abandoned faith returned.
President Holland, seated in a tall chair at the podium, spoke lovingly and boldly about Jesus Christ and was the first speaker in the Sunday morning session.
Elder Uchtdorf noted that he was baptized 75 years ago in Zwickau, Germany, where he loved a chapel that no longer stands. The apostle, who will turn 84 in November, said he misses the chapel but said it is vital to focus on what is eternal. He called Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ the only “undeviating, perfectly reliable object of our trust.”
Elder Cook taught that scriptures are the foundation of faith and counseled against inappropriate internet usage.
Elder Rasband said that sustaining church leaders, family members and neighbors is to hold them up when needed and to say, “I am here for you.”
Elder Stevenson said the next decade in church history will be unforgettable, beginning with President Nelson’s 100th birthday because it brought attention to the church’s message that it is led by a prophet.
Elder Hales shared several stories of his own and others’ painful and difficult life experiences, but said that the challenges of life are part of God’s merciful plan that will result in eternal life.
Elder Wada described being a lonely teenager when he read some of the words of Jesus Christ for the first time.
Elder Alliaud noted that Latter-day Saint doctrine about the Godhead and that all are literal children of God is different from other churches.
“For Latter-day Saints, this teaching is not metaphorical. Rather, we truly believe that we are all literally the children of God. He is ‘the Father of (our) spirits,’ and because of that, we have the potential to become like him, which seems to be inconceivable to some.”
“Every time we are taught about our divine nature and destiny, the adversary of all righteousness tempts us to call them into question.”
Elder Egbo taught church members to focus on Jesus Christ’s gospel.
Sister Browning encouraged listeners to learn line upon line while practicing obedience and profound trust as they seek answers to spiritual questions. She noted that scientists, with limited knowledge, previously thought Pluto was a planet. They diligently sought more information and eventually learned it was outside the solar system.
Bishop Budge asked listeners to consider the ways they are seeking Christ and to improve their listening to God.
Brother Wilcox encouraged Latter-day Saint youth — teenagers — to live differently than others as disciples of Christ.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, conducted the Sunday morning session. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles conducted the afternoon session.