Kazuhiko Yamashita

First Quorum of the Seventy (April 2, 2011 – August 1, 2023)

General Conference Addresses

• April 2023 General Conference
  • When to Receive Your Patriarchal Blessing
    • “My dear young men, young women, parents, and bishops, patriarchal blessings are not only for preparation to serve a mission. Worthy baptized members may receive their patriarchal blessing when the time is right for them.”
    • “Your patriarchal blessing is a message from your Heavenly Father and will likely include promises and inspired counsel to guide you throughout your life. A patriarchal blessing is not going to map out your life or answer all your questions. If it doesn’t mention an important life event, do not take that to mean you won’t have that opportunity. Likewise, there is no guarantee everything in your blessing will come to pass in this life. A patriarchal blessing is eternal, and if you live worthy, promises that are not fulfilled in this life will be granted in the next.”
    • “Just as scriptures we have read many times have new meaning to us later, our patriarchal blessing will have a different meaning to us at different times. Mine has a different meaning now than it did when I was 30 and when I was 50. It is not that the words change, but we see them in a different way.”
• October 2016 General Conference
  • Be Ambitious for Christ
    • “His injunction to “be ambitious for Christ” can help direct daily decisions for today’s Latter-day Saints.”
    • “I am proud not only of Elder Cowan but also of all the missionaries throughout the world who serve willingly without murmuring or complaining. Thank you, elders and sisters, for your faith, your focus, and your strong ambition for Christ.”
    • “In our lives we experience trials, but if we are ambitious for Christ, we can focus on Him and feel joy even in the midst of them. Our Redeemer is the ultimate example. He understood His holy mission and was obedient to the will of God the Father. What a choice blessing it is to bring His wonderful example to our remembrance each week as we partake of the sacrament.”
    • “May we be ambitious for Christ as we accept our difficulties and trials with patience and faith and find joy in our covenant path.”
• October 2011 General Conference
  • Missionaries Are a Treasure of the Church
    • “I would now like to say a few words to the missionaries currently serving missions around the world. Your attitudes and the love that you show toward others are very significant messages. Even though I didn’t immediately grasp all the doctrines that the missionaries taught me, I felt of their great love, and their many acts of kindness taught me important lessons. Your message is a message of love, a message of hope, and a message of faith. Your attitude and your actions invite the Spirit, and the Spirit enables us to understand the things that are important. What I want to convey to you is that through your love, you are imparting the love of God. You are a treasure of this Church. I am so very thankful to all of you for your sacrifice and your dedication.”
    • “I am thankful that missionaries are called by the Lord, that they respond to that call, and that they are serving throughout the world. Let me say to all of you beloved returned missionaries: I am truly thankful for all your efforts. You are a treasure of this Church. And may you always continue to be missionaries and act like disciples of Christ.”

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