Elder Gary E. Stevenson was born Aug. 6, 1955, in Cache Valley, Utah, and named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 3, 2015. He served a full-time mission in the Japan Fukuoka Mission and attended Utah State University. USU awarded him an honorary doctorate of business earlier this year.
He married Lesa Jean Higley on Aug. 20, 1979, in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and they have four sons. Elder Stevenson was co-founder and president of Icon Health & Fitness Inc. and traveled for work to places around the world.
Elder Stevenson was called to lead the Japan Nagoya Mission in 2004. The Stevensons moved back to that area of the world when Elder Stevenson was called as a General Authority Seventy. Before his call to be an Apostle, he served as the Church’s presiding bishop.
In honor of Elder Stevenson’s birthday today, here are nine of his quotes from the past year.
1. A ‘Preach My Gospel’ mission
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks about the new “Preach My Gospel” app during the 2023 Seminar for New Mission Leaders at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on June 22, 2023.
Cristy Powell, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“How I wish I was in your shoes right now, implementing the second edition of ‘Preach My Gospel’ — especially these exciting changes in Chapter 8. Embrace them. Don’t stress too much about implementing all this technology. This will come so easily to your missionaries and ultimately it will come to you as well. Do all you can to continue a tradition of a ‘Preach My Gospel’ mission.”
— 2023 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 22, 2023
2. Sacred ordinances in the temple
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson, pose for a photo with 94-year-old Edith Elsie Gruel, center, between dedication sessions for the Helena Montana Temple on Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Helena, Montana.
Colter Peterson, for the Deseret News
“We honor the Lord by building a beautiful structure, as did Solomon in the Old Testament, but we honor Him more by performing the sacred ordinances that only take place in a dedicated house of the Lord. ‘Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest’ (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20).”
— Dedication of the Helena Montana Temple, June 18, 2023
3. Message for missionaries
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greets missionaries in Brazil during a visit in May 2023.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“I want to bear a testimony to you that, right this moment, you are exactly where the Lord wants you to be. ... He’s been preparing people for you to teach, and some of those people might be only ready and willing to hear from each of you.”
— Ministry in Brazil, May 2023
4. Get understanding
Utah State University President Noelle Cockett, left, bestows an honorary degree of doctor of business to Elder Gary E. Stevenson during USU’s commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Logan, Utah.
Eli Lucero, Herald Journal
“Strive to get that understanding. You’re going to get a lot of things. You’re going to get a job, a home, a mortgage, a family, but with all of that getting, get understanding. And that understanding is treating other people with dignity, with kindness.”
— Utah State University commencement, May 4, 2023
5. Easter and the Book of Mormon
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during the Saturday morning session of the 193rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 1, 2023.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“In reality, the Book of Mormon shares the greatest Easter story ever told. Let it not be the greatest Easter story never told. I invite you to look at the Book of Mormon in a new light and consider the profound witness it bears of the reality of the risen Christ as well as the richness and depth of the doctrine of Christ.”
— ‘The Greatest Easter Story Ever Told,’ April 2023 general conference
6. A gifted people
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greets the choir as he arrives to speak at a devotional at the Utah Valley Institute of Religion in Orem, Utah, on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
“We are a gifted people. We have a constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Our friends that are learning about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ can look forward to the opportunity to receive baptism and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
— Devotional at Utah Valley University Institute of Religion, Feb. 3, 2023
7. The impact of a mission
Elder Gary E. Stevenson, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, talks with Elder Wonnacott during a meeting with missionaries in Mexico City on Saturday Dec. 10, 2022.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
“I have had the opportunity to look back now on my mission experience. And I don’t know if a day goes by that I don’t have some thought, some feeling, some reflection, about my two years of service as a young missionary.”
— Meeting at the Mexico Missionary Training Center, Dec. 10, 2022
8. Learn from the past and the present
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offers remarks during the G20 Religion Forum on Nov. 3, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints
“We gather from around the world as ecclesiastical leaders, spiritual guides and scholars of various religious beliefs to share perspectives in this noble work of building peace. We face many challenges, but one of the tests of a successful society is to learn from the past and accept new light and knowledge that comes into the world. Religion is no different. We can all learn from one another — from our past and from our present.”
— G20 Religion Forum in Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 3, 2022
9. Bear testimony
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during the Sunday afternoon session of the 192nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Oct. 2, 2022.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“When a moment to bear testimony comes, grab it and embrace it. You will feel the warmth of the Comforter inside you when you do.”
— “Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony,” October 2022 general conference
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