And We Talk of Christ

By Elder Gary E. Stevenson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

At the end of a long overseas assignment, my wife, Lesa, and I stepped into an airport terminal in preparation for just one more flight—a red-eye—to get home. As we stood with many others moving a step at a time in long lines, we could feel the growing anxiety of fellow travelers worried about making flights, getting through passport and visa review, and successfully navigating security checks.

We finally reached a station occupied by a customs officer who seemed unaffected by the high levels of stress and anxiety in the room. She almost mechanically, with no eye contact, reached for my documents, confirmed my picture, thumbed through one page after another, and finally stamped my passport with a heavy thud.

She then reached for Lesa’s papers. Devoid of emotion, head down and focused on her work, she methodically thumbed through the pages with an expert eye, focusing on the details of the documents in front of her. We were somewhat surprised when she suddenly stopped, lifted her head, and made eye contact with Lesa in a deliberate and warm upward gaze. With a tender smile, she gently stamped Lesa’s passport and handed the documents back to her. My wife smiled in return, accepted the documents, and exchanged warm parting words.

“What just happened?” I asked incredulously.

Lesa then showed me what the agent had seen—a small card with the image of the Savior. It had accidentally slipped from Lesa’s purse into the folds of her passport. This is what the customs officer had found. This is what had changed her whole demeanor.

This small picture of the Savior connected the hearts of two otherwise disconnected strangers. It transformed the impersonal to personal, capturing the beauty, the miracle, and the reality of the Light of Jesus Christ. For the remainder of that day and often since, I have contemplated that sweet, simple moment with awe and have rejoiced in the glorious effect of the Light of Christ upon God’s children.

We are followers of Jesus Christ, and we seek to both receive and share His light. Implicit in the name of the Church is our theology of “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” Through ancient and living prophets, our Heavenly Father has commanded us to “hear Him!” and to “come unto Christ.” “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, [and] we prophesy of Christ.”

We teach that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and during His earthly ministry, Jesus taught His gospel and established His Church.

We testify that at the end of His life, Jesus atoned for our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, was crucified on the cross, and then was resurrected.

We rejoice that because of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, we can be forgiven and cleansed of our sins as we repent. This brings us peace and hope while making it possible for us to return to God’s presence and receive a fulness of joy.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/04/31stevenson?lang=eng