SALT LAKE CITY — As the number of global deaths caused by COVID-19 surpassed 700,000, President Russell M. Nelson expressed “great sorrow” on Wednesday over the losses in a statement released through the social media accounts of the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He also said the clouds of sorrow are laced with silver linings of faith, family and service.
“I have mourned with families who have lost loved ones,” President Nelson said in a post shared on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
“Many have lost jobs,” he noted. “Some have struggled to find adequate food and supplies. Graduation ceremonies, marriages and funerals have been canceled or postponed or altered in some way. I feel great compassion for all who have suffered.”
Worldwide, the number of documented COVID-19 cases now totals more than 18.6 million, with 702,164 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins database.
With nearly 4.75 million cases, the United States accounts for 25% of the cases and 22% of the deaths, with 156,311, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last week, President Nelson said in a video that the necessary decision to close all of the church’s 168 temples because of the pandemic was painful and wracked with worry. The temples have begun to reopen on limited basis.
“Even through clouds of sorrow, we have found some silver linings,” President Nelson said of he and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson.
He said many families have made their homes sanctuaries of faith and praised those serving others.
“We’ve also learned fear, isolation and loss can be mitigated by immersing oneself in caring for other people,” he said. “Countless healthcare professionals have risked their own lives to care for others. Farmers, pharmacists, truckers, grocers and others have risked their own health to serve the urgent needs of others.”
President Nelson and the rest of the church’s First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have continued their ministries though they have been unable to travel during the pandemic.
“We don’t wring our hands,” President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, told the Church News recently. “We figure out how to find a new way.”
The church’s two senior leadership councils have met throughout the pandemic using videoconferencing and physical distancing.
They also have used streaming video and online conferencing technology to hold missionary, youth and member meetings and to maintain daily contact with area presidencies around the world. They have reorganized some stakes remotely, according to the Church News.
Here is the full text of President Nelson’s comments:
“As we are now many months into the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought I might share some of what I have learned. I have felt great sorrow about this pandemic. I have mourned with families who have lost loved ones. Many have lost jobs. Some have struggled to find adequate food and supplies. Graduation ceremonies, marriages, and funerals have been canceled or postponed or altered in some way. I feel great compassion for all who have suffered.
“At the same time, Wendy and I have learned so much. Even through clouds of sorrow, we have found some silver linings. Many families have re-enthroned their homes as sanctuaries of faith. Many better understand how important the family is and that it really is ordained of God, with an eternal destiny.
“We’ve also learned fear, isolation, and loss can be mitigated by immersing oneself in caring for other people. Countless healthcare professionals have risked their own lives to care for others. Farmers, pharmacists, truckers, grocers, and others have risked their own health to serve the urgent needs of others.
“Dear friends, the road ahead may be bumpy, but our destination is serene and secure. So, fasten your seatbelt, hang on through the bumps, and do what’s right. Your reward will be eternal. In 1831 the Lord made a promise to his Saints. It still applies to each of us today:
“‘Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.’” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6)