New Mormon Leader Visits and Teaches in Kuala Lumpur

New Mormon Leader Visits and Teaches in Kuala Lumpur

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, “believe that a man

must be called of God” to serve in a leadership capacity. While there is more to that statement

(see Article of Faith 5 ), it is sufficient here to say that when Elder David F. Evans and his wife,

Mary, recently toured the Singapore Mission and taught, people listened.

Elder Evans is the newly “called” 2nd Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency. Soon after

he and his wife located to Hong Kong, they went on a tour of the area, visiting Indonesia,

Malaysia and Singapore. They are not strangers to Asia. Elder Evans was formerly the Mission

President of the Japan Nagoya Mission and they have lived in Japan for a total of seven years.

Elder Evans has served in a number of Church callings, including as a bishop and stake

president. He was formerly the Executive Director of the Missionary Department. Prior to

becoming a general authority in 2005, his professional career involved work as an attorney and

as an executive for a banking firm. He and Sister Evans are the parents of eight children and

they have 23 grandchildren.

On Saturday, August 27th, the 28 missionaries serving in the Kuala Lumpur District assembled

in Petaling Jaya to be taught by Elder Evans. For nearly two hours, Elder Evans lovingly taught

the attentive audience. He said that he sees unity in missionaries all over the world. They are

united in obedience, faith and work. He spoke of teaching, and the importance of understanding

what you are teaching. When discussing doctrine, he shared examples of prophets from the

Book of Mormon illustrating the message. He spoke of finding and teaching, of obedience and

blessings, of prayer and promises, of faith and families, of doctrine and decisions, of listening

and learning. He counseled the missionaries to “astonish” people with their faith. He concluded

his remarks with expressions of love and gratitude for these missionaries and the service they

provide.

The meeting was followed by lunch and an enjoyable hour was spent socializing. The attending

missionaries had been fed both spiritually and physically, and were rejuvenated and excited to

move forward with astonishing faith. Mormons believe that young men are to volunteer to serve

a full time mission. Once they reach the age of 18, and are considered worthy, they are eligible

for a mission call. Young women become eligible at age 19, but are not under the same

obligation to serve as a full time missionary. To all these missionaries, this visit from a General

Authority was a special privilege. They believe Elder Evans has been called of God, and what

Elder Evans says is what God wants him to say. They listened to his words.