Thinking Celestial - A ”Follow The Prophet” Series Podcast · SLCC Institute of Religion

Ep 166 S6 Aiden Seifert "The Lord Is Hastening His Work" Quentin L. Cook

·30 min·1 clip

Elder Quentin L. Cook says there were 900,000 converts in the last 36 months.

1. Thinking Celestial reviews Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk, “The Lord Is Hastening His Work,” with Kirk Burbage and Aidan Seifert. 2. Kirk Burbage is an Institute instructor at the Salt Lake Community College Institute of Religion, and Aidan Seifert is a recent return missionary from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. 3. The episode asks what Cook’s talk teaches about Church growth, missionary work, and how members welcome new converts. 4. Aidan says he likes the talk because it combines doctrine, numbers, and the experience of working with recent converts. 5. Kirk connects the talk to his own mission in Germany, where one baptism could count as a successful mission. 6. They discuss Cook’s use of Charles Dickens’s phrase “the best of times and the worst of times” from A Tale of Two Cities. 7. Kirk says the phrase fits a world of politics, wars, rumors of wars, sickness, and social-media-driven doubt. 8. The hosts highlight Cook’s statement that there were 900,000 converts in 36 months. 9. They also mention the figure of 17% growth in North America and compare it with flat growth in other proselytizing religions. 10. Aidan links that growth to President Nelson’s invitation for young missionaries to serve and to the Church’s expanding missionary force. 11. Kirk and Aidan discuss the announcement that all sisters can now serve at 18 instead of 19. 12. Aidan says friends are already turning in mission papers as soon as they graduate or going to their bishop now. 13. The talk’s attention shifts to new members, who can feel scared, terrified, or petrified after baptism. 14. Aidan says members often overlook how vulnerable converts can be when family, friends, or ward culture change around them. 15. They quote Cook’s counsel to “wrap our arms around these precious elect people who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 16. The hosts repeat the framework that new members need a friend, a responsibility, and nourishment by the word of God. 17. Kirk’s delivery is conversational and reflective, with Aidan responding in short, concrete examples from mission life and Institute. 18. The tone stays upbeat and instructional, with practical applications for missionaries, Institute students, and ward members. 19. Best for Latter-day Saints interested in missionary work and new-member care. 20. Skip it if you want tightly edited, non-LDS religious analysis.

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