Elder and Sister Renlund Visit Festinord in Göteborg

"I feel like I have come home." Elder Renlund says at Festinord Conference for young single adults in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

On Thursday 1st August 2024, Elder Dale G. Renlund and his wife, Sister Ruth L. Renlund, visited the Young Single Adult (YSA) conference Festinord in Göteborg, Sweden. They were accompanied by Elder Alan T. Phillips of the Europe North Area Presidency, Area Seventies, and stake leaders. The conference was made extra special by Elder and Sister Renlund greeting each attendee before starting a devotional.

Festinord is an annual conference for young single adults created for the Nordic and Baltic countries, with the location rotating between Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. This year is the 50th time this conference has been held and it gathered 500 attendees from 28 different countries. These young adults came together for five days to strengthen their faith, forge new friendships, and enjoy wholesome activities under the theme ”Rejoice in the Lord – always”.

Sister Renlund shared their experiences in Johannesburg, South Africa. She spoke about the rules given by a guide during a safari and how she once decided to ignore them. She said, “I tried to figure out a way around the rules instead of seeing that behind those rules were my protection and safety. I’m a very fine rationaliser and thought of a reason why those rules didn’t apply to me.”

She continued by comparing these types of rules with our Heavenly Father's commandments. She emphasised that behind each commandment is safety and happiness saying, “If we see our Heavenly Father’s love behind each of those commandments, it makes it easier for us to follow them.”

Elder Renlund began his talk with, "I feel like I have come home." As a young teenager, Elder Renlund and his family lived in Göteborg for a while. It was during that time he began his journey to becoming a true convert and follower of Jesus Christ.

He drew references to Swedish history and the mistakes a Swedish king made while being too greedy when building a ship. The king was free to build any type of ship he wanted, but was not free to change the laws of gravity that applied to that ship. As a result, the Vasa ship sank on its maiden voyage not long after leaving the harbour. Elder Renlund used this story to illustrate that while we can metaphorically build any ship we want, we cannot choose the consequences.

Elder Renlund encouraged attendees to build the kind of ship God wants us to build. Encouraging all that we should focus and build our faith on the following three things:

1. Understanding God’s plan of Salvation
2. Understanding Jesus Christ and His Atonement
3. Understanding the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

He then gave a powerful testimony: "I know. I absolutely know that Jesus Christ lives. I absolutely know that."

The visit from Elder and Sister Renlund left a profound impact on the attendees, inspiring them to deepen their faith and live more fully as disciples of Jesus Christ. One attendee shared her experience, saying, “I really liked it. It gave me a lot of insight into what I need to do and how to continue on. And I loved how friendly Elder Renlund was. I felt the Spirit.”

After the devotional, Elder and Sister Renlund held a Q&A session, where they answered questions from the young single adults, providing insightful and uplifting answers.