Apostle Gary E. Stevenson and Elder Ortiz Visit

The members of the Crooked River Ward in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were surprised on Sunday, November 23, 2025, by two visiting leaders of the church. Elder Gary E. Stevenson, of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, and Elder Michael Ortiz, an Area Seventy, attended worship services in the meeting house in Kearney. They were special guests at the Light the World Giving Machine unwrapping event at Union Station in Kansas City, MO, the night before, and picked a local congregation to meet with before returning home. 

 

Each Christmas season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Light the World Giving Machine initiative offers a meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by helping those in need. The Giving Machines have been a beloved tradition in Kansas City for five years. In 2025, Giving Machine kiosks are located in 126 cities in 21 nations on six continents. They are a collaboration of multiple faiths and charities to bring support and relief to people in need around the world. 

 

Elder Stevenson was a welcome visitor to the ward in the Far West Stake, where he provided a heartfelt message to the congregation. Following two talks by members of the ward on Gratitude, which Elder Stevenson and Ortiz listened to attentively, Elder Stevenson shared some thoughts about reclaiming what was lost. He pulled out a luggage tag and explained that he normally doesn’t check baggage due to the frequent misplacement of bags in many airports, and their travel often includes various stops over a short period of time. During one recent flight he had to gate check a bag and received a baggage claim ticket. Later, he found this baggage claim ticket in his scriptures, and then he learned through his newsfeed that Japan’s Kansai International Airport (KIK) was celebrating 30 years of service and had never lost a single bag. This remarkable statistic made Elder Stevenson think, he recalled to the congregation, that all of us are like a precious item sent to earth by Heavenly Father, and he doesn’t want any of us to get lost. Just like in the parable of the lost sheep that Jesus Christ shared in the New Testament, God wants all of his children to be found and safely brought back to him. We each have a solemn responsibility to minister and love one another as the Savior did. As we help bring these precious souls closer to Christ, they are redeemed by Him. 

 

After the meeting was over, Elder Stevenson, his wife, Lisa, Elder Ortiz, and his wife, Bethany, stood at a rear door and invited all who wanted to come and shake hands with them to do so before going to second hour meetings.