M. Russell Ballard

Melvin Russell Ballard Jr.

Melvin Russell Ballard Jr. (born October 8, 1928 ) is an American businessman and since 1985 a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .

Life

Ballard is a great grandson of the Apostles Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum M. Smith . Through Smith, he is related to Hyrum Smith , brother of Joseph Smith .

He was born in Salt Lake City . His parents were Melvin Russell Ballard Sr. and his wife Geraldine Smith. As a young man, Ballard served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England from 1948 to 1950 . He met his wife while he was studying at the University of Utah . In 1974 Ballard was called as a mission president for the Canada - Toronto Mission . While serving as mission president, he was called to be one of the seventy in 1976.

Ballard was called an Apostle on October 6, 1985, following the death of the Apostle Bruce R. McConkie . He was ordained into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 10, 1985.

Business activities

Ballard has been involved in a number of ventures, including auto, real estate, and finance deals. He was the best salesman in his father's auto business. During the late 1950s, Ballard was the seller of Edsel cars for Ford Motor Company in Salt Lake City. He prayed and had been warned not to participate in this business. He went along anyway and made the biggest loss of his career.

A high point of his business career was the presidency of Valley Music Hall . This offered entertainment for families. Ballard came into contact with celebrities like Danny Thomas and Bob Cummings , who were consultants in the business. Although the deal would have been a financial loss, it was still a success for Ballard because Latter-day Saint Church bought the building.

family

Ballard married Barbara Bowen in the Salt Lake Temple on August 8, 1951. They are the parents of seven children. One of her daughters married Peter Huntsman, the brother of Jon Huntsman Jr.

Publications

• M. Russell Ballard: Daughters of God . Deseret Book Company, 2009, ISBN 978-1-60641-043-1 .
• M. Russell Ballard: As Women of God . Deseret Book Company, 2002, ISBN 1-57008-832-2 .
• M. Russell Ballard: Staying the Course: Ten Keys to Gospel Commitment . Deseret Book Company, 2001, ISBN 1-57345-813-9 .
• M. Russell Ballard, When Thou Art Converted: Continuing the Search for Happiness . Deseret Book Company, 2001, ISBN 1-57345-813-9 .
• M. Russell Ballard: The Law of Sacrifice and What Came from Kirtland . Deseret Book Company, 1998, ISBN 1-57345-403-6 .
• M. Russell Ballard: Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family . Deseret Book Company, 1997, ISBN 1-57345-209-2 .
• M. Russell Ballard: Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Deseret Book Company, 1993, ISBN 0-87579-804-7 .
• M. Russell Ballard: Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not . Deseret Book Company, 1993, ISBN 0-87579-766-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Matthew O. Richardson: M. Russell Ballard. In: Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon, Richard O. Cowan (Eds.): Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Deseret Book, Salt Lake City 2000, p. 74, ISBN 978-1-57345-822-1 , OCLC 44634356
2. ^ The Sustaining of Church Officers . In: Ensign . LDS Church. October 1985.
3. ^ M. Russell Ballard: Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1993, pp. 85-86.
4. ^ Julie Dockstader: Lord has a way of turning adversity to good . February 9, 1991. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
5. ^ Lynn Packer: Lying For The Lord: The Paul H. Dunn Stories . S. 269 .
6. ↑ LDS.org: Prophets and Apostles: What are Prophets? Bio: M. Russell Ballard , accessed July 26, 2015.

literature

• Kathleen Lubeck: Elder M. Russell Ballard: True to the Faith . March 1986.
• Elder Melvin Russell Ballard Jr., Of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In: Ensign , May 1976