5 Things We Love about Elder Ulisses Soares

Do you have a strong but quiet man in your ward or family? That's what I imagine Elder Soares to be like.
Why?

Well, with all the conference talks he has already given, I thought I would find lots of stories about him to share.
I was wrong. It turns out that in most of his talks he didn't share a personal experience at all! When he does speak, you can tell he loves God, the church, the scriptures, his wife and his family. 

1. We like his name. If you need to spell it, remember that it is spelled like the English word “soar,” with an “-es” attached. For pronunciation, I’m trusting President Eyring, who pronounced it “swahrr-ez.”
2.  He was born in Brazil. My husband served his mission in Brazil, so it’s definitely our family’s favorite South American country. After two years of eating black beans and rice (and some of the most amazing fresh fruit), he still sometimes we occasionally visit local Brazilian restaurants, because nobody makes black beans as tasty and satisfying as they can. But that isn’t the only foreign country Elder Soares has ties to. He has also lived in South Africa, and served as president of the Portugal Porto Mission. He also speaks four languages: Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish.
3. He filled out his mission papers at the age of 11. This probably says more about his bishop than about him, but it is a unique way of planning for your future.
4. Elder Soares loves his wife. In fact, his love for his wife and their family might be his defining characteristic. “The couple rarely says ‘I’ and ‘me’ when discussing their respective lives—opting for the pronouns ‘we’ and ‘us.’” In fact, we love his wife, too! She was first invited to visit the church when she was eight or nine years old, but her parents didn't allow her to be baptized until she was seventeen! That didn't slow her down. Only a few years later she was a missionary serving in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro mission. After her mission, she married another convert to the church who had served in the same mission: Ulisses Soares!* 
5. Elder Soares is humble. He said so himself. Kidding! (Although he did once give a talk titled, “Be Meek and Lowly of Heart.”) Actually, the real reason I believe Elder Soares is humble is that in the seven times he has spoken in General Conference, he has only shared personal stories twice. For some people, a microphone is an invitation to monologue, but when Elder Soares takes the podium, his focus is clearly on scriptures, doctrine, and Jesus Christ. He knows it isn’t about him.

REFERENCES

• Hear President Eyring’s pronunciation of “Soares” during the April 2018 solemn assembly.
• Read about Ulisses Soares' family's conversion, his mission, and courtship in LDS Living's article, "5 Things You Should Know About Our New Apostle Elder Soares."
• Elder Renlund reviews the homemade Brazilian pizza made by Elder and Sister Soares in a caption in the September 2018 New Era article, “Take the Savior’s Hand.” (The online version is unfortunately missing the photograph and caption).
• An interview with Elder and Sister Soares was published this April: "Meet Elder Ulisses Soares: Committed to Serve and Testify Worldwide."
• An infographic of his life was published in the September 2018 New Era.
• The talk, “Be Meek and Lowly of Heart,” was given in October 2013.
• You can see all the talks Elder Soares ever gave by going to the General Conference homepage on lds.org. At the top of the page is the option to select a speaker. Scroll down until you see his name (it’s currently number 15).

* Elder Soares was six when his family joined the church, so he will say he grew up in the church, but his family was converted.