User:Skywalk2011/Larry R. Lawrence

Larry Ray Lawrence (born August 25, 1947) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2010.

Biography
Lawrence grew up in Tucson, Arizona. As a teenager, he was introduced to the LDS Church by friends, including his future wife, Laurel Stott. In 1970, while attending the University of Arizona, Lawrence was baptized into the LDS Church by his future father-in-law. In 1971, Lawrence married Laurel Stott and they are the parents of six children.

Lawrence earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural biochemistry from the University of Arizona in 1969. In 1973, he received a doctor of medicine degree from the same university and later completed an ophthalmology residency in Fresno, California. He and his family remained in the area, and he began his career as an ophthalmologist in Fresno in 1977.

Prior to his appointment as a general authority, Lawrence served in numerous leadership positions in the LDS Church, including elders quorum president, bishop, high councilor, counselor in a stake presidency, and stake president. From 2001 to 2004, he was president of the church's Russia Novosibirsk Mission. From 2005 to 2010, he was an area seventy in the church's North America West Area (covering California and Hawaii). In April 2010, he was called to serve as a general authority and member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. From 2010 to 2012, he was a counselor in the presidency of church's Europe East Area and served as president of the area from 2012 to 2014. From 2015 to 2017, he supervised the church's work in the Middle East/North Africa, which he did from church headquarters. On September 30, 2017, he was released as a General Authority Seventy and was designated as an emeritus general authority.