Saturday Afternoon Session
Meeting the Challenges of Today’s World
Elder Robert D. Halesof the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
I would like to speak specifically to the youth, the noble youth and young adults. …
I testify that if you are there for the Lord, He will be there for you. If you love Him and keep His commandments, you will have His Spirit to be with you and guide you. …
… Pay your tithing and then save! When you earn more, save more. Don’t compete with others to have expensive toys. Don’t buy what you can’t afford. …
Education prepares you for better employment opportunities. It puts you in a better position to serve and to bless those around you. It will set you on a path of lifelong learning. …
… None of us marry perfection; we marry potential. The right marriage is not only about what I want; it’s also about what she wants ... and needs me to be. …
… Begin exercising your faith in every area of your life. …
… Prayerfully select mentors who have your spiritual well-being at heart. Be careful about taking advice from your peers. If you want more than you now have, reach up, not across!
Remember, no one can reach upward for you. Only your faith and prayers will cause you to lift yourself and have the mighty change of heart. Only your resolve to be obedient can change your life.
Behold Thy Mother
Elder Jeffrey R. Hollandof the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child. …
You see, it's not only that they bear us, but they continue bearing with us. It's not only the prenatal carrying but the lifelong carrying that makes mothering such a staggering feat. Of course, there are heartbreaking exceptions, but most mothers know intuitively, instinctively that this is a sacred trust of the highest order. The weight of that realization, especially on young maternal shoulders, can be very daunting. …
To all of our mothers everywhere, past, present, or future, I say, “Thank you. Thank you for giving birth, for shaping souls, for forming character, and for demonstrating the pure love of Christ.” To Mother Eve, to Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, to Mary of Nazareth, and to a Mother in Heaven, I say, “Thank you for your crucial role in fulfilling the purposes of eternity.” To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion, and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth [Moroni 7:46; see also 1 Corinthians 13:8].’” I can pay no higher tribute to anyone.
It’s Never Too Early and It’s Never Too Late
Elder Bradley D. Fosterof the Seventy
Brothers and sisters, we are engaged in a battle with the world. In the past, the world competed for our children’s energy and their time. Today it fights for their identity and their mind. Many loud and prominent voices are trying to define who our children are and what they should believe. We cannot let society give our family a makeover in the image of the world. We must win this battle. Everything depends on it. …
I know I can’t turn back time, but this I now know—that it’s never too early and it’s never too late to lead, guide, and walk beside our children, because families are forever. It is my witness that our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to live the life of a mortal so that Jesus could say to us, “I’ve been where you are, I know what comes next, and I’ll help you through it.” I know He will.
Tested and Tempted—but Helped
Elder Hugo Montoyaof the Seventy
Once we reach the age of accountability, trials and temptations are universal. Sometimes they can become heavy burdens, but they also give us strength and growth as we successfully overcome them.
Fortunately, these burdens are not to be carried alone. Alma taught, “Ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” [Mosiah 18:8]. These words indicate that we have the responsibility to help each other. That responsibility can come from a Church calling, an assignment, a friendship, or as part of our divine duty as parents, spouses, or family members—or simply from being part of God’s family.
I will illustrate four ways our burdens are lightened as we help each other. …
First—go the second mile.
Second—please smile. Your smile will help others.
Third—express compassion.
Fourth—invite others to come to church.
Choose the Light
Elder Vern P. Stanfillof the Seventy
We live in a world in which we will experience challenges to our faith. We may feel confident that we are ready to face these challenges—only to find that our preparations have been insufficient. … Apostolic voices urge us to prepare ourselves with the powerful light of spiritual strength. …
I learned some important lessons … . I’ll share just a few of them.
First, no matter how intense the darkness of doubt, we choose how long and to what extent we allow it to influence us. …
Second, we must trust in the Lord in order to develop spiritual strength within ourselves. …
Third, there is no darkness so dense, so menacing, or so difficult that it cannot be overcome by light. …
Brothers and sisters, we have not been left alone to be influenced by every whim and change in the world’s attitude, but we have the power to choose belief over doubt. In order to access the promised compensatory spiritual power, we must choose to heed prophetic counsel, recognize and act upon spiritual promptings, be obedient to God’s commandments, and seek personal revelation. We must choose. May we choose the light of the Savior.
Turn to Him and Answers Will Come
Elder James B. Martinoof the Seventy
If you have been tempted to murmur, if you have had doubts that lead to unbelief, if trials seem more than you can bear, turn to Him. If you are one who has turned away or rationalized your behavior, turn to Him. Can you remember when He did “speak peace to your mind … ? What greater witness can you have than from God?” [D&C 6:23]. Ask yourself, “Am I as close to living like Christ now as I was before?” Please, turn to Him. …
Brothers and sisters, remember Nephi and the sons of Mosiah, who had spiritual experiences and then acted in faith so that answers came and their faithfulness grew. Contrast this with Laman and Lemuel, who doubted and murmured. Even though they sometimes acted in worthwhile ways, work without faith is dead. We must have faith with works to receive answers.
Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Elder Dallin H. Oaksof the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Our Savior … knows our struggles, our heartaches, our temptations, our suffering, for He willingly experienced them all as an essential part of His Atonement. And because of this, His Atonement empowers Him to succor us—to give us the strength to bear it all. …
… Sometimes His power heals an infirmity, but the scriptures and our experiences teach that sometimes He succors or helps by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities. …
… Our Savior’s Atonement does more than assure us of immortality by a universal resurrection and give us the opportunity to be cleansed from sin by repentance and baptism. His Atonement also provides the opportunity to call upon Him who has experienced all of our mortal infirmities to give us the strength to bear the burdens of mortality. He knows of our anguish, and He is there for us. Like the good Samaritan, when He finds us wounded at the wayside, He will bind up our wounds and care for us (see Luke 10:34). The healing and strengthening power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement is for all of us who will ask. I testify of that as I also testify of our Savior, who makes it all possible.
