This presentation was given at the BYU Women’s Conference on May 5, 2023.

President Bonnie H. Cordon was called as the Young Women General President on March 31, 2018. At the time of her call, President Cordon was serving as the First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Cordon’s faith has carried her throughout her life.

She served a full-time mission in the Portugal Lisbon Mission, and she served as a companion to her husband, Derek, as he presided over the Brazil Curitiba mission from 2010 to 2013.

She has also served in many ward and stake callings and has been an early-morning seminary teacher.

In her current calling, she serves as a member of the Church's Missionary Executive Council and the BYU Board of Trustees. President Cordon received a bachelor’s degree in education from BYU.

She is married to Derek Cordon, and they are the parents of four children. She loves scuba diving, Curitiba Brazil

missionaries, and being a grandma.

President Cordon has served faithfully for the last five years as Young Women General President and is now, as she explained, “forever changed by the love and light of young women around the world.”

And I would add, the young women and women around the world are forever changed by the love and light of Bonnie Cordon.

Oh, my goodness. Is it so fun to be with friends today? I am just grateful to feel of your love and the joy of gathering.

You know, when we came up and we saw this setup,

they didn't have a chair here. So I said, “Can I just bring a chair with me?”

And they’re like, “No, no, we’ll provide a chair.”

And, you know, don't you love when you ask for something? It's abundance.

We even get flowers.

So as we gather today,

what I’d really love is if we actually sat in my living room or in your living room, and we could talk about some of these things that are important and that are on our mind. But I’m grateful that we have this space that we can come and be taught by the Spirit that can magnify our understanding and increase our hearts in a way that no other thing can. Well, I love you. And as I’ve traveled around the world and visited with many of you, I have been so overwhelmed of the love of the Lord for you.

I am amazed at your grand contribution to His work. So I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you, thank you.

You know, it's an interesting time to be here at this season where we get to help the world and prepare them for the Second Coming of

the Lord Jesus Christ. So it truly is all hands on deck. And when we say all hands, that’s our hands. And this is our deck. And so I'm excited. So, sisters.

As I've sat with many of you,

I've sat around the world and in mud huts in different spots.

I’ve been increasingly alarmed—and it’s weighed heavily on my mind—

Satan's attacks that are aimed at our physical bodies.

And women have always been a target for Satan.

He is well aware of the great role we play in God's plan. One way he attacks us is by persuading women and men to misuse, misunderstand, or minimize the importance of our bodies.

Relegating women's value to a little more than the way we look or our sexual appeal. Both women and men fall prey to these lies.

Elder David A. Bednar taught,

“One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies.

The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.”

Just to help us see how prevalent this can be, let's do a little something.

Will you raise your hand if you've ever felt frustrated, self-conscious, or disgruntled about your physical body?

Okay. Now, will you raise two hands if those feelings have occurred more than once? Okay. We're all in the same boat.

We're all going to talk about this together.

The Prophet Joseph Smith boldly summarized that receiving a body is fundamental to our purpose here in mortality.

“We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom.

The great principle of happiness consists in having a body.”

Now, that is a bold statement.

The great principle of happiness consists in having a body.

I pray, sisters, while we’re together,

that we will allow the Holy Ghost to help us more deeply understand some glorious, eternal truths about our bodies.

To begin, I thought we would ask the wisdom of some expert body dwellers on the subject. So let's watch.

Why are bodies so important?

Are girls’ bodies or boys’ bodies more important?

Boys? Why do you think boys are more important?

Why?

What can your body do that a spirit can't do?

How can our bodies help us be like Jesus?

Oh, our little experts might need to brush up on their basics.

But maybe we need to also start with the basics.

So before we came to earth, we existed as spirit children of our heavenly parents, who were then and still are glorified corporal beings. We desired to become like Them. That is, perfect or complete and inheriting the partnership with our spouse, thrones, kingdoms, principalities, powers, dominions, all heights and depths. Sisters, that is no small inheritance.

But we were stuck, having progressed as much as we could. Gratefully, our perfect Heavenly Father presented a plan that could make a glorious potential eternal reality.

Father’s plan consisted in each of us choosing to follow Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, first in the realm of spirits and then, if proven faithful there, being—and I love these words—added upon in our next state—that is, coming to earth, where our eternal spirit would unite with a physical body, thereby providing us with experiences and opportunities for progression. The chance to prove us herewith that we could not achieve any other way. Now, we shouted for joy at the prospect of such earthly learning experiences. We could not wait.

We were all in. We all said yes, and we said yes with our testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. For all who chose to follow God’s plan in that first estate—now, just look around—

that includes all of us and everyone ever born into the human family.

A promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, would sacrifice His body, His own body and blood, to ensure the unconditional gift of immortality

and the conditional gift of eternal life for each of God's daughters and sons. And so here we are in this next estate, or this next phase of the plan. Perhaps during this mortal journey, we don't always feel like our body brings you great joy or happiness worth shouting for.

Truly, physical pain from sickness, abuse, aging, physical limitations, mental illness, and any number of mortal experiences that we face can feel crushing emotionally, and mental distress often accompanies such

physical challenges and may result from misconstrued perceptions about our bodies as compared to some social construct ideal.

This is an especially effective attack against us women.

We face a near constant barrage of filtered perfection and counterfeit messages that our appearance or sexual appeal define our worth. One or two swipes of our favorite social media app,

and we are subtly or not-so-subtly encouraged to look at, act, or be like those we see. We have become so accustomed to these messages that we may not even see them anymore,

but they seep into our thoughts and our perceptions of ourselves and tell us we don’t measure up. And it can be, sisters, overwhelming.

But this is kind of a neat note. Through revealed truth, we know that these views are gross distortions of the true nature and divine need for a body.

The Lord revealed in the Doctrine and Covenants that the spirit and the body together form the soul, which is such an indispensable union that the Resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul.

Elder David A. Bednar taught, “The body and the spirit constitute our reality and identity. When body and spirit are inseparably connected, we can receive a fullness of joy;

when they are separated, we cannot receive a fullness of joy.”

So let’s pause for a minute—and I know a lot of you have some books or just in your mind—I want you to think about your spirit and body together. Our souls. How has that helped us experience joy?

Will you take a minute and just write down one or two ways you have felt joy because of your body and spirit?

Sisters, it may be as simple as a sheer joy of eating a mint brownie today for breakfast.

Now, do we realize that the joy we experience through our body and spirit is a daily experience? It is a gift and a miracle.

We know that the spirits of those who died—including our own parents,

grandparents, and other loved ones who have left this mortal life— eagerly anticipate their Resurrection as they look upon the absence of their spirit from their body as bondage.

This body that we sometimes find limiting or constraining is the very thing they long for.

Now, sisters, just stop for a minute and think about the many scriptural phrases where there are references to physical attributes

applied in spiritual ways.

It would be so interesting in our daily scripture study to write down and note these phrases as we study in our own personal scriptures.

So here are some. We talk about “feeling the Spirit,” “being encircled in the arms of God’s love.” We are invited to “walk in the meekness of His Spirit” and—one of my favorites—“put on the armor of God.”

We are warned to “touch no unclean thing.”

The voice of the Lord “pierces our hearts.”

Perhaps this would illuminate how our spiritual attributes and growth are enhanced through the joining of our spirits and bodies.

Sisters, there are countless directions we could go when discussing bodies,

and I'm sure you've thought of many of them today.

Social issues surrounding women's bodies, enduring physical challenges that we face in mortality,

or body image with all that loaded phrase implies—whatever concern brought you to this session today, please remember, dear friends, that the mortal body we have now, which is subjected to a fallen world, will one day be raised to immortality. We will live again with these bodies in a glorified state through the atoning blood and bountiful grace of Jesus Christ.

Today, let's talk about what bodies do for us now.

Now, you remember Father Lehi’s powerful teaching to Jacob that “there must be opposition in all things.”

Often we think that this opposition in terms of conflict or hostility,

where one is working against the other.

Lehi gives an example of this type of opposition: good and bad,

holiness and misery. But there’s also another kind of opposition that, as

Lehi taught, is critical to our eternal progression.

This type of opposition has to do with opposites

or contrasts that work with rather than against each other to fulfill God's purpose. President Linda Burton gave an example of this type of opposition.

“Our two hands,” she said, “are similar to each other but not exactly the same.”

Now I want you to look at your hands and just notice. And she says, “They are the exact opposite, but they are complimentary to each other and are suited to each other.

Working together, they are stronger.”

Now, some of my favorite snacks benefit from this same principle. You might have some. I love the combination of spicy cinnamon bears dipped in sweet milk chocolate.

Now, yours might be warm cookies accompanied with cold milk.

Or perhaps it’s the perennial favorite, peanut butter and jelly.

It’s so universal that it has its own acronym: PB and J.

So when you start to think about divine complementary contrasts,

they show up frequently in God's plan. Bread and water. Men and women. Birth and death. Justice and mercy.

The first and the last. Significantly, in each set of complementary contrasts,

one is not more important than the other.

Rather, both parts are needed and must work together in order to make either one fully efficacious. It is their duality that unlocks their full potential and their full power.

Let’s consider for a moment. It is our body and spirit together that participates in ordinances and makes covenants with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Covenants so vital to our eternal progression that those of us here

on earth must stand proxy in the temple for those same sacred ordinances on behalf of our deceased ancestors.

Note it is only in the eternal pairing of our bodies and our spirits that we and they can achieve our full potential and inherit eternal life.

Working together, our bodies and spirits unlock greater access to power and potential than either has on its own. Now, let's consider the example of the Savior.

It’s clear from the scriptures that Christ’s saving Atonement had to be carried out in the flesh in order to satisfy the demands of justice and provide a Savior with the power to cleanse and exalt us.

It was a necessity, a combined physical and spiritual experience.

Alma, in one of the most stirring sermons, teaches: “And [Christ] shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; …

he will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people.

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people, and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” And then this beautiful truth: “Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless, the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people,

that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance.”

It was not until and it was only when the spirit Jehovah, who created the world, parted the Red Sea, and had been with the Father from the beginning, was combined with a physical,

tangible body as Jesus Christ that His ultimate power was realized.

This significant truth is one reason why in the sacrament,

the most frequent ordinance that we participate in, Christ invites us to remember the power wrought by the sacrifice of His body and His blood, freely offered in willing submission to His Father.

This physical sacrifice, coupled with the equally weighted spiritual suffering—

Jesus himself described His suffering to be in both body and spirit—was required to unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.

Sisters, pause for a minute and just think of the magnitude of that

on our behalf.

Like the Savior, we need to learn by our own experience how to use our bodies. We all love to give advice to those who are approaching milestones that we've already faced.

We say, “First-time expectant parents, get your sleep in now.”

We also recall newly set-apart missionaries. We say, “It will be the hardest and greatest time of your life.”

The same principle applies in all aspects of our growth and knowledge.

Trying to convey to others the magnitude of our experience is inadequate.

To truly know, we have to experience it for ourselves.

These mortal experiences prepare us for immortality and try our very limits physically, emotionally, even spiritually. So now I want you to listen to two dear friends who are learning lessons

of eternity through their mortal experience. First is Sister Amy Wright.

I will never forget sitting with my husband as my oncologist reviewed the proposed treatment plan for stage four ovarian cancer. My mind began to spin. At one point during our consultation, we started reviewing two pages of common symptoms.

After all, an aggressive cancer requires an aggressive treatment.

At one point during our conversation, my doctor said something that I have always remembered.

“Amy, I can tell you as a physician how your body will respond physiologically to this type of chemotherapy. But I cannot tell you as a patient what that will feel like.

I have not experienced what you will go through myself.

It is also my understanding that for those who have experienced this type of treatment, there are no words.”

That last phrase kept ringing in my ears: “There are no words.”

This was something that needed to be physically experienced in order to fully understand. Further on during our conversation, when I realized the extent of this journey, I naively asked if I would have the week of Christmas off.

My doctor lovingly smiled and then responded,

“This next year will be a year of consecration and compensation.”

Now, I understood what he meant by consecration. There was much that I would have to endure

and sacrifice in hopes of gaining more— more days, more time, more memories with my loved ones.

Compensation, however, I came to learn, would come in the form of education and experience.

I learned that physically suffering, if endured well, can be ennobling, sanctifying, and incredibly educational.

Our physical bodies can help our spirits learn compassion, humility,

patience, long-suffering, gratitude, virtue, empathy, and much, much more.

I testify that all these things shall give us experience and shall be

for our good.

Dear Amy, thank you for sharing that tender experience is going through hard things, sometimes really hard things.

We, like Amy, come to know the Savior Jesus Christ in a more personal way.

He becomes real. Let's listen further to Sister Amy Antonelli, who shares her experience about living an unexpected life.

Hi, my name is Amy Antonelli.

I'm standing here in Israel right next to the pools of Bethesda, where Christ found the man that had been waiting for 38 years. In one instance, He told him to take up his bed and walk. And I think that the experience that I'm having here is really profound because I'm 48 years old myself,

and I've been waiting for a long time to have a family of my own. And I feel like when I think about the man who's been laying by the pool desperately hoping that, you know, somebody would come by and find him worthy enough to pick up and take. I think sometimes I can relate to that feeling a little bit, like I’ve been waiting a long time for somebody to come and feel like I was the right person to marry. The miracle of this place, which in Hebrew is actually called the House of Grace, is that the Savior does come.

And He says that while I’m here, while I’m in my physical body, I don’t have to keep waiting. He says, “Take up your bed and walk.”

And what I've learned in my life is that when I do that, when I take up my bed, when I walk, when I go out all around the world and I find people who need to feel the Savior’s love and to feel His grace and His miracles, I find that my life has incredibly deep purpose and meaning, and I find that in the process of waiting for the miracles,

I am becoming the woman that I was created to become.

Many thanks to my dear friends.

Oh, that we could simply absorb their lessons— wouldn’t that be wonderful—and spare ourselves the physical and emotional pain of growth?

But even they would say it's impossible to convey the magnitude of their experience.

Sisters, It's in the union and harmony of our body and spirit, working together toward God’s righteous purpose, that we’re able to withstand the soul-stretching experience of mortality. It takes our physical bodies together with our spirits.

Do you see how this is an eternal principle? In the realm of the spirits, we had already advanced as far as we could. To continue to progress,

we would need the experience of bodies to ultimately become like our heavenly parents. We couldn’t just listen or study their experiences of having physical bodies. We had to get them for ourselves.

Now, Elder David A. bednar taught “Our physical bodies make possible a breadth, a depth, and an intensity of experience that simply could not be obtained in our premortal estate.” A united spirit and physical body unlock

greater access to power and potential than either have on their own.

So consider this, sisters.

Satan’s punishment for rebellion against the Father was to never receive

a body. Is it any wonder, then, that Satan targets our bodies so viciously in his attacks? He will never experience the power, potential, and joy that you can.

Literally, he cannot. He will never—no, not ever—become what you can. And that must be infuriatingly final, you know? Just think about that.

He’ll never hold a new baby in his arms or hug a beloved grandma.

Or when you see a dear friend, that you give him a big hug— that will never be his experience. Indeed, when being cast out by the Savior,

the unclean spirits asked to go in a herd of swine, showing that they preferred even a swine's body over having no body.

In his desire that we will be miserable as he is,

the adversary seeks to undermine and minimize the great power that we have or tempt us to misuse that power in ways that are contrary to the laws of God, thus creating the same misery for us that he dwells within. If he has to be miserable—what’s his mantra?

So should we. As we’ve been studying the Savior’s life in the New Testament, I, like you, have loved reading the Savior's stories, His miracles, and His expressions of mercy and compassion towards those He has sought to heal.

Now, it's amazing to me that the Savior's power to heal was not dependent on physical proximity to the afflicted. Many times the Lord simply speaks a word and the miracle rolls forth. It's instructive, then, that so often the Lord chooses to incorporate physical touch into His miracles. He touched the sightless eyes, and then He anointed them with clay and applied saliva in the healing of one deaf and dumb.

The Lord puts His fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue.

I love the way He takes Jairus’s daughter by the hand to call her back to life.

If strictly unnecessary for His power to be effective,

why would he choose to accompany many of His healings with a physical touch?

His physical touch, in conjunction with His power to heal,

provided additional depth that assist those individuals not just in being whole but in knowing and loving Him as the Christ.

There is a powerful connection that comes from a gentle,

safe touch of one who loves us. A hug. Holding hands.

A grandmother or an aunt combing your hair.

It’s something many of us struggled with during lockdown. There’s a picture here. During COVID, we we didn’t have that physical connection. And this picture says so much to me.

So COVID, as you know, took a toll on our physical, mental and emotional, and spiritual health.

Sisters, there is science to back up the need for physical connection.

Oxytocin is known as the cuddle or love hormone because it's a chemical that is released when you snuggle up to someone.

Only produced from human touch and animals, oxytocin influences emotions and social behavior.

We are meant to be held. We are meant to socialize. Your family needs hand-to-hand, eye-to-eye, body-to-body contact.

This kind of physical connection is easy when we are young, but it seems to get harder as we get older.

One powerful example that maternal and infant health specialists have noticed globally, they practice skin-to-skin contact. Many of you who have heard about it. When the circumstance allows,

a new baby is dried and laid directly on the mother’s bare chest after birth.

Both of them are covered in a warm blanket at least for an hour.

This seemingly simple act drives remarkable outcomes. When a mother holds her baby in skin-to-skin contact after birth,

it initiates strong instinctive behaviors in both. It calms both the mother and the baby and regulates the baby's heartbeat and breathing and temperature. There are

even long-term benefits cited, such as improved brain development and function, as well as parental attachment.

For us, with the context of the divine plan, we know that these instincts are carefully designed and placed within us,

and the associated positive outcomes are orchestrated by a loving Heavenly Father to produce the best start possible for one of His beloved children and to stimulate vital relationships of a mother and her baby. Now, several years ago, I learned about the emotional and physical power of an eight-second hug. Some of you might know about this.

So this is something I decided to try on my adult son.

I don't necessarily recommend trying this first on an adult son.

And so I told him, “I’m going to give you an eight-second hug.”

He looked at me and kind of rolled his eyes, like, “She’s lost it.”

And so he gave me a quick probably one-second hug.

But, you know, it's been interesting.

He’ll come up and he’ll say, “Mom, I think you need an eight-second hug.”

And it's something that has helped both of us feel loved,

calm, and connected together. And I have looked forward to having eight-second hugs. I try to do it as often as possible with my older sons.

Now, research has found that these same effects from like a pat on the back or a high five, a brush on the shoulder, even eye-to-eye contact, any form of positive physical and social connection, counts.

And I love that because there's a lot of that that's going on.

But what really matters is that we are making an effort to connect,

that we are letting those around us know through our attention and actions that we love them, that they’re not alone, that they are valued.

You know, there was a time—and I’ve told this story many times—that

I had been away a long time for some out-of-town and things. A long time to a little four-year-old. And my little Jack-Jack came running into the house with sticky hands—and he’s big, like a six-year-old big. And little Jack-Jack wrapped his arms around my legs and looked up at my eye— I wanted that eye to eye contact—

he said, “Grandma, do you even remember that I’m four?”

And you know, that contact—what did he do? He wrapped his arms around me.

He looked in my eyes. He knew that we needed to physically be close with his question. Sisters, sometimes words fail us. I mean, I just wrapped my arms around him. And what we need, or the best we can give, is a loving touch.

Think of your own experience when a divinely timed hug was exactly what you needed.

Jesus Christ knows the power of the spirit and the body working in harmony together.

Now, in conference we had an opportunity to hear this scripture often. It was in 3 Nephi 11. And I thought, I think the Lord wants us to understand something important about 3 Nephi 11.

But He models the importance—the Savior does—of physical touch. So let’s listen to his invitation. “Arise and

come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet,

that ye may know that I am … the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

And … the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; …

one by one … and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, … and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he.”

He knew that the best way to cement His relationship with people and to solidify their love for and knowledge of Him was through close, inspired, individual connection.

The unity of the spirit and the body working in harmony to accomplish God's purpose.

Now, it was only after that experience that He was able to teach them and to heal them and to bless them.

Can we emulate the Savior's perfect example in this?

So much of what we do, sisters as women, is physically oriented, isn't it? All women have a divine mandate to nurture God's children who are within our sphere of influence.

Often that nurturing, ministering work is physical, and it’s very demanding.

We know how it is: feed, clothe, clean. Bandage, wash, repeat.

But should it be a menial task?

This is precisely what our Savior Jesus Christ did during His earthly sojourn. Now, when we do this with gentleness, meekness, love, and intention, these are the very things that build strong relationships and lead us all to Christ.

President Henry B. Eyring has taught, “Never”—and I love he uses it twice— “Never, never underestimate the spiritual value of doing temporal things well for those whom you serve.”

As we are more purposeful and thoughtful in seeking the guidance of the Spirit in our daily interactions, we will witness miracles, even spiritual miracles we will see. Now, the rich connections that God intends for us and that are enhanced in our physical bodies are not just about touch itself, —though that is a component and very important— but it’s also about being present, deeply seeing those around us.

Now, my sweet counselor, I love the counsel she gave.

She said, “Jesus Christ sees people deeply.

He sees individuals, their needs, and who they can become.

Where others saw fishermen, sinners, or publicans,

Jesus saw disciples; where others saw a man possessed by devils,

Jesus looked past the outward distress, acknowledged the man, and healed him. Even in our busy lives, we can follow the example of Jesus and see individuals—their needs, their faith, their struggle, and who they can become.”

Being present and connecting in real ways is increasingly vital in our digital world. Now, technology can be a blessing.

I always have my phone with me. But Elder Bednar raises a concern about technology nearly 15 years ago. So let's just listen.

I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones.

But important opportunities are missed for developing and improving interpersonal skills, for laughing and crying together, and for creating a rich and enduring bond of emotional intimacy.

To feel the warmth of a tender hug from an eternal companion, or to see the sincerity in the eyes of another person as testimony is shared.

All of these things experienced as they really are through the instrument of our physical body could be sacrificed,

sacrificed for a high-fidelity fantasy that has no lasting value.

High-fidelity fantasy with no lasting value.

Have you had the experience of visiting with a friend or talking with a family member? When their phone dings with a text and they immediately read it.

Have you ever had that experience sitting in school or church meeting or work, and you’re actually looking through the newsfeed or checking what’s going on and you actually miss what they’re saying?

Do you see how this is a devious attempt of Satan to entice embodied spirits to forfeit the blessings of learning experiences according to the flesh that are made possible because of the Father’s plan of happiness and the Atonement of His Only Begotten Son.

Contrast that with the experience of looking into someone's eyes during a meaningful conversation or laughing with family members around the dinner table, all the things that bring sunshine into our lives. Reading the scriptures with our grandson or niece,

all of these things bring experiences. I love this story.

Following the death of the beloved wife of President M. Russell Ballard, when he shared: “Now that she’s moved on, I am happy that I chose to sit next to her … during the last months of her life, to hold her hand as we watched the ending of some of her favorite musicals. … Memories of those special hand-holding sessions are now very, very precious to me.” While there is great value that can come from connecting with others through technology, we need to make sure that we also are having personal physical connections with one another.

These real-life experiences will become ever more vital as the wonders of artificial intelligence and virtual— That's a tongue twister. Virtual reality.

Say it three times fast—increases.

Be present and make a difference in lives of others. Don’t fall back into the COVID isolation habits and talk ourselves out of opportunities to connect.

Just because you'd have to change out of your sweats.

Go to the ward activity in your sweats.

Gather with your friends, even if there's those awkward moments or two. It is one of the most exhilarating

ways the Father intended for us to experience joy.

Now, sisters, I plead with you to recognize the glorious gift of our physical body and the power you have when your spirit and your body work together to further God's purpose.

Our bodies are so much more than a temporary box to house our spirit,

a box to decorate or display without impact.

Can you see why we continue to teach the sanctity of the body, the need for chastity, the blessing of modesty, and the necessity to tend and care for our physical bodies? President Russell M. Nelson taught pure truth when he said: “The gift of our physical bodies is a transcendent miracle.

A unique body is given to each of us by a loving Heavenly Father. He created it … to assist each of us in our quest to fulfill the full measure of our creation.”

I hope you will absorb all of your soul- stretching experiences in this mortal realm and allow them to deepen and enhance and accelerate your preparation for the promised realms of glory.

I want to echo Elder Bednar’s promise that “these eternal truths about the importance of our physical bodies will fortify you against the deceptions and the attacks of the adversary.” Sisters, I love you.

And I actually wish I could give you all an eight-second hug.

And I wish we could sit knee-to-knee and I could hear your testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and the impact of your body and spirit working together, making covenants and seeking things that are so important.

That's what I hope and I wish. But we don't have time. But would you join with me? And many of you have joined with me before in adding a testimony together. And we can do this through song. Can you add your voice to “Peace in Christ”?

Can we sing together, adding our testimony that Jesus is the Christ and the peace? And if we can sing loud enough, sisters, I think we'll be able to tell the missionaries that are across the street that Jesus is the Christ and the peace. So let’s sing together.

There is peace in Christ When we learn of Him.

Feel the love He felt for us when He bore our sins.

Listen to His words. Let them come alive.

If we know Him as He is, There is peace in Christ.

He gives us hope When hope is gone.

He gives us strength When we can’t go on.

He gives us shelter In the storms of life.

When there’s no peace on earth, There is peace in Christ.

There is peace in Christ When we walk with Him

Through the streets of Galilee To Jerusalem.

Mend the broken hearts. Dry the tear-filled eyes.

When we live the way He lived, There is peace in Christ.

He gives us hope When hope is gone.

He gives us strength When we can’t go on.

He gives us shelter In the storms of life.

When there’s no peace on earth, There is peace in Christ.

He gives us hope When hope is gone.

He gives us strength When we can’t go on.

He gives us shelter In the storms of life.

When there’s no peace on earth, There is peace in Christ.

When there’s no peace on earth, There is peace in Christ.

I think those missionaries were blessed by your testimonies.

I testify and add my testimony to yours that God lives.

This is our Heavenly Father.

Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer, whose body was bruised, broken, and torn for us as He offered His atoning sacrifice. Sisters, He is resurrected and He lives.

To be encircled about eternally in the arms of His love will be real and not a virtual experience. Christ is our hope and our peace.

As we seek to follow Him,

we will find that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us.

I leave you that testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

This presentation was given at the BYU Women’s Conference on May 5, 2023.