My dear brothers and sisters, I love you.
I think about you and pray for you often.
You are living in an age unlike any other.
You are at the age where you are making crucial decisions, decisions that will affect the rest of your mortal and eternal life.
Making these decisions may seem overwhelming
or even frightening at times.
But it is also exciting because we are living in a momentous time.
May I invite you to do something that will help you in a way few other things can? Attend institute.
I have now watched my children, grandchildren, and many great grandchildren attend institute.
Attending institute has been life changing for them.
Institute has helped them and will help you to deepen your conversion to Jesus Christ.
Attending institute will help you to feel more of Heavenly Father's great love for you. Institute will offer you inspiring instructors,
faithful friends, and a feeling of belonging.
It will help you to see why living the gospel leads to never- ending happiness.
Attending institute will help you to live the gospel
and to feel more joy right now.
If you want to know the truth about who you really are, attend institute.
If you want to know the purpose of life, attend institute.
If you are to stay on the covenant path, attend institute.
If you want to learn how to let God prevail in your life, attend institute.
If you want to be a peacemaker, attend institute.
I promise you these blessings and express my love for you.
In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Hello and welcome to this worldwide devotional for young adults.
I am Shane Reese, president of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
We welcome you to our campus for this special devotional broadcast with Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He is accompanied by Sister Mary G. Cook.
They will be joined today by Elder Clark G. Gilbert and Sister Kristine C. Gilbert as our speakers.
Elder Gilbert serves as the Commissioner of the Church Educational System and as a General Authority Seventy.
We love each of them and look forward to their messages.
Our opening congregational hymn will be number 135, “My Redeemer Lives.” Rosie Osborne from the Mapleton Utah Stake will conduct and Connor Larsen of the Vineyard Utah Stake will accompany on the organ. Following the hymn, Jessica Spencer of the Provo Utah YSA Sixth Stake will offer the opening prayer.
[MUSIC PLAYING] “My Redeemer Lives”
Our dear Father in Heaven,
we thank Thee for this beautiful day and the opportunity that we have to hear from Elder Cook.
We are so thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives, and that we get to be a part of the Restoration.
We’re so thankful for our Savior and all that He was willing to give for us. And we pray that during this time,
we will know what Thou would have us do to become better disciples of Him,
and to minister to those around us in His way and as He would.
We are so grateful for all that Thou hast given us,
and we pray for Thy guidance today and for the Spirit to teach us.
We pray for these things in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.
We are pleased to have Elder and Sister Cook with us to discuss some questions gathered from young adults around the world. Elder Cook has served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since October of 2007.
Elder and Sister Cook have been married for almost 61 years.
Their anniversary is in just a few days.
Until recently, Elder Cook was a member of the Church Board of Education, which oversees BYU.
He currently serves as the chair of the university's Wheatley Institute Advisory Committee, and in that role has counseled on the importance of how
the gospel can strengthen our scholarship at BYU.
It is a sacred opportunity to have Elder Quentin L. Cook,
an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, here speaking with us today.
I testify of Elder Cook's apostolic calling as a special witness of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Elder Cook will open with a message, and then he has invited Sister Cook, Elder Gilbert, and Sister Gilbert to help in answering some questions.
After the messages, Mose Seum of the Provo YSA 16th Stake will offer the closing prayer and now Elder Cook.
Thank you, President Reese.
Before commencing our comments,
I’d like to acknowledge the passing of President M. Russell Ballard last Sunday.
My quorum president and dear friend.
I express my condolences to his family and my love and appreciation for his life of sacrifice and dedication in blessing all of our Heavenly Father's children.
Mary and I are pleased to join with Elder Clark G. Gilbert and Sister Christine Gilbert to speak to you in this worldwide devotional originating from the campus of Brigham Young University.
In preparation for this assignment, we gathered questions from young adults across the Church.
We started with our CES campuses here at BYU, then BYU–Idaho, BYU–Hawaii, and Ensign College. We then expanded across the world with BYU–Pathway students and to those attending institute across The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Presidents of these institutions and other leaders met with groups of students to determine what questions are most important for young adults at this time.
It was a wonderful process and in the end, the questions were amazing.
Your thoughts and feelings were extraordinarily similar.
So many of you share common, spiritual, and other life questions.
Whether it was an institute student in Peru, an engineering student on the campus of BYU–Idaho, someone studying through BYU–Pathway in West Africa, a graphic design student here on the BYU campus,
or a working professional attending institute in Europe, the Philippines, or right here in Utah,
young adults all across the Church are unified in their faith in Jesus Christ and share similar longings, aspirations, and concerns.
You are amazing and are such an important part of the future of this Church.
We have grouped your questions into five categories for our presentation today. One: Facing Life and Faith Challenges. Two: Love and Belonging. Three: Life Planning and Life Balance.
Four: Standing for Truth. And five: Receiving Personal Revelation and Prophetic Guidance. Today we would like to discuss each of these questions with you in a way that draws on our own personal life experiences and our observations from interacting with young adults across the Church.
Sister Cook and I will address the first two questions on life and faith challenges and love and belonging.
Elder and Sister Gilbert will then share experiences on how to balance life responsibilities.
They will also speak on what it means to stand for truth in this time of commotion.
I will then share some reflections and counsel
on receiving personal revelation and conclude with thoughts on prophetic guidance. As Mary and I have reviewed the question of facing life and faith challenges,
we recognize that every generation faces circumstances that can lead to a challenge of their faith.
When we search the scriptures and review God’s dealings with His children, two themes are emphasized.
First, because there is opposition in all things
and there is an adversary who does not want us to have faith in God,
each generation needs to discover and obtain their own knowledge and testimony of God. Second,
each generation needs to understand who they are and their eternal identity.
Both of these are difficult to discern because the adversary does not want you to have a clear understanding of God the Father and Jesus Christ
and Their plan of happiness for you and who you are in relation to Them.
In the 1960s, Mary and I were young adults.
I graduated from Stanford Law School and began to practice law.
Mary had done graduate work at Stanford and was a young mother.
The life and faith challenges and societal disruptions were different,
yet very similar to what young adults face today.
Mary, what were some of the challenges that existed at that time?
A major drug culture was celebrated, particularly in San Francisco Bay area, where we lived. Huge riots and protests over societal issues were common. The United States’s participation in the conflict in Vietnam was very unpopular,
and student protests paralyzed universities.
And at the personal level, for me,
instead of traditional melodic music where couples faced each other when dancing, the music changed.
It had a strong beat and was very loud, and people danced separately.
Across the world, some of these challenges and many more were often used to attack religion in general and belief in God.
On April 8, 1966,
Time magazine, which had high readership at that time,
chose as its cover story this provocative and disrespectful title: “Is God Dead?”
In the opening letter from the publisher of the magazine,
he indicated that the idea came because of the growing concern among theologians about God and the secularized world in the mid 1960s.
The substance of the article was primarily secular
and did not cover religion or faith in a satisfactory way.
Of course, questions of faith didn't just exist in the 1960s or today.
They have always been present. When the Apostle Paul visited Athens,
he tried to teach of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Of his effort we read in Acts, “For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.”
Doesn't this just sound like the social media world of today?
When the crowd realized the simple religious, faith-based nature of Paul’s message, including his testimony of Jesus Christ, they rejected it. In addition to faith in God, anxiety about our true identity has also been challenged throughout recorded history. We do not intend to address all the issues in respect to identity in today's world,
but the answer has always been the same.
We are all spirit children of the same loving Heavenly Father.
President Russell M. Nelson has addressed this in a powerful way.
He has emphasized three enduring designations: Child of God,
Child of the Covenant, and Disciple of Jesus Christ.
He has also encouraged us to not label ourselves or label others.
Many of the problems we face would be resolved if we recognized ourselves as children of of a loving Heavenly Father.
Those who desire to destroy faith often assert that faith is no longer relevant.
They mistakenly want their personal predilections with respect to the social issues of the day to replace God-given revelation and commandments.
They assume and assent that large numbers of people have the same social preferences and are no longer faithful members.
For your information, youth and young adults are not less active or leaving the Church in higher numbers than in the past, as has been widely circulated.
The number of missionaries called to serve has significantly increased.
The percentage of church participation for the rising generation shows a continuous upward trend.
Moreover, the number of young adults attending institute has also been increasing. Please understand that I’m not criticizing those with doubts;
however, I am suggesting that how you face them is important.
The answer to this challenge is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I promise you, if you faithfully read the scriptures, pray, and have religious observance in your lives,
you will, over time, find answers to your questions and resolve doubts that may arise from time to time.
One of my favorite scriptural accounts is found in the gospel of Mark about the father who wanted his son to be delivered from an evil spirit.
In the scriptural account, the Savior essentially asked the father if he believed his son could be healed.
The father, with tears in his eyes, said, “Lord, I believe;
help thou mine unbelief.” This was acceptable to the Lord,
and He rebuked the spirit and healed the son.
The lesson is to not let doubts or disbelief overcome our faith.
Diligent scripture study, sincere prayer,
conscientious religious observance, and following the counsel of the Lord's prophet will allow you to overcome faith challenges.
The question about love and belonging is closely related to facing life and faith challenges. Mary, would you address this important question?
We are all children of God, and we belong to the Lord’s restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No matter our different situations, we all belong.
It is clear in the scriptures that God loves all His spirit children and “all are alike unto God” and all belong. In 2 Nephi 26, verse 33, it reads in part, “He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness, and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female, and all are alike unto God.”
Because we are all God’s Spirit children we have a spiritual identity, and we sing of this in “I Am a Child of God.”
Years ago, when we lived in the California Bay area,
young adults and older youth sang and participated in the Oakland California Temple Pageant. It was titled “And It Came to Pass.”
One song was about our spiritual identity. It was titled, “Who Am I?”
It asks the questions why are we here and where are we going?
The song ends with this powerful answer: “This is who I am.
My spirit lived with my Father before the earth was formed.
I chose the path to follow when my first estate was done.
I came to earth for a body created like my Father, to unite my spirit and body and make my soul divine. This is who I am.
I am a child of my Father in Heaven. This is who I am. I am a child of God.”
Everyone who participated had a witness of the Spirit that they were singing truth.
Last month, Mary and I were in Ephesus in Turkey with mission leaders for much of Europe. The Apostle Paul had lived and taught there.
One of his epistles to the Ephesians contains a powerful declaration.
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God.” We all belong.
A.A. Milne wrote a book about a golden, honey-loving bear called Winnie the Pooh. On a walk with his friend Piglet,
Piglet asks Pooh, “How do you spell love?”
And Pooh answers, “You don’t spell it. You feel it.”
In the scripture study app in the Gospel Library, the overview for love reads, quote,
“Love is a feeling of deep devotion, concern, and affection.
The greatest example of God’s love for His children is found in the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Love for God and fellow man is characteristic of disciples of Jesus Christ.” End quote. In John 3:16 we read,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
When Jesus Christ came to this earth in the meridian of time, He taught us,
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
We show our love for God the Father and Jesus Christ by keeping Their commandments.
This is our work. And we show our love to all of God’s children by ministering
to them and actively living the gospel, by doing missionary work. As we love, share, and invite others to come unto Christ,
we show our love for family by keeping our temple covenants and doing temple work for our ancestors. Now be honest with yourself.
Ask, “Do my actions show my love for Heavenly Father in Jesus Christ?”
“Am I helping others around me to believe?”
“If I were accused of being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence to convict me?”
The poem “Outwitted” by Edwin Markham reads,
“He drew a circle that shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took him in.”
Let us be true disciples and peacemakers.
Let the pure love of Christ dwell in our hearts as we show by our actions our love for God and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
I have asked Elder and Sister Gilbert to address the next two questions.
First, how can we strengthen life planning and life balance?
And second, how do we stand for truth in these complex times?
Thank you, Elder and Sister Cook, for your wonderful counsel.
Christine and I are excited to discuss this first question regarding life planning and life balance.
We have a busy family. This image of our bustling family is from the day my husband was announced as the president of BYU–Idaho.
He has always had demanding work expectations as a Harvard professor, the CEO of a media company, and the president of two university organizations— not all at the same time, though.
During all of this, we both served in busy Church callings. But our most important responsibilities have always been to our marriage and children.
I was reminded of this when I had a season leading the Deseret News.
Now, how many of you young adults actually read a printed newspaper every day? Raise your hands.
That's exactly what I thought. Almost no one.
I was given the responsibility to help transform the Deseret News from a traditional newspaper to its digital future.
It was an incredibly demanding season.
At the time, we had seven of our eight children. I was serving as a bishop.
One day, out of the blue,
President Boyd K. Packer called and asked me, “Brother Gilbert,
I'm inquiring about your family.
Are you paying enough attention to your wife?” I paused and answered, “Probably not.” He then said to me, “Brother Gilbert, you will lead this media group for a season,
but you will be a husband and a father for eternity.”
He then gave me an assignment to have a weekly date with Christine.
He next asked me what time I was going to bed.
To which I replied, 1 or 2 in the morning every night.
His response was counterintuitive to me.
He said, “You think this all depends on your own effort?
You don’t trust the Lord.” President Packer gave me an apostolic curfew,
which I have strived to keep ever since.
So if you have a curfew and a weekly scheduled date night, how do you manage other significant responsibilities?
It starts with planning. Since the early years of our marriage, my husband and I have held a weekly calendaring session every Sunday night.
For us, this is a commitment we never miss, no matter how busy we are.
Second, balancing life responsibilities also requires shared goals.
Even when we have to be apart, we still feel united when we have a shared purpose.
So when my husband was traveling with work, or I was up teaching an early morning seminary class, or he was out on a ward assignment, if we had calendared those responsibilities and were aligned in our purpose, we were together even when we had to be apart.
Still, there are times when you need to put clear boundaries around certain choices. Clay Christensen, a dear friend from Boston, once shared how a supervisor had asked him whether a Sunday morning meeting or a Saturday morning meeting would work better for a weekly, regularly scheduled team meeting. Clay responded,
“Years ago, I decided I would commit Saturday to my wife and Sunday to God.
And if you would like either of them back, you will have to ask them directly for their permission.”
Certain commitments need to be non-negotiable in your life.
For our family, this has included Sunday church attendance, weekly family home evening, morning and evening family devotionals,
and time together as a couple each week.
The next question we have been asked to address is how to stand for truth in a season of great confusion.
How many of you have text chains that you exchange with friends and family?
Probably all of us, right?
In one of my several text groups, there are some who are deeply committed to the gospel and others who struggle with issues around the Church.
Does this sound familiar to any of you? What happens when some of you love—
when someone you love says something you know isn’t true?
We have heard similar stories to this from young adults all across the Church. We know you feel this. As we approach this topic, I know that we share the stand today with two ambassadors who model this and show us how you can stand both with kindness and conviction.
Elder and Sister Cook lived in the San Francisco Bay area for much of their professional life.
Elder Cook attended Stanford Law School, headed a law firm in the Bay area, and a major health care system.
The Cooks worked and lived among many colleagues who didn’t always share their values, but they found ways to stand for truth while still being good friends and good neighbors.
I saw this as I joined the Cooks in the Washington, DC Temple Open House with a group of prominent national journalists and academic leaders. I marveled at how the Cooks articulately shared the truths of the gospel, including the importance of temple marriage,
moral cleanliness, and keeping covenants,
all while building bridges of understanding to other people.
I have had other opportunities to learn how to stand for truth with love.
Last year, I received a call from President Oaks. He said, “Elder Gilbert, I’m speaking at an upcoming devotional and I'd like you to be my companion speaker.
Would you join me at my side, at the podium, as we speak together to address some of the challenging issues of the day?”
He said we would discuss LGBTQ concerns, issues of race and prophetic infallibility.
He then suggested, “Let’s not speak from a script. Let’s just respond back and forth organically, interactively.”
I quickly replied that I’m sure this would work for his remarks,
but for the sake of the entire Church, it might be better if we wrote out what I was going to say.
Here is a picture of that devotional.
In his remarks, President Oakes outlined five ways we can stand for truth with love. The first was to avoid overly contentious settings. As Elder Anderson has taught,
“There are times when a disciple of Christ simply has to walk away.”
The second was to love others, to find common ground, even when we disagree.
The third was to hold to truth
even in our outreach. There’s a temptation sometimes to walk away from what we know in our efforts to show love. We don't have to deny what we know is true.
A fourth was be a light and a friend and service to others,
and the last was to stay anchored in Jesus Christ.
In this last general conference, Elder Cook spoke of the dilemma of standing for truth without giving in to the pressures of the world.
Peaceable followers of Christ do not retreat from truth nor fail to love others. We are warm, engaged members of the communities where we live.
We also love, share, and invite all of God’s children to follow Christ’s teachings. I think this is what President Nelson has been teaching us in his call for us to be peacemakers.
He doesn't want us to walk away from truth, but he does want us to do it with the love of the Savior.
Thank you, Elder and Sister Gilbert, for your excellent counsel.
The final question is both doctrinal and profound.
How am I blessed by personal revelation and prophetic guidance?
The great introductory vision in the Book of Mormon is Lehi’s prophetic dream of the Tree of Life.
This vision starkly describes the challenge to faith that exists in our day
and the great divide between those who love, worship, and feel accountable to God and those who do not.
Lehi explains some of the conduct that destroys faith.
Some are proud, vain, and foolish.
They are only interested in the so called wisdom of the world.
Others have some interest in God,
but are lost in worldly mists of darkness and sin.
Some have tasted of the love of God and His Word, but feel ashamed because of those mocking them and fall away into forbidden paths.
We acknowledge that there are members who are less interested and less faithful to some of the Savior's teachings.
Our desire is for these members to awaken fully to faith
and increase their activity, commitment, and efforts to obtain personal revelation. God loves all His children.
He wants all of them to return to Him.
He desires everyone to be in tune with the sacred music of faith.
The Savior's Atonement is a gift for everyone.
Personal revelation is available to everyone.
The message, ministry, and Atonement of Jesus Christ our Savior is our essential curriculum for receiving personal revelation.
No scripture characterizes a proper quest for faith more than
2 Nephi 25, verse 26. “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”
The Book of Mormon is of seminal importance.
It has a significant role in receiving personal revelation.
There will, of course, always be those who underestimate the significance of, or even disparage this sacred book. Some have used humor.
Before I served a mission, a university professor quoted Mark Twain’s statement that if you took “and it came to pass” out of the Book of Mormon, it would have been only a pamphlet.
A few months later, while serving a mission in London, England, a distinguished, Oxford-educated professor at the University of London,
an Egyptian expert in Semitic languages, read the Book of Mormon,
corresponded with the then-president of the church, David O. Mackay, and met with the missionaries. He informed them he was convinced the Book of Mormon was indeed a translation of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians for the periods described in the Book of Mormon.
One example among many he used was the conjunctive phrase “and it came to pass,” which he said mirrored how he would translate phraseology used in ancient Semitic writings.
The professor was informed that while his intellectual approach based on his profession had helped him, it was still essential to have a spiritual testimony. Through study and prayer, he gained a spiritual witness and was baptized.
So what one famous humorist saw as an object of ridicule,
a scholar recognized as profound evidence of the truth of the Book of Mormon, which was confirmed to him by the Spirit.
The essential doctrine of agency requires that a testimony of the restored gospel must be based on faith, rather than external or scientific proof.
Ultimately, Moroni’s counsel to read and ponder, and then ask God, in all sincerity of heart with real intent to confirm scriptural truths by the witness of the Spirit is the answer.
Clearly a dividing line between those who hear the music of faith
and those who are tone deaf or off key is the active study of the scriptures and following the counsel of the Lord's prophet.
Personal revelation is the profound blessing received following baptism, and we are sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is the revealer and testifier of all truth,
especially of the Savior. For our day, that revelatory guidance is essential.
President Nelson has taught, quote, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” End quote.
Please understand that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments is, and always will be, the defining test of mortality. Above all else,
each of us must realize that one one is tone deaf to the music of faith,
he or she is out of tune with the Spirit. As the prophet Nephi taught,
“We have heard his voice, and he has spoken unto you in a still small voice.
But ye were past feeling that ye could not feel his words.”
Scriptures make it clear that the Holy Ghost can communicate in many ways.
Sometimes He speaks peace to your mind.
Sometimes He prompts thoughts or ideas that occupy your mind.
Sometimes He enlightens your mind.
Sometimes He causes your heart to be filled with joy.
I appreciate the social media responses I have received to my post of how you receive revelation.
One noted that we need to be humble
and accept spiritual impressions that we receive.
Then we need to hearken to the impressions instead of the world.
President Russell M. Nelson has taught, “You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust.
Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God,
that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church.”
Our doctrine is clear. We are to be positive and of good cheer.
I love that President Dallin H. Oaks and Sister Kristen M. Oaks emphasized being of good cheer at their exceptional worldwide devotional last May. We always emphasize our faith, not our fears.
We rejoice in the Lord’s assurance that He will stand by us and give us guidance and direction.
The Holy Ghost testifies to our hearts that we have a loving Father in Heaven, whose merciful plan for our redemption will be fulfilled in every aspect because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Turning to receiving prophetic guidance,
I testify that Russell M. Nelson is the Lord’s chosen prophet to guide His Church today.
I have talked about my love and appreciation for him many times.
President Spencer W. Kimball in speaking of prophetic guidance stated, “Of all things that we should be grateful for is that the heavens are indeed open, and that the restored Church of Jesus Christ is founded upon the rock of revelation. Continuous revelation is indeed the very lifeblood of the gospel of the living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” The prophet Enoch foresaw the days in which we live.
He saw the great wickedness that would prevail,
and prophesied of the great tribulations that would occur.
“Nevertheless,” the Lord promised, “but my people will I preserve,
and righteousness will I send down out of heaven,
and truth will I send forth out of the earth to bear testimony of mine only begotten.”
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the fulfillment of the Lord's pronouncement to Enoch.
The Prophet Joseph Smith received revelation after revelation.
Many have been preserved for us in the Doctrine and Covenants.
All of the standard works of the Church contain the mind and will of the Lord for us in this last dispensation.
In addition to these great foundational scriptures, we are blessed with continuing revelation to living prophets.
Prophets are commissioned agents of the Lord authorized to speak for Him.
As I have said many times before,
I declare with all solemnity that continuous revelation has been received
and is being received through channels the Lord has established.
I have served as an Apostle under the direction of three prophets: Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and Russell M. Nelson.
I testify that all of them have received revelation for our day.
I assure you that revelatory guidance can be received by each of us as we labor in the Lord's vineyard.
Most of our guidance comes from the Holy Ghost.
Sometimes, and for some purposes, it comes directly from the Lord.
I personally testify that this is true.
Guidance for the Church as a whole comes only to the president and prophet of the Church.
I have previously paraphrased what Wilford Woodruff said about the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is equally true of President Russell M. Nelson.
“I have seen the workings of the Spirit of God with him,
and the revelation of Jesus Christ unto him,
and the fulfillment of those revelations,” end quote.
He is the Lord's prophet.
As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ,
I bear a sure witness of the Savior’s divinity and the reality of His Atonement. He is our Savior and Redeemer.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this wonderful, wonderful day.
We are extremely grateful for the wonderful words, guidance, and counsel that we have received from Elder and Sister Cook,
and Elder and Sister Gilbert. Father in Heaven, we are grateful
that we have all felt the Spirit here today.
Father, we are grateful for the wonderful counsel and instruction that we've received.
We pray at this time that as we continually position ourselves to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ,
and as we continue to strive to walk the covenant path that we remember,
that we may remember the words
that have been shared today, and that we may remember the feelings
of love and peace that we have felt as well.
Father in Heaven, we are so grateful for this wonderful university.
We're grateful for opportunities
to come closer unto Thee and Thy Son.
We love Thee very much and we pray for peace in the world.
And we pray for faith, and we pray that we may be able to continually look unto Thee. We love Thee, and we pray for these things in the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.