They Spoke to Us

Report from the 173rd Semiannual General Conference, October 4–5, 2003

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “To our young people, the glorious youth of this generation, I say, be true. Hold to the faith. Stand firmly for what you know to be right. …

“… Live by your standards. Pray for the guidance and protection of the Lord. He will never leave you alone. He will comfort you. He will sustain you. He will bless and magnify you and make your reward sweet and beautiful. And you will discover that your example will attract others who will take courage from your strength.”

Decide now to live by My Gospel Standards, found on the back of your Faith in God guidebook. Read through them each week and check your progress.

President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency: “As our youngest son, Clark, was approaching his 12th birthday, he and I were leaving the Church Administration Building when President Harold B. Lee approached and greeted us. I mentioned that Clark would soon be 12, whereupon President Lee turned to him and asked, ‘What happens to you when you turn 12?’

“… Clark, without hesitation, said to President Lee, ‘I will be ordained a deacon!’

“The answer was the one President Lee had sought. He then counseled our son, ‘Remember, it is a great blessing to hold the priesthood.’”

Find the talk “The Bridge Builder” in the November 2003 Ensign. Read about the service President Monson gave to a ward member when he was a deacon. What can you do to serve a neighbor or ward member?

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: “My grandparents have had a great influence on my life. Even though they have been dead for many years, I still feel their confirming love. One grandfather, James Akerley Faust, died before I was born. I knew him only through the stories my grandmother and my parents told about him. However, I feel a strong kinship with him because I am in part what he was. Among other things, he was a cowboy, a rancher, and a postmaster in a small town in central Utah. On one occasion Grandfather took a trip in the winter to Idaho, where he met an acquaintance who had fallen on hard times. It was cold, and Grandfather’s friend had no coat. Grandfather took off his coat and gave it to him.

“This evening I encourage you … to begin to unlock the knowledge of who you really are by learning more about your forebears.”

Begin your family history. Ask your parents to tell a favorite story about their parents, and write it down.

President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Remember the First Vision, when young Joseph knelt in the grove. Immediately thick darkness gathered around him. He was seized by the power of the enemy, an actual being from the unseen world. He did what every one of you can do. He called upon God, and the evil power left him.

“There is great power in prayer. As a son or a daughter of God, you can, as Joseph did, pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ for strength.”

Learn about the rest of Joseph Smith’s experience in the Sacred Grove by reading Joseph Smith—History 1:14–20.

Photo by Allexis Duce