Session 2

Learning Outcomes: This session can help students increase their desire and capacity to take charge of their testimony and conversion.

Possible Learning Activities

Session 1 review

You could show images like the following and invite students to turn to a partner and share what they recall from the previous session. After sufficient time, invite a few students to share with the class. Ask follow-up questions to ensure students understand the significance of this worldwide broadcast.

If students do not mention it, make sure they understand that this talk is the only time that President Russell M. Nelson has addressed all of the young adults in the Church at the same time to teach them what Heavenly Father would like them to know.

Display again the following three truths that were introduced in the previous session:

1. Know the truth about who you are.

2. Know the truth about what Heavenly Father and His Son have offered you.

3. Know the truth related to your conversion.

Remind students that last time they learned about the first two of these truths.

• What are some harmful philosophies that the first two truths could protect us against?

• How can knowing the first two truths affect your immediate future and your eternity?

Explain that in today’s session we will learn more about the truth related to our conversion.

Know the truth related to your conversion

Explain that when prophets feel that the words they speak are especially important for us to remember and understand, they will sometimes repeat their messages in multiple settings. They also might use words or phrases to emphasize the importance of their messages.

Display or give to students a side-by-side image of the following excerpts from “Choices for Eternity,” given in May 2022, and President Nelson’s October 2022 general conference address titled “Overcome the World and Find Rest.” Another option would be to watch together “Choices for Eternity” from time code 25:57 to 27:01, followed by “Overcome the World and Find Rest” from time code 14:46 to 15:33. Invite students to compare the two statements.

“Choices for Eternity” (May 12, 2022)

“Overcome the World and Find Rest” (Oct. 2022)

Seeking to answer these questions will require effort—much effort. I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with the false philosophies of unbelieving men and women and then wonder why your testimony is waning. Engage in daily, earnest, humble prayer. Nourish yourself in the words of ancient and modern prophets. Ask the Lord to teach you how to hear Him better. Spend more time in the temple and in family history work. As you make your testimony your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.

I extend to members of the entire Church the same charge I gave to our young adults last May. I urged them then—and I plead with you now—to take charge of your own testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Work for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with false philosophies of unbelieving men and women. As you make the continual strengthening of your testimony of Jesus Christ your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.

• What specific words or phrases that he repeated stand out to you?

• What thoughts or feelings did you have as you compared these two statements?

Students could be invited to link these two statements on their mobile devices if they would like. They could also be invited to highlight the phrase “I plead with you” in both statements.

• What actions does President Nelson suggest to “take charge of your testimony”? (Consider listing students’ responses on the board.)

• Why do you think the prophet would “plead” with us to take charge of our testimonies?

• What does the prophet promise us if we make our testimony our highest priority?

Consider writing “Take Charge of Your Testimony” on the board and invite students to ponder how they are taking charge of their testimonies.

This could be a good time to invite students to self-assess how they are doing. They could use President Nelson’s quote as a guideline in assessing themselves. They could read it silently again, pausing after each sentence to reflect on what they are doing well and what they might adjust in their lives.

If appropriate, you could lead a discussion and invite students to share what has helped them take charge of their testimonies.

Invite students to consider choosing one or two of the points in President Nelson’s statement that they feel would help them take better charge of their testimonies, and encourage them to plan how they will incorporate those points in their lives.

Feed your testimony with truth

This portion of the session is intended to help students focus on studying the Book of Mormon as a fundamental part of feeding and nourishing their testimonies.

Consider displaying the following images and asking students the question below:

• From your experience, how can you tell when your testimony may be undernourished?

Put students into small groups, and give each group something to write on (a poster, whiteboard, or something similar). Point out President Nelson’s phrase “feed it truth,” and invite each group to write down as many ways as they can think of that a person could nourish and feed their testimony truth.

After sufficient time, you could have students share how what they wrote has fed and nourished their testimonies and conversion.

President Nelson has emphasized blessings that come as we feed our testimonies truth from the Book of Mormon. Display the following statement, and invite students to look for blessings they’ve experienced:

When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.

My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions. (“The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life be Like without It?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62–63)

• When have you experienced some of these blessings?

• Are there verses or sections of the Book of Mormon that have helped strengthen your testimony? (Give students a moment to ponder and share if they would like.)

It’s important for students to recognize that the main reason the Book of Mormon feeds and nourishes their faith and testimonies is that it testifies of Jesus Christ. Share the following statement by President Nelson:

The Book of Mormon centers on Jesus Christ. It contains the very heart of His message. It was written for us, in our day, for our lives. As we study, ponder, and apply the principles taught within its pages, we will receive strength to center our lives in Jesus Christ and enjoy the joyful blessings that He promises us, now and forever.

(Russell M. Nelson, Facebook, Oct. 17, 2021, facebook.com/russell.m.nelson)

Give students a moment to find passages from the Book of Mormon that help them center their lives on Jesus Christ. Encourage them to share these with the person sitting next to or near them. This can provide an opportunity for students to be edified by what they and their peers share. You might also be prepared to share how the Book of Mormon has nourished your testimony.

Invite students to think about how they are feeding their testimonies truth from the Book of Mormon and what they may feel inspired to do differently or better.

Questions

President Nelson acknowledged some of the challenges we might face as we strive to feed our testimonies truth and nourish ourselves. One challenge can be questions we don’t know the answers to. Divide students into pairs, and give each student one of the following statements to study. Invite them to read and mark what stands out to them.

President Russell M. Nelson explained:

If you have questions—and I hope you do—seek answers with the fervent desire to believe. Learn all you can about the gospel and be sure to turn to truth-filled sources for guidance. We live in the dispensation when “nothing shall be withheld” [Doctrine and Covenants 121:28]. Thus, in time, the Lord will answer all our questions.

In the meantime, immerse yourself in the rich reservoir of revelation we have at our fingertips. I promise that doing so will strengthen your testimony, even if some of your questions are not yet answered. Your sincere questions, asked in faith, will always lead to greater faith and more knowledge. (“Choices for Eternity” [worldwide broadcast for Young Adults, May 12, 2022], Gospel Library)

Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, then a member of the Seventy, taught:

Begin by answering the primary questions. There are primary questions and there are secondary questions. Answer the primary questions first. Not all questions are equal and not all truths are equal. The primary questions are the most important. Everything else is subordinate. There are only a few primary questions. I will mention four of them.

1. Is there a God who is our Father?

2. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world?

3. Was Joseph Smith a prophet?

4. Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the kingdom of God on the earth?

By contrast, the secondary questions are unending. They include questions about Church history, polygamy, people of African descent and the priesthood, women and the priesthood, how the Book of Mormon was translated, the Pearl of Great Price, DNA and the Book of Mormon, gay marriage, the different accounts of the First Vision, and on and on.

If you answer the primary questions, the secondary questions get answered too, or they pale in significance and you can deal with things you understand and things you don’t and things you agree with and things you don’t without jumping ship altogether. (Lawrence E. Corbridge, “Stand Forever” [Brigham Young University devotional, Jan. 22, 2019], speeches.byu.edu)

Give students time to share with their partner what they learned from the statement they studied. You might also discuss students’ insights together as a class.

To help students further process what President Nelson and Elder Corbridge taught, you could use the following case study. Display the following scenario, or give a copy of it to each partnership. Invite them to see if they can use the teachings of President Nelson and Elder Corbridge to help the young adult in the scenario.

As students are working through the case study, listen in and be available to assist students as they discuss ways they could help Sandra.

Sandra is a young college student. She joined the Church in high school and loved the feeling of belonging to a close and loving community of fellow disciples of Jesus Christ. She loved learning about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and was fascinated by the Book of Mormon. She was surprised at the peaceful feeling she had as she read that book for the first time. But when the professor of one of her college classes found out Sandra was a member of the Church, he started questioning her about her beliefs. When she tried to respond, he followed up with questions that she didn’t know the answers to. In an effort to find answers, Sandra searched the internet and came away with even more questions. If you were Sandra’s friend, how would you try to help her navigate this situation?

For an additional illustration of someone who navigated numerous questions they didn’t know how to answer, students could be encouraged to read Elder Robert S. Wood’s talk in the appendix, or you could summarize his experience for your students. Be sure to note the role the Book of Mormon played in Elder Wood navigating the questions he was asked.

When friends and family step away

This section includes a small group discussion that can help students if their friends or family members leave the Church.

Divide students into small groups and give them the following statement, or have students find it in “Choices for Eternity” in Gospel Library. You could also watch this clip from time code 28:00 to 29:10. After reading or watching this clip, invite students to discuss the questions that follow with their groups.

If friends and family should step away from the Church, continue to love them. It is not for you to judge another’s choice any more than you deserve to be criticized for staying faithful.

Now, please hear me when I say: Do not be led astray by those whose doubts may be fueled by things you cannot see in their lives. Most of all, let your skeptical friends see how much you love the Lord and His gospel. Surprise their doubting hearts with your believing heart!

As you take charge of your testimony and cause it to grow, you will become a more potent instrument in the hands of the Lord. You will be “inspired by a better cause” [Alma 43:45]—the cause of Jesus Christ!

• What might be some negative consequences that come from judging another’s choice?

• Why is it helpful to be aware that those who seek to lead you astray may be “fueled by things you cannot see in their lives”?

• What might it look like for you to surprise a doubting heart with your believing heart?

Following their small group discussions, invite students to share something that stood out to them from their discussion. Invite other students to comment on or ask questions about what their classmates share.

Prophetic promises

Invite students to read the final three paragraphs of “Choices for Eternity,” looking for the Lord’s blessings and promises to them. Students could be invited to share with a neighbor a blessing and a promise that resonated the most with them and why.

You might also invite a few students to share how they might summarize what they are taking away from this experience.

To conclude this workshop experience, you might invite students to record anything they might want to stop doing, continue doing, or start doing because of what they have learned and felt in this workshop.

You might end with your testimony that the Lord’s promises “shall all be fulfilled” as spoken by His servant President Russell M. Nelson (see Doctrine and Covenants 1:38).