“Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel (excerpts),” New Era, Nov. 2018, 4–5.
Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel (excerpts)
Every woman is a mother by virtue of her eternal divine destiny. …
… As the father of 10 children—nine daughters and one son—and as President of the Church, I pray that you will sense how deeply I feel about you—about who you are and all the good you can do. No one can do what a righteous woman can do. No one can duplicate the influence of a mother. …
My dear sisters, you have special spiritual gifts and propensities. Tonight I urge you, with all the hope of my heart, to pray to understand your spiritual gifts—to cultivate, use, and expand them, even more than you ever have. You will change the world as you do so. …
… I’m extending a prophetic plea to you, the women of the Church, to shape the future by helping to gather scattered Israel.
Where can you start?
May I offer four invitations:
First, I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind. Pray to know which influences to remove during your fast. …
Second, I invite you to read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year. …
As you read, I would encourage you to mark each verse that speaks of or refers to the Savior. Then, be intentional about talking of Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and preaching of Christ with your families and friends [see 2 Nephi 25:26]. …
Third, establish a pattern of regular temple attendance. This may require a little more sacrifice in your life. More regular time in the temple will allow the Lord to teach you how to draw upon His priesthood power with which you have been endowed in His temple. …
My fourth invitation, for you who are of age, is to participate fully in Relief Society. I urge you to study the current Relief Society purpose statement. It is inspiring. It may guide you in developing your own purpose statement for your own life. …
My dear sisters, we need you! We “need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices” [Russell M. Nelson, “A Plea to My Sisters,” Oct. 2015 general conference; emphasis added]. We simply cannot gather Israel without you.