October 2021 General Conference | Sunday Session | ASL

is [Music] [Music] is is [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] uh [Music] [Music] [Music] all right [Music] [Music] [Music] uh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] yes is [Music] foreign [Music] fears is is [Music] [Music] you [Music] is [Music] [Applause] true [Music] oh [Music] r [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] uh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] me [Music] is [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] righteousness [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh is [Music] [Music] foreign is [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] me [Music] god [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] now [Music] smaller oh so [Music] oh [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] lord is [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] so [Music] [Music] if [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is is righteousness and peace saviors [Music] me [Music] is [Music] [Music] see [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] i am [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] ah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] last [Music] from historic temple square in salt lake city we welcome you to music and the spoken word with the tabernacle choir at temple square [Music] conducting today's program is mack wilberg with organist andrew unsworth and the spoken word by lloyd newell [Music] yes the gospels in [Music] [Applause] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh glorious [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] my [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] uh [Music] ah [Music] is [Music] all my fears [Music] is [Music] my [Music] my god [Music] is [Music] is [Music] yes [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] our strength will be [Music] sons and daughters is [Music] in his name forward foreign [Music] foreign [Music] god our strength [Music] ah [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] ah is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] i am [Music] is [Music] hmm [Music] [Music] so [Music] so to have a name is to have an identity our names give us a sense of both individuality and belonging they distinguish us from others while at the same time connecting us with our family or culture teaching us about our origin a name can be a sign of a special emotional bond endearing us to loved ones besides identifying who we are a name can inspire us to become who we want to be thousands of years ago the prophet jeremiah preached the word of god and like many prophets he was ignored opposed and rejected jeremiah's name has since come to mean one who laments or predicts disaster but jeremiah's relationship with god gave him a sense of identity more profound and exalting oh lord he said thou knowest remember me and visit me thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart for i am called by thy name o lord god of hosts [Music] many people today feel forgotten unseen and unheard sadly they may lack a sense of belonging and identity but no matter who we are or where we come from we are each part of the family of god he is our father and thereby in a sense we carry his name he knows us inside and out both who we really are and who we really can become he will never forget or forsake us and he watches over us with perfect love this is what the apostle paul tried to teach the athenians god that made the world and all things therein hath made of one blood all nations for in him we live and move and have our being for we are also his offspring jeremiah's name actually means the lord exalts and what can be more exalting than to know we are the sons and daughters of god this is our true identity this is where we truly belong we are called upon to help all members of god's family know where they come from who they are and who they can become [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] i [Music] oh [Music] [Music] i am [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh is [Music] streams [Music] is [Music] jesus [Music] foreign [Music] with righteousness [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Applause] us [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] praise [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] this performance continues the 93rd year of continuous broadcasting of this historic program please join us next time for music and the spoken word until we meet again may peace be with you this day and always [Music] is [Music] god [Music] hello i'm sister yosu few and i'm here to welcome you to general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints if this is your first time tuning in here's what you can expect general conference is a global gathering for followers of jesus christ everyone is invited to tune in and hear messages of inspiration peace and hope from leaders of our church there's also some beautiful music in every two-hour session you can look forward to an opening and closing prayer three or four hymns and several brief talks from speakers who come from all over the world we all love reading the words of jesus and the scriptures and general conference is a special opportunity to hear more of his teachings from living representatives of jesus christ in this session you'll hear from men and women teaching about the joy that comes from living the savior's gospel with millions of people watching worldwide it's like attending church but with a global family general conference is also a great opportunity to find direction from god as you watch or listen to the speakers you may receive feelings or insights unique to you and your personal circumstances you may consider praying to god with a specific question in mind and taking notes on what you hear during conference and if you don't catch something while you're watching don't worry this session is available online so you can revisit anything you missed the first time around now we're just about to get started if you have any questions throughout this session missionaries like me are here to help you can contact us at come into christ.org having said all that thanks for watching we're glad you're joining us for this session of general conference [Music] come rejoice [Music] from the conference center in salt lake city utah this is the sunday morning session of the 191st semi-annual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints with speakers selected from leaders of the church music for this session is provided by the tabernacle choir at temple square this broadcast is furnished as a public service by bonneville distribution any reproduction recording transcription or other use of this program without written consent is prohibited president henry b eyring second counselor in the first presidency of the church will conduct this session [Music] brothers and sisters we welcome you to the sunday morning session of the 191st seminal general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints president russell m nelson who presides the conference has asked me to conduct this session we extend our greetings and warm regards to those of you who are participating in the conference throughout the world by radio television the internet or satellite transmission we acknowledge the general authorities and the general officers who will be in attendance this morning and recognize a limited number seated on the stand the music for this session will be provided by the tabernacle choir at temple square under the direction of mack wilberg and ryan murphy and richard elliott and andrew unsworth at the oregon we again note the reduced number of choir members in order to provide appropriate social distancing all participants have been fully vaccinated against covet and were recently tested to ensure they are not infected with the virus the choir opened this meeting with come rejoice and will now favor us with sing praise to him the invocation will then be offered by elder david f evans who was released yesterday afternoon from serving as a general authority 70. the choir will then sing where love is [Music] is [Music] our is is [Music] is [Music] [Music] please [Music] is him [Music] our dear father in heaven as we begin another session of this general conference we express our deep gratitude for the sessions yesterday and for the feelings and impressions which we had we're grateful for our dear prophet president nelson and his noble counselors for the quorum of the twelve apostles and for all of the general authorities and general officers of the church father as we listen today we ask that we might be granted a measure of thy spirit that will help us to understand pure truth as it is taught and pure doctrine as we are taught and receive it and most particularly father we ask thee that thy spirit will help us to seek for and understand the answers to the questions of our hearts we're so very grateful that we can gather together safely for this conference and wherever in the world we are father we ask you to bless us that we might have thy spirit and have these blessings and every other blessing which is privately sought and which thou would give us to us again we love thee and thank thee and are grateful to be here this day and we say this in the name of jesus christ amen [Music] well [Music] [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] jesus [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] makes us [Music] us [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] we want to be [Applause] [Music] as well [Music] so [Music] we will be now pleased to hear from elder dieter f uchtdorf of the quorum of the twelve apostles he will be followed by sister camille n johnson who serves as primary general president elder dale g renlund of the quorum of the twelve apostles will then address us we gather this beautiful seventh morning to speak of christ rejoice in his gospel and support and sustain one another as we walk in the way of our savior as members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints we assemble for this purpose every sabbath day throughout the year if you are not a member of the church we welcome you most warmly and thank you for joining with us to worship the savior and learn of him like you we're striving though imperfectly to become better friends neighbors and human beings and we seek to do this by following our exemplar jesus christ we hope you can feel the sincerity of our testimony jesus christ lives he is real he is the son of the living god and he directs prophets on the earth in our day today as he is our dear prophet and president ruslan nelson we invite all to come hear the word of god and partake of his goodness i bear my personal witness that god is among us that he will surely draw near to all who draw near to him we consider it an honor to walk with you in the master's straight and narrow path of discipleship there's an oft repeated theory that people who are lost walk in circles not long ago scientists of the max planck institute for biological cybernetics tested that theory they took participants to a thick forest and gave them simple instructions walk in a straight line there were no visible landmarks the test subjects had to rely solely on their sense of direction how do you think they did well the scientists concluded people really do walk in circles when they do not have reliable cues to their walking direction when questioned afterwards some participants self-confidently claimed that they had not deviated in the slightest despite their high confidence gps data showed that they walked in loops as tight as 20 meters in diameter why do we have such a hard time walking in a straight line some researchers hypothesize that small seemingly insignificant deviations in terrain make the difference others have pointed to the fact that we all have one leg that is a slightly stronger than the other more likely however we struggle to talk to walk straight ahead because of increasing uncertainty about where straight ahead is whatever the cause it is human nature without reliable landmarks we drift off course is it interesting how small seemingly insignificant factors can make a major difference in our lives i know this from personal experience as a pilot every time i started the approach to an airport i knew that much of my remaining work would consist of making constant minor course corrections to safely direct the aircraft to our desired landing around me you may have similar experience when driving a vehicle wind road irregularities imperfect real alignment inattentiveness not to mention the actions of other drivers all can push you off your intended path fail to pay attention to these factors and you may end up having a pretty bad day this of course applies to us physically it also applies to us spiritually most of the changes in our spiritual lives both positive and negative happen gradually a step at a time like the participants in the max planck study we may not realize when we veer off course we may even have high confidence that we are walking a straight line but the fact is that without the help of landmarks to guide us we inevitably deviate off course and end up in places we never thought we would be this is true for individuals it is also true for societies and nations the scriptures are filled with examples the book of judges records that after joshua died there rose another generation which knew not the lord nor yet the works which he had done for israel despite the astonishing heavenly interventions visitations rescues and miraculous victories the children of israel witnessed during the lifetime of moses and joshua within a generation the people had abandoned the way and began walking according to their own desires and of course it did not take long before they paid the price for that behavior sometimes this falling away takes generations sometimes it happens in a matter of years or even months but we are all susceptible matter how strong our spiritual experiences have been in the past as human beings we tend to wander that has been the pattern from the days of adam until now but all is not lost unlike the wandering test subjects we have reliable visible landmarks that we can use to evaluate our course now what are these landmarks surely they include daily prayer and pondering the scriptures and using inspired tools like come follow me each day we can approach the throne of god in humility and honesty we can ponder our actions and we will review the moments of our day considering our will and desires in light of his if we have drifted we plead with god to restore us and we commit to do better this time of introspection is an opportunity for recalibration it is a garden of reflection where we can walk with the lord and be instructed edified and purified by the written and spirit revealed word of our heavenly father it is a sacred time when we remember our solemn covenants to follow the living christ when we assess our progress and align ourselves with the spiritual landmarks god has provided for his children think of it as your personal daily restoration on our journey as pilgrims on the path of glory we know how easy it is to fall away but just as minor deviations can draw us out of the savior's way so can two small and simple acts of realignment assuredly lead us back when darkness creeps into our lives it is often does our daily restoration opens our hearts to heavenly light which illuminates our souls chasing away shadows fears and doubts if we seek it surely god shall give unto us knowledge by his holy spirit yea by the unspeakable gift of the holy ghost as often as we ask he will teach us the way and help us follow it this of course takes steady effort on our part we cannot be content with spiritual experience of the past we need a steady flow we can't rely on others testimonies forever we must build our own we need on an ongoing daily infusion of heavenly light we need times of refreshing times of personal restoration rolling waters cannot long remain impure says the scriptures to keep our thoughts and actions pure we have to keep rolling after all the restoration of the gospel and the church is not something that happened once and is over it is an ongoing process one day at a time one heart at a time as our days go so our lives one author put it this way a day is like a whole life you start out going doing one thing but end up doing something else plan to run an errand but never get it there and at the end of your life your whole existence has the same random quality too your whole life has the shape of a single day do you want to change the shape of your life change the shape of your day do you want to change your day change this hour change what you think feel and do at the very moment a small rudder can steer a large ship small bricks can we can become magnificent mansions small seeds can become towering sequoias minutes and hours well spent are the building blocks of a life well lived they can inspire goodness lift us from the captivity of imperfections and lead us upwards to the redemptive path of forgiveness and sanctifications with you i lift my heart in gratitude for the magnificent gift of new opportunity new life new hope we lift our voices in praise of our bountiful and forgiving god for surely he is a god of new beginnings the sublime end of all his labor is to help us his children succeed in our quest for immortality and eternal life we can become new creatures in christ for god has promised as often as my people repent i will forgive them their trespasses against me and remember them no more my beloved brothers and sisters dear friends we all drift from time to time but we can back on course we can navigate our way through the darkness and trials of this life and find our way back to our loving heavenly father if we seek and accept the spiritual landmarks he has provided and praise personal revelation and strive for daily restoration this is how we become true disciples of our beloved savior jesus christ as we do so god will smile upon us the lord shall bless thee in the land which the lord thy god giveth thee the lord shall establish thee and holy people unto himself that we will seek daily restoration and continually strive to walk in the way of jesus christ is my prayer in the name of jesus christ amen i begin by posing several questions meant for self-reflection what kind of personal narrative are you writing for your life is the path you describe in your story straight does your story end where it began at your heavenly home is there an exemplar in your story and is it the savior jesus christ i testify that the savior is the author and finisher of our faith will you invite him to be the author and finisher of your story he knows the beginning from the end he was the creator of heaven and earth he wants us to return home to him and our heavenly father he has everything invested in us and wants us to succeed what do you suppose keeps us from turning our stories over to him perhaps this illustration will help your self-assessment an effective trial lawyer knows that on cross-examination you should rarely ask a witness a question to which you do not know the answer asking such a question is inviting the witness to tell you and the judge and jury something you don't already know you might get an answer that surprises you and is contrary to the narrative you have developed for your case although asking a witness a question to which you do not know the answer is generally unwise for a trial lawyer the opposite is true for us we can ask questions of our loving heavenly father in the name of our merciful savior and the witness who answers our questions is the holy ghost who always testifies of truth because the holy ghost works in perfect unity with heavenly father and jesus christ we know that the manifestations of the holy ghost are reliable why then are we sometimes resistant to asking for this kind of heavenly help truth manifests to us by the holy ghost why do we put off asking a question to which we do not know the answer when the witness is not only friendly but will always tell the truth perhaps it is because we don't have the faith to accept the answer we might receive perhaps it is because the natural matter woman in us is resistant to turning things completely over to the lord and trusting him entirely maybe that is why we choose to stick with the narrative we have written for ourselves a comfortable version of our story unedited by the master author we don't want to get a ask a question and get an answer that doesn't fit neatly into the story we are writing for ourselves frankly few of us would probably write into our stories the trials that refine us but don't we love the glorious culmination of a story we read when the protagonist overcomes the struggle trials are the elements of the plot that make our favorite stories compelling timeless faith promoting and worthy of telling the beautiful struggles written into our stories are what draw us closer to the savior and refine us making us more like him for david to overcome goliath the boy had to take on the giant the comfortable narrative for david would have been a return to tending sheep but instead he reflected upon his experience saving lambs from a lion and a bear and building on those heroic feats he mustered the faith and courage to let god write his story declaring the lord that delivered me out of the pod of the lion and out of the paw of the bear he will deliver me out of the hand of this philistine with the desire to let god prevail with an ear to the holy ghost and a willingness to let the savior be the author and finisher of his story the boy david defeated goliath and saved his people the sublime principle of agency does of course allow us to write our own stories david could have gone home back to tending sheep but jesus christ stands ready to use us as divine instruments sharpened pencils in his hand to write a masterpiece he is mercifully willing to use me a scrawny pencil as an instrument in his hands if i have the faith to let him if i will let him author my story esther is another beautiful example of letting god prevail rather than sticking with a cautious narrative of self-preservation she exercised faith turning herself completely over to the lord haman was plotting the destruction of all the jews in persia mordecai esther's relative became aware of the plot and wrote to her urging her to talk with the king on behalf of her people she recounted to him that one who approaches the king without being summoned was subject to death but in a tremendous act of faith she asked mordecai to gather the jews and fast for her i also and my maidens will fast like why she said and so will i go in unto the king which is not according to the law and if i perish i perish esther was willing to let the savior write her story even though through the lens of mortality the ending may have been tragic blessedly the king received esther and the jews in persia were saved of course esther's level of courage is rarely asked of us but letting god prevail letting him be the author and finisher of our stories does require us to keep his commandments and the covenants we have made it is our commandment and covenant keeping that will open the line of communication for us to receive revelation through the holy ghost and it is through the manifestations of the spirit that we will fill the master's hand writing our stories with us in april 2020 our prophet president russell m nelson asked us to consider what we could do if we had more faith in jesus christ with more faith in jesus christ we could ask a question to which we do not know the answer ask our father in heaven in the name of jesus christ to send an answer through the holy ghost who testifies of truth if we had more faith we would ask the question and then be willing to accept the answer we receive even if it doesn't fit our comfortable narrative and the promised blessing that will come from acting in faith in jesus christ is an increase in faith in him as our author and finisher president nelson declared that we receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith so a childless couple suffering with infertility may ask in faith whether they should adopt children and be willing to accept the answer even though the narrative they had written for themselves included a miraculous birth a senior couple may ask whether it is time for them to serve a mission and be willing to go even though the narrative they had written for themselves included more time in the workforce or maybe the answer will be not yet and they will learn in later chapters of their story why they were needed at home a little bit longer a teenaged young man or young woman may ask in faith whether a pursuit of sports or academics or music is the most value and be willing to follow the promptings of the perfect witness the holy ghost why do we want the savior to be the author and the finisher of our stories because he knows our potential perfectly he will take us to places we never imagined ourselves he may make us a david or an esther he will stretch us and refine us to be more like him the things we will achieve as we act with more faith will increase our faith in jesus christ brothers and sisters just one year ago our dear prophet asked are you willing to let god prevail in your life are you willing to let whatever he need you to do take precedence over every other ambition i humbly add to those prophetic inquiries will you let god be the author and finisher of your story in revelation we learn that we will stand before god and be judged out of the books of life according to our works we will be judged by our book of life we can choose to write a comfortable narrative for ourselves or we can allow the master author and finisher to write our story with us letting the role he needs us to play take precedence over other ambitions let christ be the author and finisher of your story let the holy ghost be your witness write a story in which the path you were on is straight on a course leading you back to your heavenly home to live in the presence of god let the adversity and affliction that's part of every good story be a means by which you draw closer to and become more like jesus christ tell a story in which you recognize the heavens are open ask questions to which you do not know the answer knowing god is willing to make known his will for you through the holy ghost let your narrative be one of faith following your exemplar the savior jesus christ in the name of jesus christ amen thank you sister johnson my dear brothers and sisters during an exercise stress test the heart's workload is increased hearts that can handle walking may struggle to support the demands of running a pill in this way the stress test can reveal underlying disease that's not otherwise apparent any issues identified can be treated before they become serious problems in daily life the covet 19 pandemic has certainly been a global stress test the test has shown mixed results safe and effective vaccines have been developed medical professionals teachers caregivers and others have sacrificed heroically and continue to do so many people have displayed generosity and kindness and continue to do so yet underlying disadvantages have been manifest vulnerable individuals have suffered and continue to do so those who work to address these underlying inequalities are to be encouraged and thanked the pandemic is also a spiritual stress test for the savior's church and its members the results are likewise mixed our lives have been blessed by ministering in a higher and holier way the come follow me curriculum and home-centered church-supported gospel learning many have provided compassionate help and comfort during these difficult times and continue to do so yet in some instances the spiritual stress test has shown tendencies toward contention and divisiveness this suggests that we have work to do to change our hearts and become unified as the savior's true disciples this isn't a new challenge but it is a critical one when the savior visited the nephites he taught there shall be no disputations among you he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me but is of the devil who is the father of contention and he stirth up the hearts of men to contend with anger one with another when we contend with anger uh against each other satan laughs and the god of heaven weeps satan laughs and god weeps for at least two reasons first contention weakens our collective witness to the world of jesus christ and the redemption that comes through his merits mercy and grace the savior said a new commandment i give unto you that ye love one another by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if ye have loved one to another the converse is also true everyone knows that we're not his disciples when we don't show love one to another his latter-day work is compromised when contention or enmity exists among his disciples second contention is spiritually unhealthy for us as individuals we're robbed of peace joy and rest and our ability to feel the spirit is compromised jesus explained that his doctrine was not to stir up the hearts of men with anger one against another but that his doctrine is that such things should be done away if i'm quick to take offense or respond to differences of opinion by becoming angry or judgmental i fail the spiritual stress test this failed test doesn't mean that i'm hopeless rather it points out that i need to change and that's good to know after the savior's visit to the americas the people were unified there was no contention in all the land do you think that the people were unified because they were all the same or because they had no differences of opinion i doubt it instead contention and enmity disappeared because they placed their discipleship of the savior above all else their differences paled in comparison to their shared love of the savior and they were united as heirs to the kingdom of god the result was that there could not be a happier people who had been created by the hand of god unity requires effort it develops when we cultivate the love of god in our hearts and we focus on our eternal destiny we're united by our common primary identity as children of god and our commitment to the truths of the restored gospel in turn our love of god and our discipleship of jesus christ generate genuine concern for others we value the kaleidoscope of others characteristics perspectives and talents if we're unable to place our discipleship of jesus christ above personal interests and viewpoints we should re-examine our priorities and change we might be inclined to say of course we can have unity if only you would agree with me a better approach is to ask what can i do to foster unity how can i respond to help this person draw closer to christ what can i do to lessen contention and to build a compassionate and caring church community when love of christ envelops our lives we approach disagreements with meekness patience and kindness we worry less about our own sensitivities and more about our neighbors we seek to moderate and unify we don't engage in doubtful disputations judge those with whom we disagree or try to cause them to stumble instead we assume that those with whom we disagree are doing the best they can with the life experiences they have my wife practiced law for over 20 years as an attorney she often worked with others who explicitly advocated opposing views but she learned to disagree without being rude or angry she might say to opposing counsel i can see we're not going to agree on this issue i like you i respect your opinion i hope you can offer me the same courtesy often this allowed for mutual respect and even friendship despite differences even former enemies can become united in their discipleship of the savior in 2006 i attended the dedication of the helsinki finland temple to honor my father and grandparents who'd been early converts to the church in finland finns including my father had dreamed of a temple in finland for decades at the time the temple district would encompass finland estonia latvia lithuania belarus and russia at the dedication i learned something surprising the first day of general operation had been set aside for russian members to perform temple ordinances it's difficult to explain just how astonishing this was russia and finland had fought many wars over the centuries my father distrusted and disliked not only russia but all russians he'd expressed such feelings passionately and his feelings were typical of finnish enmity toward russia he had memorized epic poems that chronicled 19th century warfare between finns and russians his experiences during world war ii when finland and russia were again antagonists did nothing to change his opinion a year before the dedication of the helsinki finland temple the temple committee consisting exclusively of finnish members met to discuss plans for the dedication during the meeting someone observed that russian saints would be traveling several days to attend the dedication and might hope to receive their temple blessings before returning home the committee chairman brother sven eklund suggested that the finns could wait a little longer that russians could be the first members to perform temple ordinances in the temple all committee members agreed faithful latter-day saint finns delayed their temple blessings to accommodate russian saints the area president who was present at that temple committee meeting elder dennis b nein schwander later wrote i have never been prouder of the finns than i was at this moment finland's difficult history with its eastern neighbor and their excitement of finally having a temple constructed on their own soil were put aside permitting the russians to enter the temple first was a statement of love and sacrifice when i reported this kindness to my father his heart melted and he wept a very rare occurrence for that stoic fin from that time until his death three years later he never expressed another negative sentiment about russia inspired by the example of his fellow finns my father chose to place his discipleship of jesus christ above all other considerations the finns were no less finnish the russians were no less russian neither group abandoned their culture history or experiences to banish enmity they didn't need to instead they chose to make their discipleship of jesus christ their primary consideration if they can do it so can we we can bring our heritage culture and experiences to the church of jesus christ samuel didn't shy away from his heritage as a lamanite nor did mormon shy away from his nephite but each put his discipleship of the savior first if we're not one we're not his my invitation is to be valiant in putting our love of god and discipleship of the savior above all other considerations let's uphold the covenant inherent in our discipleship the covenant to be one let's follow the example of saints from around the world who were successfully becoming disciples of christ we can rely on jesus christ who is our peace who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in his atoning sacrifice the enmity our witness of jesus christ to the world will be strengthened and we will remain spiritually healthy i testify that as we shun contention and become like-minded with the lord in love and united with him in faith his peace will be ours in the name of jesus christ amen the congregation will now join the choir in singing i am a child of god after singing we will hear from elder vahanina of the 70. following his remarks elder quentin l cook of the quorum of the twelve apostles will speak this is the sunday morning session of the 191st semi-annual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] is [Music] is [Music] teach me is [Music] is [Music] me [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] in my professional life and in my service in the church i have done this thousands of times just never before the 15 men seated directly behind me i feel your prayers and theirs brothers and sisters i am a native of the kingdom of tonga in the south pacific but was raised in north america the pandemic has kept hundreds perhaps thousands of young tongan missionaries serving around the world from returning to their beloved homeland because of its closed borders some tongan elders have been on their missions for three years and sisters over two years they wait patiently with the faith for which our people are known meanwhile don't be too alarmed if some of them serving in your wards and stakes are looking increasingly more like me aging and gray we are grateful for their for missionaries everywhere for their devoted service even when longer or shorter than they had anticipated because of the pandemic one sunday when i was a deacon i was in the foyer with a tray of water passing the sacrament when a woman had just walked into the building dutifully i approached and i handed her the tray she nodded smiled and took a cup of water she had arrived too late to receive the bread shortly after this experience my home teacher ned brimley taught me that many aspects and blessings of the gospel of jesus christ are given to us in sequential order later that week ned brimley and his companion came to our home with a memorable lesson ned reminded us that there was order to how god created the earth and the lord took great care in explaining to moses the order in which he created the earth first he started by dividing the light from the darkness and then water from the dry land he added plant life and animals before introducing to the newly formed planet his greatest creation humankind beginning with adam and eve so god created man in his own image in the image of god created he them he him male and female created he them and god saw everything that he had made and behold it was very good the lord was pleased and he rested on the seventh day the sequential order in which the earth was created not only gives us a glimpse of what is most important to god but also why and for whom he created the earth ned brimley punctuated his inspired lesson with a simple statement by god's house is one of order he expects you to live your life with order in proper sequence he wants you to serve a mission before you get married to this point church leaders currently teach that the lord expects each able young man to prepare to serve young women who desire to serve should also prepare brother brimley continued god wants you to get married before you have children and he wants you to continually develop your talents as you earn an education if you choose to live your life out of sequence you will find life more difficult and chaotic brother brimley also taught us that through his atoning sacrifice the savior helps us to restore order to our lives made chaotic or out of sequence by our own or others poor choices from that time on i've had a fascination with sequential order i developed a habit of looking for sequential patterns in life and in the gospel elder david a bednar taught this principle as we study learn and live the gospel of jesus christ sequence often is instructed consider for example the lessons we learned about the spiritual priorities from the order of the major events that occurred as the fullness of the savior's gospel was restored in these latter days eller bednar listed the first vision and moroni's initial appearance to joseph smith as teaching the boy prophet first the nature and character of god followed by the role the book of mormon and elijah would play in gathering israel on both sides of the veil in this last dispensation elder bednar concludes this inspiring sequence is instructive about the spiritual matters of highest priority to deity close quote one observation i've made is that sequential order is a simple natural and effective way for the lord to teach us as his children important principles we've come to earth to learn and gain experience we would not otherwise have our growth is unique to each of us individually and a vital component of heavenly father's plan our physical and spiritual growth begins in stages and develops slowly as we gain experience sequentially alma gives a powerful sermon on faith drawing on the analogy of a seed which if tended and nourished properly sprouts from a small sapling into a full grown mature tree that produces delicious fruit the lesson is that your faith will increase as you give place for and nourish the seed or the word of god in your hearts your faith will increase as the word of god begins to swell within your breasts that it swelleth and sprouteth and beginneth to grow is both visual and instructive it is also sequential the lord teaches us individually according to our capacity to learn and how we learn our growth is entirely dependent on our willingness our natural curiosity our level of faith and understanding nephi was taught what joseph smith would learn in kirtland ohio over 2300 years later for behold thus saith the lord i will give unto the children of men lying upon line precept upon precept here little there a little and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts and lend an ear unto my counsel for they shall learn wisdom that we learn lined upon line precept upon precept here little and there little is again sequential consider the following statements we've heard most of our lives first things first or feed them milk before meat how about we have to walk before we run each of these axioms describes something that is sequential miracles operate according to sequential order miracles occur when we first exercise faith faith precedes the miracle aaronic priesthood offices are also ordained in sequence according to the age of the one being ordained deacon teacher and then priest the ordinances of salvation and exaltation are sequential in nature we are baptized prior to receiving the gift of the holy ghost temple ordinances are sequential similarly sequential of course as my friend ned brimley so wisely taught me the sacrament is sequential it begins with the bread followed by the water and as they were eating jesus took bread and blessed it and break it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body and he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drinking all of it for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins jerusalem and in the americas the savior instituted the sacrament in the exact same order behold my house is a house of order saith the lord god and not a house of confusion repentance is sequential it begins with faith in jesus christ even if just a particle faith requires humility which is an essential element of having a broken heart and a contrite spirit indeed the first four principles of the gospel are sequential we believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are first faith in the lord jesus christ second repentance third baptism by immersion for the remission of sins fourth laying out of hands for the gift of the holy ghost king benjamin taught his people this important truth and see that all these things are done in wisdom and order for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength and again it is expedient that he should be diligent that thereby he might win the prize therefore all things must be done in order may we live our lives with order and seek to follow the sequence the lord has outlined for us we will be blessed as we look for and follow the patterns and the sequence in which the lord teaches what's most important to him in the sacred name of jesus christ amen i was recently assigned to dedicate a portion of historic nauvoo as part of the assignment i was able to visit liberty jail in missouri as i viewed the jail i contemplated the events that make it such a significant part of church history the lives of the saints were threatened as a result of an extermination order issued by the governor of missouri in addition the prospect joseph and a few choice associates had been unjustly imprisoned in liberty jail one of the reasons for the violent opposition to our members was most of them were opposed to slavery this intense persecution of joseph smith and his followers constitutes an extreme example of the unrighteous exercise of agency that can impact righteous people joseph time in liberty jail demonstrates that adversity is not evidence of the lord's disfavor nor a withdrawal of his blessings i was deeply moved as i read what the prophet joseph smith declared as he was confined in liberty jail oh god where art thou and where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place joseph inquired how long the lord's people would suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions as i stood in liberty jail i was deeply touched as i read the lord's answer my son peace be unto thy soul thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou endure it well god shall exalt thee on high it is clear that opposition can refine us for an eternal celestial destiny the savior's precious words my son peace be unto thy soul resonate with me personally and have great significance for our day they remind me of his teachings to his disciples during his mortal ministry prior to christ suffering in the garden of gethsemane and on the cross he commanded his apostles to love one another as i have loved you and subsequently comforted them with these words peace i leave with you my peace i give unto you not as the world giveth give i unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid one of the most cherished titles of our lord and savior jesus christ is prince of peace ultimately his kingdom will be established including peace and love we look forward to the millennial reign of the messiah notwithstanding this vision of the millennial reign we know that world peace and harmony are not prevalent in our day in my lifetime i have never seen a greater lack of civility we are bombarded with angry contentious language and provocative devastating actions that destroy peace and tranquility peace in the world is not promised or assured until the second coming of jesus christ the savior instructed his apostles that his earthly mission would not achieve universal peace he taught think not that i am come to send peace on earth universal peace was not part of the savior's initial mortal ministry universal peace does not exist today however personal peace can be achieved despite the anger contention and division that blights and corrupts our world today it has never been more important to seek personal peace a beautiful and beloved new hymn written for today's youth by brother nick day titled peace in christ declares when there's no peace on earth there is peace in christ we were blessed to have this hymn just before the worldwide covet pandemic this hymn reflects in a beautiful fashion the aspiration for peace and appropriately emphasizes that peace is anchored in the life and mission of jesus christ president joseph f smith declared there never can come to the world that spirit of peace and love until mankind will receive god's truth and god's message and acknowledge his power and authority which is divine while we will never retreat from efforts to achieve universal peace we have been assured that we can have personal peace as christ teaches this principle is set forth in the doctrine and covenants but learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come what are some of the works of righteousness that will help us deal with disputations and lessen contention and find peace in this world all of christ's teachings point in this direction i will mention a few which i believe are particularly important first love god live his commandments and forgive everyone president george albert smith became president of the church in 1945 he had been known during his years as an apostle as a peace loving leader in the preceding 15 years before he became president the challenges and trials of a massive worldwide depression followed by the death and destruction of world war ii had been anything but peaceful at the conclusion of world war ii during his first general conference as president in october 1945 president smith reminded the saints of the savior's invitation to love their neighbors and forgive their enemies and then taught that is the spirit all latter-day saints should seek to possess if they hope someday to stand in his presence and receive at his hands a glorious welcome home second sing seek the fruits of the spirit the apostle paul in his epistle to the galatians sets forth the dichotomy between works of righteousness that qualify us to inherit the kingdom of god and works that can without repentance disqualify us among those that qualify us are the fruits of the spirit love joy peace long suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness and temperance paul also includes bearing one another's burdens and being not weary in well-doing among those works that are not righteous he includes hatred wrath and strife one of the great lessons in the old testament period relates to father abraham abraham and lot his nephew were wealthy but found they could not dwell together to eliminate strife abraham allowed lot to choose the land he wanted lot chose the plain of jordan which was both well watered and beautiful abraham took the less fertile plain of mamre the scriptures read that abraham they then pitched his tent and built an altar unto the lord lot on the other hand pitched his tent towards sodom the lesson is clear we should be willing to compromise and eliminate strife with respect to matters that do not involve righteousness to have peaceful relationships as king benjamin taught you will not have a mind to injure one another but to live peaceably but on conduct relating to righteousness and doctrinal imperatives we need to remain firm and steadfast if we want to have the peace which is the reward of the works of righteousness we will not pitch our tents towards the world we will pitch our tents towards the temple third exercise agency to choose righteousness peace and agency are intertwined as essential elements of the plan of salvation as described in the gospel topic on agency and accountability agency is the ability and privilege god gives us to choose and to act for ourselves thus agency is at the heart of the personal growth and experience that blesses us as we follow the savior agency was a principle issue in the premortal council in heaven and the conflict between those who chose to follow christ and the followers of satan letting go of pride and control and choosing the savior would allow us to have his light and his peace but personal peace would be challenged when people exercise their agency in harmful and hurtful ways i am confident that the peaceful assurance we felt in our hearts was strengthened by the knowledge we had of what the savior of the world would accomplish in our behalf this is beautifully set forth and preach my gospel quote as we rely on the atonement of jesus christ he can help us endure our trials sicknesses and pain we can be filled with joy peace and consolation all that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of jesus christ end quote fourth build zion in our hearts and homes we are children of god and part of his family we are also part of the family into which we are born the institution the family is the foundation for both happiness and peace president russell m nelson has taught us and during this pandemic we have learned that the home-centered church-supported religious observance can unleash the power of families to transform our homes into a sanctuary of faith if we have this religious observance in our homes we will also have the savior's peace we are aware that many of you do not have the blessings of righteous homes and contend regularly with those who choose unrighteousness the savior can provide protection and peace to guide you ultimately to safety and shelter from life's storms i assure you that the joy love and fulfillment experienced in loving righteous families produces both peace and happiness love and kindness are at the center of having zion in our hearts and homes fifth follow the current admonitions of our prophet our peace is greatly enhanced when we follow the lord's prophet president russell m nelson we will shortly have an opportunity to hear from him he was prepared from the foundations of the world for this calling his personal preparation has been most remarkable he has taught us that we can fill enduring peace and joy even during turbulent times as we strive to become more like our savior jesus christ he has counseled us to repent daily to receive the lord's cleansing healing and strengthening power i'm a personal witness that revelation has been received and continues to be received from heaven by our beloved prophet while we honor and sustain him as our prophet we worship our heavenly father and our savior jesus christ we are ministered to by the holy ghost i testify and provide my personal apostolic witness that jesus christ the savior and redeemer of the world leads and guides his restored church his life and atoning mission are the true source of peace he is the prince of peace i bear my sure and solemn witness that he lives in the name of jesus christ amen we are grateful to the tabernacle choir at temple square for the beautiful music they have provided this morning and for all who have spoken to us thus far the choir will now favor us with how firm a foundation the concluding speaker for this session will be our beloved prophet president russell m nelson president nelson's remarks after the we'll close the meeting the choir will then sing let the mountains shout for joy the benediction will then be offered by sister jean b bingham who serves as relief society general president [Music] uh [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] is [Music] as thy days [Music] as thy days [Music] shall be [Applause] [Music] [Music] up [Music] [Applause] [Music] i [Music] is [Music] oh oh [Music] my dear brothers and sisters i am grateful to be with you this morning to share the feelings of my heart as you know we are performing major renovations on the historic salt lake temple this complex project includes major reinforcement of its original foundation which has served well for more than a century but this temple must stand much longer in late may i inspected the progress on this massive project i thought you would appreciate seeing what my wife wendy and i saw i think you will see why the hymn how firm a foundation has come to have new meaning for us [Music] we are looking at the original foundation of the salt lake temple i'm standing in an area beneath what was the garden room as i examined the craftsmanship of this entire building i marvel at what the pioneers accomplished i am totally in awe when i consider that they built this magnificent temple with only tools and techniques available to them more than a century ago these many decades later however if we examine the foundation closely we can see the effects of erosion gaps in the original stonework and varying stages of stability in the masonry now as i witness what modern engineers architects and construction experts can do to reinforce that original foundation i am absolutely amazed their work is astonishing the foundation of any building particularly one as large as this one must be strong and resilient enough to withstand earthquakes corrosion high winds and the inevitable settling that affects all buildings the complex task of strengthening now underway will reinforce this sacred temple with a foundation that can and will stand the test of time we are sparing no effort to give this venerable temple which had become increasingly vulnerable a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the millennium in like manner it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures perhaps measures we have never taken before to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures my dear brothers and sisters these are the latter days if you and i are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our redeemer jesus christ so i ask each of you how firm is your foundation and what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed the temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the savior and his doctrine are the very heart of the temple everything taught in the temple through instruction and through the spirit increases our understanding of jesus christ his essential ordinances bind us to him through sacred priesthood covenants then as we keep our covenants he endows us with his healing strengthening power and oh how we will need his power in the days ahead we have been promised that if we are prepared we shall not fear this assurance has profound implications today the lord has declared that despite today's unprecedented challenges those who build their foundations upon jesus christ and have learned how to draw upon his power need not succumb to the unique anxieties of this era temple ordinances and covenants are ancient the lord instructed adam and eve to pray make covenants and offer sacrifices indeed whenever the lord has had a people on the earth who will obey his word they have been commanded to build temples the standard works are replete with references to temple teachings clothing language and more everything we believe and every promise god has made to his covenant people come together in the temple in every age the temple has underscored the precious truth that those who make covenants with god and keep them are children of the covenant thus in the house of the lord we can make the same covenants with god that abraham isaac and jacob made and we can receive the same blessings temples have been part of this dispensation from its earliest days elijah committed the keys of sealing authority joseph smith in the kirtland temple the fullness of the priesthood was restored in the nauvoo temple until his martyrdom joseph smith continued to receive revelations that furthered the restoration of the endowment and sealing ordinances he recognized however that further refinement was needed after administering the endowment to brigham young in may 1842 joseph told brigham this is not arranged right but we've done the best we could under the circumstances in which we are placed i wish you to take this matter in hand and organize and systematize all these ceremonies close quote well following the prophet's death president young oversaw the completion of the nauvoo temple and later built temples in the utah territory at the dedication of the lower stories of the saint george temple brigham young vigorously declared the urgency of vicarious temple work when he said when i think upon this subject i want the tongues of seven thunders to wake up the people from that time forward temple ordinances were gradually refined president harold b lee explained why procedures policies and even the administration of temple ordinances continue to change within the savior's restored church presently said the principles of the gospel of jesus christ are divine nobody changes the principles and doctrine of the church accept the lord by revelation but methods change as the inspired direction comes to those who preside at a given time close quote or consider how administering the sacrament has changed over the years in earlier days the water of the sacrament was offered to the congregation in one large vessel everyone drank from it now we use individual disposable cups the procedure changed but the covenants remain the same ponder these three truths one [Music] the restoration is a process not an event and will continue until the lord comes again two the ultimate objective of the gathering of israel is to bring the blessings of the temple to god's faithful children and three as we seek how to accomplish that objective more effectively the lord reveals more insights the ongoing restoration needs ongoing revelation the first presidency and quorum of the twelve apostles have often asked the lord if there are better ways to take the blessings of the temple to his faithful children we seek guidance regularly on how to ensure worldwide accuracy and consistency of temple instruction covenants and ordinances despite differences in language and culture under the lord's direction and in answer to our prayers recent procedural adjustments have been made he is the one who wants you to understand with great clarity exactly what you are making covenants to do he is the one who wants you to experience fully his sacred ordinances he wants you to comprehend your privileges promises and responsibilities he wants you to have spiritual insights and awakenings you've never had before this he desires for all temple patrons no matter where they live current adjustments in temple procedures and others that will follow are continuing evidence that the lord is actively directing his church he is providing opportunities for each of us to bolster our spiritual foundations more effectively by centering our lives on him and on the ordinances and covenants of his temple when you bring your temple recommend a contrite heart and a seeking mind to the lord's house of learning he will teach you should distance health challenges or other constraints prohibit your temple attendance for a season i invite you to set a regular time to rehearse in your mind the covenants you have made if you don't yet love to attend the temple go more often not less let the lord through his spirit teach and inspire you there i promise you that over time the temple will become a place of safety solace and revelation if it were possible for me to speak one-on-one with every young adult i would plead with you to seek a companion with whom you can be sealed in the temple you may wonder what difference this will make in your life i promise it will make all the difference as you marry in the temple and return repeatedly you will be strengthened and guided in your decisions if i could speak with each husband and wife who have still not been sealed in the temple i would plead with you to take the necessary steps to receive that crowning a life-saving ordinance it make a difference only if you want to progress forever and be together forever wishing to be together forever will not make it so no other ceremony or contract will make it so if i could speak to each man or woman who longs for marriage but has not yet found their eternal companion i would urge you not to wait until marriage to be endowed in the house of the lord begin now to learn and experience what it means to be armed with priesthood power and to each of you who has made temple covenants i plead with you to seek prayerfully and consistently to understand temple covenants and ordinances spiritual doors will open you will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth how to ask for god's angels to attend you and how better to receive direction from heaven your diligent efforts to do so will reinforce and strengthen your spiritual foundation my dear brothers and sisters when renovations on the salt lake temple are completed there will be no safer place during an earthquake in the salt lake valley than inside that temple likewise whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants please believe me when i say that when your spiritual foundation is built solidly upon jesus christ you have no need to fear as you are true to your covenants made in the temple you will be strengthened by his power then when spiritual earthquakes occur you will be able to stand strong because your spiritual foundation is solid and immovable i love you dear brothers and sisters these truths i know god our heavenly father wants you to choose to come home to him his plan of eternal progression is not complicated and it honors your agency you are free to choose who you will be and with whom you will be in the world to come god lives jesus is the christ this is his church restored to help you fulfill your divine destiny i so testify in the sacred name of jesus christ amen [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] i [Music] is [Music] is [Music] let's [Music] is [Music] and more [Music] [Applause] [Music] our dear loving heavenly father we are so grateful for the opportunity we have to meet together to feel thy spirit we're grateful for the opportunity we have to hear from our living prophets and apostles and to witness ongoing revelation in this time of restoration father we pray humbly that thou would help us to center our lives on thy son jesus christ that we would make and keep sacred covenants in his house we ask thee that we would have the courage and power and faith to take the impressions that we have received this day and to put them into action in our lives we thank thee for the many many blessings we enjoy and do so in the name of thy son jesus christ amen this has been a broadcast of the sunday morning session of the 191st semi-annual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints speakers were selected from leaders of the church music for this session was provided by the tabernacle choir at temple square this broadcast has been furnished as a public service by bonneville distribution any reproduction recording transcription or other use of this program without written consent is prohibited [Music] [Music] hello and thank you for joining millions of people around the world and watching this general conference session of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints we hope you enjoyed the experience and felt a sense of peace and hope in our savior jesus christ if you missed any of the speakers want to rewatch any of the talks or have questions about what you felt or heard please visit come into christ.org and missionaries like me can connect with you the messages you heard today are for everyone people of all faiths beliefs and backgrounds you heard from followers of jesus christ men and women who love god and want to share his teachings we testify that jesus christ lives he loves us he knows the challenges of our day and that's why he calls apostles prophets leaders and even missionaries like me to share the comforting truths of the gospel of jesus christ the restored gospel of jesus christ truly is the good news of our day when we hear the words of christ they enlighten us inspire us and invite us to follow him i hope you felt that throughout this conference session if you want to learn more about jesus christ or receive more inspiring messages we invite you to talk with missionaries like me or visit comments of christ.org thank you again for joining us [Music] my name is jared dunkley um i'm a nurse i am a welder i know those go hand in hand when i was younger i made decisions that did not make me very happy i got into drinking and partying and doing other drugs some of the decisions i was making you know i i thought this will make me happy or i think i'm gonna be happy doing these things and have a good time and at the time i think that was my main concern was having a good time and just doing whatever i wanted to do and my focus was on me and really i don't know that i had too many other cares at all nothing seemed to matter to me at that time there was kind of a feeling of overall darkness a little bit feeling of emptiness and i knew i needed to look elsewhere for happiness ultimately i think just feeling okay if if that's not gonna if those things aren't gonna bring me any happiness what will when i really look at it and look back at those times it wasn't happiness it's it wasn't real happiness and just thought you know i need to figure some things out like why are we here and decided to do a little exploring i began to read the book of mormon and the difference that i noticed i mean it was like night and day to go from living a certain lifestyle to reading the scriptures feeling the spirit feeling true happiness in my life this is what i want to do these are the decisions i want to make i think just from the minute i would wake up every day it there was a more fresh feeling a feeling of just wanting to do good and wanting to help other people out and the fact that you can be happy through service or through helping others out was kind of a surprise to me that wasn't something i had really cared much about before there's been times where i've gone you know a while without reading the book of mormon and again i start to notice it when i am reading it i'm happier when i am reading it things seem to go smoother for me in my life i think it's reassuring when you feel the spirit and you know that the decisions you're making with your life are right and you can feel good about them i know why we're here based on the teachings of the book of mormon i know what we are to be doing and what decisions we should be making i feel like the book of mormon has changed my life marnie had found out about my addiction i didn't know if marty was going to leave me i didn't know what the future held and i was scared about it and that week strangely enough that's exactly when the missionaries had come to our door and after the first few lessons i i had started to pray more and one particular night i had i was just completely broken i was in tears i was bawling and i prayed to the lord lord i pray that i never hurt marnie as bad as i heard her and covering up my addiction and i was just bawling tears rolling down my eyes i was so sorrowful so sorrowful and in that moment i felt hands like i felt like a little child in the womb like i felt hands cupping me i felt the warmth of the lord that just reaffirmed my testimony in the lord i literally felt his hands i knew he was there he kept me alive and he was blessing me in ways that i didn't understand at the time so i just knew that he was he was there [Music] [Music] i've been able to help my children to go to school my neighbors i take care for them because i have food in the house those who are lacking i help them some lds and wanaka fund keep it up thank you [Music] get close to the words of the prophets god is in there moses told his people to put scripture in little boxes and tie it to their heads strap the bible to your forehead shout proverbs from the rooftops post parables on your mirror and on your wall pack your margins with notes sing the psalms as your prayers read paul out loud like poetry know isaiah by heart love matthew like a brother squeeze the verses like oranges do like the lord told ezekiel eat this scroll and fill your stomach with it so i ate it and it tasted as sweet as honey don't just read the words of the prophets eat them [Music] [Music] [Music] it says welcome on here and here and on earth chapels everywhere and we mean it [Music] come sit with us come stand with us come celebrate [Music] and serve and love and learn and love some more welcome to a community where we think of each other as family and act like we actually are because that's what jesus taught to love one another to bear each other's burdens [Music] and to try every day to be a little bit better a little bit kinder a little more welcoming because that's what jesus taught he can make you a better person and you can make us a better church [Music] there's a verse in the book of mormon that says and i will also be your light in the wilderness and i will prepare the way before you if it so be that you shall keep my commandments wherefore and as much as he shall keep my commandments it shall be led towards the promised land and he shall know that it is by me that you're led so throughout my life he knows what i'm going to go through he knows what i'm going through and he'll prepare that way for me and it's comforting to know that i will be okay no matter what because he knows and he has prepared my way [Music] we're living in a tough time full of trials heartache confusion fear but what if we stopped focusing on the bad and helped spread some good 2 000 years ago the world was given a perfect example of selfless love this month this week today let's share that love through a text or a tag or a not so random act of christ-like kindness let's change our world by doing the things jesus himself did let's feed the hungry visit the lonely help those in need let's take him at his word when he said ye are the light of the world go to come unto christ.org to find ways to spread hope learn more about his life and teachings study his words in the holy scriptures and talk with us about what they mean and why they matter and let's show the world and ourselves that even in one of the darkest times of our lives the light of hope still shines bright [Music] we may come from different places distinct backgrounds far-flung histories from every corner of the world our individuality fantastically diverse but our humanity unquestionably the same we learn we grow we push with hope in the direction of our hearts we practice faith feel pain give love and make mistakes but no matter who we are or what our story is we are all invited to come unto christ and be perfected in him deepen your relationship with him and thank you for joining millions of people around the world and watching this journal conference session of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints we hope you enjoyed the experience and felt a sense of peace and hope in our savior jesus christ if you missed any of the speakers want to rewatch any of the talks or have questions about what you felt or heard please visit come into christ.org and missionaries like me can connect with you the messages you heard today are for everyone people of all faiths beliefs and backgrounds you heard from followers of jesus christ men and women who love god and want to share his teachings we testify that jesus christ lives he loves us he knows the challenges of our day and that's why he calls apostles prophets leaders and even missionaries like me to share the comforting truths of the gospel of jesus christ the restored gospel of jesus christ truly is the good news of our day when we hear the words of christ they enlighten us inspire us and invite us to follow him i hope you felt that throughout this conference session if you want to learn more about jesus christ or receive more inspiring messages we invite you to talk with missionaries like me or visit comments of christ.org thank you again for joining us [Music] [Music] 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 [Music] there is in christ [Music] there is [Music] when we walk with him through the streets of galilee to jerusalem and the broken hearts try the tear-filled eyes when we live the way he lived there is peace in christ [Music] when hope is gone he gives us [Music] in the storms of life when there's no peace on earth [Music] he gives a toy [Music] in the is 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 [Music] learn of me and listen to my words walk in the meekness of my spirit and you shall have peace in me we all come to a point in our life where we're trying to figure things out figure out who we are where does religion where does spirituality fit in our lives i'm a perfectionist it's been a huge struggle for me to have absolutely no control over the way i envisioned my life would be and just trusting that god has a plan it's been very hard for me and of course i have this vision of my life i want four to six kids so we start trying everything's fine everything's fine there's no problem to fix which would make things a lot easier if there was a problem to fix in the midst of all this infertility i have a sister who's 18 months younger than me and one day i get a phone call from my mom kayla i have something to tell you and i just knew i just started crying and i just said no no mom no and she said yeah i'm sorry dahlias passed away and i'm struggling to have a baby i'm struggling to um you know bring this beautiful spirit into our home and have this home and and i'm doing all the things and then i lose my sister you know so in my mind i'm like you god doesn't want to give me a baby god wants to take my sister i stopped talking to him i stopped praying i didn't want anything to do with it because why what what good is it doing me i didn't like the person i was becoming because not only was i not praying i didn't want to talk to him but when i was out and about and i was around people who were pregnant or talking about pregnancy i i envied them i didn't like the feeling in my heart that i was having and it wasn't me i knew it wasn't me my husband said to me kayla god doesn't care if you're mad and angry he wants you to talk to him either way so i got down on my knees and i started praying i let it all out i just i yelled i said i'm angry i don't want to talk to you and then when i got done praying i thought gosh that felt good and i felt some sort of peace from that which was like okay if i felt peace yelling at god in my prayers that must mean that he's happy i'm talking to him he's happy to hear from me not just the good things we don't just pray when things are going good we're supposed to pray when things are hard we're supposed to pray when when we don't want to because he knows us he knows our heart he knows all of our trials all of our sorrows all of the pain that we're going through he already knows sometimes we focus so much on well if god can make this happen then why isn't he making it happen and i'm starting to accept more that maybe my life isn't going to be what i envisioned and what i wanted what i think i deserve but it's okay i feel peace in the trials that i've had because of the overwhelming amount of love that i feel from my savior and his grace so i feel like i can i can get through anything [Music] it has been said that the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day that you find out why you were born because we have the gospel we don't have to spend our entire life trying to discover its purpose instead we can focus on fulfilling that purpose i want to emphasize three small and simple ways to look to god that will help us maintain our focus on our eternal purpose first as we partake of the sacrament too often we just go through the motions notice the focus that is placed on remembering and consider why that is so important there are countless ways we can keep our promise to always remember the savior in the course of a day how will you always remember him most would say pray and study the scriptures and you'd be right if and that's a big if they are done with real intent [Music] praying and studying the scriptures are the next two small and simple things that i would like to stress prophets past and present have pleaded with us to do the small and simple things like praying and studying the scriptures so why doesn't everyone do them perhaps one reason is that we don't necessarily see dramatic negative consequences if we miss a day or two years ago i planted two trees of the same species and the same height in my backyard i planted one where it got a little sun daily and i planted the other where it enjoyed full sunlight over the next year i didn't notice much difference in the growth of the two trees but then my wife and i left on a three-year mission when we returned i was shocked at the big difference the compounding effect of a little more sun each day made a huge difference over time in the growth of the trees the same thing happens in our lives as we expose ourselves each day to the source of all light this simple idea the compounding effect of daily disciplines with purpose and real intent can make a big difference in all areas of your life it can mean the difference between struggling through an ordinary life or being immensely successful and feeling the measure of your creation [Music] i love so many things about the book of mormon it's something that's been a big part of my life for a very long time it just seems like there's so much that relates to what's going on in our world today i testify that the book of mormon is truly the word of god it contains the answers to life's most compelling questions it teaches the doctrine of christ the book of mormon provides the fullest and most authoritative understanding of the atonement of jesus christ to be found anywhere alma chapter 37 verse 37 counsel with the lord in all thy doings and he will direct thee for good yea when thou liest down at night lie down unto the lord that he may watch over you in your sleep and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto god and if ye do these things ye shall be lifted up at the last day [Music] this is the world report of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints october 2021. coming up recreating the ancient while restoring the modern film and newly dedicated historic sites connect people to the past while inspiring in the present housing job training and life skills the church's transitional services initiative gives people a second chance but first from refrigeration to mobile pharmacies the church's continuing partnerships provide relief and equitable access to vaccines around the world [Music] since the start of the pandemic the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints has joined with dozens of organizations to help quell the spread of covet 19. in march latter-day saint charities the humanitarian arm of the church donated 20 million dollars through unicef usa toward unicef's role in the access to covet 19 tools accelerator and the vaccine's arm called the kovacs facility which aims to provide an equitable distribution of vaccines to communities around the world vaccines are rolled out in phases prioritizing the most vulnerable healthcare workers and persons 60 years and older among others over 100 000 doses of the covet 19 vaccine have been delivered to belize but procuring the vaccines is only part of the challenge one of the key areas of concern for us as unicef in delays has been in the health sector especially the coaching system the cold chain includes refrigeration units and thermal boxes that keep the vaccines at their needed temperature until they're ready to distribute doses are put into syringes and then into the arms of people some of whom have been waiting for months i do appreciate it i even expected this thing from belize to sudan from kenya to nepal increasing the trust in vaccine effectiveness while dispelling misinformation has been critical to the global effort after being informed of the process melissa sanchez received her first shot this effort has been monumental its goal is to make nearly 1.5 billion doses of the covid19 vaccine available to at-risk populations in more than 180 countries and territories it's unprecedented in the history of the world where partners have come together to make this happen and to bring a vaccine which is going to be life-saving to countries all over the world the donation to unicef is only part of the church's efforts to help during the pandemic the indian society of the church has joined hands with global humanitarian organizations and local governments to provide oxygen concentrators ventilators and other medical equipment to ease the distress for frontline healthcare workers patients and displaced migrants in brazil the church provided 5.8 million dollars worth of oxygen as well as medical supplies to hospitals throughout the amazon region local church leaders also met with the mayor of salvador and donated food baskets to feed about 1 million brazilians in need in paraguay the church and local interfaith and government organizations donated medical supplies shipping containers and tents that now serve as mobile vaccination centers and pharmacy and in panama first lady yasmine colonda cortezo helped formally deliver church-donated medical supplies to aid the country's front-line health workers and patients with coveted 19. as the world continues to grapple with the ongoing pandemic the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints along with worldwide humanitarian organizations will continue to bring physical emotional and spiritual help to the world [Music] the deseret mill and pasta facility in northern utah which is owned and operated by the church is ramping up production of more than 30 products to benefit those in need wheat and other foods being processed come from church-owned farms and vendors in the united states we harvest it and and store it in silos and then it's shipped to deseret mill and that's where they do their final cleaning beginning in 2018 food donations to community charities increased by more than 20 million pounds annually for 2020 the assignment that we received was 480 000 cases of product but we end up making 922 000 cases plans call for expanding the donations again in 2022 [Music] as immigrants face the challenges of a new life in a new country the church is offering help it's an absolutely welcoming open atmosphere in more than a dozen cities across north america welcome centers are welcoming immigrants to help them live better lives at this church building in las vegas nevada dozens of immigrants are eager to participate in the free services offered our goal is to determine what their areas of greatest need are and figure out a way that we can help them meet those needs emotional resilience find a better job personal finance it's wonderful to offer a full slate of services just based on what people need when they come through the door in mesa arizona ernesto cabello is transitioning into the broader community through improved english skills it is a nice experience getting along with teachers and they are very dedicated i've been enjoying being here as an uh a student an english student everyone that's engaged in this process will walk away thrilled uplifted and edified because that which they are doing is the work that christ wants them to do we are simply here to love heavenly father's children and provide the help to them that he would provide if he was here i'm so grateful in houston texas the church has joined local faith and community organizations in providing short-term shelter food and other assistance for migrant families who have recently entered the united states we are all about welcoming the stranger that is what god calls on us to do the national association of christian churches is making its 110 000 square foot warehouse available for busloads of migrants coming across the u.s mexico border and the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints is there to help for people coming through they need hygiene items sweatpants t-shirts or some kind of shirts and the kids need to be outfitted about the same way uvanti and her twin boys arrived after leaving their home in haiti they now hope to meet up with family in new jersey bueno aquino the family transfer center has the capacity for up to 500 people each day providing a safe welcoming and comfortable place as travelers continue their journey coming up the church's continuing partnership with the naacp yields scholarships and opportunities for people in underprivileged areas and plans are unveiled for the restoration of new york's historic and sacred hill kimora on the week of juneteenth a time designated to remember the end of slavery in the united states in the mid-1800s the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints and the naacp gathered shoulder to shoulder at the global faith's headquarters in salt lake city utah we can stand here today as a beacon of light leaders of the church have found common ground with naacp as we have discussed challenges that beset some of god's children as part of their ongoing partnership and shared vision the church announced the funding of educational scholarships to be overseen by the united negro college fund the creation of the amos c brown student fellowship for students from ghana and a six million dollar donation to encourage service and help those in underprivileged areas this announcement today can allow us to stand proudly together from various backgrounds from various communities from across the country so others can really say i see the christ in them in a sit-down interview with elder jack and gerard of the 70 reverend brown talked about how prejudice can be overcome we must communicate with each other listen to each other see each other feel each other's pain and celebrate with each other in times of joy and accomplishment [Music] leaders from peru gathered in the garden area of the lima peru temple to celebrate 200 years of the country's independence the inter-religious meeting titled we pray for peru was broadcast on tv peru one of the country's national channels francisco sagasti former president of the republic as well as state ministers ambassadors and some of the country's most prominent religious leaders also attended the hill kimora has a wonderful history this is where an angel of the lord taught joseph smith and where he ultimately handed to him the gold plights with the hilkimora pageant now concluded the church is engaging in a long-term project to preserve the historic and sacred nature of the area which is in palmyra new york we have the opportunity now to take the hilkimora and try to return it more to a natural setting what we're going to be able to do now is to plant trees we're going to have trails that you can go to the top various stations along the way on the trail where people can learn more about the sacred events that happened there the preservation and updates to the site and its visitor center will be completed in 2023 when we come back church leaders share their ministry with the world and later the church's transitional services initiative offers people a chance to start again having a group of people that are willing to support you no matter what your past looks like was a big thing [Music] the medieval city of bologna italy has long been a capital of culture renowned for its rich local cuisine ancient architecture and the world's oldest operating university and the place for this year's g20 interfaith forum held september 11-14 with the appropriate theme time to heal more than 700 people following national health requirements attended the conference to find solutions for world challenges religion makes a tremendous difference and so it's it's really important to have religious voices at the table in terms of shaping policy elder ronald a rasmus of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints was invited to speak about religious freedom no matter the culture color creed or country god's love unites us to stand together to face down religious persecution elder raspberry also welcomed other world faith leaders in personal meetings with unity of purpose it was just wonderful i legitimately feel that we made new friends today we're taking the relationships from acquaintances to true relationships thank you again for coming thank you and it was a very fruitful meeting as it follows up on the cooperation between the church and ourselves in sudan sharon eubank president of latter-day saint charities also spoke at the g20 forum about world hunger poverty and sustainability the great benefit of a conference like this is that people from all over the world come together and you you have all these collaborations but the real overarching goal is what are we going to do with the relationships that we develop so we can actually make life better for the people that are suffering these relationships are some made in salt lake city some made out in the countries and our role here was to further them and they'll continue to grow years into the future every year government leaders from around the world travel to salt lake city to visit the church's headquarters they wanted to have a place where they could worship and despite the year's global challenges 2021 was no exception the temple is the center point of our faith in may the church hosted a delegation of government leaders from sudan to meet with senior leaders of the church including the first presidency and the relief society general presidency most of these are made within the church system while there they also caught a glimpse of the church's humanitarian work at welfare square we are very impressed by seeing them helping other people the sudanese visit to church headquarters follows an historic trip to the northeast african country by elder david a bednar of the quorum of the twelve apostles in february 2020. the people of sudan have values that are so fundamental and so crucial and they're striving very hard to teach those values have people embrace those values throughout the entire country about the strength of the family and they grew a good crop of potatoes the head of the inter-religious council of ethiopia also visited salt lake city to meet with the first presidency and to build bridges of friendship i'd like to have you take this home and share it with your family during part of his visit to welfare square he was shown how latter-day saints donate time and money as an act of faith in jesus christ to help people in need around the world along the banks of the mighty mississippi river in the central united states lies the historic city of nauvoo illinois a city which in the 1840s was once vibrant with about 12 000 residents it was here at that time that the restoration of the gospel of jesus christ continued to unfold until members of the church were driven out and forced to move west in 1846 [Music] after years of restoration work in old nauvoo in the late 20th century there are today several reconstructed and restored buildings that reflect the city's early history i am so pleased to have the honor to welcome you to this place taking in the sights and reflecting on the remarkable sacrifice of these pioneers became the focus for visiting church apostle elder quentin l cook joseph smith revealed the principles of baptism for the dead here of this location all new exhibits at the visitor's center are also now open these structures were dedicated by elder cook who along with others spoke before a dedicatory prayer our beloved and eternal father in heaven will thou bless this entire district to be a place of serenity where thy spirit may dwell may it forever stand as a memorial to those who built the temple and evoke feelings of awe and reverence for the savior jesus christ and his restored gospel in all visitors to nauvoo the university of notre dame one of the most storied educational institutions in the world is the site of the inaugural religious liberty summit sponsored by the law school it was a remarkable opportunity to observe the religious diversity and unity of the interfaith dialogue panelists including elder quentin l cook we're supposed to stand up despite the fact that it's no longer the politically correct thing to do to be a person of faith for well over an hour the distinguished panelists expounded on religious liberty challenges and solutions the reason we cherish freedom of religion is not to protect government from religion but free exercise from the government butting in my plea today is that all religions work together to defend faith and religious freedom in a manner that protects people of diverse faith as well as those of no faith our hope is to share with you a few of our own personal experiences to assist you in going forward with vision and balance speaking to the young adults of the church in may elder gary e stevenson of the quorum of the 12 apostles and his wife lisa held a worldwide devotional from this is the place heritage park in the foothills east of salt lake city you have a constant divine source of strength in our beloved savior even jesus christ the stevenson's primary message was about the importance of maintaining balance between family work the lord and ourselves our personal challenges may loom as large as mount everest and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith for the first time a single adult face-to-face event was held broadcast from the grounds of the logan utah temple in june [Music] elder neal l anderson of the quorum of the twelve apostles along with president gene b bingham and sharon eubank of the relief society general presidency met with single latter-day saints ages 31 and older to talk about increasing faith in christ and overcoming life's challenges susan and i are delighted to welcome you to this special gathering of young adults young adults of the church met with elder david a bednar of the quorum of the 12 and his wife susan in september for a worldwide broadcast that took place in the conference center theater in salt lake city you will always be able to find the answers to the questions that you have and the concerns that you face in your life entitled ask seek knock the virtual and in-person event provided an opportunity for single adults to ask questions and hear counsel about how the gospel of jesus christ can help in all aspects of their lives in july the first presidency of the church welcome to salt lake city his eminence archbishop el perforos of the greek orthodox archdiocese of america during his visit the archbishop toured temple square and attended an organ recital in the tabernacle the greek orthodox archdiocese of america has 540 parishes and approximately 1.5 million members up next the continuing production of the book of mormon video series brings the book's crowning event to life and like a spring in the desert the renovation of the mesa arizona temple brings new life to the surrounding area when we come back more than 1 000 actors staff and crew members are working together to bring to life the prophecies and testimonies about the risen son of god jesus christ descending from heaven to meet and serve his followers in the new world this is all about you guys right now and your reaction to what you're seeing i know among the crew there's been a lot of sleepless nights just to make sure we covering the scene the way we really should be covering it is is is this going to be pleasing to our father in heaven the fourth collection of the book of mormon video series was filmed near springville utah where production staff constructed an outdoor set depicting a temple in a land known as bountiful in the sacred text being in this amazing set and in front of all the other cast and everything it really helps you to kind of see these these stories that you've read all your life see them with fresh eyes in a way experiences with the savior as recorded in the book of mormon's book of third nephi include his blessing and ministering to children healing the sick and afflicted and calling twelve disciples to teach his gospel virtual impressions are very important people like to read but they often even more like to watch things it's a good atmosphere it's just amazing we love to be here it feels as though the ground is hallowed because what you depict here is sacred my hope is that as people view these book of mormon videos they'll have a firm knowledge and know that jesus is the christ the savior of the world that's my hope is that it helps people begin that path upon completion the scripture-based episodes will be released weekly in 15 languages and will be available in late 2022 approximately 600 community members of the columbia missouri area gathered to celebrate their first amendment freedom by running in the 27th annual parley p pratt freedom run these fundamental freedoms are essential to our country to each of us individually that protect our right to worship god according to dictates of our own conscience pratt was a prominent church leader in the mid-1800s who escaped false imprisonment in missouri his bravery has come to symbolize the need for religious freedom protections and other liberties enshrined in the first amendment of the united states constitution the sights and sounds of rejuvenation there was a time where the the heartbeat was difficult to find in downtown mason but now there's a new pulse commerce is flourishing while new construction is soaring we have a lot of shovels in the ground right now signaling that mesa arizona is booming you see quite a resurrection taking place new restaurants new retail new housing one development in particular pioneered the way it's called the grove on maine an oasis in this arid urban setting built by city creek reserve inc the real estate arm of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints the grove on main now complements one of the most iconic sacred structures in the grand canyon state the mesa arizona temple i've talked to a number of developers who looked at this project as this great start of this revitalization of this part of the downtown the project encompasses several blocks west of the temple site this area here was a very challenged area it was a nice sort around the temple just because it was old and now it's being revitalized and just looking beautiful turning a profit was not the main goal of this project the overall purpose of the project is to protect and enhance the environment or the grounds around the temple in fact the church has a practice of investing in areas where its members live by contributing to worthy needs in ways that benefit those communities we have a significant footprint here in mesa with the members of the church in the temple and we felt that we needed to do our part the project broke ground in 2018 and over the next few years an impressive feat of engineering took place constructing the first underground garage in mesa underneath an existing city street two miles of city roads were redone while upgrading electrical systems sewer and storm drains the end result of those efforts 243 apartment units 22 townhomes and eight single-family homes as well as a pool clubhouse and fitness center other amenities include a retail bookstore an ice cream shop and the relocated mesa arizona temple visitor center oh we also tried to design it architecturally in a way that looks high quality but is still ties in with the temple one of those subtle details the roof lines of the buildings get progressively lower as they get closer to the temple as a show of deference not only was new construction added but where possible historic homes were remodeled on first avenue and adjoining streets where we can it was best to preserve the overall feel of the neighborhood the grove on main accommodations are priced for families and students wanting to live that urban lifestyle the movie field of dreams build it and they will come that's actually what's happened here and it happened fast occupancy is at 100 it really is helping the city we're seeing other projects that are coming up not ours but that this is generated because people see what we've done and now it really is beginning to start that process of revitalizing the downtown of mesa other projects like the new arizona state university satellite campus are under construction and the grid another living experience to include restaurants retail space and several hundred apartment units we're very fortunate as a city that the church was willing to come and invest in our community create something that's going to last generations and it's top quality we've protected this environment we've enhanced it and people will enjoy this area for years to come that's all part of just being good citizens and participating we want to bring the house of the lord even closer to our members coming up a record number of temples is announced new temples break ground and prominent temples are restored we'll take you there [Music] despite the challenges of covet 19 the work of temple building has continued unhindered we want to bring the house of the lord even closer to our members in april's general conference president russell m nelson announced plans to construct 20 new temples around the world in oslo norway brussels belgium vienna austria kumasi ghana bayra mozambique cape town south africa singapore the republic of singapore bella horizonte brazil cali colombia caritaro and torreon mexico helena montana casper wyoming grand junction colorado farmington new mexico burley idaho eugene oregon elko nevada yorba linda california and smithfield utah we have been impressed to modify our earlier plans for the manti utah temple so that the pioneer craftsmanship artwork and character will be preserved on may 1st president nelson announced plans to construct a new temple in ephraim utah the new temple will allow for the continued growth of the church in that area while preserving the historical integrity of the nearby mantai temple which is currently being renovated since the april general conference ground has been broken for eight previously announced temples in the united states ground was broken for temples in deseret peak in syracuse utah tallahassee florida helena montana and pittsburgh pennsylvania outside the united states ground was broken for temples in salvador brazil nairobi kenya nyafu tonga and phnom penh cambodia as ground is broken for new temples existing temples continue to be updated and renovated first we go to washington dc where one of the most prominent temples of the church is preparing to reopen the washington dc temple stands as a prominent religious landmark visible to millions who pass by its iconic spires it's inside this building that we perform some of our highest sacraments in our religion and and gives us an opportunity to commit to a better path a major two and a half year renovation project was completed in 2020 but the coronavirus halted plans to reopen until now we're so pleased to announce that the public open house for the washington dc temple will take place from april 28th to june 4th of 2022 followed by the rededication of the temple on june 19th artist renderings show what the interior of the temple will look like when the doors open to visitors in the spring of 2022. our hope is that both the design of the building and the materials and equipment that we put in are going to be able to last another 50 to 100 years the 160 000 square foot temple was first dedicated in 1974 and serves latter-day saints in washington dc maryland virginia and west virginia i'm hoping that people will come to the temple and realize that even though we've been apart for the last year the temple is something that reminds us that we're all connected we're all together because we're all children of god we want to help connect people to their community and to their family and to their best version of themselves and specifically connect to jesus christ as a part of the mesa arizona temple renovation a new visitor center of the church is now open we hope that every person who comes here and sees understand that our life has a purpose elder ulysses suarez of the quorum of the 12 apostles dedicated the center on august 12 2021. the mesa temple visitor center is designed with youth and young adults in mind offering an experience unique among other church visitor centers guests are invited to immerse themselves in mesa's rich heritage learn about the temple and discover their families in english or spanish displays include play areas for children a desert art wall begging to be colored and a chalk wall that invites guests to share their thoughts in response to various questions admission to the visitor center is free and open to the public daily including sundays more light at the end of the tunnel on temple square over a year and a half into the salt lake temple renovation project it's apparent from the air and on the ground construction is in full swing such as with the excavation on the temple's north side a virtually non-stop effort tons of soil are being removed so far the depth is 45 feet below street level with another 20 feet to go before construction starts on the new three-level underground north edition this inspection should be completed like so many who are working on the temple josh fajardo is passionate about his job i'm very excited to be here for you know the next couple years i've always wanted to work on a temple it's been one of my hopes for my career he oversees installation of new roof trusses a crucial element of the temple's seismic upgrade coming down two more feet four on your table weighing in at 35 000 pounds each careful and methodical choreography is required to drop the new 90-foot trusses in place so on a typical project we would open up the entire structure and we would do all the new trusses at the same time but because we have historic finishes that are remaining inside the temple that have to be protected only two trusses are installed at a time and for a rare moment the old trusses installed in the 1800s sit next to their modern day counterparts before being removed a flyover shows considerable progress to the church office building plaza they're going to beautify the entire plaza with new finishes if you're standing on state street looking towards the temple the design will direct your vision right to the temple shingleton has a special connection that makes this more than an assignment to him my dad was one of the first people to have an office in the church office building and now i'm here working on it and beautifying the whole area high profile jobs like this that are centerpieces for organizations that do as much good as this church do across the entire world are just some of my favorite projects to be on when this project is finished it is going to be spectacular when we return missionaries in guatemala find a new way to share joy through service the tabernacle choir at temple square gets a new presidency and the first for the strength of youth camp breaks ground in the philippines these stories and more in the news [Music] on august 31st elder dean m davies of the quorum of the 70 passed away after an extended battle with cancer at the age of 69. after serving in the presiding bishopric for eight years elder davies was called to be a general authority 70 at the october 2020 general conference elder davies is survived by his wife darla their five children and 17 grandchildren in late august hurricane ida made landfall in louisiana causing widespread damage and massive flooding from the gulf coast through the eastern united states and within days the church was there to help mobile command centers were established water and food were provided by the church's storehouses and the church's helping hands were on the ground to help in the cleanup the way people are showing up and responding knowing the need is great has been phenomenal in preparation for patriotic celebrations of the country's 200th anniversary of independence missionaries in guatemala city took to the streets to paint and make beautiful the public buildings in the city's historic district the municipality's paint 8th street volunteer initiative is held every year in the city in may the book of mormon live action video series was published in 14 new languages including spanish portuguese korean russian mandarin samoan and tongan the christ-centered video series of the book of mormon recently completed its latest collection episodes from the series can be found on churchofjesuschrist.org and in the gospel library app the tabernacle choir at temple square has a new president and for the first time two counselors making up a new choir presidency in august michael o levitt was called to serve as the new president and l whitney clayton and gary v porter were called to serve as his counselors this is the moment to launch a focused and a magnified commitment to expand the supply and the accessibility of sacred music around the world church leaders civic officials and friends of the church gathered in the philippines for the groundbreaking of anew for the strength of youth camp in late june this first of its kind fsy camp is a 24-acre property that will include dormitories an auditorium and meeting rooms it will be capable of serving up to 800 youth on a weekly basis the youth facility is expected to be completed in early 2023 we are so glad the annual byu women's conference held in april is one of the largest gatherings of latter-day saint women in the world but this year because the event was held virtually it was able to reach more women than ever with an expanded number of sessions over two days the event took advantage of technology to allow for shared experiences away from byu's campus in june the university of utah honored president russell m nelson with an honorary doctoral degree in acknowledgement of his contributions to medical science as well as his accomplishments as a scholar educator and religious leader before his call to the quorum of the 12 in 1984 president nelson was a pioneering heart surgeon and was involved in early development work on the artificial lung wendy w nelson author former professor and wife of church president russell m nelson was awarded an honorary doctorate degree of humane letters at utah valley university's commencement ceremony in may where she was also the keynote speaker the world awaits may god bless you as you become forces for good [Music] on july 1st america's freedom festival in provo utah awarded president dallin h oaks for his lifelong work in support of god family freedom and country as a former state supreme court justice and legal scholar he was honored for his defense of religious freedom and of the u.s constitution in a special tribute and media presentation at the utah valley convention center latter-day saints are partnering with the buddhist faith community in eastern japan marking the 10-year anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and the tsunami that hit japan's coastal regions the effort between the church and the world fellowship of buddhists has provided fishing nets and boat motors for the vital fishing and seaweed industries workers who are still recovering from the disaster though they arrive with different struggles they leave with their heads held high when we come back see how the church's transitional services initiative helps thousands of people become self-reliant i ended up networking with people and this one was an actual lucrative job [Music] when i first came and met you i had left a place that wasn't healthy for me i had never been homeless like that and i remember walking in here with nowhere to go and i met you and you just believed in me think heavens that day and i did yeah i've never felt so loved and welcomed each year in nevada arizona and utah dozens of service missionaries volunteer as part of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints transitional services initiative to help thousands of individuals become self-reliant well we're glad i've seen everything from addiction to severe poverty and hopelessness and when they hit that rock bottom a lot of them come here and oftentimes we're the last resort back in 2002 3 4 5 and 6. ended up working too hard ended up turning to some substances i shouldn't have and so i had to pay for that about 10 years in prison president smith there got a hold of me and pointed me in the direction of the transitional services before i got out it took a tremendous weight off my shoulders and helped me concentrate on looking for a job or have given me the confidence to get a job because that little bit of you're at least worth some help we feel that you're worth at least the kindness of feeding of clothing of caring how you are [Music] means a lot since 2019 transitional services has assisted more than 26 000 individuals in addition to helping find jobs the humanitarian-centered effort provides general information about community and government resources to increase long-term stability we are a temporary assistance program looking at long-term solutions so we are here to help with the food and the clothing and the temporal assistance but our main focus is to let them know that they are loved i ended up networking with people bruce up my resume then i got another job and this one was an actual lucrative job this thing is going to be kind of my prerequisite is trying to get my debt perception back and go back to school for my commercial driver license so i can be a truck driver so it's kind of a stepping stone to that path having a group of people that are willing to support you no matter what your past looks like was a big thing yeah that's i needed some help because i lost my job for almost a whole year good to see you so much you're welcome so the program helped me to understand better the things that you have to put in your resume how you have to do the interviews and then that faith that god will make a way we always want to leave every individual with the idea that our church and god and our savior loves them truly cares for them sometimes we go through things in life that you feel you are alone no you're not alone you have god on top of everything and you have all these sources in all these programs and all these people that they are willing to help you this has been the world report of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints october 2021 to watch the world report online visit newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org [Music] [Music] as i have loved you love one another this new commandment [Music] love one another why this shall man know ye are my disciples if ye have loved one to another as i have loved you love one another this new commandment [Applause] [Music] if one to one [Applause] ye are my disciples [Music] if [Music] [Music] [Music] our god and the god of our fathers raise up this child to his father and mother and let his name be called in israel zacharias the son of zechariah not so not so but he should be called john there's none of thy kindred that is called by this name [Music] his name is john blessed be the lord god of israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people death raised up and horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant david as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us to perform the mercy promise to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant the oath which he swear to our father abraham that he would grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life and thou child shall be called the prophet of the highest for thou shalt go before the face of the lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our god whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace [Music] [Music] there is beauty [Music] [Music] smiling sweet [Music] when there's love at home [Music] making life [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] kindly [Music] is [Music] on high when there's love at home [Music] when this home [Music] in our lives these days there's so many things that are trying to matter to us emails and phone calls and advertisements and all these things that kind of barrage us but i feel like some of the strongest happiest moments that i've ever felt in my life are when i'm with my children when i'm with my family and it's when we come out and do things like this when we get away from the world and we're just together as a family and we can relax and you know laugh at each other and mom says something crazy and and that makes you know my brother casey say something to her as we grow up and we get older and we all kind of go our own ways and we start living our own lives and you know fulfilling our own dreams it's really good to come back together and reconnect if we ever need anything we're always there for one another [Music] we talk to our family quite often by telephone and you can bake and say they're fine and everything's great but you you don't get a true feel of how their life is going on a five minute telephone call but if you get together as a family you can see how their family is together how they are reacting together and if they're happy if they have problems we all talk about it together we all work it out together [Music] successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith love compassion work and wholesome recreational activities on june 14 1989 the government of ghana banned lgs church meetings and sent police to lockdown meeting houses for the next 18 months church members were left to keep the sabbath without being able to go to church the phrase actually taught me to know and to understand how important the sabbath is to god's children and to his church at times we take things for granted when we were meeting every sabbath we were taking things for granted but when the freeze came we couldn't meet as brothers and sisters we didn't know what to do until we had a message from the brethren that we can organize our sacrament meetings in our various homes during the freeze our living room became the sacramento hall i prepared the sacrament and blessed it to my young family and in a way that also sanctified our homes as we sat and sunk and blessed the bread and water the spirit of the lord was strong during those times after every sacrament meeting we had to visit with other church members to help them to keep their faith to encourage them our home teacher came to us and told us that on every sunday he will come and pick us up from his home to his home so we can organize our sacrament meeting there if this brother could see the importance of the sabbath and spend all his time only to ensure that the sabbath is observed then i need to follow he's a good example i want to keep the sabbath holy the lord says that is what really shows the relationship that we have with him if we don't respect his day i don't know how to give my respect to him [Music] uh how about this one no you think this one maddie doesn't like it what is which one do you think all right oh what's your mom hey how's it going well i thought we would be done by now but a lot of people couldn't come and i still have to set up are the boys okay yeah we're just gonna watch a cartoon i'm sorry honey but they need me here and i promised i would donate 14 pints of salsa for the fundraiser in the morning can you help uh yeah what do you need me to i can give you the do the jars right and the ambulance yeah can we watch now um yeah uh why don't you go ahead i gotta do something for mom for the fundraiser so can you do it without me [Music] sorry so the lids jars [Music] who's your camera wrong [Music] dad is there a supper we're hungry um once you throw some burritos in the microwave for us and we can have fresh salsa to go with them can you do that [Music] and heated lids what i forgot to eat the lids [Music] hey honey this smells really good is there gonna be any extra or did you make just are the boys enough bed yet i was just doing that well make sure they have baths they got pretty dirty this morning when they were playing outside okay hey boys i'm still working on the salsa so could you go have a bath and get your pajamas on [Music] and start the time start the second canner while the first second canner yep [Music] now wait for the venting steam dad we're ready it's time for prayers uh yeah i'm still working on the salsa for the fundraiser do you think he could maybe go say praise by yourself [Music] i'm thankful for a successful parent should never be too busy to capture a moment in a child's life when an important lesson can be taught what a blessing it is to be inside the temple today i was able to go to the provo temple and do baptisms for the dead the spirit has really led me and taught me and comforted me a lot in these last few months people have come up and asked me so many times why are you so happy there's so many wonderful things that happen in life that's what i've learned through my trials and also through knowledge of the gospel is to enjoy the small things my mom taught me about the gospel of jesus christ and about the plan of salvation and how we can be together forever she taught me to live worthy of the temple to make that my goal she taught me that family is most important on christmas eve my family was coming home from a party and we stopped at the store to get some last minute christmas shopping done we ended up going home a different way we got to 7th west and the light turned red so we were stopped at the light and i remember looking around the car and it was one of those things where i reflected and i just felt so grateful you know i looked around at all my children and you could see they're just they'd all nodded off and and i thought of how they were thinking about christmas and dreaming of you know what would be happening the next day or so i remember feeling really confused and lost and scared didn't know what happened i wondered where my family was [Music] he sat down and he told me what had happened i had no idea he said we've been in a really bad accident and i said what about mom and i just looked at him and i said she didn't make it there's just silence he just sat there and thought [Music] and i said what about ian and julie [Music] after a long pause i said [Music] neither did ian and neither did julie and he smiled one tear ran down his cheek and he said it's okay dad we're still a family and that's the way caleb was from then until today he understood what it was all about the spirit that was there with me in that hospital room was incredible and it told me through just an overwhelming sense of peace that i was going to see them again it's not just about the here and now it's about eternity a knowledge of the plan of salvation has really taught me a lot of things i've been able to grow closer to the savior he can stretch our hearts and give us a greater capacity to love the key to anything is to keep an eternal perspective that's how i'm getting through life now and how i'll get through it in the future what does it mean to have eternal perspective it means to remember there are more important things than just the here and now it means to remember that life continues after death that the way you act and respond to things in your everyday life have eternal consequences it also means to have your eye single to the glory of god so you can see the big picture to see why you had to experience that certain trial to see that all things will always be for your good something you can learn from and be strengthened by [Music] [Music] [Music] much of the major growth that is coming to the church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality will be drawn to the church in large numbers this will happen to the degree that the women of the church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the church are seen as distinct and different in happy ways from the women of the world my dear sisters you who are our vital associates during this winding up scene the day that president kimball foresaw is today you are the women he foresaw your virtue light love knowledge courage character faith and righteous lives will draw good women of the world along with their families to the church in unprecedented numbers we need your strength your conversion your conviction your ability to lead your wisdom and your voices the kingdom of god is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them women who can speak with the power and authority of god whatever you're calling whatever your circumstances we need your impressions your insights and your inspiration we need you to speak up and speak out in warden state councils we need each married sister to speak as a contributing and full partner as you unite with your husband in governing your family married or single you sisters possess distinctive capabilities and special intuition you have received as gifts from god we brethren cannot duplicate your unique influence we know that the culminating act of all creation was the creation of woman we need your strength i thank you my dear sisters and bless you to rise to your full stature to fulfill the measure of your creation as we walk arm in arm in this sacred work together we will help prepare the world for the second coming of the lord of this i testify as your brother in the name of jesus christ amen this is going to sound cliche but how could it not i can divide my life by that day the birth of our daughter who i was and who i am there is nothing so crystal in my mind's eye my wife's face so vivid even now i doubt anyone is ever quite ready every last one of us caught flat-footed awestruck overwhelmed i asked my own father shortly before her birth how is this little girl going to fit into my life she won't he said you must let her change you let her change your life and she did nothing can make you so exquisitely happy or so frightened as fatherhood that's just the truth of it a love so big your heart must expand to contain it and so your selflessness expands your patience of course your joy your purpose and with that your relationships deepen with your wife with your own parents with god i thought i loved my wife on our wedding day but not like now it wasn't until we had our own child that we really felt the magnitude of god's love for us and the boundless hope that families can be together forever i always go back to the day that ours began the morning she was born peppa's [Music] with a puppy life's most important lessons are best learned in the home a message from the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints [Music] thank you this next song um is a song that i used to really love as a kid [Music] i'm trying to love my neighbor i'm learning to serve my friends i watch for the day of gladness when jesus will come again i try to remember the lessons he taught then the holy spirit enters into my thoughts saying love one another as jesus loves you try to show kindness in all that you do be gentle and loving indeed and in thought for these are the things jesus taught [Music] i'm trying to be like jesus i'm following in his ways i'm trying to love as he did in all that i do and say at times i am tempted to make a wrong choice but i try to listen as the still small voice whispers love one another as jesus loves you try to show kindness in all that you do be gentle and loving indeed and in thought for these are the things jesus [Music] one another as jesus loves you trying to show kindness in all that you do be gentle and loving indeed in thought for these are the things jesus taught high in the andes mountains of south america the snow melt and the rains give birth to a noble river as it grows in size and strength it carves the soil from the mountains and canyons and carries the powdery earth within its torrents to the brazilian valleys below this river named the solymois retains a brown color as it courses to the low lands of the amazon jungle for nearly a thousand miles its powerful currents flow solitary and proud to the north the lush deep jungles of brazil give birth to another mighty river the rio negro minerals and elements from the jungle floor transform its waters into a clear but dark current for 1400 miles it snakes through the lowlands alone and like its cousin the real solymoise it's made stronger by the smaller tributaries that join it along its way both rivers become strong proud and independent on their own yet the currents of the solymoise flow faster than those of the rio negro and its waters are colder the rio negro is dark yet clear while the waters of the solar moons are dense and filled with sediment despite their differences in color the speed of current temperature and composition the two rivers eventually collide near the warm jungles of northern brazil yet even after these waters join for many miles they do not mix they remain separate and stubbornly independent as if fighting one another and saying i am strong without you will not change me but soon the ground beneath the waters gradually declines and the two rivers begin to flow faster turning and mixing one with the other merging and swirling together eventually becoming uniquely different than what they once were [Music] now two rivers blending their differences become one the strongest river in the world the newly formed amazon river then flows with such power that upon reaching the atlantic ocean pushes its freshwater currents for miles into the salty seas an observant person may say that people like you and like me are similar to the mighty waters of these two rivers we are different in color and characteristics in culture and beliefs we are each unique and independent coursing through life facing along our own solitary concerns how can we possibly flow together as one how can we unite being so different one from another the teachings of jesus christ invite us to become one like the two independent magnificent rivers we too can become united as we encounter the people of the world around us we can choose to encourage and love one another as the gospel of christ teaches with his help we can combine our unique qualities to form a mighty force for good a force we cannot create alone as the solemoise and real negro eventually unite to become the most powerful river in the world so we as followers of jesus can become united and powerful flowing together as one one with christ and one with our neighbor [Music] i was born in 1984. i grew up in a neighborhood where it's pretty rough neighborhood 90 of my friends didn't know who their father were me and my brother actually uh sold drugs together [Music] eight mile divides a detroit it's an invisible fence it's a box for some people to not explore and expand and grow outside of city limits people almost fear crossing a mile and that fear has built up over generations even to this day like even with my brother he won't drive across eight miles oh i ain't going how far is it oh i'm not going that way the history of detroit for the last 50 years has been one of division geographical boundaries social boundaries educational boundaries ethnic boundaries racial boundaries all of these things have led the divisions that defeat the principles of unity that make us possible to be successful my family has all of its roots here so all of my aunts and uncles everybody that i knew was from the area started out in the city of detroit back in the 40s and 50s detroit was just a vibrant place an exciting place to live i was born at sinai grace on seven mile an hour drive i was raised over here on the east side it was a middle class neighborhood it was mixed but it was mostly black back when we were kids you would always see regardless of the season kids outside playing and you know parents chatting breaking glass grass and you know regular neighborhood activity [Music] the racial thing was a real issue in detroit and so we talk about the white flight to the suburbs it was very very real people would talk about a black family moved into the neighborhood and now look you know it was that panic that they really believed that now their house wasn't going to be worth anything and that their whole life had been ruined and then all of a sudden during the 60s when the riots took place then there was a great deal of fear of even being in the city and they would just put those houses up for sale and it was really sad but i watched everybody in my family do that and so i was just a child listening to the adults talk you know and you hear this i was a big part of not only the deterioration of the neighborhoods that was the beginning of the flight out of detroit people called it white flight because that's mostly who left at that time they were moving across eight miles and it's been a downhill battle ever since [Music] the elementary school and the middle school i went to have been closed since then the high school recently closed kettering high now it seems like the neighborhoods are abandoned you can go through a neighborhood and might not see one person the eight mile border is uh the border between detroit and the suburbs and historically it was the border between black and white it became the symbol of this racial divide this economic divide this social divide divide in every sense of the word that you can imagine to go across eight mile road was in some sense to go to a different country or almost a different planet you can see the change in the buildings the change in the streets uh the change in the way the buildings have been kept it's playing the sea for a long time the perception of of people on both sides of eight mile was that it's us against them you know uh a lot of the people from detroit was afraid to go across eight mile because uh they were they was afraid that they would um be singled out and stopped by the police uh a lot of people on the other side of eight mile was afraid to come over here because they thought that all detroiters were criminals for the most part those in the white community had tremendous fears of crossing eight mile road all they ever see or know about being inside of eight mile is what they hear on the news about crime in detroit not knowing all the good hearted people there the people of faith people of hope the people who are working to raise and develop and help their families but simply on the basis of what do they see on television every night initially when we were first when we first moved here to detroit um the ward boundaries did not extend into it eight mile was the dividing line there was actually a unit of our church that covered eight mile and below and there was a universe church that covered eight mile and above and a year after we had been here there were changes made to the boundaries of the wards the eight mile border was done away with and so there was you had the detroit and the the detroit area branch mixing with these suburbs and in the wards in the suburbs [Music] there's been kind of an admission if you will that the patterns of the past have failed us and we need to find a new way to work together to be more engaged together in the end the answer was you know this is what the lord wants and so you know overcome your fears cross the eight mile road and let's go love our brothers and sisters and help them we had heard a lot of things about detroit and we were a bit fearful then we got down and looked around downtown and realized well it's really not that much different than downtown cleveland or downtown salt lake city so may not be quite so fearful as we've gotten to know the people we love it but we've also learned that people in downtown detroit have as big a fear of going north as we have of coming into the inner city something as simple as providing rides for individuals we would go out with the missionaries on a regular basis and meet investigators and then some of those investigators would need a ride to the church and so we would pick them up that sunday we would go go home teaching and visit the homes of members and we would find ourselves in the homes of people in detroit where we would never ever be for any other reason other than to be there as members of the church helping fulfill the obligation we have to lift our brothers and sisters and that opened our eyes and it opened the eyes of those into whose home we came as to who we really are and what our relationship and connection really is some of the most amazing people that i know now that i call friend are are some of those people that i would not have known had they not done that i think our award really captures a nice balance of of black and white we have i think have been very successful in a small scale in terms of kind of overcoming that that divide i do see a lot of help a lot of arrangements being made so that we can all work together to get where we need to go you go to the belle isle branch right which is made up of the richest part of detroit where the auto magnets live with their families gross points along the shores of lake st claire and the poorest parts of the city of detroit and you see them coming together in a small building in inner city detroit and watch the gospel affect these economic boundaries and ethnic boundaries and racial boundaries and language boundaries and literacy boundaries and every other boundary you can think of to watch them dissolve under the influence of the recognition we are brothers and sisters and we are here to help one another and we can actually learn from each other i think everyone needs the gospel in their life because until you really become a part of it you never understand it i've gotten over some prejudices i've had that i didn't recognize until i joined the church it's like the world just opened up and here we are so yeah i'm very grateful for the church of jesus christ a lot of these things and more than that the people that i've met along the way [Music] [Music] [Music] so you two must be very proud of johnny well we sure he's a great kid so is he working at the dealership no no no no yes he is oh right the dealership yeah he just started there and actually it's it'd been about six weeks has it been that long hmm what's he doing down there well you know he does a bit of the um what do you call it um detailing right right detail right he loves watching those cars actually tom he hates washing cars he just thinks it's a good place to start until he can move into sales oh well that's my johnny huh what would thinking he graduates next year no no no no no no see he still has a couple of um yes he does oh johnny yeah sure johnny graduates next year need to get closer to your family larry what about your kids you have kids right somebody you can talk about no give your family everything give them your time from the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints [Music] [Music] have i done anything today have i done any good in this world today have i helped anyone indeed if [Music] [Music] dream of your passions in our way do not let them pass by saying sometimes [Music] [Music] or something helps others [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] dream [Music] is [Music] know [Music] [Applause] so [Music] you're out the accuracy and the volunteers we have today are passing out folders full of the community information you will need and speaking of the volunteers the irc will be here to help you navigate your way through your new living conditions [Music] how's the job training [Music] this includes banking working with your department workforce services caseworker this is where we collect a lot of our donations for our refugee families that we serve where did you say you heard about us oh that's great [Music] find a place where these people can live without fear of persecution or abuse these refugees have left everything behind including friends family loved ones and the country they once called home if the coast guard hadn't located this group there's no telling how long they would have drifted before finding safety in the face of terrible odds they are willing to risk their lives and the lives of their children on these less than seaworthy rafts because there really is no other choice [Music] transportation [Music] what if your neighbor asked you to take 20 minutes one night to help him would you do it [Music] most decent people would but what if he asked you every night following with no end in sight [Music] would you be willing to do it [Music] at what point would helping become an irritant [Music] when would serving your neighbor feel more like servitude [Music] this is a story about kathy and it takes place over three thousand nights seven days a week 365 days a year it has been going on for over seven years and it's changed the life of ordinary folk like me to be brutally honest um it was a hard thing for me to be excited about it was more of a burden than anything i was in dr nord's office my neurologist and he proceeded to tell me i had multiple sclerosis and i looked at my husband and i said did you just hear what the doctor said it's documented proof that i am one in a million [Music] we had been married 16 and a half years i assumed my husband was okay with it and i think that it may have been too much in his mind thinking things were going to get worse it hurt tremendously throughout the divorce proceedings i went from walking with one cane to having two canes and then i had to use a wheelchair kathy has lived in this home and in this neighborhood for a long time in order to stay in her home she had to have help getting in bed at night she wasn't able to get out of her wheelchair and put herself in the bed her boys carried the burden prior to us coming in full time and lifting her into bed and it just became a lot of work for her boys they would come in the mornings and help her out of bed we got together as friends neighbors and a church group we told her that we were here and that we had 40 or 50 men who were willing to come in every single night night after night helping kathy into bed itself it's a little bit weird it was awkward you know i i'm kind of phobia around sick people at first i'm kind of like uh i think that's why i was so stiff and when they said just toss her i'm like okay and of course we're not supposed to do it that way because she went about you know halfway across the room and bounced in her bed so it's not just throwing somebody in bed and saying see ya there's a process to it two guys from the neighborhood arrive at the door get her mail ring the doorbell she yells to come on in and she always wants to talk with you kathy will talk your ear off kathy knows how to talk you can't have a short conversation with kathy you walk down the hall down to her bedroom get the bed ready pull off her slippers you have to choose a side you want to be on each of us put a hand behind her back and underneath her legs and we just lock wrists and then lift straight up move forward and then dance around the chair a little bit try to gently set her into bed and then the fun begins she's very particular about how she has got to be set up in that bed and then you have to sit kathy up move the pillows a hundred different times lay her back down when it looks like she couldn't be more uncomfortable that's when you got the thumbs up and everything was okay then the fun part starts of parking the motorized wheelchair you make sure that she's got her phone we position her canes so she can use them to reposition herself at night she'll have her water some pills make sure that the wheelchair is plugged in turn off the lights and lock the door and you're done we were approached that we would maybe have a two or three month assignment i felt sympathetic to the situation but i felt like you know i've got other things i need to deal with first of all it's oh i don't have the time and how long can it last when's the end you know how long are we going to have to be doing this can't can't we get a lift in there and at church we would talk about this assignment and it was the topic all the time largely brought up by me by by others in in our group that that were being asked to do it all the time we all try to think of different ways that we could help kathy get into bed without us having to come over every single night it was a burden to be honest in those discussions one person in particular said you know i don't see an end in the foreseeable future even if we get her a lift she can't put herself in the lift that's not an answer to the problem he said if you're not willing to do it and if there's those who are not willing to do it i will do it myself every night if i have to um and so really it's at that time when i think i had a change of heart when i had to take a look at myself my own spirituality my own conviction i was nowhere near where i should have been and i decided to to change i had a man in that i kind of had the same attitude that i had that this has got to be a quick thing and i've got other things and i'm busy i remember he got really quiet when we went in and lifted her into bed and i remember we came out front big burly guy just in tears as he left the home he turned around and he voiced at me he said i can't believe that i i thought that this was a burden you got to realize too that i started to get to know kathy she's taken such a interest in in my family he can come and he lifts me into the bed by himself it's kind of driven me to be able to stay fit and and stay strong for kathy when i go to the gym i do dead lifts but i call him kathy lifts at first i felt i was taking them away from their families i didn't want to be a burden and i honestly didn't think it would last for very long and i thought it would just be maybe 10 times and then we were done it's been going on for over seven when i come over now it's just like tucking one of my own kids into bed i feel like she's part of my family now and i asked her if we could just say a family prayer as we put her into bed before we left well yeah it's interesting the the dichotomy between healing the body and healing the soul when we heal the body it's always an inward effort we're always paying attention to ourself when we heal the soul turning inward doesn't work and the triage of the soul is found in turning outward to other people every time i've gone to kathy's home and dealt with her it feels like it heals a part of my soul really it's genius how christ has laid this out for us as one helps the other the other helps the other back i have seen an even greater compassion it's let me know that i'm not forgotten that i'm still valued not only to god [Music] but i have worth to give other people in different ways you know i was in a point where i was at my lowest and just not feeling like i was maybe worth anything or i was falling short i needed healing and that's what service does it it heals us she's lifted me in in so many ways this was that opportunity to serve one of his children i never realized what that meant until i had this experience of lifting kathy [Music] the more we serve our fellow men in appropriate ways the more substance there is to our souls we become more substantive as we serve others indeed it's easier to find ourselves because there's so much more of us to find [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] from the conference center in salt lake city utah this is the sunday afternoon session of the 191st semi-annual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints with speakers selected from leaders of the church music for this session is provided by the tabernacle choir at temple square this broadcast is furnished as a public service by bonneville distribution any reproduction recording transcription or other use of this program without written consent is prohibited president dallin h oaks first counselor in the first presidency of the church will conduct this session brothers and sisters we welcome you to the sunday afternoon session of the 191st semiannual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints president russell m nelson who presides at the conference has asked me to conduct this session we extend our warmest greetings to members of the church and to friends everywhere who are participating in these proceedings by radio television the internet or satellite transmission we are grateful to those who have carefully prepared and provided the music throughout the conference thank you for following established recommendations and guidelines to ensure the safety of all attending the conference the tabernacle choir at temple square will provide the music for this session under the direction of mack wilberg and ryan murphy with richard elliott and andrew unsworth at the organ the choir will open this meeting by singing glory to god on high the invocation will then be offered by elder matthew s holland of the 70 after which the choir will sing where can i turn for peace [Music] [Music] glory to god [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] our dear heavenly father we approach thee with joy and gratitude we are thankful for the magnificent blessing of this worldwide general conference full of divine counsel and comfort we are so thankful for our beloved prophet of god please help us to follow his inspired invitation to strengthen our spiritual foundations in an unprecedented way above all we thank thee for a savior for that happy glorious truth that jesus christ lives and that he has overcome the world that we might overcome all tribulation and return to live with thee again now as we begin this final session we pray that we will feel thy power and that those who may be earnestly searching for direction or weighed down with a special grief may find healing and answers this very hour in the name of jesus christ amen [Music] me [Music] [Music] [Music] myself my soul my [Music] is is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Music] we will now be pleased to hear from elder garrett w gong of the quorum of the twelve apostles he will be followed by bishop l todd budge who serves as second counselor in the presiding bishopric after his remarks the choir will sing i'll follow him in faith we will then hear from elders anthony d perkins michael a dunn and sean douglas of the seventy once when i was very young i briefly thought about running away from home in a little boy way i felt no one loved me my observant mother listened and assured me i was safely home have you ever felt like you were running away from home often running from home means trust has been frayed or broken trust with ourself with each other with god when trust is challenged we wonder how to trust again my message today is whether we are coming home or going home god is coming to meet us in him we can find faith and courage wisdom and discernment to trust again likewise he asks us to keep the light on for each other to be more forgiving and less judgmental of ourselves and each other so his church can be a place where we feel at home whether we're coming for the first time or returning trust is an act of faith god keeps faith with us yet human faith can be undermined or broken when a friend business associate or someone we trust isn't truthful hurts or takes advantage of us a marriage partner is unfaithful perhaps unexpectedly someone we love confronts death injury or illness we face an unanticipated gospel question perhaps something regarding church history or church policy and someone says our church somehow hid or did not tell the truth other situations may be less specific but of equal concern perhaps we don't see ourselves in the church don't feel we fit feel judged by others or though we have done everything expected things have yet to work out despite our personal experiences with the holy ghost we may not yet feel we know god lives or the gospel is true many today feel a great need to restore trust in human relationships and modern society as we reflect on trust we know god is a god of truth and can't not lie we know truth is a knowledge of things as they are where and are to come we know continuing revelation and inspiration fit on changing truth to changing circumstances we know broken covenants break hearts i did stupid things he says can you ever forgive me the husband and wife may hold hands hoping to trust again in a different setting a prison inmate reflects if i had kept the word of wisdom i would not be here today we know joy on the lord's covenant path and callings to serve in his church are an invitation to fill god's trust and love for us and each other church members including young single adults regularly serve across the church and in our communities by inspiration a bishopric calls a young couple to serve in the ward nursery at first the husband sits in the corner detached and distant gradually he begins smiling with the children later the couple expressed gratitude earlier they say the wife wanted children the husband did not now serving has changed and united them it has also brought the joy of children into their marriage and home in another city a young mother with little children and her husband are surprised and overwhelmed but except when she's called to serve as ward release society president shortly thereafter ice storms cut electric power leaving store shelves empty and homes as cold as ice boxes because they have power and heat this young family generously opens their home to several families and individuals to weather the storm trust becomes real when we do hard things with faith service and sacrifice increase capacity and refine hearts trusting god in each other brings heaven's blessings after surviving cancer a faithful brother is hit by a car instead of feeling sorry for himself he prayerfully asked what can i learn from this experience in his intensive care unit he feels prompted to notice a nurse worried for her husband and children a patient in pain finds answers as he trusts god and reaches out to others as a brother with pornography concerns waits outside his office a state president prays to know how to help a clear impression comes open the door and let the brother in with faith and trust god will help the priesthood leader opens the door and embraces the brother each feels the transforming love of trust for god and each other fortified the brother can begin to repent and change well our individual circumstances are personal gospel principles and the holy ghost can help us know if how and when to trust in others again when trust is broken or betrayed disappointment and disillusionment are real so is the need for discernment to know when faith and courage are merited to trust again in human relations yet with respect to god in personal revelation president russell m nelson assures quote you do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust end quote we can always trust god the lord knows us better and loves us more than we know or love ourselves his infinite love and perfect knowledge of past present and future make his covenants and promises constant and sure trust what the scriptures call in the process of time with god's blessing process of time and continuing faith in obedience we can find resolution and peace the lord comforts weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning cast your burdens upon the lord and trust his constant care earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal trust god in his miracles we in our relationships can change through the atonement of christ the lord we can put off our selfish natural self and become a child of god meek humble full of faith and appropriate trust when we repent when we confess and forsake our sins the lord says he remembers them no more it is not that he forgets rather in a remarkable way it seems he chooses not to remember them nor need we trust god's inspiration to discern wisely we can forgive others in the right time and way as the lord says we must well being wise serpents and harmless as doves sometimes when our hearts are most broken and contrite we are most open to the comfort and guidance of the holy ghost condemnation and forgiveness both begin by recognizing the wrong often condemnation focuses on the past forgiveness looks liberatingly to the future for god sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved the apostle paul asks who shall separate us from the love of christ he answers neither death nor life nor height nor depth shall be able to separate us from the love of god which is in christ jesus our lord yet there is someone who can separate us from god in jesus christ and that someone is us ourselves as jesus as isaiah says your sins have hidden his face from you by divine love and divine law we're responsible for our choices and their consequences but our savior's atoning love is infinite and eternal when we're ready to come home even when we are yet a great far off god is ready with great compassion to welcome us joyfully offering the best he has president j reuben clark said quote i believe that our heavenly father wants to save every one of his children that in his justice and mercy he will give us the maximum reward for our acts give us all that he can give and in the reverse i believe he will impose upon us the minimum penalty which it is possible for him to impose close quote on the cross even our savior's merciful plea to his father was not an unconditional father forgive them but rather father forgive them for they know not what they do our agency and freedom have meaning because we're accountable before god and ourselves for who we are for what we know and do thankfully we can trust god's perfect justice and perfect mercy to judge perfectly our intents and actions we conclude as we begin with god's compassion as we each come home to him and each other do you remember jesus christ parable about a certain man who had two sons one son left home and wasted his inheritance when he came to himself this son sought to come home the other son feeling he had kept the commandments low these many years did not want to welcome his brother home brothers and sisters would you please consider jesus is asking us to open our hearts our understanding compassion and humility and to see ourselves in both roles like the first son or daughter we may wander and later seek to return home god waits to welcome us and like the other son or daughter god gently and treats us to rejoice together as we each come home to him he invites us to make our congregations quorums classes and activities open authentic safe home for each other with kindness understanding and mutual respect we each humbly seek the lord and pray and welcome his restored gospel blessings for all our life journeys are individual but we can come again to god god our father and his beloved son through trusting god each other and ourselves jesus beckons be not afraid only believe as did the prophet joseph undaunted may we trust in our heavenly father's care dear brother dear sister dear friend please look again for faith and trust a miracle he promises you today in the sacred and holy name of jesus christ amen last year while serving in the asia north area presidency i received a call from president russell m nelson inviting me to serve as a second counselor in the presiding bishopric he graciously invited my wife lori to join the conversation after the call was finished we were still in a state of disbelief when my wife asked what does the presiding bishop bishopric do anyway after a moment's reflection i responded i don't know exactly a year later and after profound feelings of humility and gratitude i can answer my wife's question with greater understanding among many other things the presiding bishopric oversees the welfare and humanitarian work of the church the work now spans the entire globe and blesses more of god's children than ever before as a presiding bishopric we are assisted by wonderful church employees and others including the relief society general presidency who serve with us on the church's welfare and self-reliance executive committee in our capacity as members of that committee the first presidency asked me as well as as well as sister eubank who spoke to us last evening to share with you an update on the church's recent humanitarian efforts they also particularly requested that we express their profound gratitude because brothers and sisters it is you who have made those humanitarian efforts possible as we observed with concern the early economic effects of the covet 19 crisis across the world we could have easily expected a decline in the monetary contributions which the saints were able to give after all our own members were not immune to the setbacks from the pandemic imagine our feelings when we observe just the opposite humanitarian donations in 2020 turned out to be the highest ever and are trending even higher this year as a result of your generosity the church has been able to realize its most extensive response since the inception of the humanitarian fund with over 1500 coveted relief projects in more than 150 countries these donations which you have given so selflessly to the lord have been converted to life-sustaining food oxygen medical supplies and vaccinations for those who might otherwise have gone without just as significant as the contributions of goods is the tremendous outpouring of time and energy which church members donate to humanitarian causes even as the pandemic has raged natural disasters civil conflict and economic instability have been unrelenting and have continued to drive millions of people from their homes the united nations now reports that there are over 82 million forcibly displaced people in the world add to this the millions of others who elect to flee from poverty or oppression in search of a better life for themselves or their children and you can begin to catch a glimpse of the magnitude of this global situation i am pleased to report that thanks to the volunteer time and talents of so many the church operates refugee and immigrant welcome centers in multiple locations in the united states and europe and thanks to your contributions we provide goods funding and volunteers to help similar programs run by other organizations throughout the world may i extend my heartfelt gratitude to those saints who have reached out to feed clothe befriend and help these refugees become established and self-sufficient yesterday evening sister eubank shared with you a few of the saints wonderful efforts in this regard as i reflect on these efforts my thoughts often turn to the principle of sacrifice and the direct connection of this principle to the two great commandments of loving god and loving our neighbor in modern usage the term sacrifice has come to connote the concept of giving up things for the lord in his kingdom however in ancient days the meaning of the word sacrifice was more closely tied to its two latin roots saker meaning sacred or holy and fakhere meaning to make thus anciently sacrifice meant literally to make something or someone holy due to such sacrifice is a process of becoming holy and coming to know god not an event or ritualistic giving up of things for the lord the lord said i desired charity and not sacrifice and the knowledge of god more than burnt offerings the lord wants us to become holy to be possessed of charity and to come to know him as the apostle paul taught and though i bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though i give my body to be burned and have not charity it profiteth me nothing ultimately the lord wants our hearts he wants us to become new creatures in christ as he instructed the nephite she shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit sacrifice is less about giving up and more about giving to the lord engraved upon the entrance to each of our temples are the words holiness to the lord the house of the lord as we observe our covenants by sacrifice we are made holy through the grace of jesus christ and at the altars of the holy temple with broken hearts and contrite spirits we give our holiness to the lord elder nilay maxwell taught the submission of one's will or heart is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on god's altar however when you and i finally submit ourselves by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in god's will then we are really giving something to him when our sacrifices on behalf of others are viewed from the perspective of giving up we may see them as a burden and become discouraged when our sacrifices are not recognized or rewarded however when viewed from the perspective of giving to the lord our sacrifices on behalf of others become gifts and the joy of generously giving becomes its own reward freed from the need for love approval or appreciation from others our sacrifices become the purest and deepest expressions of our gratitude and love for the savior and our fellow men any prideful sense of self-sacrifice gives way to feelings of gratitude generosity contentment and joy something is made holy whether it be our lives our possessions our time or our talents not simply by giving it up but rather by consecrating it to the lord the humanitarian work of the church is such a gift it is the product of the collective consecrated offerings of the saints a manifestation of our love for god and his children stephen anita canfield are representative of latter-day saints throughout the world who have experienced for themselves the transformative blessings of giving to the lord as welfare and self-reliance missionaries the canfields were asked to provide aid at refugee camps and immigrant centers across europe in her professional life sister canfield had been a world-class interior designer contracted by wealthy clients to beautify their luxury homes suddenly she found herself thrust into a world that was the complete opposite as she served among people who had lost nearly everything in terms of earthly possessions in her words she exchanged marble walkways for dirt floors and in doing so she found an immeasurable degree of fulfillment as she and her husband began to befriend and soon to love and embrace those who needed their care the canfiels observed we did not feel as though we had given up anything to serve the lord our desire was simply to give to him our time and energies to bless his children in whatever way he saw fit to use us as we worked alongside our brothers and sisters any outward appearances any differences in backgrounds or belongings dissolved for us and we simply saw one another's hearts there is no degree of career success or material gains that could have equaled the way that these experiences serving among the humblest of god's children enriched us the canfield story and so many others like it have helped me appreciate the lyrics of a simple yet profound primary song give said the little stream as it hurry down the hill i'm small i know but wherever i go the fields grow greener still yes each of us is small but together as we hasten to give to god and our fellow men wherever we go lives are enriched and blessed the third verse of this song is less well known but concludes with this loving invitation give then as jesus gives there is something all can give do as the streams and blossoms do for god and others live dear brothers and sisters as we live for god and others by giving of our means our time and yes even of ourselves we are leaving the world a little greener leaving god's children a little happier and in the process becoming a little holier may the lord bless you richly for the sacrifices that you give to him so freely i testify that god lives man of holiness is his name jesus christ is his son and he is the giver of all good gifts may we through his grace and the observance of our covenants by sacrifice be made holy and ever give more love and holiness to the lord in the holy name of jesus christ amen [Music] bless [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] i fall [Music] [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] he has [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] heavenly father's plan of happiness includes a mortal experience where all of his children will be tested and face trials five years ago i was diagnosed with cancer i have felt and still feel the physical pains from surgeries radiation treatments and medication side effects i have experienced emotional struggles during torturous sleepless nights medical statistics indicate i will probably depart mortality earlier than i ever expected leaving behind for a season a family who means everything to me regardless of where you live physical or emotional suffering from a variety of trials and mortal weaknesses has been is now or will someday be part of your life physical suffering can result from natural aging unexpected diseases and random accidents hunger or homelessness or abuse violent acts and war emotional suffering can arise from anxiety or depression the betrayal of a spouse parent or trusted leader employment or financial reversals unfair judgment by others the choices of friends children or other family members abuse in its many forms unfulfilled dreams of marriage or children the severe illness or early death of loved ones or so many other sources how can you possibly endure the unique and sometimes debilitating suffering that comes to each of us gratefully hope is found in the gospel of jesus christ and hope can also be part of your life today i share four principles of hope drawn from scripture prophetic teachings many ministering visits and my own ongoing health trial these principles are not just broadly epic applicable but also deeply personal first suffering does not mean god is displeased with your life two thousand years ago jesus's disciples saw a blind man at the temple and asked master who did sin this man or his parents that he was born blind his disciples seem to incorrectly believe as do far too many people today that all hardship and suffering and life are the result of sin but the savior replied neither hath this man sinned nor his parents but that the works of god should be made manifest in him the work of god is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life but how can trials and suffering especially suffering imposed by another person's sinful use of agency ultimately advance god's work the lord told his covenant people i have refined thee i have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction whatever the cause of your sufferings your loving heavenly father can direct them to refine your soul refined souls can bear others burdens with true empathy and compassion refined souls who have come out of great tribulation are prepared to joyfully live in god's presence forever and god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes second heavenly father is intimately aware of your suffering while in the midst of trials we can mistakenly think that god is far away and unconcerned with our pain even the prophet joseph smith expressed this feeling at a low point in his life when imprisoned in liberty jail while thousands of latter-day saints were being driven from their homes joseph sought understanding through prayer oh god where art thou and where is the pavilion that covet covereth thy hiding place he ended with this plea remember thy suffering saints o our god the lord's answer reassured joseph and all who suffer quote my son peace be unto thy soul thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou endure it well god shall exalt thee on high many suffering saints have shared with me how they felt god's love during their trials i vividly recall my own experience at one point in my cancer battle when the doctors had not yet diagnosed the cause of some severe pain i sat with my wife intending to offer a routine blessing on our lunch instead all i could do is simply weep heavenly father please help me i am so sick for the next 20 to 30 seconds i was encircled in his love i was given no reason for my illness no indication of the ultimate outcome and no relief from the pain i just felt of his pure love and that was and is enough i witness that our heavenly father who notes the fall of even a single sparrow is aware of your suffering third jesus christ offers his enabling power to help you have strength to endure your suffering well this enabling power is made possible through his atonement i fear that too many church members think if they are just a little tougher they can get through any suffering on their own this is a hard way to live your temporary moment of strength can never compare to the savior's infinite supply of power to fortify your soul the book of mormon teaches that jesus christ would take upon him our pains sicknesses and infirmities so he can sucker us how can you draw upon the power that jesus christ offers to sucker you and strengthen you in times of suffering the key is binding yourself to the savior by keeping the covenants you have made with him we make these covenants as we receive priesthood ordinances the people of alma entered into the covenant of baptism later they suffered in bondage and were forbidden to worship publicly or even pray aloud yet they kept their covenants the best they could by crying out silently in their hearts as a result divine power came the lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease in our day the savior invites look unto me in every thought doubt not fear not when we keep our sacrament covenant to always remember him he promises that his spirit will be with us the spirit gives us strength to endure trials and do what we cannot possibly do on our own the spirit can heal us although as president james e faust taught quote some of this healing may take place in another world close quote we are also blessed by temple covenants and ordinances where the power of godliness is manifest i visited a woman who had lost a teenage daughter in a terrible accident then later her husband to cancer i asked how could she endure such loss and suffering she replied that strength came from spiritual reassurances of an eternal family received during regular temple worship as promised the ordinances of the lord's house had armed her with god's power fourth choose to find joy each day those who suffer often feel that the night just goes on and on and daylight will never come it is okay to weep yet if you find yourself in dark nights of suffering by choosing faith you can awake to bright mornings of rejoicing for example i visited a young mother being treated for cancer smiling majestically in her chair despite the pain and a lack of hair i met a middle-aged couple happily serving as youth leaders though they were unable to conceive children i sat with a dear woman a young grandmother mother and wife who would pass away with it within days yet amid the family's tears were laughter and joyful recollections these suffering saints exemplify what president russell m nelson is taught quote the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives when the focus of our lives is on god's plan of salvation and jesus christ and his gospel we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not happening in our lives i testify that our heavenly father remembers his suffering saints loves you and is intimately aware of you our savior knows how you feel surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows i know as a daily recipient keeping covenants unlocks the power of jesus christ atoning sacrifice to provide strength and even joy to you who suffer for all who suffer i pray may god grant unto you that your burdens may be light through the joy of his son in the name of jesus christ amen for more than a century the national bicycle racing teams of great britain had been the laughing stock of the cycling world mired in mediocrity british writers had managed only a handful of gold medals in a hundred years of olympic competitions and had been even more underwhelming in cycling's marquee event the three-week long tour de france where no british writer had prevailed in 110 years now so sorry was the plight of british writers that some bike manufacturers refused to even sell bikes to the brits fearing it would forever solely their hard-won reputations and despite devoting enormous resources into cutting-edge technology and every newfangled training regimen nothing worked well nothing that is until 2003 when a small largely unnoticed change occurred that would forever alter the trajectory of british cycling that new approach would also reveal an eternal principle with a promise regarding our off times perplexing mortal quest to improve ourselves so what happened in british cycling that has great relevance to our personal pursuit to be better daughters and sons of god well in 2003 sir dave brailsford was hired and unlike previous coaches who attempted dramatic overnight turnarounds sir brailsford instead committed to a strategy he referred to as the aggregation of marginal gains now this entailed implementing small improvements in everything that meant constantly measuring key statistics and training targeting specific weaknesses it's somewhat akin to the prophet samuel the lamanites notion of walking circumspectly now this broader more holistic view avoids the trap of being myopically fixated on just the obvious problem or sin at hand said brailsford the whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike and then improve it by just one percent you will get a significant increase when you put them all together now his approach aligns well with the lords who taught us the criticalness of the one percent even at the expense of the 99 percent now of course he was teaching the gospel imperative to seek out individuals in need but what if we applied that same principle to the very sweet and savory second principle of the gospel repentance rather than being stymied by the churn and dramatic swings between sin and repentance what if our approach was to narrow our focus even as we broadened it instead of trying to perfect everything what if we tackled just one thing for example what if in your new wide-angle awareness you discover you'd neglected a daily reading of the book of mormon well instead of desperately plowing through all 536 pages in one night what if we committed instead to read just one percent of it that's just five pages a day or another manageable goal for your situation could aggregating small but steady marginal gains in our lives finally be the way to victory over even the most pesky of our personal shortcomings can this bite-sized approach to tackling our blemishes really work well acclaimed author james clear says this strategy puts the math squarely in our favor he maintains that habits are the compound interest of self-improvement if you can get just one percent better at something each day by the end of a year you will be 37 times better now brailsford's small gains begin with the obvious such as equipment kit fabrics and training patterns but his team didn't stop there they continued to find one percent improvements in overlooked and unexpected areas such as nutrition and even maintenance nuances over time these myriad of micro betterments aggregated into stunning results which came faster than anyone could have imagined truly they were on to the eternal principle of line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little well will little adjustments work that mighty change that you desire properly implemented i'm 99 certain they will but the one caveat with this approach is that for small gains to aggregate there must be a consistent day in and day out effort and although we likely won't be perfect we must be determined to mirror our persistence with patience do that and the sweet rewards of increased righteousness will bring you the joy and peace which you seek as president nelson has taught nothing is more liberating more ennobling or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular daily focus on repentance repentance is not an event it is a process it is the key to happiness and peace of mind when coupled with faith repentance opens our access to the power of the atonement of jesus christ now as to repentance's prerequisite of faith the scriptures are very clear all that's initially required is a mere particle of faith and if we can muster this mustard seed mentality we too can expect unexpected and exceptional improvements in our lives but remember just as we would not attempt to go from being attila the hun to mother teresa overnight so too should we reorient our patterns of improvement incrementally even if the changes needed in your life for wholesale begin at a small scale that's especially true if you're feeling overwhelmed or discouraged this process is not always accomplished in a linear fashion even among the most determined there may be setbacks now having experienced the frustration of this in my own life i can tell you that it can sometimes feel like one percent forward and then two percent back yet if we remain undaunted in our determination to consistently eke out those one percent gains he who has carried our sorrows will surely carry us now obviously if we are involved in grievous sins the lord is clear and unequivocal we need to stop get help from our bishop and turn away from such practices immediately but his elder david a bednar enjoined small steady incremental spiritual improvements are the steps the lord would have us take preparing to walk guiltless before god is one of the primary purposes of mortality and the pursuit of a lifetime it does not result from sporadic spurts of intense spiritual activity so does this pocket-sized approach to repentance and real change really work is the proof in the pedaling so to speak well consider what's happened to british cycling in the past two decades since implementing this philosophy british cyclists have now won the storied tour de france and astonishing six times during the past four olympic games great britain has been the most successful country across all cycling disciplines and in the recently concluded tokyo olympics the uk won more gold medals in cycling than any other country but far outshining worldly silver or gold our precious promise down our roadway to the eternities is that we will indeed triumph in christ and as we commit to making small but steady improvements we are promised a crown of glory that fadeth not away with basking in that undimmable luster beckoning i invite you to examine your life and see what stagnated or possibly slowed you on the covenant pathway then look broader seek modest but makeable fixes in your life that might result in the sweet joy of being just a little better remember david used just one small stone to take down a seemingly invincible giant but he had four other stones at the ready similarly alma the younger's wicked disposition and eternal destiny was altered by just one simple salient thought a remembrance of his father's teachings about the saving graces of jesus christ and so it is with our savior who though sinless received not of the fullness at first but continued from grace to grace until he received a fullness it is he who knows when a sparrow falls that is likewise focused on the minute as well as the momentous moments in our lives and who is ready right now to assist you in whatever your one percent quest is coming out of this conference because every effort to change we make no matter how tiny it seems to us just might make the biggest difference in your life to this end elder neal a maxwell taught each assertion of a righteous desire each act of service and each act of worship however small and incremental adds to our spiritual momentum truly it is by small simple and yes even just one percent things that great things can be brought to pass ultimate victory is 100 certain after all we can do through the might merits and mercy of our lord and savior jesus christ i so testify in the name of jesus christ amen for the past six years my sweetheart ann and i have lived in texas near the gulf coast where some of the largest hurricanes have struck the united states leaving behind tremendous destruction and even loss of life sadly enough recent months have been no stranger to such devastating events our love and prayers extend to all who have been impacted in any way in 2017 we personally experienced hurricane harvey which dropped record rainfall of up to 60 inches natural laws govern the formation of hurricanes the ocean temperature must be at least 80 degrees fahrenheit extending to 165 feet below the ocean surface as wind meets the warm ocean water it causes the water to vaporize and rise into the atmosphere where it liquefies clouds then form and winds produce a spiral pattern over the ocean surface hurricanes are colossal in size reaching 50 000 feet or more into the atmosphere and spanning at least 125 miles across interestingly as hurricanes meet land they begin to weaken because they are no longer above the warm waters required to fuel their strength you may never face a devastating physical hurricane however each of us has weathered and will weather spiritual hurricanes that threaten our peace and try our faith in today's world they seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity thankfully the lord has provided us a sure way to joyfully overcome them by living the gospel of jesus christ we are assured that when dark clouds of trouble trouble hang on us and threaten our peace to destroy there is hope smiling brightly before us president russell m nelson explained saints can be happy under every circumstance we can feel joy even while having a bad day a bad week or even a bad year the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives when the focus of our lives is on jesus christ and his gospel we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not happening in our lives just as natural laws govern physical hurricanes divine laws govern how to fill joy during our spiritual hurricanes the joy or misery we feel as we brave the storms of life is tied to the laws that god has said president nelson has shared they're called commandments but they are just as true as the law of lift the law of gravity and the law that governs the heartbeat president nelson continues it becomes a rather simple formula if you want to be happy keep the commandments doubt is an enemy of faith and joy just as warm ocean water is the breeding ground for hurricanes doubt is the breeding ground for spiritual hurricanes just as belief is a choice so is doubt when we choose to doubt we choose to be acted upon yielding power to the adversary thereby leaving us weak and vulnerable satan seeks to lead us to the breeding ground of doubt he seeks to harden our hearts so that we will not believe the breeding ground of doubt can appear inviting because its seemingly peaceful warm waters do not require us to live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of god in such waters satan tempts us to relax our spiritual vigilance that inattention can induce a lack of spiritual conviction well we are neither cold nor hot if we are not anchored on christ doubt and its allures will lead us away to apathy where we shall find neither miracles lasting happiness nor rest unto our souls just as hurricanes weaken over land doubt is replaced with faith as we build our foundation on christ we are then able to see spiritual hurricanes in their proper perspective and our capacity to overcome them is enlarged then when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds yea his shafts in the whirlwind it shall have no power to drag us down to the gulf of misery and endless woe because of the rock upon which we are built which is a sure foundation president nelson has taught faith in jesus christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power the lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to his perfect power but he does ask us to believe since april general conference my family and i have been seeking to strengthen our faith in jesus christ and his atonement to help us turn our challenges into unparalleled growth and opportunity our granddaughter ruby has been blessed with a strong take charge will when she was born her esophagus was not attached to her stomach even as an infant ruby with her parents help met this trial with unusual determination ruby is now five years old though she is still very young she is a powerful example of not letting her circumstances determine her happiness she is always happy last may ruby faced an additional hurricane in her life with faith she was also born with a less than fully developed hand that needed reconstructive surgery prior to this rather complex operation we visited with her and we gave her a drawing that beautifully depicts a child's hand warmly holding the hand of the savior when we asked her if she was nervous she replied no i am happy then we asked her ruby how is that so ruby confidently asserted because i know that jesus will hold my hand ruby's recovery has been miraculous and she continues to be happy how the purity of a child's faith contrasts with the foolishness of doubt that can frequently tempt us as we get older but we can all become as little children and choose to put aside our unbelief it is a simple choice a caring father diligently pled with the savior saying if thou canst do anything help us jesus then said unto him if thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth and straightway the father cried out and said with tears lord i believe help thou mine unbelief this humble father wisely chose to trust his belief in christ rather than his doubt president nelson shared only your unbelief will keep god from blessing you with miracles to move the mountains in your life how merciful is our god to place the bar for us at the level of believing and not at the level of knowing alma teaches blessed is he that believeth in the word of god for god is merciful unto all who believe on his name therefore he desireth in the first place that ye should believe yes in the first place god desires that we believe in him we face our spiritual hurricanes best by believing in christ and keeping his commandments our belief and obedience link us to power beyond our own to overcome whatever is happening or not happening in our lives yes god doth immediately bless us for believing and obeying in fact over time our state of being changes to happiness and we are made alive in christ as we exercise our faith in him and keep his commandments brothers and sisters may we choose today to doubt not but be believing the right way is to believe in christ we are graven on the palms of his hands he is our savior and redeemer who stands at our very door and knocks in the name of jesus christ amen amen the congregation will now join the choir in singing rejoice the lord is king after the singing we will hear from elders carlos g revillo jr and alvin f meredith iii of the seventy they will be followed by elder neil l anderson of the quorum of the twelve apostles this is the sunday afternoon session of the 191st semi-annual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints [Music] please [Music] us [Music] please [Music] is [Music] is [Music] please [Music] is [Music] i bring to you love and warm smiles from the wonderful saints of the philippines this year marks 60 years since the first missionaries arrived in the islands of the philippines today there are 23 missions and more than 800 000 members of the church in 123 stakes there are now seven temples in operation under construction or announced this is truly a miracle we are witnessing the fulfillment of the prophecy in ii nephi chapter 10 verse 21 great are the promises of the lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea this miracle is also a fulfillment of the prophecy given in a prayer by then elder gordon b hinckley in manila in 1961 in that prayer elder hinckley stated we invoke thy blessings upon the people of this land that they shall be friendly and hospitable and kind and gracious to those who shall come here and that many ye lord we pray that there shall be many many thousands who shall receive this message and be blessed thereby will thou bless them with receptive minds and understanding hearts and with faith to receive and with courage to live the principles of the gospel beyond the many many thousands of faithful latter-day saints the miracle of the gospel has brought positive changes to the country and its people i am a living witness of this i was six years old when my parents joined the church in the southern island of mindanao at that time there was only one mission in the entire country and no stakes i am eternally grateful for my parents courage and commitment to follow the savior i honor them and all the pioneers of the church in the philippines they paved the way for the succeeding generations to be blessed king benjamin in the book of mormon said and moreover i would desire that you should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of god for behold they are blessed in all things both temporal and spiritual as we live and obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel we are blessed changed and converted to becoming more like jesus christ that was how the gospel changed and blessed the filipino saints including my family the gospel is truly the way to a happy abundant life the first principle of the gospel is faith in the lord jesus christ many filipinos have a natural belief in god it is easy for us to trust jesus christ and know that we can receive answers to our prayers the obidosa family is a great example of this brother obidosa was my branch president when i was a young man brother and sister obidosu's greatest desire was to be sealed to their family in the manila temple they lived in general santos city one thousand miles away from manila for the family of nine making the journey to the temple seemed impossible but like the merchant man who went and sold all he had to buy one pearl of great price this couple decided to sell their house to pay for the trip sister obidossa was worried because they would have no home to return to but brother obidossa assured her that the lord would provide they were sealed as a family for time and all eternity in the temple in 1985. in the temple they found joy incomparable their priceless pearl and true to brother obidos's words the lord did provide on their return from manila kind acquaintances gave them places to stay and they eventually acquired their own home the lord takes care of those who demonstrate their faith in him the second principle of the gospel is repentance repentance is turning away from sin and turning to god for forgiveness it is a change of mind and heart as president nelson teaches it is doing and being a little better each day repentance is a lot like soap as a young chemical engineer i worked in a soap factory in the philippines i learned how to make soap and the process of how it works when you mix oils with an alkali base and add antibacterial agents it creates a powerful substance that can eliminate bacteria and viruses like soap repentance is a cleaning agent it allows us the opportunity to get rid of our impurities and our old debris so we are worthy to be with god as no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of god through repentance we draw upon the cleansing sanctifying power of jesus christ it is a key part of the process of conversion this is what happened to the anti-nephi lehighs in the book of mormon they were lamanites who were so completely converted that they never did fall away they buried their weapons of war and never took them up again they would rather die than break that covenant and they proved it we know that their sacrifice brought miracles thousands so fought against them threw down their weapons and were converted years later their sons who we know as the mighty stripping warriors were protected in battle against incredible ads my family and many filipino saints went through a similar conversion process when we accepted the gospel of jesus christ and joined the church we changed our ways and our culture to align to the gospel we had to let go of wrong traditions i saw this in my father when he learned of the gospel and repented he was a heavy smoker but he threw his cigarettes away and never touched one again because of his decision to change four generations from him have been blessed repentance leads us to make and keep covenants through sacred ordinances the first ordinance of salvation and exaltation is baptism by immersion for the remission of sins baptism allows us to receive the gift of the holy ghost and enter into a covenant with the lord we can renew this baptismal covenant every week as we take the sacrament this too is a miracle brothers and sisters i invite you to bring this miracle into your life come unto jesus christ and choose to exercise your faith in him repent and make and keep the covenants found in the ordinances of salvation and exaltation this will allow you to be yoked with christ and receive the power and blessings of godliness i testify of the reality of jesus christ and that he lives and loves each one of us i know that his gospel can bring us hope peace and joy not only now but it will bless countless others in future generations that is the reason for the beautiful and warm smiles of the filipino saints it is the miracle of the gospel and the doctrine of christ i testify of this in the sacred name of jesus christ amen when i turned 15 years old i received a learner's permit which allowed me to drive a car if one of my parents was with me when my father asked if i would look like to go for a drive i was thrilled he drove a few miles to the outskirts of town to a long straight two-lane road that few people used i should note likely the only place he would have felt safe he pulled over on the shoulder of the road and we switched seats he gave me some coaching and then told me ease out onto the road and just drive until i tell you to stop i followed his orders exactly but after about 60 seconds he said son pull the car over you're making me nauseous you're swerving all over the road he asked what are you looking at with some exasperation i said i'm looking at the road then he said this i'm watching your eyes and you are only looking at what is right in front of the hood of the car if you only look at what is directly in front of you you will never drive straight then he emphasized look down the road that will help you drive straight as a 15 year old i thought that was a good driving lesson i have since realized that that was a great life lesson as well focusing on the things that are most important especially those things down the road those eternal things is a key to maneuvering through this life on one occasion in the savior's life he desired to be alone so he went up into a mountain apart to pray he sent his disciples away with instructions to cross the sea in the dark of the night the ship that carried the disciples came upon a ferocious storm jesus went to the rescue but in an unconventional way the scripture account reads in the fourth watch of the night jesus went unto them walking on the sea when they saw him they began to fear for they thought that the figure that approached them was some sort of ghost or phantom jesus sensing their trepidation and wanting to put their minds and hearts at ease call to them be of good cheer it is i be not afraid peter was not only relieved but also emboldened ever courageous and often impetuous peter cried out to jesus lord if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water jesus replied with his familiar and timeless invitation come peter surely thrilled by the prospect climbed out of the boat not into the water but onto the water while he focused on the savior he could do the impossible even walk on water initially peter was undeterred by the storm but the boisterous wind eventually distracted him and he lost his focus the fear returned consequently his faith diminished and he began to sink he cried saying lord save me the savior who was always eager to save reached out and lifted him up to safety there are a myriad of lessons to learn from this miraculous account but i will mention three the first lesson focus on jesus christ while peter kept his eyes focused on jesus he could walk on water the storm the waves and the wind could not hinder him as long as he centered his focus on the savior understanding our ultimate purpose helps us to determine what our focus should be we cannot play a successful game without knowing the goal nor can we live a meaningful life without knowing its purpose one of the great blessings of the restored gospel of jesus christ is that it answers among other things the question what is the purpose of life our purpose in this life is to have joy and prepare to return to god's presence remembering that we are here on earth to prepare to return to live with god helps us focus on the things that lead us to christ focusing on christ requires discipline especially about the small and simple spiritual habits that help us become better disciples there is no discipleship without discipline our focus on christ becomes more clear when we look down the road at where we want to be and who we want to become and then make time every day to do those things that will help us get there focusing on christ can simplify our decisions and provide a guide for how we best spend our time and resources while there are many things worthy of our focus we learn from peter's example the importance of always keeping christ at the center of our focus it is only through christ that we can return to live with god we rely on the grace of christ as we strive to become like him and seek his forgiveness and strengthening power when we fall short the second lesson beware of distractions when peter turned his focus away from jesus and toward the wind and the waves that whipped at his feet he began to sink there are many things in front of the hood that can distract us from focusing on christ and eternal things that are down the road the devil is the great distractor we learn from lehi's dream that voices from the great and spacious buildings seek to lure us to things that will take us off the course of preparing to return to live with god but there are other less obvious distractions that can be just as dangerous as the saying goes the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing the adversary seems determined to get good people to do nothing or at least to waste their time on things that will distract them from their lofty purposes and goals for example some things that are healthy diversions and moderation can become unhealthy distractions without discipline the adversary understands distractions do not have to be bad or immoral to be effective the third lesson we can be rescued when peter began to sink he cried out lord save me and immediately jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him when we find ourselves sinking when we face affliction or when we falter we too can be rescued by him in the face of affliction or trial you may be like me and hope that the rescue will be immediate but remember that the savior came to the aid of the apostles in the fourth watch of the night after they had spent most of the night toiling in the storm we may pray that if the help will not come immediately it will at least come in the second watch or even the third watch of the proverbial night when we must wait rest assured that the savior is always watching ensuring that we will not have to endure more than we can bear to those who are waiting in the fourth watch of the night perhaps still in the midst of suffering do not lose hope rescue always comes to the faithful whether during mortality or in the eternities sometimes our sinking comes because of our mistakes and transgressions if you find yourself sinking for those reasons make the joyful choice to repent i believe that few things give the savior more joy than saving those who turn or return to him the scriptures are full of stories of people who were once fallen and flawed but who repented and became firm in the faith of christ i think those stories are in the scriptures to remind us that the savior's love for us and his power to redeem us are infinite not only does the savior have joy when we repent but we receive great joy as well i invite you to be intentional about looking down the road and increase your focus on those things that really matter may we keep christ at the center of our focus in the midst of all the distractions the things in front of the hood and the whirlwinds that surround us i testify that jesus is our savior and our redeemer and our rescuer in the name of jesus christ amen amen one more talk and we'll get to hear our beloved prophet give his closing remarks in a press conference on august 16 2018 president russell m nelson said the lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church even the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints we have worked before us to bring ourselves in harmony with his will two days later on august 18th i was with president nelson in montreal canada following our member meeting in the impressive palais de congres president nelson answered questions from reporters he acknowledged that it was going to be a challenge to re-establish the name of the church and undo a tradition of more than a hundred years but he added the name of the church is not negotiable seven weeks later president nelson spoke in general conference the lord impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he decreed for his church even the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints it was the savior himself who said for thus shall my church be called then he repeated the name of the church is not negotiable a good question surfaced why now when for many decades we had embraced the nickname mormon the mormon tabernacle choir the video spots i'm a mormon the primary song i am a mormon boy the doctrine of christ is unchanging and everlasting yet specific and important steps of the savior's work are revealed at their appropriate time this morning president nelson said the restoration is a process not an event and the lord has said all things must come to pass in their time now is our time and we are re-establishing the revealed name of the church the identity and destiny of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints requires that we be called by his name i was recently in kirtland ohio where the prophet joseph smith with only a few members of the church prophesied this church will fill north and south america it will fill the world the lord described the work of this dispensation as a marvelous work and a wonder he spoke of a covenant that would be fulfilled in the latter days allowing all the earth to be blessed the words of this conference are being translated live into 55 languages eventually these words will be heard and read in 97 languages in more than 220 countries and territories when the savior returns in majesty and glory faithful members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints will be among all nations all people all races and all cultures of the world the influence of the restored church of jesus christ will not only be upon those who are members of the church because of the heavily manifestations in our day because of the sacred scripture restored to the earth and the powerful gift of the holy ghost we will be a shining light on the hill as the somber shades of disbelief in jesus christ darken the world although many may allow the world to cloud their faith in the redeemer we will not be moved out of our place christians who are not among our membership will welcome our role and are sure witness of christ even those christians who have viewed us with skepticism will embrace us as friends in these coming days we will be called by the name of jesus christ thank you for your noble efforts to advance the true name of the church in the conference three years ago president nelson promised us that our rigorous attention to use the correct name of the savior's church would bring us increased faith and access to greater spiritual power this promise has been realized by devoted disciples across the world brother lowry ahola from the eastern united states admits that at times he finds it awkward to share the full name of the church but because of the prophet's counsel he persists on one occasion he was visiting a friend at a church of another faith here are his words an acquaintance asks are you a mormon i am a member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints yes i said he started asking me several questions each beginning with does the mormon church believe at each time i began my answer with the phrase in the restored church of jesus christ we believe when he noticed that i wasn't accepting the title mormon he asked me point blank are you not mormon so i asked him if he knew who mormon was he didn't i told him that mormon was a prophet and i was honored to be associated with him but i continued mormon didn't die for my sins mormon didn't suffer in gethsemane or die on the cross for me jesus christ is my god and my savior and it is by his name that i want to be known after a few seconds of silence the acquaintance exclaimed so you are a christian remember president nelson's words i promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the lord's church he whose church this is will pour down his power and blessings upon the heads of the latter-day saints the likes of which we have never seen the lord always keeps his promises he opens the way for us as we do his work for years we had hoped to purchase the internet domain sites churchofjesuschrist.org and churchofjesuschrist.com neither was for sale about the time of president nelson's announcement both were suddenly available it was a miracle the lord has magnified our efforts in revising names that have long been attached to the church moving forward in faith the name of the mormon tabernacle choir was changed to the tabernacle choir at temple square the website lds.org which received more than 21 million visits each month was transition to churchofjesuschrist.org the name of lds business college was changed to ensign college the website mormon.org was redirected into church of jesus christ dot org more than one thousand products that had the name mormon or lds attached to them have been renamed faithful latter-day saints have adjusted their websites podcasts and twitter accounts we adopted a new symbol centered in jesus christ at the center of the symbol is a representation of torvaldson's marble statue the christus it portrays the resurrected living lord reaching out to embrace all who will come unto him symbolically jesus christ is standing under an arch reminding us of the resurrected savior emerging from the tomb the typography of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints has been adapted in more than 50 languages new domain names have been acquired across the world we appreciate the many good and gracious people who have honored our desire to be called by our correct name i read an article recently that quoted a catholic cardinal referring to the latter day saints as i visited with the leader of a christian church a month ago in the eastern united states he referred to the church in his first reference with our entire name and followed it up more than once with the church of jesus christ we realize that adding six words to our name would not be ideal for the media but as president nelson foretold responsible media will be sympathetic in responding to our request thank you for extending to us the same consideration given cultural athletic political or community organizations by using our preferred name there will be a few who hoping to detract or diminish the seriousness of our mission will continue to call us mormons or the mormon church with courtesy we again ask the fair-minded of the media to honor our desire to be called by our name of nearly 200 years there are thousands and thousands of latter-day saints who have courageously proclaimed the name of the church as we do our part others will follow i love this story from tahiti ten-year-old irura jean resolved to follow the council of president nelson in her school class they discussed their weekend and eriura talked about church her teacher vayetay pifau said oh so you are a mormon ira stated boldly no i am a member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints her teacher replied yes you are a mormon eryur i insisted no teacher i am a member of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints miss peafowl was amazed at iriura's conviction and wondered why she was so insistent on using the long name of her church she decided to learn more about the church later as sister vayetay pifal was baptized she expressed gratitude that iriura heeded the council of president nelson the name of the church is not negotiable let us go forward in faith when we willingly follow the council of the lord as revealed through his living prophet especially if it runs counter to our initial thinking requiring humility and sacrifice the lord blesses us with additional spiritual power and sends his angels to support us and stand by us we receive the lord's affirmation and his approval i am an eyewitness to the power of heaven that rests upon our beloved prophet president russell m nelson his most sincere desire is to please the lord and bless our heavenly father's children from sacred personal experience i testify of the lord's love for him he is the prophet of god i witness that jesus is the christ the son of god in the name of jesus christ amen at the conclusion of the conference we express sincere appreciation to all who have worked so diligently to prepare for these services we thank those who have spoken those who provided the uplifting music and those who have prepared the facilities the concluding speaker for this session will be our beloved prophet president russell m nelson following president nelson's remarks the choir will close this conference by singing sing we now at parting the benediction will then be offered by elder kelly r johnson of the seventy and the conference will be adjourned my dear brothers and sisters for two days we have been well taught by servants of the lord who have sought diligently to know what he would have them say we've been given our charge for the next six months now the question is how will we be different because of what we have heard and felt the pandemic has demonstrated how quickly life can change at times from circumstances beyond our control however there are many things we can control we set our own priorities and determine how we use our energy time and means we decide how we will treat each other we choose those to whom we will turn for truth and guidance the voices and pressures of the world are engaging and numerous but too many voices are deceptive seductive and can pull us off the covenant path to avoid the inevitable heartbreak that follows i plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the lord in your life each and every day if most of the information you get comes from social or other media your ability to hear the whisperings of the spirit will be diminished if you are not also seeking the lord through daily prayer and gospel study you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true even saints who are otherwise faithful can be derailed by the steady beat of babylon's band my brothers and sisters i plead with you to make time for the lord make your own spiritual foundation firm and able to stand the test of time by doing those things that allow the holy ghost to be with you always never underestimate the profound truth that the spirit speaketh of things as they really are and of things as they really will be it will show unto you all things what ye should do nothing invites the spirit more than fixing your focus on jesus christ talk of christ rejoice in christ feast upon the words of christ and press forward with steadfastness in christ make your sabbath a delight as you worship him partake of the sacrament and keep his day holy as i emphasize this morning please make time for the lord in his holy house nothing will strengthen your spiritual foundation like temple service and temple worship we thank all who are working on our new temples they are being built all over the world today i'm pleased to announce our plans to build more temples at or near the following locations kaohsiung taiwan tacloban philippines monrovia liberia kanonga democratic republic of the congo antananarivo madagascar couliacon mexico victoria brazil apos bolivia santiago west chile fort worth texas cody wyoming rexburg north idaho heber valley utah and reconstruction of the provo utah temple after the auram utah temple is dedicated i love you dear brothers and sisters the lord knows you and loves you he is your savior and your redeemer he leads and guides his church he will lead and guide you in your personal life if you will make time for him in your life each and every day may god be with you until we meet again i pray in the sacred name of jesus christ amen one more strain of our praise is is [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] let [Music] us try is [Music] jesus [Music] is [Music] is [Music] us please [Music] foreign [Music] our dear father in heaven we thy children express our gratitude for the opportunity that we have had to gather together this weekend to be instructed and edified we love and sustain thy prophet and apostles we have learned so much as we have gathered together and now father we pray for an added measure of courage and ability to move forward to act in all diligence before thee we are most grateful for thy beloved son even jesus christ our savior our redeemer our rock and our short foundation and may we have an added measure of ability to bind ourselves to our savior through our covenants and ordinances so that we may joyfully endure to the end and receive eternal life the greatest of all thy gifts in the name of jesus christ amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] this has been a broadcast of the sunday afternoon session of the 191st semi-annual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints speakers were selected from leaders of the church music was provided by the tabernacle choir at temple square this broadcast has been furnished as a public service by bonneville distribution any reproduction recording transcription or other use of this program without written consent is prohibited [Music] hello and thank you for joining millions of people around the world and watching this general conference session of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints we hope you enjoyed the experience and felt a sense of peace and hope in our savior jesus christ if you missed any of the speakers want to rewatch any of the talks or have questions about what you felt or heard please visit come into christ.org and missionaries like me can connect with you the messages you heard today are for everyone people of all faiths beliefs and backgrounds you

Channel: Church of Jesus Christ ASL

Views: 76,794

Rating: 4.83603 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: njcYDkLyzVs

Length: 427min 15sec (25635 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 03 2021