From the Saturday morning and afternoon sessions of the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, October

On Saturday, living prophets and other servants of the Lord invited us to turn to Jesus Christ, keep our covenants and trust His promises. These are the main points from each talk, written for personal study, family discussion and sharing. 

Saturday Morning Session

President D. Todd Christofferson (Sustaining of Church Officers )

  • The prophet and First Presidency were sustained. Members sustained Dallin H. Oaks as prophet, seer, revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Henry B. Eyring as First Counselor and D. Todd Christofferson as Second Counselor.
  • పన్నెండు మంది అపొస్తలుల సమూహాన్ని ఆమోదించారు. హెన్రీ బి. ఐరింగ్ పన్నెండు మంది అపొస్తలుల సమూహ అధ్యక్షుడిగా, డీటర్ ఎఫ్. ఉఖ్‌డార్ఫ్ తాత్కాలిక అధ్యక్షుడిగా ఆమోదించబడ్డారు.
  • Members of the Twelve named. These are Elders Uchtdorf, Bednar, Cook, Andersen, Rasband, Stevenson, Renlund, Gong, Soares, Kearon, Caussé and Gilbert.
  • An Area Seventy change was announced. Elder Robert H. Simpson was released and David Kannar was sustained in his place, both having been announced earlier on the Church website.
  • Others were sustained as presently constituted. The remaining General Authorities, Area Seventies and General Officers of the Church were sustained.
  • Sustaining is a personal act. Members were invited to show their support in the usual way and, if they opposed any proposal, to contact their stake president, which reminds us that sustaining is a real covenant act of faith.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong (Come to the Lord in His Holy House)

  • The temple is a place of safety and holiness. In a world of commotion and contention, the Lord invites us into His house, where He teaches us His plan of happiness, endows and blesses us, and prepares us to come home.
  • Families are meant to be united forever. Heavenly Father's work and glory is for us to return to Him as families. Temple marriages last through covenant commitment, sacrifice and consecration, and are nourished by prayer, scripture, Church attendance and service.
  • Agency, repentance and the Atonement make forgiveness possible. We chose the Father's plan, and Jesus Christ redeems us from sin, physical death and spiritual separation. Doing temple work for family members, even those with whom relationships were hard, can soften hearts on both sides of the veil and bring peace.
  • The Holy Spirit of Promise makes covenants binding. The Holy Ghost confirms to the Father that ordinances were performed properly and covenants kept. Ordinances we do not honor, choose or desire would not be expected to bind us.
  • Five parts of a personal temple culture. A dedication is only a beginning. We can show the spirit of temple sacrifice by attending more, bringing family names and serving. Everything in each temple testifies of Christ. We should speak with gratitude and never call a temple "big" or "small," because ordinances and covenants are neither.
  • Temples are coming closer. This year 21 temples are anticipated to be dedicated and 1 rededicated, and Elder Gong is assigned to dedicate the Miraflores Guatemala City Temple. New converts can take comfort that when they bring family names to the temple, their eternal family extends on both sides of the veil.

Sister Tamara W. Runia (The Sculpting of Our Souls)

  • Some things in life cannot be fixed. After her oldest son died suddenly of an undetected heart condition, she realized this was something she could not repair. Many of us face sorrows that do the same.
  • Experience is for our good. The Lord told Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail that his trials would give him experience and be for his good. The only way to gain experience is to go through it, and there is no way around it.
  • The gospel is a rock, not an umbrella. She once thought obedience would keep the rain off. She learned that the gospel is the sure foundation we stand on during the storm, not a shield against it.
  • Not understanding is not the same as not believing. Like Nephi, we may not know the meaning of all things, but we know God loves His children. That knowledge changes our questions from "why?" to "what is supposed to be happening here?"
  • Our stories are personal and purposeful. We do not need to compare our lives to others, and our suffering has meaning. Her young grandson's lesson from Lego instructions reminds us that we can trust the designer even when we cannot see the picture on the box.
  • The Savior sculpts us, if we invite Him. Like a sculpting instructor who carved deeply to bring a student's clay bust to life, the Savior shapes us, sometimes abruptly, but He waits for our invitation.
  • One day we will thank Him for all of it.

Elder Gérald Caussé (The Gift of Testimony)

  • His calling began with a promise. When he was called as a General Authority and again as an Apostle, the Lord's promise came to him: do not fear, for the Lord is with you, and you will bear the record of Jesus Christ. His main responsibility is simply to bear witness of the Savior.
  • Every disciple is a witness. Apostles are called as special witnesses, but the responsibility to testify extends to all who have covenanted to take upon them Christ's name. Our testimonies, in word and deed, show the reality of a loving Savior.
  • A testimony is a personal gift. It is received through our relationship with God, shaped by our unique circumstances and grown by faith, seeking, gospel living and the Holy Ghost. Yours may differ from others', so trust it and nurture it.
  • A gift is meant to be shared. He stopped asking "Why was I given this?" and began asking "What does the Lord expect me to do with it?" A testimony is not a talent to hide but a gift to share in humility and love.
  • "I know" and "I love you" go together. Sharing our witness is a tender expression of love for our neighbor, and sincere love is itself a testimony of Christ, the source of all love.
  • Simple and sincere is enough. A testimony does not need to be long or eloquent, only true, since the Spirit testifies. A niece's two-sentence testimony at camp reminded him of this. He invited us to look each day for natural, prompted opportunities to share, since someone like Alma may be waiting to hear.

Elder Vaiangina Sikahema (Prophets, Seers, and Revelators) 

  • His grandparents' sacrifice. In 1947 his grandparents, poor Tongan farmers serving as missionaries on a remote island, sailed to hear Apostle Matthew Cowley. A storm stretched the voyage from 16 hours to two and a half days, and their nine-month-old son died from exposure.
  • They kept going. They buried their son and continued the voyage, willing to endure grief to sit at the feet of an Apostle. They understood the value of priesthood keys that would one day seal their family eternally.
  • There was once a famine of the word of the Lord. Amos prophesied a time when people would wander to seek the word of the Lord and not find it. For centuries after the ancient apostles, there was no revelation to prophets, until Joseph Smith knelt in the grove.
  • The Restoration brought prophets again. The Father and the Son appeared to a young boy and began restoring the Savior's Church, with priesthood authority, ordinances, additional scripture and knowledge of the plan of salvation.
  • Do not treat the oracles of God lightly. The Lord warned that those who receive His oracles must beware how they hold them. Even today, with easy access to the words of living prophets on our phones, we can take them for granted.
  • A blessing worth remembering. He expressed gratitude for the legacy of faith and courage left by his ancestors and bore witness that prophets, seers and revelators are on the earth today.

Elder Kevin J. Hathaway (Jesus Christ Is the Great Deliverer! )

  • Christ understands our afflictions. He descended below all things and suffered pains and temptations of every kind, so He knows how to succor us. For the righteous, the question is not if He will deliver but how and when.
  • A real experience of peace in a hard moment. When tires from a semitruck struck both cars as his family drove to begin service as mission leaders, the Spirit assured them that all would be well. They were not delivered immediately, but they were given hope.
  • A scriptural pattern of deliverance. Opposition brings heartrending questions; sincere seeking through prayer, fasting and scripture brings assurance; Christ's grace enables us to endure and grow; and deliverance comes in His time and way.
  • Hard questions and emotions are not weakness. Joseph Smith's cry from Liberty Jail and the fears of the stripling warriors show that such feelings can open a sacred space where we choose to turn toward Christ.
  • Enabling grace gives strength. Grace does not remove pain, but after we do all we can, it gives divine strength beyond our own. A returning missionary whose father died in an accident said it was both awful and sacred, and that she clung to her covenants.
  • The Lord is never late. He is not delayed, distracted or neglectful, and waiting can bring growth an earlier rescue might not. As He told Jairus, "Be not afraid, only believe." Some miracles come immediately, some after long waiting, and some await the Resurrection.

Elder Ulisses Soares (A Higher and Holier Fast)

  • Fasting is worship. Observed with sincerity, the law of the fast refines our discipleship and draws us closer to the Lord, going beyond outward observance to a deeper, more personal connection with Him.
  • Isaiah's promises. In Isaiah 58, the Lord promises light that breaks forth like the morning, healing and His answer when we call. President Joseph F. Smith taught that fasting places the body in subjection to the spirit and promotes communion with the Holy Ghost.
  • Fasting and prayer go together. As we lift our hearts in humility, we communicate our true desires and seek the Lord's will. We become more dependent on Him, our hearts soften, and we are better prepared to receive personal revelation.
  • The Savior's example. Before His ministry began, Jesus spent 40 days fasting and praying in the wilderness. Fasting may not remove every burden, but it draws heaven near and gives us strength to endure.
  • Aligning our desires with His. Fasting is more than a physical test or a way to request specific blessings. It is an expression of faith that aligns our desires with the Lord's purposes and builds trust in Him even when answers differ from our expectations.
  • Fasting turns outward. It leads us to help free the oppressed, and generous fast offerings become consecrated expressions of compassion. He promised that as we live this law with joy and sincerity, miracles will come, and we will draw nearer to the Savior and become more sensitive to the needs of others.

Bishop Sean Douglas (The Hour of Your Mission Is Come )

  • Missionary work is growing. More missionaries are serving in more missions, and more of God's children are being baptized, than ever before in this dispensation. Missionaries of all ages are an army of righteousness, doing the most important work they could be doing.
  • A desire to serve rises above personal ambition. Like the sons of Mosiah, missionaries cannot bear that any soul should perish. For a season, education, dating, careers and family time take a back seat, but the Lord's high expectations are worth it.
  • You were prepared for this time. God held the rising generation in reserve, taught them before birth to invite others to come unto Christ, and counts on them. Bishop Douglas urged them to prioritize it and not be distracted.
  • A convert's story. Merlin Sanchez was baptized at nearly 24 and stopped participating for a time. A faithful friend helped him begin his mission papers, he returned to church, and once he chose to serve, the Lord removed obstacles. He later became a bishop and now serves as a stake president.
  • The invitation. To the rising generation, including young converts, he issued a plain invitation: place a full-time mission high on your list and don't be distracted by alternatives of far less worth.
  • The prophets' counsel. Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve as a priesthood responsibility. For young women, a mission is a powerful but optional opportunity, and they should pray about it. There is plenty of room and a special place reserved for each one.

President D. Todd Christofferson (O Be Wise)

  • Speaking plainly out of duty. Like the prophet Jacob, he felt compelled to speak with boldness about a subject that is not pleasant, and he reminded us of President Hinckley's brief summary: the Church is against gambling.
  • Gambling has become pervasive. Smartphones have turned it from an occasional activity into something available continuously and privately. Worldwide, about 46 percent of adults gambled in the past year, and the industry's income is its customers' losses.
  • The new forms. Growth is driven by online sports betting, online casino-style games and prediction markets, which he said are functionally no different from other forms of gambling.
  • Youth are especially affected. Easy access, marketing and peer influence draw teenagers and young adults in, and it can rob time from studies, relationships and career growth while fostering greed.
  • It harms more than the wallet. The larger concern is that constant access turns entertainment into a habit that displaces saving, increases debt and damages families. Each choice has an opportunity cost, so we should ask where it leads.
  • It is morally wrong, and our example matters. Gambling is built on the desire to get something for nothing at others' expense, which is hard to reconcile with loving our neighbor. Even casual gambling can be a stumbling block to the weak. He pleaded not only for us to refrain but to use the time and resources saved to do good: "O be wise."

    Saturday Afternoon Session

Elder Dale G. Renlund ("How Long Will It Be Ere They Believe Me?")

  • A lesson from cold oatmeal. A transplant patient who nearly died and then recovered complained about his hospital oatmeal. We too can focus on the "cold oatmeal" of daily challenges and lose sight of where we have been and what God has promised.
  • Israel's pattern. The Lord freed Israel, saved them at the Red Sea and fed them in the wilderness, yet they repeatedly complained. The Lord asked how long they would refuse to believe Him despite all He had shown them.
  • Peace in Christ. Jesus told His disciples that though we will have tribulation, He has overcome the world. We do not have to overcome it ourselves, and we can have joy in the here and now through our covenant relationship with Him.
  • Our hope rests on His righteousness. Lehi told Jacob he was redeemed because of the righteousness of his Redeemer. The same is true for us, which frees us from uncertainty.
  • Remember His goodness. One purpose of the Book of Mormon is to show what great things the Lord has done. Reflecting on His mercies, and even recording how we see His hand, helps us grasp the bigger picture and trust Him.
  • No asterisk on His promises. His sister once imagined an asterisk excluding her from God's blessings and learned there is none. The Savior's redemptive power, "ample provision," reaches all human circumstances, and His promises apply to each of us.

President Timothy L. Farnes (Divine Appointments )

  • A kindness he never forgot. Discouraged after feeling dismissed at a leadership meeting, he met Elder Dallin H. Oaks in a temple dressing room. Elder Oaks asked how he was really doing, listened, expressed gratitude and gave him a hug.
  • "It's what we do." Years later, Elder Oaks did not remember the moment and responded simply that it is what we do. As covenant followers of Jesus Christ, we minister with compassion to whomever God places in our path.
  • The sacrament is a covenant to take His name. Each Sabbath we witness our willingness to see as He sees, feel as He feels and do as He would do. We make the covenant on Sunday and keep it by ministering every day, with the promise that His Spirit can be with us.
  • Divine appointments. These are the people God places in our path. The good Samaritan saw the wounded traveler, was moved with compassion, and acted, as the Savior did in His ministry.
  • People were His mission. To Jesus, those He met were not interruptions to His work; they were His work. God has given us eyes to see them, too.
  • A pattern to follow. At an airport, prompted by the Spirit to look again, he and his wife helped a frightened young missionary board, sit nearby and reach his mission leaders. All it took was seeing the person, looking with compassion rather than judgment, and acting.

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu (Spiritual Immunity )

  • From physical to spiritual immunity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the word "immunity" led him to reflect on "spiritual immunity," the strength and courage that help us withstand life's challenges in troubled times.
  • Small and simple things. The Lord provides a spiritual compass of small and simple things, as Alma taught, and trials are evidence that He loves us enough to refine and strengthen us, as President Henry B. Eyring taught.
  • Scripture study. It gives knowledge, but more importantly helps us know the Lord and shapes how we respond to life. A new missionary who wanted to go home found his purpose after he and his trainer made a daily scripture study plan.
  • Prayer. The Savior invites us to draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us. A sister battling cancer told him that as she prays she sees the Savior's hands around her. Our burdens may not disappear, but our backs can be strengthened.
  • The sacrament and covenants. The sacrament renews our promises to take Christ's name upon us, remember Him and keep His commandments, and our "Why me?" turns into "What can I learn and change?" Covenants and the covenant path, including temple worship, bring promised blessings and personal direction.
  • The armor of God. Though they seem small, these practices are the armor of God that helps us stand against the adversary's tactics.

Elder Patricio M. Giuffra (Trusting the Lord Through Tithes and Offerings)

  • Tithing is a law of faith. Obeying it demonstrates our trust in the Lord and allows Him to work miracles in our lives, often in unexpected ways.
  • A convert in Chile. As a missionary, he taught an elderly woman who cleaned homes for a meager living and believed she could never afford tithing. She prayed, asking Heavenly Father to help her live this law, was baptized, and faithfully paid her tithing and fast offerings.
  • No exceptions. Wondering whether the Lord might make an exception, he called his mission president, who recalled the widow's mite and told him he should not deny her the blessings of this law.
  • Obedience flows from love. His wife teaches their family that we keep the commandments because we love God, not merely to receive blessings. Commandments draw us to the Savior and protect us.
  • Trials still come. Faithful members still face uncertainty, hardship, illness and loss, but the Lord knows our circumstances, honors our obedience and keeps His promises in His time and way.
  • Real blessings. Quoting President Nelson that tithing can break cycles of poverty, he described families in Central America who prospered temporally and spiritually. President Oaks taught that tithing prepares us for the law of consecration.

Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan (The Infinite Power of God in Our Covenants)

  • A mother's daily example. As a single parent, his mother read the Book of Mormon to him aloud every morning before school. He remembers only a couple of phrases, but he knew it mattered to her and that she knew it was true. No effort reading the Book of Mormon is wasted.
  • A search for truth. Raised in another church that honors Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, he began questioning at 14, quietly attended a Latterday Saint congregation for two months, and came to know it was the Lord's Church.
  • His ancestors' covenants. His third-great-grandparents were baptized by Oliver Cowdery and helped build Nauvoo. His wife observed that his interest in religion came from the covenants of those who came before him.
  • Covenants are generational. They do not override a child's agency, but they have a discernible influence on posterity. "The tentacles of Divine Providence" reach out to draw wanderers back.
  • No limit of time or space. The Lord's covenant with Enos took more than 2,000 years to be fulfilled. Covenants with God stretch over all time and space, like the pull of gravity across the universe.
  • Don't give up. No one has wandered beyond the reach of God's love or the light of the Atonement. For those who anguish over a struggling child, God hears and will answer in His own time and way. Keep your covenants, because your story is not finished.

Elder Hutch U. Fale (I Am a Child of God)

  • A powerful, simple truth. Knowing that each of us is a beloved spirit child of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and destiny, is essential to our daily and eternal happiness. It prevents deception and gives life purpose.
  • Families help teach it. Our relationship to God is explained in terms of the family, and through even imperfect families, the Father teaches us of His love. For those without such a family, knowing the Father's love and the promise of eternal family blessings still brings peace.
  • God's love cannot be earned or lost. He showed his children their baby pictures and asked what they had done to earn their parents' love. The answer was nothing, and nothing they do can remove it, which is but a small fraction of what Heavenly Father feels.
  • A warning against a twisted truth. The adversary tells us that because God loves us, we can be saved regardless of pride, rebellion or sin. Receiving Christ through priesthood ordinances and covenants is the only way to exaltation.
  • Three reasons it matters. Understanding the Father's love helps us understand Jesus Christ and join Him in His work; it makes us immune to divisive labels and quick to love; and it protects us from the lie that it is too late to change.
  • Christ is the evidence. Jesus taught us to pray to "our Father," conquered sin and the grave, and through living prophets and apostles holding priesthood keys gives us access to the covenants that prepare us to return home.

Elder Patrick Kearon (Jesus Lives to Lift )

  • Lessons from gliding. As a teenager he learned to fly gliders, which have no engine and stay aloft by finding rising air, called lift. Lift is unseen but felt, and pilots learn to turn toward it, while avoiding sinking air, called sink.
  • The Savior loves to lift. The scriptures show Him lifting Peter from the waves, Jairus's daughter from death and a boy from a spiritual affliction. He seeks out the most desperate souls and lifts them.
  • Lift and sink are real spiritually. As we learn to discern the sensitive impressions of the Holy Spirit, we can feel the sweet, peaceful pull of spiritual lift and the dim, dampening feelings of sink, and turn from them decisively.
  • If you are not climbing, you are descending. The descent can be so gradual we do not notice. We rarely intend to sink, but neglecting the practices that brought us spiritual heights can quietly lead us down.
  • How to live in a lift. Find a faithful guide, tune in to the Spirit, join those who are climbing, watch for subtle signs of sink, and show others where and how to rise. Turning to the Savior can include seeking medical or therapeutic help where needed.
  • Joy in lifting others. As covenant children, we assist the Lord in fulfilling His promises. The Savior was lifted up on the cross to draw us all to Him, and there is no limit to how high we can climb with Him.

Elder Michael A. Dunn( The Ninety and Ten )

  • A practical question. The Savior promises to carry our burdens, but what does that look like when we are weighed down and hopeless? A 100mile ultramarathon taught him.
  • A friend who believed in him. His running partner Ted promised to run the second half with him. At mile 90, depleted, he said he gave up, but Ted reminded him of his preparation, told him he believed in him, and they finished together.
  • A hidden burden. Near the finish, Ted let go so he could finish alone. A photograph later showed that Ted had been quietly carrying his water bottles and pack for those last miles.
  • The Savior carries our burdens, too. As Isaiah said, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, often unseen, multiplying and magnifying even our smallest offerings. He rescues us not by shortening our course but by helping us lengthen our stride.
  • We can trust Him. Anytime we turn to Christ, we turn a corner. He marked the path, so no part of our mortal journey is unknown to Him, and He knows what we are capable of as children of God.
  • Even when the outcome differs. To those at their own "mile 90," he promised help when we ask. Even when timing or results are not what we hoped, feeling broken does not mean we have been abandoned, and peace can come even when hoped-for outcomes do not.

Elder Matthew J. Eyring (Comfort from the Holy Ghost)

  • Burdens we cannot fix. A friend whose son died unexpectedly thought only, "I can't fix this." We are trained to solve problems, but all of us will face burdens we cannot carry ourselves.
  • Mourning with those who mourn. Having lost a twin before birth many years ago, he and his wife were grateful to comfort a young couple facing the same loss, as we covenant to do.
  • Mortality is designed to try our faith. Our trials differ by circumstance and place, from hunger and illness to loneliness, family heartache and habits we cannot overcome. We should not let them damage our faith.
  • The Savior knows and promises to draw near. He suffered for us and knows how we feel. If we turn to Him and cast our burdens on Him, He provides comfort and answers on His timetable, sometimes through the Spirit and sometimes through people and resources.
  • We need the Holy Ghost. Prophets warn that we will not survive spiritually without His constant influence, because true sources of comfort will become scarcer. Without divine comfort we can lose hope, and without hope we can stop trying.
  • Our hope is in Christ. Because of the Resurrection, mortal deficiencies are only temporary, and the Lord has prepared our rescue from the only permanent miseries, death of the body and separation from God by sin. A priesthood blessing brought a grieving father peace, and living worthy of the Holy Ghost's companionship should be one of our highest priorities.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband (Love Like Jesus )

  • For those who grieve. His message was for everyone whose heart aches for loved ones who have turned from the Lord. Many feel they have failed, spend sleepless nights replaying what they tried, and carry burdens beyond their strength.
  • Everyone must choose. Preaching, arguing, lecturing and even sending links to conference talks can deepen the rift. By divine design, each person must choose for themselves to follow Jesus Christ.
  • Turn your despair over to Christ. We cannot change hearts, but He can. The battle is the Lord's, and through the Atonement there is always a way back. In everyday words, Jesus says to those who grieve, "I've got this!"
  • Love does not mean approval. It means being interested in their lives, being present with open arms and a cheerful countenance, lifting with faith and hope, and relying on the Holy Ghost. We should be peacemakers, charitable, patient, forgiving and kind.
  • Love is expressed in prayer. Alma the Elder prayed for his rebellious son for what may have been years. When young Alma suffered, he remembered his father's teachings, called on Jesus and was filled with joy. The father of the prodigal son also ran to welcome his son home.
  • Three suggestions. First, let go of guilt and never give up on those you love. Second, never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Third, remember that Jesus Christ is the answer, and seek Him through scripture, the words of prophets and mighty prayer. If our rock is Jesus Christ, the adversary's storms will not drag us down.

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