Faith to Act ~ Come Unto Christ

The beautiful Ogden Utah temple... 💖☀️💯

Divine Love in the Father’s Plan By President Dallin H. Oaks First Counselor in the First Presidency The purpose of the doctrine and policies of this restored Church is to prepare God’s children for salvation in the celestial kingdom and for exaltation in its highest degree. The gospel plan shows our Heavenly Father’s love for all His children. To understand this, we must seek to understand His plan and His commandments. He loves His children so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior and Redeemer, to suffer and die for us. In the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a unique understanding of our Heavenly Father’s plan. This gives us a different way of viewing the purpose of mortal life, the divine judgment that follows it, and the ultimate glorious destiny of all of God’s children. I love you, my brothers and sisters. I love all of God’s children. When Jesus was asked, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” He taught that to love God and to love our neighbors are the first of God’s great commandments.1 Those commands are first because they invite us to grow spiritually by seeking to imitate God’s love for us. I wish we all had a better understanding of the loving doctrine and policies that our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, have established in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What I say here seeks to clarify how God’s love explains that doctrine and the Church’s inspired policies. I. A common misunderstanding of the judgment that ultimately follows mortal life is that good people go to a place called heaven and bad people go to an everlasting place called hell. This erroneous assumption of only two ultimate destinations implies that those who cannot keep all the commandments required for heaven will necessarily be forever destined for hell. A loving Heavenly Father has a better plan for His children. The revealed doctrine of the restored Church of Jesus Christ teaches that all the children of God—with exceptions too limited to consider here—will finally wind up in a kingdom of glory.2 “In my Father’s house are many mansions,”3 Jesus taught. From modern revelation we know that those mansions are in three different kingdoms of glory. In the Final Judgment each of us will be judged according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts.4 Before that, we will need to suffer for our unrepented sins. The scriptures are clear on that.5 Then our righteous Judge will grant us residence in one of those kingdoms of glory. Thus, as we know from modern revelation, all “shall be judged … , and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared.”6 The Lord has chosen to reveal comparatively little about two of these kingdoms of glory. In contrast, the Lord has revealed much about the highest kingdom of glory, which the Bible describes as the “glory of the sun.”7 In the “celestial” glory8 there are three degrees, or levels.9 The highest of these is exaltation in the celestial kingdom, wherein we may become like our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. To help us develop the godly attributes and the change in nature necessary to realize our divine potential, the Lord has revealed doctrine and established commandments based on eternal law. This is what we teach in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because the purpose of the doctrine and policies of this restored Church is to prepare God’s children for salvation in the celestial glory and, more particularly, for exaltation in its highest degree. The covenants made and the blessings promised to the faithful in the temples of God are the key. This explains our worldwide building of temples, about which the choir has sung so beautifully. Some are puzzled at this emphasis, not understanding that the covenants and ordinances of the temple guide us toward achieving exaltation. General Conference Sunday Afternoon Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

The Power of Spiritual Momentum By President Russell M. Nelson President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I would like to suggest five specific actions we can take to help us maintain positive spiritual momentum. My dear brothers and sisters, I love you. I cherish this opportunity to speak with you today. I pray daily that you will be protected from the fierce attacks of the adversary and have the strength to push forward through whatever challenges you face. Some trials are deeply private burdens no one else can see. Others are played out on the world stage. The armed conflict in eastern Europe is one of these. I have been to Ukraine and Russia many times. I love those lands, the people, and their languages. I weep and pray for all who are affected by this conflict. As a church we’re doing all we can to help those who are suffering and struggling to survive. We invite everyone to continue to fast and pray for all the people being hurt by this calamity. Any war is a horrifying violation of everything the Lord Jesus Christ stands for and teaches. None of us can control nations or the actions of others or even members of our own families. But we can control ourselves. My call today, dear brothers and sisters, is to end conflicts that are raging in your heart, your home, and your life. Bury any and all inclinations to hurt others—whether those inclinations be a temper, a sharp tongue, or a resentment for someone who has hurt you. The Savior commanded us to turn the other cheek,1 to love our enemies, and to pray for those who despitefully use us.2 It can be painfully difficult to let go of anger that feels so justified. It can seem impossible to forgive those whose destructive actions have hurt the innocent. And yet, the Savior admonished us to “forgive all men.”3 We are followers of the Prince of Peace. Now more than ever, we need the peace only He can bring. How can we expect peace to exist in the world when we are not individually seeking peace and harmony? Brothers and sisters, I know what I’m suggesting is not easy. But followers of Jesus Christ should set the example for all the world to follow. I plead with you to do all you can to end personal conflicts that are currently raging in your hearts and in your lives. May I underscore this call to action by discussing a concept I was reminded of recently while watching a basketball game. In that game, the first half was a seesaw battle, back and forth. Then, during the last five seconds of the first half, a guard on one team made a beautiful three-point shot. With only one second left, his teammate stole the inbound pass and made another basket at the buzzer! So that team went into the locker room four points ahead with a palpable surge of momentum. They were able to carry that momentum into the second half and win the game. Momentum is a powerful concept. We all have experienced it in one form or another—for example, in a vehicle that picks up speed or with a disagreement that suddenly turns into an argument. So I ask, what can ignite spiritual momentum? We have seen examples of both positive and negative momentum. We know followers of Jesus Christ who became converted and grew in their faith. But we also know of once-committed believers who fell away. Momentum can swing either way. We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now, to counteract the speed with which evil and the darker signs of the times are intensifying. Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities. Spiritual momentum can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation. Many actions can ignite positive spiritual momentum. Obedience, love, humility, service, and gratitude4 are but a few. General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Teaching Self-Reliance to Children and Youth By Elder Hugo E. Martinez Of the Seventy Let us follow our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel by becoming self-reliant throughout our lives and teaching this to our children and youth. I will speak about self-reliance and how it can be taught to children and to youth. Self-reliance may be perceived as being subject matter for adults. I’ve come to know that adults can best be on the path toward self-reliance when they have been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ and have practiced its doctrine and principles since childhood and as youth in the home. The best illustration is a great real-life example. Wilfried Vanie, his seven siblings, and his mother joined the Church in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, when he was six years old. He was baptized at eight. His father, the main provider in the family, died when Wilfried was eleven. Though saddened by the family situation, Wilfried decided to continue in school, with his mother’s encouragement and with Church support. He graduated from secondary school and served a full-time mission in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission, where he learned English. After his mission, he went on to the university and obtained a diploma in accounting and finance. Though it was hard to obtain employment in this field, he found work in the tourism and hospitality industry. He started as a waiter in a five-star hotel, but his passion to improve pushed him to learn more until he became a bilingual receptionist there. When a new hotel opened, he was hired as the night auditor. Later, he enrolled in BYU–Pathway Worldwide and is currently studying a course to obtain a certificate in hospitality and tourism management. His desire is to one day become the manager of a high-end hotel. Wilfried can provide for his eternal companion and two children, as well as help his mother and his siblings. He currently serves in the Church as a member of the stake high council. Self-reliance is defined as “the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family.”1 Striving to be self-reliant is part of our work along the covenant path that leads us back to Heavenly Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. It will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and joyfully bind us to Him through the covenants and ordinances of salvation and exaltation. Self-reliance is a doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ, not a program. It is a process that lasts a lifetime, not an event. We become self-reliant throughout our lives by growing in spiritual strength, improving our physical and emotional health, pursuing our education and employment, and being temporally prepared.2 Is this task ever finished during our lives? No, it is a lifelong process of learning, growth, and work. It never ends; it is a continuous, daily process. How can we teach the doctrine and principles of self-reliance to our children and youth? One important way is to regularly apply the principles of the Children and Youth program. Parents and children learn the gospel of Jesus Christ, participate in service and activities, and work together in four areas of personal development that are unique for each child. It is no longer the same prescribed program for all. The Children’s Guidebook says: “When Jesus was your age, He learned and grew. You are learning and growing too. The scriptures say: ‘Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man’ (Luke 2:52).”3 This scripture refers to growth and learning in the spiritual aspect, favor with God; the social aspect, favor with man; the physical aspect, stature; and the intellectual aspect, wisdom. These developmental areas apply to all of us, no matter our age. When do we teach them? In Deuteronomy 6:6–7 we read: General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

To Heal the World By Elder Ronald A. Rasband Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Wounds and differences can be resolved and even healed when we honor God, the Father of us all, and Jesus Christ, His Son. Brothers and sisters, at this glorious Easter season we are so blessed to meet and receive counsel and direction from God’s servants. Sacred guidance and teachings from our Heavenly Father help us navigate life in these perilous times. As was prophesied, “fires, and tempests,” “wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places,” “and all manner of abominations,”1 “plague,”2 “famines, and pestilences”3 are ravaging families, communities, and even nations. There is another scourge sweeping the globe: attacks on your and my religious freedom. This growing sentiment seeks to remove religion and faith in God from the public square, schools, community standards, and civic discourse. Opponents of religious freedom seek to impose restrictions on expressions of heartfelt convictions. They even criticize and ridicule faith traditions. Such an attitude marginalizes people, devaluing personal principles, fairness, respect, spirituality, and peace of conscience. What is religious freedom? It is freedom of worship in all its configurations: freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom to act on personal beliefs, and freedom for others to do the same. Religious freedom allows each of us to decide for ourselves what we believe, how we live and act according to our faith, and what God expects of us. Efforts to curtail such religious liberty are not new. Throughout history, people of faith have suffered mightily at the hands of others. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are no different. From our beginnings, many seeking God were drawn to this Church because of its teachings of divine doctrine, including faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, the plan of happiness, and the Second Coming of our Lord. Opposition, persecution, and violence plagued our first latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, and his followers. Amidst the turmoil in 1842, Joseph published 13 fundamental tenets of the growing Church, including this one: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”4 His statement is inclusive, liberating, and respectful. That is the essence of religious freedom. The Prophet Joseph Smith also stated: “I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the … Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. “It is a love of liberty [that] inspires my soul—civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race.”5 General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

For God So Loved Us By Elder Michael T. Ringwood Of the Seventy God so loved us that He sent His Only Begotten Son—not to condemn us, but to save us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The first time I noticed this verse, I was not at church or in family home evening. I was watching a sporting event on television. No matter what station I watched, and no matter what game it was, at least one person held a sign that read “John 3:16.” I have come to equally love verse 17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” God sent Jesus Christ, His only Son in the flesh, to lay down His life for every one of us. This He did because He loves us and designed a plan for each of us to return home to Him. But this is not a blanket, catchall, hit-or-miss sort of plan. It is personal, set forth by a loving Heavenly Father, who knows our hearts, our names, and what He needs us to do. Why do we believe that? Because we are taught it in the holy scriptures. Moses repeatedly heard Heavenly Father speak the words “Moses, my son” (see Moses 1:6; see also verses 7, 40). Abraham learned he was a child of God, chosen for his mission even before he was born (see Abraham 3:12, 23). By the hand of God, Esther was placed in a position of influence to save her people (see Esther 4). And God trusted a young woman, a servant, to testify of a living prophet so Naaman could be healed (see 2 Kings 5:1–15). I especially love that good man, short in stature, who climbed a tree to see Jesus. The Savior knew he was there, stopped, looked up into the branches, and spoke these words: “Zacchaeus, … come down” (Luke 19:5). And we cannot forget the 14-year-old who went into a grove of trees and learned how personal the plan really is: “[Joseph,] this is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17). Brothers and sisters, we are the focus of Heavenly Father’s plan and the reason for our Savior’s mission. Each of us, individually, is Their work and Their glory. To me, no book of scripture illustrates this more clearly than has my study of the Old Testament. Chapter after chapter we discover examples of how Heavenly Father and Jehovah are intimately involved in our lives. We have recently been studying about Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob. From his youth, Joseph was highly favored of the Lord, yet he experienced great trials at the hands of his brothers. Two weeks ago, many of us were touched by how Joseph forgave his brothers. In Come, Follow Me we read: “In many ways, Joseph’s life parallels that of Jesus Christ. Even though our sins caused Him great suffering, the Savior offers forgiveness, delivering all of us from a fate far worse than famine. Whether we need to receive forgiveness or extend it—at some point we all need to do both—Joseph’s example points us to the Savior, the true source of healing and reconciliation.”1 A lesson I love in that account comes from Joseph’s brother Judah, who played a part in God’s personal plan for Joseph. When Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, Judah convinced them not to take Joseph’s life but to sell him into slavery (see Genesis 37:26–27). Many years later, Judah and his brothers needed to take their youngest brother, Benjamin, to Egypt. Initially their father resisted. But Judah made a promise to Jacob—he would bring Benjamin home. In Egypt, Judah’s promise was put to the test. Young Benjamin was wrongly accused of a crime. Judah, true to his promise, offered to be jailed in Benjamin’s place. “For,” he said, “how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?” (see Genesis 44:33–34). Judah was determined to keep his promise and return Benjamin safely. Do you ever feel about others the way Judah felt toward Benjamin? General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Love, Share, Invite By Elder Gary E. Stevenson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles As we love, share, and invite, we take part in that great and glorious work that prepares the earth for the return of its Messiah. Imagine with me, for a moment, standing on a mountain in Galilee, witnessing the wonder and glory of the resurrected Savior visiting His disciples. How awe-inspiring to consider personally hearing these words, which He shared with them, His solemn charge to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”1 Surely these words would empower, inspire, and move each of us, as they did His Apostles. Indeed, they devoted the rest of their lives to doing just that. Interestingly, it wasn’t only the Apostles who took Jesus’s words to heart. Members of the early Church, from the newest to the most seasoned, took part in the Savior’s great commission, sharing the good news of the gospel with those they met and knew. The determination to share their testimony of Jesus Christ helped His newly established Church grow expansively.2 We too, as Christ’s disciples, are invited to heed His commission today, as if we were there on that mountain in Galilee when He first proclaimed it. This commission began again in 1830, when Joseph Smith set apart his brother Samuel as an early missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ.3 Since that time, more than 1.5 million missionaries have traveled throughout the world teaching all nations and baptizing those who embrace the glad tidings of the restored gospel. This is our doctrine. Our fond desire. From our young children to the eldest among us, we yearn for the time when we can heed the Savior’s call and share the gospel with the nations of the world. I am sure you young men and young women felt a similar empowering challenge from our prophet yesterday as he invited you to prepare for full-time missionary service just as the Savior did with His Apostles. Like sprinters at the starting blocks, we wait with anticipation for the official invitation, complete with the prophet’s signature, signaling the start of the race! This desire is noble and inspirational; however, let’s consider this question: why don’t we all begin now? You might ask, “How can I be a missionary without a name badge?” Or we tell ourselves, “The full-time missionaries are set apart to do this work. I would like to help but perhaps later when life has calmed down a bit.” Brothers and sisters, it is much simpler than that! Gratefully, the Savior’s great commission can be accomplished through simple, easily understandable principles taught to each of us from childhood: love, share, and invite. Love The first thing we can do is love as Christ loved. Our hearts are heavy with the human suffering and tensions that we see throughout the world during these tumultuous times. However, we can be also inspired by the outpouring of compassion and humanitarianism that has been demonstrated by people everywhere through their efforts to reach out to the marginalized—those displaced from their homes, separated from their families, or experiencing other forms of sorrow and despair. Recently, news sources reported how a group of mothers in Poland, out of concern for desperate, fleeing families, left fully equipped strollers on a train station platform in a neat line, ready and waiting for refugee mothers and children who would need them at that border crossing as they deboarded a train. Surely, our Heavenly Father smiles upon acts of selfless charity such as these, for as we bear one another’s burdens, we “fulfil the law of Christ.”4 Whenever we show Christlike love toward our neighbor, we preach the gospel—even if we do not voice a single word. General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Christ Heals That Which Is Broken By Amy A. Wright Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency He can heal broken relationships with God, broken relationships with others, and broken parts of ourselves. A few years ago, at a family gathering, my then-eight-year-old nephew William asked our oldest son, Briton, if he would like to play ball with him. Briton enthusiastically responded, “Yes! I would love to!” After they had been playing for quite some time, a ball got away from Briton, and he accidentally broke one of his grandparents’ antique pots. Briton felt awful. As he began picking up the broken pieces, William walked over to his cousin and lovingly patted him on the back. He then comforted, “Don’t worry, Briton. I broke something at Grandma and Grandpa’s house once, and Grandma put her arm around me and said, ‘It’s OK, William. You are only five.’” To which Briton responded, “But, William, I’m 23!” We can learn much from the scriptures about how our Savior, Jesus Christ, will help us successfully navigate the things in our lives that are broken, no matter our age. He can heal broken relationships with God, broken relationships with others, and broken parts of ourselves. Broken Relationships with God While the Savior was teaching in the temple, a woman was brought to Him by the scribes and Pharisees. We do not know her full story, just that she was “taken in adultery.”1 Often the scriptures give only a small portion of someone’s life, and based on that portion, we sometimes tend to exalt or condemn. No one’s life can be understood by one magnificent moment or one regrettable public disappointment. The purpose of these scriptural accounts is to help us see that Jesus Christ was the answer then, and He is the answer now. He knows our complete story and exactly what we suffer, as well as our capabilities and vulnerabilities. Christ’s response to this precious daughter of God was “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”2 Another way to say “go, and sin no more” could be “go forth and change.” The Savior was inviting her to repent: to change her behavior, her associations, the way she felt about herself, her heart. Because of Christ, our decision to “go forth and change” can also allow us to “go forth and heal,” for He is the source of healing all that is broken in our lives. As the great Mediator and Advocate with the Father, Christ sanctifies and restores broken relationships—most important, our relationship with God. The Joseph Smith Translation makes it clear that the woman did follow the Savior’s counsel and changed her life: “And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name.”3 It is unfortunate that we do not know her name or other details about her life after this moment because it would have required great determination, humility, and faith in Jesus Christ for her to repent and change. What we do know is she was a woman who “believed on his name” with the understanding that she was not beyond the reach of His infinite and eternal sacrifice. Broken Relationships with Others In Luke chapter 15 we read a parable of a man who had two sons. The younger son asked his father for his inheritance, took his journey into a far country, and wasted his substance with riotous living.4 “And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. “And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. “And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Our Relationship with God By Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles No matter what our mortal experience may entail, we can trust God and find joy in Him. As Job in the Old Testament, in a time of suffering some might feel that God has abandoned them. Because we know that God has power to prevent or remove any affliction, we may be tempted to complain if He does not do it, perhaps questioning, “If God does not grant the help I pray for, how can I have faith in Him?” At one point in his intense trials, righteous Job said: “Then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me. “Though I cry, ‘I’ve been wronged!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.”1 In His response to Job, God demands, “Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?”2 Or in other words, “Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be justified?”3 Jehovah forcefully reminds Job of His omnipotence and omniscience, and Job in deepest humility admits he possesses nothing even close to the knowledge, power, and righteousness of God and cannot stand in judgment of the Almighty: “I know that thou canst do every thing,” he said, “and that no thought can be withholden from thee. “… I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. … “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”4 In the end, Job was privileged to see the Lord, and “the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.”5 It truly is folly for us with our mortal myopia to presume to judge God, to think, for example, “I’m not happy, so God must be doing something wrong.” To us, His mortal children in a fallen world, who know so little of past, present, and future, He declares, “All things are present with me, for I know them all.”6 Jacob wisely cautions: “Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.”7 Some misunderstand the promises of God to mean that obedience to Him yields specific outcomes on a fixed schedule. They might think, “If I diligently serve a full-time mission, God will bless me with a happy marriage and children” or “If I refrain from doing schoolwork on the Sabbath, God will bless me with good grades” or “If I pay tithing, God will bless me with that job I’ve been wanting.” If life doesn’t fall out precisely this way or according to an expected timetable, they may feel betrayed by God. But things are not so mechanical in the divine economy. We ought not to think of God’s plan as a cosmic vending machine where we (1) select a desired blessing, (2) insert the required sum of good works, and (3) the order is promptly delivered.8 God will indeed honor His covenants and promises to each of us. We need not worry about that.9 The atoning power of Jesus Christ—who descended below all things and then ascended on high10 and who possesses all power in heaven and in earth11—ensures that God can and will fulfill His promises. It is essential that we honor and obey His laws, but not every blessing predicated on obedience to law12 is shaped, designed, and timed according to our expectations. We do our best but must leave to Him the management of blessings, both temporal and spiritual. President Brigham Young explained that his faith was not built on certain outcomes or blessings but on his witness of and relationship with Jesus Christ. He said: “My faith is not placed upon the Lord’s working upon the islands of the sea, upon his bringing the people here, … nor upon the favors he bestows upon this people or upon that people, neither upon whether we are blessed or not blessed, but my faith is placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and my knowledge I have received from him.”13 General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/m... 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/reques... 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c... ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.o... 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

General Conference Saturday Evening Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny By Elder Dale G. Renlund Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles I invite you to center your life on Jesus Christ and remember the foundational truths in the Young Women theme. Dear sisters, thank you for being here. I am honored to participate in this women’s session of general conference. On occasion I have also been privileged to attend Young Women classes. But let me point out the obvious—I am not young, and I am not a woman! I learned, however, that I feel less out of place if I can recite the Young Women theme along with the young women. The profound doctrine taught in the Young Women theme1 is important for young women, but it is applicable to all, including those of us who are not young women. The Young Women theme begins, “I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny.”2 This statement contains four important truths. First, you are a beloved daughter. Nothing you do—or do not do—can change that. God loves you because you are His spirit daughter. Sometimes we may not feel His love, but it is always there. God’s love is perfect.3 Our ability to sense that love is not. The Spirit plays a pivotal role in communicating God’s love to us.4 Yet the influence of the Holy Ghost can be obscured “by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, … [or] fear, … like trying to savor the delicate flavor of a grape while eating a jalapeño pepper. … [One flavor] completely overpowers the other.”5 So too, behaviors that distance us from the Holy Ghost, including sin,6 make it difficult for us to perceive God’s love for us. Similarly, our sense of God’s love may be blunted by challenging circumstances and physical or mental illness, among other things. In all these cases, the counsel of trusted leaders or professionals can often be beneficial. We can also try to improve our receptivity to God’s love by asking ourselves, “Is my love for God constant, or do I love Him when I have good days but not so much when I have bad days?” The second truth is that we have heavenly parents, a father and a mother.7 The doctrine of a Heavenly Mother comes by revelation and is a distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints. President Dallin H. Oaks explained the importance of this truth: “Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.”8 Very little has been revealed about Mother in Heaven, but what we do know is summarized in a gospel topic found in our Gospel Library application.9 Once you have read what is there, you will know everything that I know about the subject. I wish I knew more. You too may still have questions and want to find more answers. Seeking greater understanding is an important part of our spiritual development, but please be cautious. Reason cannot replace revelation. Speculation will not lead to greater spiritual knowledge, but it can lead us to deception or divert our focus from what has been revealed.10 For example, the Savior taught His disciples, “Always pray unto the Father in my name.”11 We follow this pattern and direct our worship to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ and do not pray to Heavenly Mother.12 General Conference Saturday Womens Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Covenants with God Strengthen, Protect, and Prepare Us for Eternal Glory By Jean B. Bingham Relief Society General President As we choose to make covenants and keep them, we will be blessed with more happiness in this life and a glorious eternal life to come. Sisters, what a joy to gather in a worldwide sisterhood! As women who make and keep covenants with God, we share spiritual bonds that help us meet the challenges of our day and prepare us for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And keeping those covenants allows us to be women of influence who can draw others to the Savior. Those who have been baptized covenanted on that never-to-be-forgotten day to take Jesus Christ’s name upon them, to always remember Him, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him to the end. When we do these things, Heavenly Father promises to forgive our sins and give us the companionship of the Holy Ghost. These blessings start us on the path that, if we press forward and endure to the end, will allow us to live with Him and His Son in the celestial kingdom. Every baptized person has the promise of these privileges if she or he keeps the covenant made that special day. Those who make further covenants in the temple receive powerful promises conditioned on personal faithfulness. We solemnly promise to obey God’s commandments, live the gospel of Jesus Christ, be morally pure, and dedicate our time and talents to the Lord. In return, God promises blessings in this life and the opportunity to return to Him.1 In that process, we are given, or endowed with, the power to discern between truth and error, between right and wrong, amid the confusing and negative voices that bombard us. What a powerful gift! In preparation for my first trip to the temple, my mother and experienced Relief Society sisters helped me select the items I would need, including beautiful ceremonial clothing. But the most important preparation came even before knowing what to wear. After interviewing me to determine if I was worthy, my bishop explained the covenants I would make. His careful explanation gave me the chance to think about and be prepared to make those covenants. When the day came, I participated with a feeling of gratitude and peace. Even though I did not understand the full significance of the covenants I made, I did know that I was bound to God through those covenants and was promised blessings I could scarcely comprehend if I kept them. Since that first experience, I have been continually assured that keeping the covenants we make with God allows us to draw upon the Savior’s power, which strengthens us in our inevitable trials, provides protection from the adversary’s influence, and prepares us for eternal glory. Life’s experiences can range from humorous to heart-wrenching, from grim to glorious. Each experience helps us understand more about our Father’s encompassing love and our capacity to change through the Savior’s gift of grace. Keeping our covenants allows the Savior’s power to cleanse us as we learn through experience—whether it is a minor misjudgment or a major failing. Our Redeemer is there to catch us when we fall if we turn to Him. Have you ever stood on a high cliff with your toes on its edge and your back to the abyss below? In rappelling, even though you are securely connected to a system of strong ropes and equipment that can deliver you to safety, standing on the edge is still heart-racing. Stepping backward off the cliff and swinging into thin air requires trust in an anchor secured to an immovable object. It demands trust in the person who will apply tension to the rope as you descend. And although the equipment provides you with some ability to control your descent, you must have confidence that your partner will not allow you to fall. General Conference Saturday Womens Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

General Conference Saturday Womens Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Do What Mattereth Most By Rebecca L. Craven Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency As we center our lives on Jesus Christ, we will be blessed with spiritual strength, contentment, and joy. Not long ago, a dear friend had an impression to visit a woman in her ward. She brushed off the prompting because she hardly knew her—it just didn’t make sense. But since the thought kept coming to her, she decided to act on the prompting. Because she was already feeling uncomfortable about the impending visit, she determined that taking something to the sister would help ease her anxiety. Certainly she couldn’t go empty-handed! So she bought a container of ice cream, and off she went to begin what she worried might be an awkward visit. She knocked on the woman’s door, and shortly the sister answered. My friend handed her the ice cream in a brown paper bag, and the conversation began. It didn’t take long for my friend to realize why the visit was needed. As they sat together on the front porch, the woman unveiled a host of challenges she was facing. After an hour of talking in the warm summer weather, my friend noticed the ice cream melting through the brown paper bag. She exclaimed, “I am so sorry that your ice cream melted!” The woman sweetly responded, “It’s OK! I’m lactose intolerant!” General Conference Saturday Womens Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Lessons at the Well By Susan H. Porter First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency We can turn to the Savior for the strength and healing that will enable us to do all that we were sent here to do. What a joy it is to be gathered with each of you in this women’s session of general conference! I grew up in western New York and attended a small branch of the Church about 20 miles (32 km) from our home. As I sat in Sunday School class in the basement of our old rented chapel with only my friend Patti Jo, I never could have imagined being part of a global sisterhood of millions of women. Five years ago my husband, Bruce, became seriously ill when we were serving with the consecrated Saints in the Europe East Area. We returned home, and he passed away only a few weeks later. My life changed overnight. I was grieving and felt weak and vulnerable. I pled with the Lord to direct my path: “What would Thou have me do?” A few weeks later, I was going through my mail when a small picture in a catalog caught my eye. As I looked closer, I realized it was an artist’s rendition of the Samaritan woman with Jesus at the well. At that moment the Spirit spoke clearly to me: “That is what you are supposed to do.” A loving Heavenly Father was inviting me to come to the Savior and learn. I would like to share with you three lessons I am learning as I continue to drink from His well of “living water.”1 First: Our Past and Present Circumstances Do Not Determine Our Future Sisters, I know that many of you feel as I did, unsure how to face difficult challenges and loss—loss because your life is not unfolding in the way you had hoped for, prayed for, and planned for. No matter our circumstances, our lives are sacred and have meaning and purpose. Each of us is a beloved daughter of God, born with divinity in our souls. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, through His atoning sacrifice, made it possible for us to be cleansed and healed, enabling us to fulfill our purpose on earth regardless of decisions of family members, our marital status, physical or mental health, or any other situation. Consider the woman at the well. What was her life like? Jesus perceived that she had had five husbands and was currently not married to the man she was living with. And yet, despite her life’s difficulties, one of the Savior’s first public declarations that He was the Messiah was to her. He said, “I that speak unto thee am he.”2 She became a powerful witness, declaring to those in her city that Jesus was the Christ. “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman.”3 Her past and present circumstances did not determine her future. Like her, we can choose to turn to the Savior today for the strength and healing that will enable us to fulfill all that we were sent here to do. Second: The Power Is in Us In a familiar verse in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord encourages women and men to be “anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them.”4 Sisters, the power is in us to bring to pass much righteousness! President Russell M. Nelson testified, “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God.”5 I have come to know that as we strive to honor sacred covenants made at baptism and in holy temples, the Lord will bless us “with His healing, strengthening power” and with “spiritual insights and awakenings [we’ve] never had before.”6 General Conference Saturday Womens Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

Introductory Message By President Dallin H. Oaks First Counselor in the First Presidency We honor the daughters of God in this special session by concentrating on their concerns and those of their organizations. My dear sisters, as we begin this unique women’s session of general conference, I am pleased to deliver this introductory message from the First Presidency. Our Saturday sessions have a history of different purposes and different audiences. This evening we add to that history as we embark upon a new purpose and procedure for the foreseeable future. The gospel of Jesus Christ does not change. Gospel doctrine does not change. Our personal covenants do not change. But over the years, the meetings we hold to communicate our messages do change and very likely will continue to change over the years. For now, this Saturday evening meeting is a session of general conference, not a session of any organization. Like all sessions of general conference, the planning, speakers, and music are designated by the First Presidency. We have asked President Jean B. Bingham, General President of the Relief Society, to conduct this session. Future Saturday evening sessions may be conducted by one of the other General Officers of the Church, such as members of the General Presidencies of Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary, designated by the First Presidency. Tonight this Saturday evening session of general conference will concentrate on the concerns of Latter-day Saint women. This will include the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the policies of the Church that relate specially to women, and the general responsibilities and work of the organizations that include the women and girls of the Church. Though this session is deliberately broadcast to a worldwide audience like all sessions of general conference, the audience invited to be present in the Conference Center for this session is women and girls age 12 and older. We have included some priesthood leaders who preside over the participating organizations. What we are initiating here is responsive to the communication resources currently available to the Lord’s worldwide Church leadership and membership. The doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone, so that is our principal motive and extent of dissemination. We honor the daughters of God in this special session by concentrating on their concerns and those of their organizations. We are grateful that broadcast technology now gives Church leaders the capacity to conduct detailed training by addressing specific audiences in the field. We also welcome the fact that current travel opportunities are increasing. That allows us to send Church leaders to conduct needed regular face-to-face leadership training in the field. This is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are His servants, directed by His Holy Spirit. We invoke the blessings of our Lord upon the leaders of these organizations and upon the faithful women and girls who serve the Lord in these organizations and in their individual lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Conversion to the Will of God By Elder Quentin L. Cook Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Our personal conversion includes the responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. I am grateful for President Russell M. Nelson’s powerful prophetic call to missionary service and President M. Russell Ballard’s and Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis’s inspiring missionary messages today. A missionary assignment to Great Britain late last year allowed me to reflect on the precious spiritual events that were foundational to my decision to serve as a missionary.1 When I was 15 years old, my beloved older brother, Joe, was 20—the age of eligibility then to serve a mission. In the United States, because of the Korean conflict, very few were allowed to serve. Only one could be called from each ward per year.2 It was a surprise when our bishop asked Joe to explore this possibility with our father. Joe had been preparing applications for medical school. Our father, who was not active in the Church, had made financial preparations to help him and was not in favor of Joe going on a mission. Dad suggested that Joe could do more good by going to medical school. This was a huge issue in our family. In a remarkable discussion with my wise and exemplary older brother, we concluded that his decision on whether to serve a mission and delay his education depended on three questions: (1) Is Jesus Christ divine? (2) Is the Book of Mormon the word of God? and (3) Is Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration? If the answer to these questions was yes, it was clear that Joe could do more good taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world than becoming a doctor at an earlier date.3 That night I prayed fervently and with real intent. The Spirit, in an undeniably powerful way, confirmed to me that the answer to all three of these questions was yes. This was a seminal event for me. I realized that every decision I would make for the rest of my life would be influenced by these truths. I also knew that I would serve a mission if given the opportunity. Over a lifetime of service and spiritual experiences, I have come to understand that true conversion is the result of the conscious acceptance of the will of God and that we can be guided in our actions by the Holy Ghost. I already had a testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ as Savior of the world. That night I received a spiritual testimony of the Book of Mormon4 and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith Was an Instrument in the Lord’s Hands Your testimony will be strengthened when you know in your heart through your prayers that the Prophet Joseph Smith was an instrument in the Lord’s hands. During the past eight years, one of my assignments in the Twelve Apostles was to review and read all the remarkable Joseph Smith papers and documents and the research that led to the publication of the Saints volumes.5 My testimony and admiration of the Prophet Joseph Smith have been greatly strengthened and enhanced after reading the inspiring details of his life and foreordained prophetic ministry. Joseph’s translation of the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God was foundational to the Restoration.6 The Book of Mormon is internally consistent, beautifully written, and contains the answers to life’s great questions. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. I testify that Joseph Smith was righteous, full of faith, and an instrument in the Lord’s hands in bringing forth the Book of Mormon. The revelations and events recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants provide the keys, ordinances, and covenants necessary for salvation and exaltation. They not only set forth the essentials required to establish the Church but also provide profound doctrine that allows us to understand the purpose of life and gives us an eternal perspective. General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration

“Then Will I Make Weak Things Become Strong” By Elder Kevin S. Hamilton Of the Seventy As we humble ourselves and exercise faith in Jesus Christ, the grace of Christ and His infinite atoning sacrifice make it possible to change. President Thomas S. Monson once shared the story of prison warden Clinton Duffy. “During the 1940s and 1950s, [Warden Duffy] was well known for his efforts to rehabilitate the men in his prison. Said one critic, ‘You should know that leopards don’t change their spots!’ “Replied Warden Duffy, ‘You should know I don’t work with leopards. I work with men, and men change every day.’”1 One of Satan’s greatest lies is that men and women cannot change. This untruth gets told and retold in many different ways as the world says that we simply cannot change—or worse yet, that we should not change. We are taught that our circumstances define us. We should “embrace who we really are,” the world says, “and be authentic to our true selves.” We Can Change While it is indeed good to be authentic, we should be authentic to our real, true selves as sons and daughters of God with a divine nature and destiny to become like Him.2 If our goal is to be authentic to this divine nature and destiny, then we will all need to change. The scriptural word for change is repentance. “Too many people,” President Russell M. Nelson teaches, “consider repentance as punishment—something to be avoided except in the most serious circumstances. … When Jesus asks you and me to ‘repent,’ He is inviting us to change.”3 God’s Conditions Computer software developers use conditional statements to tell computers what to do. These are sometimes referred to as if-then statements. As in, if x is true, then do y. The Lord also operates through conditions: conditions of faith, conditions of righteousness, conditions of repentance. There are many examples of conditional statements from God such as: “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end [then] you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”4 Or “if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, [then] he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”5 Even God’s love, although infinite and perfect, is also subject to conditions.6 For example: “If ye keep my commandments, [then] ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”7 Elder D. Todd Christofferson further expounded on this gospel truth when he taught: “Some are wont to say, ‘The Savior loves me just as I am,’ and that is certainly true. But He cannot take any of us into His kingdom just as we are, ‘for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence’ [Moses 6:57]. Our sins must first be resolved.”8 Weak Things Can Become Strong The blessing of receiving God’s power to help us change is also conditional. The Savior, speaking through the prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon, taught: “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”9 Looking more closely at what the Lord is teaching us here, we see that He first says that He gives men and women weakness, singular, which is part of our mortal experience as fallen or carnal beings. We have become natural men and women because of the Fall of Adam. But through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can overcome our weakness, or our fallen natures. He then says that His grace is sufficient and that if we will humble ourselves and have faith in Him, then He will “make weak things [plural] become strong unto [us].” In other words, as we first change our fallen natures, our weakness, then we will be able to change our behaviors, our weaknesses. General Conference Saturday Afternoon Session April 2022 Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” 🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200 😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com ⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/maps/meetinghouses/ 📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/requests/free-book-of-mormon 📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-holy-bible ⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/mormonism-basics--faq 👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/ #GeneralConferenceApril2022 #FaithToAct #Christian #BookofMormon #ComeUntoChrist #HeLives #HearHim #TheRestoration