Church guide

Bonnie L. Oscarson Recently Released Young Women General President Each member should know how much he or she is needed. Each person has something important to contribute and has unique talents and abilities that help move this important work along. …[Y]oung women have covenant responsibilities “to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [they] may be in, even until death.” … Every young woman in the Church should feel valued, have opportunities to serve, and feel that she has something of worth to contribute to this work… There is usually a long list of situations that require someone to serve, and we often think only of the adults in the ward to meet those needs. … [O]ur young women can be called upon to provide service and minister to the needs of ward members with their mothers or other exemplary sisters. They are capable, eager, and willing to do so much more than merely attend church on Sundays!… To you, the young women of the Church, your teenage years can be busy and often challenging. We have noticed that many more of you are struggling with issues of self-worth, anxiety, high levels of stress, and perhaps even depression. Turning your thoughts outward, instead of dwelling on your own problems, may not resolve all of these issues, but service can often lighten your burdens and make your challenges seem less hard. One of the best ways to increase feelings of self-worth is to show, through our concern and service to others, that we have much of worth to contribute. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/young-women-in-the-work?lang=eng

Elder David F. Evans, Of the Seventy I often discussed my questions with my mother. I am sure that she could sense that many of my questions were sincere and from my heart. I think she was a little disappointed in those questions that were less sincere and more argumentative. However, she never put me down for having questions. She would listen and try to answer them. When she sensed that she had said all that she could and that I still had questions, she would say something like this: “David, that is a good question. While you are searching and reading and praying for the answer, why don’t you do the things you know you should and not do the things you know you should not?” This became the pattern for my search for truth. Through study, prayer, and keeping the commandments, I found that there are answers to all of my important questions. I also found that for some questions, continuing faith, patience, and revelation are needed. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/10/the-truth-of-all-things?lang=eng

President Henry B. Eyring First Counselor in the First Presidency As soon as we accept the Lord’s invitation “Walk with me,” the nature of our priesthood service changes. It becomes all at once higher and nobler but also more achievable, because we know that we are not alone. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/walk-with-me?lang=eng

. . . because Joseph was a prophet, we have witness upon witness, testimony upon testimony, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world. We have an unbroken chain of special witnesses of Jesus Christ, including our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson; the counselors in the First Presidency; and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Craig C. Christensen https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/a-choice-seer-will-i-raise-up?lang=eng

“Whatever our condition at the moment may be,” Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminds members of the increasingly diverse Church, “the body of Christ [the Church] is there to sustain each member Elder D. Todd Christofferson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHq1HCiDbCI

Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever. �Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. Call out like Alma, “O Jesus, … have mercy on me.” He will help you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix, and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek. “As you desire of me so it shall be done unto you,” the Lord has declared. “… Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously. … “… [Then] whatsoever you desire of me [in] righteousness, … you shall receive.” I love that doctrine! It says again and again that we are going to be blessed for our desire to do good, even as we actually strive to be so. And it reminds us that to qualify for those blessings, we must make certain we do not deny them to others: we are to deal justly, never unjustly, never unfairly; we are to walk humbly, never arrogantly, never pridefully; we are to judge righteously, never self-righteously, never unrighteously. . . . My brothers and sisters, the first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life. . . . If we give our heart to God, if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the gospel, then tomorrow—and every other day—is ultimately going to be magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why? Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth “that all things work together for good to them that love God.” So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting.Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today,tomorrow, and forever. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard?” Isaiah cried. “[God] giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. … “… They that wait upon [Him] shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. … “For … the Lord … God will hold [their] right hand, saying unto [them], Fear not; I will help thee.”

By reading many hundreds of our youth’s questions, . . . We learned that our youth love the Lord, sustain their leaders, and desire to have their questions answered! Questions are an indication of a further desire to learn, to add to those truths already in place in our testimonies, and to be better prepared to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.” The Restoration of the gospel began with a youth, Joseph Smith, asking a question. Many of the Savior’s teachings in His ministry began with a question. Remember His question to Peter: “Whom say ye that I am?” And Peter’s response: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We need to help each other find Heavenly Father’s answers through the guidance of the Spirit. [In a recent] broadcast I said to the youth: "The leaders of this Church are no strangers to your issues, to your concerns, and to your challenges. “We have children. We have grandchildren. We are often meeting with youth all over the world. And we’re praying for you, we’re talking about you in the most sacred places, and we love you.” . . . . I have had my own learning moments from our dear prophet, President Monson. There is no question in my mind or in my heart that he is the Lord’s prophet on the earth; I have been a humbled recipient as he has received revelation and acted upon it. He has been teaching us to reach out, to protect each other, to rescue one another. So it was taught at the Waters of Mormon. Those “desirous … to be called his people” were willing “to bear one another’s burdens,” “to mourn with those that mourn,” and “to stand as witnesses of God.” I stand today as a witness of God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know our Savior lives and loves us and directs His servants, you and me, to fulfill His mighty purposes on this earth. As we press forward, choosing to follow the counsel and the warnings of our leaders, we choose to follow the Lord while the world is going in another direction. We choose to hold fast to the iron rod, to be Latter-day Saints, to be on the Lord’s errand, and to be filled “with exceedingly great joy.” The growing question of today is clear: are you standing with the leaders of the Church in a darkening world so that you might spread the Light of Christ? . . . . Elder Ronald A. Rasband https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/standing-with-the-leaders-of-the-church?lang=eng

At a Young Women camp, a leader . . . “. . . taught us about ‘becoming.’ One of her statements was, ‘Be someone who reaches out to know and serve others—throw away the mirrors and look through the window.’ "I have come to know that it is the love of God and neighbor that gives meaning to life. May we follow our Savior’s example and His admonition to reach out to others with love." Sister Cheryl A. Esplin https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/he-asks-us-to-be-his-hands?lang=eng

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles answers four questions about prayer: How can I make daily prayer more meaningful? How do you have the Spirit with you when you pray? How often should we pray? What if we don’t get an answer to our prayers when we want it or need it? http://view.email.ldschurch.org/?j=fefa1677736006&m=fe8a1372756d06747d&ls=fe621670766006757613&l=ff2816747c6c&s=fe9b16717467027f70&jb=ff5f107871&ju=fec7127775670778&r=0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3TI4bYerU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73jY8xH_vhc#t=102

Watch the 2013 Christmas Devotional. https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/christmas-devotional/2013/12?cid=HPFR120613187&lang=eng

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfj0pkSNlAU&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlKetn7ZiNU&feature=g-all-u&context=G214e2ccFAAAAAAAAAAA