[MUSIC PLAYING]

[PIANO AND STRING MUSIC PLAYING]

[SINGING IN SPANISH]

Welcome to this worldwide devotional for young adults.

We are very happy to be in Mexico City and speaking Spanish for the audience in attendance here at the Banamex Convention Center.

I am Chad Webb, administrator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion.

Thank you for joining us, wherever you are in the world, in this wonderful devotional with Elder Ulisses and Sister Rosanna Soares

as our speakers.

Elder Soares is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

We love them and look forward to their messages.

We would also like to recognize Elder Hugo Montoya and Elder John Douglas of the Mexico Area Presidency and their wives in the audience with us today.

I would like to also recognize my dear wife, Kristi, on the stage with us.

My wife and I are very grateful for Elder Soares's invitation to participate in this devotional with he and his wife.

We would like to thank those who performed the opening musical number, “Praise to the Lord Almighty.”

Alex Melecio was the vocal soloist.

He was accompanied by Kendra Low on the piano,

Edilberto Vela Garcia playing the violin, and Sonia Maria del Carmen Bernal Lopez playing the cello.

We truly appreciate their talents and willingness to participate in this special broadcast.

We would like to now invite Brother Rafael Trejo Alonso to give the opening prayer for this devotional. Brother Trejo.

Our dear Heavenly Father, on this wonderful afternoon,

Thy children, we are very grateful to Thee, because we know of Thy care for us and Thy great love and mercy,

and for Elder Soares to share Thy words with us.

We are thankful to Thee for this opportunity to hear Thy voice through Thy servants. And we beg, ask to Thee to open our hearts and our minds,

that we may know Thy will for us.

Bless our hearts that we may continue to feel

peace for the future. We would like to know Thy will for us. Please bless Elder Soares and his wife, that they may feel Thy Spirit, and the words that come out of their mouths are the ones that we need. We thank Thee, and we say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

We are very pleased to have Elder and Sister Soares with us in this devotional.

Elder Ulisses Soares was called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in March 2018.

On a personal note, over the past few years, I have had the privilege of observing Elder Soares serving in his sacred calling. He is kind and gentle and always focuses on people over tasks.

I have heard others refer to him as being like Nathaniel, one of the original apostles, who Jesus said was a man without guile.

Elder Soares loves the Lord and is a faithful disciple of the Savior.

But more than that, he has been called as a special witness of Jesus Christ in all the world.

I am so excited for all of us to learn from him and from Sister Soares.

Before we hear from Elder Soares,

we will be pleased to hear a musical number from our talented soloists.

They will perform “Where Can I Turn for Peace?”

After Elder Soares’s concluding comments, the congregation will sing “Our Savior’s Love.”

We will be led by the singing by Sister Lynette Sanchez Gutierrez and Monica Carrion,

conductor. Sister Meli Annelise Ordonez will offer the closing prayer.

[PIANO AND STRINGS MUSIC PLAYING]

[SINGING IN SPANISH]

Young adults from all over the world,

It is a great blessing and a privilege for all of us to be with you in this worldwide CES young adult devotional.

We are also delighted to have with us tonight Brother Chad Webb,

who is accompanied by his dear wife, Kristi.

Brother and Sister Webb are faithful disciples of Christ

and wonderful examples of devotion and love in every aspect of their lives.

We are so thrilled for your presence today in this devotional.

Your attendance shows much about your faith in God and in Jesus Christ, and your desire to feel of Their love and follow Them.

As you decide to follow and worship Them, your life can be filled with an extra measure of strength and spiritual resilience that are much needed in our journey as His disciples in our day. We love you all.

I bring all of you the enthusiastic and warm greetings and love of our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, his counselors in the First Presidency, and the entire Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

They truly love and care about you and pray for your well-being constantly.

I hope that you will feel of their love, and especially God's and Christ's love during our devotional today.

I really enjoyed the inspired song performed a minute ago.

The inspired lyrics of this beloved hymn truly set the tone for our devotional tonight,

and they provide an answer to one of our heart’s most poignant pleas:

Where can I turn for peace? Where in my need to know, where can I run?

Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish? Who? Who can understand? He, only one. Constant He is and kind, Love without end.

In the lobby of the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City,

there is a beautiful painting of Jesus Christ with His arms outstretched among His disciples. The Savior spent His life on earth inviting people to come unto Him,

and He compassionately assured them that once they came, they could find rest for their souls.

Jesus Christ stands at the gates of our daily lives with open arms,

and He beckons to us, saying, I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.

Even if we’re stumbling or staggering, we can fall into His open arms,

feel of His perfect love,

and know that the space between His arms has been consecrated through His loving, atoning sacrifice as a place for us.

What a marvelous way to find peace in this very distressing world.

Well, in the spirit of finding peace through the Savior,

we invited institute students from all over the world to share their major concerns and questions with us.

They recorded their questions in short video clips

and then they sent them to us.

We were deeply impressed and touched by the genuine goodness expressed through these questions.

We could deeply feel of your desire to draw near to the Savior and become His devoted disciples.

We group these short videos by topic as follows: one,

strengthening our testimony; two, enduring trials; three,

following God’s plan for us; four,

preparing to enter and worship in the temple; and five,

focusing our lives on Jesus Christ.

We will show you selected videos of your questions to give you some context and as an introduction to each topic in our discussion tonight.

Brother and Sister Webb will join us as we address some of these topics,

sharing their wisdom and their outstanding testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you very much.

We love all of you, and the questions you sent us tell us how much you love our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Well, let’s begin with the first topic,

strengthening our testimony.

Elder Soares, my question is, How can we recognize when we are becoming spiritually asleep and how can we escape this?

Elder Soares, what counsel will you give to the young people who live the gospel, know that is true in their minds, but do not feel it in their hearts?

Hello, Elder Soares, my question is, What is the best way to help loved ones return to the gospel path after they had been inactive for many years?

My dear friends, a true testimony of the gospel is a personal witness,

borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost, that certain facts of eternal significance are true.

This personal witness creates

a growing desire in us to turn our hearts to the Savior,

and faith and repentance, experience a change of heart,

receive the ordinances of salvation,

and covenant to continuously follow Him throughout our mortal journey.

It brings the light of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ into our lives, and focuses all of us toward the same goal of returning to our Father in Heaven.

A strong testimony becomes our motivation to do better in this life

and an impenetrable bulwark that protects us from Satan's unrelenting attacks.

The Savior has established the way for us to strengthen our testimony and to avoid weakening and falling into the trap of spiritual apathy.

He said, learn of me and listen to my words.

Walk in the meekness of my spirit.

And you shall have peace in me.

The Lord Himself promised that He would direct our paths if we would accept this invitation.

Some years ago, our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson,

taught about the need to ignite our spiritual momentum. He said,

We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now.

To counteract the speed with which evil and darker signs of the times are intensifying,

he suggested five specific things that we can do and that will help us maintain positive spiritual momentum

and consequently can impact our testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here they are: One, get on the covenant path and stay there. Two,

discover the joy of daily repentance. Three, learn about God and how He works.

Four, seek for and expect miracles,

and finally, end conflict in your personal life.

My dear friends, as prophets always do,

their teachings are followed by promises.

As you act on these pursuits,

I promise you the ability to move forward on the covenant path with increased momentum despite whatever obstacles you face. And I promise you greater strength to resist temptation,

more peace of mind, freedom from fear, and greater unity in your families.

That's what the prophet said.

My friends, faith is demonstrated by action,

and action builds upon and strengthens our testimony.

As we act in faith on the things taught by our dear prophet,

our testimony of the Savior and of His gospel will be strengthened.

We will keep Christ alive in us, and we

will live our lives rooted and built up in Him

and established in the faith, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Furthermore, you will have more enthusiasm for the gospel, will feel the influence of the Holy Ghost more frequently in your lives,

and will become more spiritually resilient

and protected against spiritual apathy and a weakening testimony.

Dear, do you have a word about helping others to return to the covenant path who have lost their testimony?

Yes, I believe and have always believed that the best way to help return a loved one to the path of the gospel is to love God and the person very much, and to be the best example you can be.

You can encourage them to come to know God and enjoy the Savior's perfect love without passing unrighteous judgment

or belittling them. The more we love God and obey His commandments,

the more we feel love for the person and desire that he or she enjoy the gospel blessings, no matter where they find themselves on the path of discipleship.

I think people have to feel very loved,

even if their decisions are taking them away from the covenant path.

Very good. Thank you. Let us now see the questions related to enduring trials.

Elder Soares, I would like to know why it’s always difficult when it comes to exercising faith in hard times.

Hello Elder Soares, my question is the following:

How would you help someone who has suffered so much in their life that it seems they have never received the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Elder Soares, in the Church, we have worthy young people who have been able to serve missions and who continue to serve both in the Church and in the community,

but notwithstanding their service,

they have not been able to see the promised blessings.

What would you say to those young people whose journey on earth has not been as blessed as they were promised it would be?

Thank you very much for those extraordinary questions.

Well, a very common misunderstanding among many of us is that if we strive with all our might to follow the Lord's will,

living a righteous life, nothing bad will happen to us.

When we accepted our Heavenly Father's plan prior to mortality,

we knew that we would experience joy as well as tests and trials during our journey through mortal life.

Going through these sometimes difficult circumstances is part of our learning process in order to qualify to return to our Heavenly Father’s presence.

So the truth is that we will face adversities in our life regardless of how righteous we are. On the other hand,

the consequences of good actions will certainly come,

but sometimes not right away.

These blessings may come at a different timetable than ours,

and according to the will of the Father, who in His wisdom and omniscience,

knows what we need and what is best for us in this life.

So one of the most important things we can do when we face adversity in mortal life is to turn our heart and trust to the Savior.

As we do so, we will not only find the comfort we seek,

but also gain an increased faith and testimony of the reality of the Savior and of His Atonement.

Christ suffered pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind so He could be filled with mercy and know how to succor us according to our infirmities.

The Savior can, better than anyone else,

heal the effects of any challenging circumstances of mortality.

On certain occasions we may not be immediately healed physically from our pain or sickness, but we can be spiritually healed

as we receive strength, understanding, and patience to bear the burdens that are placed upon us.

So as we turn our heart to our Savior, He will work wonders in our lives.

Another point to consider is that we can look at our trials and tests as opportunities to grow,

instead of allowing ourselves to feel weighed down by them.

I assure you, my friends, that acting in this manner can give us opportunities to show the Lord

and ourselves

that we can and will do all the things that the Lord has commanded us to do,

and to grow closer to the things of eternal worth,

despite our circumstances.

He knows that we can do hard things. He gives us a lot of power.

As taught by Elder Orson F. Whitney, one of the apostles of the Restoration,

No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience, is wasted.

It ministers to our education,

to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. And when we endure it patiently,

builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable,

more worthy to be called the children of God.

And it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.

My friends, developing patience helps us to look at life from an eternal perspective, and it becomes a healing influence on our soul.

By learning through our own experience, we can gain empathy and compassion for others

and can be of help in lifting them in their moments of difficulty.

Dear, do you want to comment on this important matter?

Yes, dear. There are people who react differently to the same challenges or constant suffering. Some of them think they are being refined in the hands of our Supreme Creator, who is our God.

Other ones think that the Lord has forgotten about them and always ask why.

Before these circumstances,

others act with patience and faith in Jesus Christ and are able to see and accept the will of the Lord to help them in order to spiritually heal their soul.

We are here on earth to learn and grow.

Little by little we will see the fruits of our efforts.

We just have to keep going and be patient.

It was never easy and that is why we have our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thank you dear. Very insightful comments, right?

Some of our challenges are results of the conditions of mortality

and they will not continue into the next life.

Today, we may not be able to adequately grasp all the reasons for our challenges or the opportunities they will give us to grow. As we patiently endure in righteousness, the Lord may reveal to us greater understanding about our trials and the purpose of them in our lives.

Well, our next topic is following God’s plan for me.

After listening to your questions, I would like to invite Brother Webb to share his thoughts about this topic. Is that all right?

Elder Soares, I would like to ask a question. When do you know for yourself that God was truly in the details of your life?

Elder Soares, how can I know if I'm living up to the expectations that Heavenly Father has for me and that He approves of the choices I make?

The first time I really felt that was when I received my patriarchal blessing.

This period helped me to know that the Lord knew me and wanted to help me in all aspects of my life.

Since then, there have been other countless times I have seen and felt that. Certainly as a missionary,

I saw His hand in my life and in the lives of so many people here in Mexico.

Before my mission, I was very shy and afraid to speak to other people.

During my mission, the Lord blessed me in amazing ways and it really changed the rest of my life. But my favorite example is how He helped me to meet Kristi. Just before we met, I applied for a job that I really, really wanted.

I was very disappointed when that didn't work out and remember praying a very ungrateful prayer telling the Lord that it wasn't fair.

I mistakenly thought that because I was trying to live the gospel,

He was supposed to give me what I wanted.

A few weeks later, a miracle happened,

and I was able to get another job. That job led me to meet Kristi.

It's a long story, but the reality is, if things had gone the way that I thought I wanted them to go with the first job, I never would have met her.

I can only imagine what Heavenly Father might have been thinking during my ungrateful prayer.

It was probably something like, Can you just be patient? I have a plan.

I have something so much better for you if you would just trust me.

I am so glad that He has been in charge of my life and not me.

I have learned that He is involved in the details of our lives, and that He can make so much more of our lives than we ever could without Him.

I can’t imagine my life without Kristi.

I am so glad He knew better than I did that I really and what I really needed.

What I have learned is that we can trust Him with all our hearts.

Thank you for your wonderful teaching, Brother Webb.

My dear friends, God indeed has a plan for us. His plan is eternal life.

I testify to you that as we exercise our agency and make decisions in righteousness, we determine how well

we are following God’s plan for us.

We have received many good questions related to one of President Russell M. Nelson’s favorite subjects,

preparing to enter and worship in the temple.

Brother and Sister Webb, would you please share your thoughts on this topic, too, after listening to these recorded questions?

Elder Soares, my question is, how can I prepare to go to the temple for the first time and receive my endowments?

Elder Soares, how do I know when I'm ready to receive my endowments?

Hello, Elder Soares, I have a question.

How can I make temple attendance more significant and a more central part of my life?

Well, that is such a wonderful and important question.

The first thing I would suggest is to prepare spiritually.

Learn to hear the voice of the Lord and respond to promptings.

Strive to be morally clean and avoid those things that would limit the Spirit in your life. If you have made mistakes, repent and become worthy to be in the Lord's house.

No matter where you have been in your life, the Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to you. Because of Him,

you can be worthy. He will help you.

Another suggestion is to talk about the temple with trusted family members, leaders, or friends. The temple is sacred, but not everything about it is confidential. And we can talk more about the temple than what we sometimes do.

And I think that can be helpful both before and after you attend for the first time. It’s great to have questions. That’s how we learn.

So take your questions to those people that you trust who love the temple and hold it sacred. Most of all, take your questions to the Lord.

Having questions is the best way for the Lord to teach us through revelation.

And the more that you attend the temple, the more He will teach you.

One last question or suggestion is to study. Learn all you can about the temple.

One great place to do this is ChurchofJesusChrist.org/temples, where you can learn more about the endowment, the temple garment, and especially learn about each of the covenants you will be making in the temple. That site is very helpful.

As part of your study, learn all you can about the symbolism of the temple.

For me, one of the best ways to prepare to understand the temple has been to learn about the ancient tabernacle described in the Old Testament.

The symbols in modern temples are different from ancient days,

but the principles and purposes are very similar and can help us prepare for our own temple experience.

Those who entered the ancient tabernacle first approach the altar where they offer sacrifices in similitude of the Savior's atoning sacrifice.

They were washed in the labor and anointed with oil and given sacred clothing.

Also in the tabernacle was a tent called the Holy Place,

where they held the menorah,

which symbolized living with the Spirit, or the Light of God.

The table of the shewbread and wine, similar symbols to the sacrament.

It also had the altar of incense representing prayer.

The last part of the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, which held the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat.

Only the High Priest could pass through the veil and enter the Holy of Holies,

and that was only one day a year, on the day of the Atonement.

The outer courtyard represented the telestial kingdom,

the holy place, the terrestrial kingdom, and the Holy of Holies, the celestial kingdom. The progression through the Tabernacle taught ancient Israel about the journey through mortality,

with the ultimate aim to enter the presence of God.

In what I think is one of the greatest symbols in the history of the world,

when Jesus was crucified,

there was an earthquake and the veil of Herod temples

was torn in half, symbolizing that now the Atonement was completed.

All have the opportunity to enter the celestial kingdom or the presence of God. Even the colors in the tabernacle, blue, purple, red, and white, can have symbolic meaning.

Blue is often thought

to represent heaven. Purple is an ancient symbol of royalty.

Red reminds us of the blood of Jesus Christ,

and white has often been used as a symbol of purity.

Put together on the curtains of the tabernacle and the robes of the priests. The priests, they can point our minds to the idea that

it is through heaven’s royal blood that we are made pure.

That is why we go to the temple,

to learn how to access the full power of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in our lives.

We learn that through temple covenants and ordinances and through the Savior, we can prepare to return to the presence of God, clean and pure.

In the temple, we learn about Adam and Eve and how they were cast out of the presence of God, and how they prepared to return to Him.

Through their story, we learn how we can prepare for that wonderful day.

President David O. McKay said that the temple is the step-by-step ascent into the eternal presence. If our young people could but glimpse it,

it would be the most powerful spiritual motivation of their lives.

So when you go to the temple, look for Jesus Christ and look for what you are learning about preparing to be in the presence of Heavenly Father and you will have a wonderful experience.

May I respond to the question, How do I know when I’m ready to receive my endowments?

For some reason, this question made me think of the prophet Abraham.

There came a time in Abraham's life when he felt an inspired desire for more spiritual light and knowledge.

He wanted to have a closer relationship with God and a greater capacity to serve Him.

In Abraham 1:2, he says, And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers.

—Abraham describes himself here as a follower of righteousness— desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God.

This is how I felt when I began to think about going to the temple and to receive my endowment.

I was already fully engaged in living the gospel.

I was learning so much from my scripture study,

and I was growing and serving joyfully in my ward.

But I felt a deep hunger to learn even more about Heavenly Father and His plan for me. This was more than curiosity. I felt a strong desire to learn how to draw closer to God and to become a more steadfast disciple of Jesus Christ.

I truly wanted to let God prevail more in my life.

My close friends and my bishop recognized that I was ready to make temple covenants and helped me to prepare to receive my own endowment.

Excellent. Thank you very much for your wonderful comments,

Brother and Sister Webb. My dear friends, like President Nelson taught,

individual worthiness to enter the Lord's house requires much individual spiritual preparation.

Individual worthiness requires a total conversion of mind and heart to be more like the Lord, to be a better example, and to be a holier person.

Therefore, if we righteously focus on our preparation to enter the temple,

we will change our experience in the temple,

which will transform our lives outside the temple.

All the wonderful questions that we have reviewed this evening

culminate in the most important topic that you brought to us for our devotional,

which is focusing our life on Jesus Christ. Videos, please.

Elder Soares, I have a question.

How can we, in such a troubled world, develop a greater trust in the Savior and better ready the light of Jesus Christ in this world?

Elder Soares, how can I draw close to the power of God and by so doing, improve my life and be able to help others?

Elder Soares, I would like to ask, How do we differentiate perfectionism from Christ’s invitations to be perfect like Him?

Thank you very much for your righteous desire to follow the Savior, expressed through these wonderful questions.

You need to know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, stands at the gates of our days with His merciful arms outstretched, ready, willing, and able to encircle us with His love.

He desires that we become like Him, that we think and act like He would,

because He knows that that is the way to have lasting peace and happiness.

Because of that, the Savior is always inviting us to draw near to Him and to follow Him wholeheartedly.

Consider this invitation as recorded in the scriptures:

Look unto me in every thought. Doubt not. Fear not.

As we embrace this invitation,

the Savior fulfills His remarkable promises, including walking in His light

and receiving personal guidance in our life.

Focusing our life on the Savior requires us to align our mind and our desires with His.

To accomplish this endeavor, we need to strive to learn more about Him,

conduct our lives in harmony with His gospel continuously,

and make a daily diligent effort to focus on everything that is good.

In our efforts to align our life with the Savior,

we may be confused about what it means to become perfect in Christ

and perfectionism. Dear, would you mind sharing a thought about that?

Yes. I would like to repeat what Elder Vern Stanfill from the Seventy taught about this matter.

He said that we have to remember that perfectionism is not the same as being perfected in Christ.

Perfectionism requires an impossible, self-inflicted standard that compares us to others.

This causes guilt and anxiety and can make us want to withdraw and isolate ourselves. Becoming perfected in Christ is another matter.

It is the process lovingly guided by the Holy Ghost

of becoming more like the Savior.

The standards are set by a kind and all-knowing Heavenly Father and clearly defined in the covenants we are invited to embrace.

As we accept the Savior’s invitation to come unto Him, we soon realize that our best is good enough, and that the grace of a loving Savior will make up the difference in ways we cannot imagine.

My friends, engaging in this pattern is, without a question, a gradual, lifelong process and requires more than a mere belief. But as we embrace it, we will experience joy, peace, and spiritual growth. And the Savior’s attributes can become part of our character,

And His image can become engraven upon our countenances.

I have seen firsthand how focusing our life on the Savior brings strength to overcome difficulties, weaknesses, and the pains of life,

which are extremely difficult to bear without His help and His healing power.

I have a friend who is currently experiencing a serious illness and the prognosis is not positive. This friend is not troubled by this prospect.

Her only desire is to know if she has been brave and valiant in her testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ in her life.

It is obvious to me that this friend has focused her life on the Savior

and has felt

His outstretched arms, embracing her,

especially during such a troubling time in her life. President Nelson taught,

It requires a conscious and constant effort to fill our daily lives with the Savior’s words, His teachings, and His truths.

Nothing invites the Spirit more than to focus our gaze on Jesus Christ.

Well, my dear friends, I think we're getting to the end of our wonderful experience together.

Before I share my concluding remarks, I would like to invite our dear Brother and Sister Webb, and then my dear wife, to share their brief testimonies. Can you do that? Thank you.

Brothers and sisters, I love our Savior Jesus Christ.

Coming to understand His perfect love for me changed my life. He changed me.

I testify that He lives. I testify that He loves each one of us.

I testify that He gave His life to redeem us.

His example of humility, obedience, and love inspires me daily.

He is teaching me how to trust and serve my Heavenly Father.

He is my light, my strength, and my hope. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

It is such a privilege for us to be with you tonight and to be with Elder and Sister Soares. I would like to add my testimony of Elder Soares’s calling as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I also know that President Nelson is the Lord’s prophet on the earth today.

I also add my testimony that Heavenly Father loves you.

He has a perfect plan of happiness to save and exalt His children.

Jesus Christ is a central figure of that perfect plan and is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. He is our perfect example,

He is the living Christ. He’s the God of deliverance.

We can trust Him with all our hearts.

I am so grateful to be a member of His Church and for all the blessings we have through His restored gospel.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

My dear friends, I am so grateful for a God that is involved in the little things of our lives.

He knows what we need and He has the answers to our questions.

All we need to do is ask.

As we show our patience, gratitude, and our faith to Him through sincere prayer, He is always right there,

ready to help us. He will never leave us. Even if we don’t feel Him there, He is always there. And what gives me the most hope is knowing that we have a Savior who leads His Church here on earth through President Nelson and His prophets, seers, and revelators. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Amen. Thank you, dear. My dear young adult friends from all over the world,

I want to testify to you that peace in this life is found only through Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

I witness to you that our confidence in Him will strengthen us to continue moving forward in life, despite the circumstances we go through.

Please remember always that coming unto Him gives us reason for firm hope and provides a solid anchor to our souls,

giving us a lasting inner peace and a sanctuary in a tumultuous and ever-changing world. I witness to you that His arms are wide open,

ready to encircle us in His love, even and especially when we may feel lost, forsaken, or left alone.

The sacred space between the Savior's arms is exactly the size and shape of our broken hearts, battered lives,

wounded souls, and weary minds,

especially made, specially catered to each one of us individually. Jesus

ever widens His welcome to encircle us in His eternal loving embrace.

I testify to you that He is always near, patiently waiting for us, forever willing to walk with us,

especially when we are weary and seeking relief from our burdens.

I invite you to diligently draw near to our Savior,

to find Him in your life and to feel the intensity of His love for you. By so doing, you will be able to fill your lives with His light and walk with Him. I promise you, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that if you don’t turn away from His outstretched loving arms, your soul will be filled with a fullness that will occupy the innermost chambers of your soul.

I promise you that as you earnestly seek the Savior,

His healing power can and will fill your soul with His peace, light,

understanding, courage, joy, and love.

I solemnly declare to you that Jesus Christ lives, and that His perfect love is extended to all who come unto Him.

This is His restored Church on earth in this last dispensation, in preparation for His Second Coming.

I also declare that God lives and loves us,

and that He sent us His Son to help us find hope, peace, and lasting joy.

I admire you. We respect you and we love all of you. And I say these things in the sacred name of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, amen.

[PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]

[SINGING IN SPANISH]

Heavenly Father, we are here this afternoon, so grateful for having the opportunity of listening to one of Your Apostles. Thank Thee, Heavenly Father, for the Spirit that we were able to feel, for the impressions that You left in our hearts.

We thank Thee, Father, for allowing us to know Your gospel and be part of it. Thank Thee, Father, for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for His Atonement, and thank Thee for the trust that you give us to do what is right.

We ask Thee that you will strengthen us, so that we will be able to go on with this Spirit. Help us, Father, to do always what is right, to trust more in You, so we will be able to listen to Your Spirit. Father,

please help us to be strong when we’re going through trials, and we ask Thee that You will bless your apostles, the prophet,

and that You will be able to give blessings to our lives, also, and we say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.