From the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah, this is the Saturday Morning Session of the 191st Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with speakers selected from the General Authorities and General Officers of the Church. Music for this session is provided by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square from previous general conferences. This broadcast is furnished as a public service by Bonneville Distribution. Any reproduction, recording, transcription, or other use of this program without written consent is prohibited. President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, will conduct this session.

[MUSIC PLAYING "THE MORNING BREAKS"]

Brothers and sisters, we welcome you to the Saturday Morning Session of the 191st Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We extend a warm welcome to members and friends participating in the conference wherever you may be throughout the world. President Russell M. Nelson, who presides at the conference, has asked me to conduct this session. Once again, we are gathered in the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah, due to the constraints associated with COVID-19.

But we are grateful for the technology that allows us to share messages of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. The music for this session will be provided by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

The selections have been previously recorded and will be under the direction of Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy, with various organists. The Choir opened this meeting with "The Morning Breaks" and will now favor us with "Arise, O God and Shine."

The invocation will then be offered by Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy, after which, the Choir will sing "Choose the Right." [MUSIC PLAYING "ARISE, O GOD, AND SHINE"] Our beloved Father in Heaven, at the beginning of this worldwide conference, we humbly bow our heads before Thee and give Thee thanks for our many blessings, Father. We love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and on this Easter weekend we especially thank Thee that we have received through His atoning sacrifice and Resurrection. We express our gratitude that Thou has opened the heavens in our days and that we have received Thy saving and exalting truths and powers for all people on both sides of the veil. We thank Thee that we are able to receive Thy word of prophesy and revelation. We are mindful as we gather of the great challenges of the world of strife and despair and contentions and pandemic disease. We ask, Heavenly Father, that Thou will help the peace and the love of our Savior, who can heal all things rest upon the nations. We pray that Thou wilt lift and comfort the hands that hang down. And now as we begin this conference, we ask that all those who attend and all those who speak and those in word that we will have Thy Spirit with us, strengthen us with greater resolve to let Thy will prevail in our lives and to forsake our sins that we may become the children Thou would have us be. We humbly say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

[MUSIC PLAYING: CHOOSE THE RIGHT] It will now be our privilege to hear from our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. He will be followed by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Sister Joy D. Jones, Primary General President, and Brother Jan E. Newman, Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, will then address us.

My dear brothers, sisters, and friends throughout the world, I offer my personal welcome to this general conference. We gather as a great global family desiring to worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining with us. This last year has been one for the record books. No doubt we have each learned things we did not know previously. Some lessons that I knew before have been written on my heart in new and instructive ways. For example, I know for sure that the Lord directs the affairs of His Church. He said, "I will show [you] ... that I am able to do mine own work." Often my counselors and I have watched through tear-brimmed eyes as He has interceded in extremely challenging circumstances after we had done our best and could do no more. We do indeed stand all amazed.

I also understand better now what He meant when He said, "Behold, I will hasten my work in its time." Over and over again I have rejoiced as He has directed and executed the hastening of His work--even during a global pandemic.

My dear brothers and sisters, the strength of the Church lies in the efforts and ever-growing testimonies of its members. Testimonies are best cultivated in the home. During this past year, many of you have dramatically increased the study of the gospel in your homes. I thank you, and your children will thank you. The huge project to renovate the Salt Lake Temple continues. From my office, I have a front-row seat to watch the work taking place on the temple plaza. As I have watched workers dig out old tree roots, plumbing, wiring, and a leaky fountain, I have thought about the need for each of us to remove, with the Savior's help, the old debris in our lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of repentance. Because of the Savior's Atonement, His gospel provides an invitation to keep changing, growing, and becoming more pure. It is a gospel of hope, of healing, and of progress. Thus the gospel is a message of joy! Our spirits rejoice with every small step forward we take. Part of the gathering of Israel--and a very significant part--is the charge for us as a people to be worthy and willing to help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. As we listen to the messages that have been carefully prepared by our leaders under the direction of the Holy Ghost, I invite you to pray to identify the debris you should remove from your life so you can become more worthy.

I love you, my dear brothers and sisters, and testify that our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son know and love you individually. They stand ready to assist you in every step forward you take. Welcome to general conference and to the privilege of hearing the voice of the Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. My dear brothers and sisters, throughout the ages, God has spoken through His servants, the prophets. This morning, we have been privileged to hear the prophet of God speak to all the world. We love you, President Nelson, and I encourage everyone, everywhere to study and heed your words. Before I reached my 12th birthday, our family had been forced twice to flee our home and start over amid the chaos, fear, and uncertainties caused by war and political division. It was an anxious time for me, but it must have been terrifying for my beloved parents. My mother and father shared little of this burden with us four children. They bore the strain and suffering as best they could. The fear must have been oppressive, consuming their hours and dampening their hope. This time of bleakness after World War II left its mark upon the world. It left its mark upon me. Back then, in the solitude of my loneliest hours, I often wondered, "Is there any hope left in the world?"

As I pondered these questions, I thought about our young American missionaries who served among us during those years. They had left the safety of their homes half a world away and traveled to Germany--land of their recent enemies--to offer divine hope to our people. They came not to blame, lecture, or shame. They willingly gave of their young lives without thought of earthly gain, wanting only to help others find the joy and peace they had experienced. To me, these young men and women were perfect. I am sure they had flaws, but not to me. I will always think of them as being bigger than life--angels of light and glory, ministers of compassion, goodness, and truth. While the world was drowning in cynicism, bitterness, hatred, and fear, the example and teachings of these young people filled me with hope. The gospel message they offered transcended politics, history, grudges, grievances, and personal agendas. It gave divine answers to important questions we had during these difficult times. The message was that God lived and cared about us, even in these hours of turmoil, confusion, and chaos; that He actually appeared in our time to restore truth and light--His gospel and His Church; that He speaks to prophets again; that God is among us and is personally involved in our lives and actively guiding His children. It is astonishing what we can learn when we look a little closer at our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation and exaltation, the plan of happiness, for His children. When we feel insignificant, cast off, and forgotten, we learn that we may be assured that God has not forgotten us; in fact, that He offers to all His children, something unimaginable: to become "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." What does this mean? That we will live forever, receive a fulness of joy, and have the potential to "inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers." It is so humbling to know that this magnificent and supernal future is possible--not because of who we are but because of who God is. Knowing this, how could we ever murmur or remain embittered? How could we ever keep our eyes on the ground when the King of kings invites us to take flight into an unimaginable future of divine happiness?

Because of God's perfect love for us, and the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our sins--both great and small--can be blotted out and remembered no more. We can stand before Him pure, worthy, and sanctified. My heart overflows with gratitude for my Heavenly Father. I realize that He has not doomed His children to stumble through mortality without hope for a bright and eternal future. He has provided instructions that reveal the way back to Him. And at the center of it all is His Beloved Son Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. The Savior's infinite Atonement completely changes the way we may view our transgressions and imperfections. Instead of dwelling on them and feeling irredeemable, we can learn from them and feel hopeful. The cleansing gift of repentance allows us to leave our sins behind and emerge a new creature. Because of Jesus Christ, our failures do not have to define us; they can refine us. Like a musician rehearsing scales, we can see our missteps, flaws, and sins as opportunities for greater self-awareness, deeper and more honest love for others, and refinement through repentance. If we repent, mistakes do not disqualify us; they are part of our progress. We are all infants compared to the beings of glory and grandeur we are designed to become. No mortal being advances from crawling to walking to running without frequent stumbles, bumps, and bruises. That is how we learn. If we earnestly keep practicing, always striving to keep God's commandments and committing our efforts to repenting, enduring, and applying what we learn, line upon line, we will gather light into our souls. And though we may not fully comprehend our full potential now, "We know that, when [the Savior] shall appear," we will see His countenance in us, "[and] shall see him as he is." What a glorious promise! Yes, the world is in turmoil. And yes, we have weaknesses. But we do not need to hang our head in despair, because we can trust God, we can trust His Son Jesus Christ, and we can accept the gift of the Spirit to guide us on this path toward a life filled with joy and divine happiness.

I often have wondered, what would Jesus teach and do if He were among us today? After the Resurrection, Jesus Christ fulfilled His promise to visit His "other sheep." The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ speaks of such an appearance to the people on the American continent. We have this precious record as a tangible witness of the Savior's work. The people of the Book of Mormon lived on the other side of the globe. Their histories, cultures, and political climates were vastly different from the people Jesus taught during His mortal ministry. And yet He taught them many of the same things He taught in the Holy Land. Why would He do that? The Savior always teaches timeless truths. They apply to people of every age and any circumstance. His message was and is a message of hope--a testimony that God our Heavenly Father has not abandoned His children, that God is among us! Two hundred years ago, the Savior again returned to Earth. Together with God the Father He appeared to a 14-year-old Joseph Smith and ushered in the Restoration of the gospel and Church of Jesus Christ. From that day forward, the heavens opened, and heavenly messengers descended from halls of immortal glory. Light and knowledge poured forth from the celestial throne. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke once again to the world. What did He say? To our blessing, many of His words are recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants--available to anyone in the world who wishes to read and study them. How priceless are these words to us today! And we should not be surprised to find that the Savior again teaches the core message of His gospel: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve Him." He inspires us to seek God and live by the teachings He has revealed to His servants, the prophets. He teaches us to love one another and to be, "full of charity towards all men." He invites us to be His hands, to go about doing good. "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." He challenges us to heed His great commission, to love, to share, to invite all to His gospel and His Church. He commands us to build holy temples and to enter and serve there. He teaches us to become His disciples. That our hearts should not strive for personal power, wealth, approval, or position. He teaches us to "lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better." He urges us to seek joy, enlightenment, peace, truth happiness, and the promise of immortality and eternal life. Let us take this a step further. Suppose Jesus came to your ward, branch, or to your home today. What would that be like? He would see right into your heart. Outward appearances would lose their importance. He would know you as you are. He would know your heart's desires. The meek and the humble He would lift. The sick He would heal. The doubting He would infuse with faith and courage to believe. He would teach us to open our hearts to God and reach out to others. He would recognize and honor honesty, humility, integrity, faithfulness, compassion, and charity. One look into His eyes and we would never be the same. We would be forever changed. Transformed by the profound realization that, indeed, God is among us. What Shall We Do? I look back with kindness on the young man I was during my growing-up years. If I could go back in time, I would comfort him and tell him to stay on the right track and keep searching. And I would ask him to invite Jesus Christ into his life, for God is among us! To you, my dear brothers and sisters, and to all who are searching for answers, truth, and happiness, I do offer the same counsel: Keep searching with faith and patience. Ask, and you will receive. Knock, and it will be opened unto you. Trust the Lord. In our daily life it is our paramount task and blessed opportunity to encounter God. As we set aside pride and approach His throne with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, He will draw near to us. As we seek to follow Jesus Christ and walk the path of discipleship, line upon line, the day will come that we will experience that unimaginable gift of receiving a fulness of joy. My beloved friends, your Heavenly Father loves you with a perfect love. He has proven His love in endless ways, but above all by giving His Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice and as a gift to His children to make the return to our heavenly parents a reality. I bear witness that our Heavenly Father lives, that Jesus Christ leads His Church, that President Russell M. Nelson is His prophet. I extend to you my love and blessing at this joyful Easter season. Open your heart to our Savior and Redeemer, no matter your circumstances, trials, suffering, or mistakes; you can know that He lives, that He loves you, and because of Him, you will never be alone. God is among us. Of this I bear witness in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have you ever wondered why we call Primary "Primary"? While the name refers to spiritual learning children receive in their earliest years, to me it is also a reminder of a powerful truth. To our Heavenly Father, children have never been secondary--they have always been primary. He trusts us to value, respect, and protect them as children of God. That means we never harm them physically, verbally, or emotionally in any way, even when tensions and pressures run high. Instead we value children and do all we can to combat the evils of abuse. Their care is primary to us--as it is to Him. One young mother and father sat at their kitchen table reviewing their day. From down the hall, they heard a thud. The mother asked, "What was that?" Then they heard a soft cry coming from their four-year-old son's bedroom. They rushed down the hall. There he was, lying on the floor next to his bed. The mother picked up the little boy and asked him what had happened. He said, "I fell out of bed." She said, "Why did you fall out of bed?" He shrugged and said, "I don't know. I guess I just didn't get far enough in." It is about this "getting far enough in" that I would like to speak this morning. It is our privilege and responsibility to help children "get far enough in" to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we cannot begin too soon. There is a uniquely special time in children's lives when they are protected from Satan's influence. It is a time when they are innocent and sin-free. It is a sacred time for parent and child. Children are to be taught by word and example before and after they have "arrived unto the years of accountability before God." President Henry B. Eyring taught: "We have the greatest opportunity with the young. The best time to teach is early, while children are still immune to the temptations of the mortal enemy, and long before the words of truth may be harder for them to hear in the noise of their personal struggles." Such teaching will help them realize their divine identity, their purpose, and the rich blessings that await them as they make sacred covenants and receive ordinances along the covenant path. We cannot wait for conversion to simply happen to our children. Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly. Being intentional in loving, teaching, and testifying can help children begin at a young age to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is essential to our children's testimony of and conversion to Jesus Christ; we desire them to "always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them." Consider the value of family conversations about the gospel of Jesus Christ--essential conversations that can invite the Spirit. When we have such conversations with our children, we help them create a foundation "which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if [they] build they cannot fall." When we strengthen a child, we strengthen the family. These vital discussions can lead children to understand the doctrine of repentance, have faith in Christ the Son of the living God, choose baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost when eight years old, and pray and walk uprightly before the Lord. The Savior urged, "Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children." And what did He want us to teach so freely? The Fall of Adam, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and being born again. Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, "Certainly the adversary is pleased when parents neglect to teach and train their children to have faith in Christ and be spiritually born again."

In contrast, the Savior would have us help children "put [their] trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good." To do so, we can assist children in recognizing when they are feeling the Spirit and in discerning what actions cause the Spirit to leave. Thus they learn to repent and return to the light through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This helps encourage spiritual resilience. We can have fun helping our children build spiritual resilience at any age. It doesn't have to be complicated or time intensive. Simple, caring conversations can lead children to know not only what they believe but, most important, why they believe it. Caring conversations, happening naturally and consistently, can lead to better understanding and answers. Let's not allow the convenience of electronic devices to keep us from teaching and listening to our children and looking into their eyes. Additional opportunities for essential conversations can occur through role-playing. Family members can act out situations of being tempted or pressured to make a bad choice. Such an exercise can fortify children to be prepared in a challenging setting. For example, we can act it out and then talk it out as we ask children what they would do If they are tempted to break the Word of Wisdom; if they are exposed to pornography; if they are tempted to lie, steal, or cheat; if they hear something from a friend or teacher at school that disputes their beliefs or values. As they act it out and then talk it out, rather than being caught unprepared in a hostile peer-group setting, children can be armed with "the shield of faith wherewith [they] shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." A close personal friend learned this crucial lesson early as an 18-year-old. He enlisted in the United States military during the conflict between the United States and Vietnam. He was assigned to basic training in the infantry to become a foot soldier. He explained that the training was grueling. He described his drill instructor as cruel and inhumane. One particular day, his squad was dressed in full battle gear, hiking in sweltering heat. The drill instructor suddenly shouted orders to drop to the ground and not move. The instructor was watching for even the slightest motion. Any movement would result in serious consequences later on. The squad suffered for more than two hours in the heat with growing anger and resentment toward their leader. Many months later, our friend found himself leading his squad through the jungles of Vietnam. This was real, not just training. Shots began to ring from high in the surrounding trees. The entire squad immediately dropped to the ground. What was the enemy looking for? Movement. Any motion at all would draw fire. My friend said that as he laid sweating and motionless on the jungle floor waiting for dark for several long hours, his thoughts reflected back on basic training. He remembered his intense dislike for his drill instructor. Now, he felt intense gratitude for what he had taught him and how he had prepared him for this critical situation. The drill instructor had wisely equipped our friend and his squad with the ability to know what to do when the battle was raging. He had, in effect, saved our friend's life. How can we do the same for our children spiritually? Long before they enter the battlefield of life, how can we more fully strive to teach, fortify, and prepare them? How can we invite them to "get far enough in"? Wouldn't we rather have them sweat in the safe learning environment of the home than bleed on the battlefields of life? As I look back, there were times when my husband and I felt like drill instructors in our earnestness to help our children live the gospel of Jesus Christ. The prophet Jacob seemed to voice these same feelings when he said: "I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been." As children learn and progress, their beliefs will be challenged. But as they are properly equipped, they can grow in faith, courage, and confidence--even in the midst of strong opposition. Alma taught us to "prepare the minds of [the] children." We are preparing the rising generation to be the future defenders of the faith, to understand "that [they] are free to act for [themselves]--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life." Children deserve to understand this great truth: eternity is the wrong thing to be wrong about. May our simple yet essential conversations with our children help them to "enjoy the words of eternal life" now so that they may enjoy "eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory." As we nurture and prepare our children, we allow for their agency, we love them with all our heart, we teach them God's commandments and His gift of repentance, and we never, ever give up on them. After all, isn't this the Lord's way with each of us? Let us press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, knowing that we can have "a perfect brightness of hope" through our loving Savior. I testify that He is always the answer. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. A few months ago, a former classmate from my hometown of Overton, Nevada, suggested we put together a Christmas gift for our beloved kindergarten teacher, who had recently celebrated her 98th birthday. She taught us to be kind, the importance of a good nap, the joy of milk and graham crackers, and to love one another. Thank you, Sister Davis, for being such a wonderful teacher. I had another exceptional teacher while attending Ricks College many years ago. I was preparing to serve a mission and thought it would be helpful to attend a missionary preparation class. What I experienced changed my life. From the first day of class, I realized I was in the presence of a master teacher. The teacher was Brother F. Melvin Hammond. I knew Brother Hammond loved the Lord and he loved me. I could see it in his face and hear it in his voice. When he taught, the Spirit enlightened my mind. He taught doctrine, but he also invited me to learn it on my own. That invitation helped me clearly see my responsibility to learn the Lord's doctrine for myself. That experience changed me forever. Thank you, Brother Hammond, for teaching in the Savior's way. Brothers and sisters, everyone deserves to have this kind of learning experience both at home and at church. The introduction to Come, Follow Me gives a vision of what Christlike teaching can accomplish. "The aim of all gospel learning and teaching," it says, "is to deepen our conversion to Jesus Christ and help us become more like Him. ... The kind of gospel learning that strengthens our faith and leads to the miracle of conversion doesn't happen all at once. It extends beyond the classroom into an individual's heart and home." The scriptures indicate that the Savior's ministry in ancient America was so impactful and widespread that "the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another." How can our teaching have a similar effect on those we love? How can we teach more like the Savior and help others become more deeply converted? Allow me to offer a few suggestions. First and foremost, take it upon yourself to learn all you can about the Master Teacher Himself. How did He show love for others? What did they feel when He taught? What did He teach? What were His expectations of those He taught? After you explore questions like these, evaluate and adjust your way of teaching to be more like His. The Church provides many teaching resources in the Gospel Library app and on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. One such resource is titled Teaching in the Savior's Way. I invite you to read and study its every word. Its principles will assist you in your efforts to be more Christlike in your teaching. My next suggestion can be illustrated with an experience I had a few months ago when I stopped by to visit a dear friend. I could hear his wife in the background speaking with someone, so I quickly excused myself so he could get back to his family. An hour or so later I received this text message from his sweet wife: "Brother Newman, thanks for coming over. We should have invited you in, but I want to share with you what we were doing. Since the pandemic, we have been discussing Come, Follow Me with our adult children every Sunday over Zoom. It has literally been working miracles. I think it is the first time our daughter has read the Book of Mormon on her own. Today was the last lesson on the Book of Mormon, and we were just finishing when you came by. ... I thought you would be interested to hear how Come, Follow Me, Zoom, and a pandemic have provided the opportunity at the right time to change a heart. It makes me wonder how many little miracles have been taking place during this odd time." This sounds to me like a fulfillment of the promise President Russell M. Nelson made in October 2018. He said that home-centered, Church-supported gospel learning "has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith. I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior's teachings. ... Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining." What a beautiful promise. To be truly life-changing, conversion to Jesus Christ must involve our whole soul and permeate every aspect of our lives. This is why it must be focused at the center of our lives: our families and homes. My final suggestion is to remember that conversion must come from within. As illustrated in the parable of the ten virgins, we cannot give someone else the oil of our conversion, as much as we might want to. As Elder David A. Bednar taught, "This precious oil is acquired one drop at a time ... patiently and persistently. No shortcut is available; no last-minute flurry of preparation is possible." Come, Follow Me is based on that truth. I compare it to the angel who helped Nephi learn about Jesus Christ by saying, "Look!" Like that angel, Come, Follow Me invites us to look in the scriptures and the words of the modern-day prophets in order to find the Savior and hear Him. Like Nephi, we will be personally tutored by the Spirit while reading and pondering the word of God. Come, Follow Me is the springboard that helps each of us to dive deeply into the living waters of the doctrine of Christ. A parent's responsibility is similar in many ways. Children inherit many things from their parents, but a testimony is not one of them. We can't give our children a testimony any more than we can make a seed grow. But we can provide a nourishing environment with good soil, free of thorns that would "choke the word." We can strive to create the ideal conditions so that our children--and others we love--can find place for the seed, "[hear] the word, and [understand] it," and discover for themselves "that the seed is good." Several years ago, my son Jack and I had the opportunity to play the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, where the game of golf began. It was simply amazing! Upon my return I tried to convey to others the magnitude of the experience. But I couldn't. Photos, videos, and my best descriptions were totally inadequate. I finally realized the only way for someone to know the grandeur of St. Andrews is to experience it--to see the vast fairways, breathe the air, feel the wind in their face, and hit a few errant shots into the cavernous bunkers and burly gorse bushes, which we did with great efficiency! So it is with the word of God. We can teach it, we can preach it, we can explain it. We can talk about it, we can describe it, we can even testify of it. But until a person feels the sacred word of God distill upon his or her soul like the dews from heaven through the power of the Spirit, it will be like looking at a postcard or someone else's vacation photos. You have to go there yourself. Conversion is a personal journey--a journey of gathering. Everyone who teaches in the home and at church can offer to others the opportunity to have their own spiritual experiences. Through these experiences, they will come to "know the truth of all things" for themselves. President Nelson taught, "If you have sincere questions about the gospel or the Church, as you choose to let God prevail, you will be led to find and understand the absolute, eternal truths that will guide your life and help you stay firmly on the covenant path." I invite leaders and teachers in every organization of the Church to counsel together with parents and youth in order to dramatically improve teaching at every level--in stakes, in wards, and in homes. This will be achieved by teaching the doctrine and inviting Spirit-filled discussion about the truths the Holy Ghost has taught us in the quiet moments of our personal study. My dear friends in Christ, the responsibility rests squarely upon each of us to follow the example of the Master Teacher and teach like Him. His way is the true way! As we follow Him, "when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure." In the name of He who is risen, the Master Teacher Himself, Jesus Christ, amen. We invite you, wherever you are, to join the choir in singing "High on the Mountain Top." Following the singing, we will hear from Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

This is the Saturday Morning Session of the 191st Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [MUSIC PLAYING: "HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN TOP"] Isn't it fascinating how significant scientific discoveries are sometimes inspired by events as simple as an apple falling from a tree? Today, let me share a discovery that happened because of a sample group of rabbits. In the 1970s, researchers set up an experiment to examine the effects of diet on heart health. Over several months, they fed a control group of rabbits a high-fat diet and monitored their blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. As expected, many of the rabbits showed a buildup, deposits on the inside of their arteries. Yet this was not all! Researchers had discovered something that made little sense. Although all of the rabbits had a buildup of fatty deposits, one group surprisingly had as much as 60 percent less than the others. It appeared as though they were looking at two different groups of rabbits. To scientists, results like this can cause lost sleep. How could this be? The rabbits were all the same breed from New Zealand, from a virtually identical gene pool. They each received equal amounts of the same food. What could this mean? Did the results invalidate the study? Were there flaws in the experiment design? The scientists struggled to understand this unexpected outcome! Eventually they turned their attention to the research staff. Was it possible that researchers had done something to influence the results? As they pursued this, they discovered that every rabbit with fewer fatty deposits had been under the care of one researcher. She fed her rabbits the same food as everyone else. But, as one scientist reported, "she was an unusually kind and caring individual." When she fed the rabbits, "she talked to them, cuddled, and petted them. ... She couldn't help it. It's just how she was." She did more than simply give the rabbits food; she gave them love. At first glance, it seemed unlikely that this could be the reason for the dramatic difference, but the research team could see no other possibility. So they repeated the experiment--this time tightly controlling for every other variable. When they analyzed the results, the same thing happened! The rabbits under the care of the loving researcher had significantly higher health outcomes. The scientists published the results of this study in the prestigious journal Science. Years later, the findings of this experiment still seem influential in the medical community. In recent years, Dr. Kelli Harding published a book titled The Rabbit Effect that takes its name from the experiment. Her conclusion: "Take a rabbit with an unhealthy lifestyle. Talk to it. Hold it. Give it affection. The relationship made a difference. ... Ultimately," she concludes, "what affects our health in the most meaningful ways has as much to do with how we treat one another, how we live, and how we think about what it means to be human." In a secular world, bridges connecting science with gospel truths sometimes seem few and far between. Yet as Christians--followers of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints--the results of this scientific study may seem more intuitive than astonishing. For me, this lays another brick in the foundation of kindness as a fundamental, healing gospel principle--one that can heal hearts emotionally, spiritually, and, as demonstrated here, even physically. When asked, "Master, which is the great commandment?" The Savior replied, "[to] love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," Followed by "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The Savior's response reinforces our heavenly duty. Ancient prophets commanded that "there should be no contention one with another, but that [we] should look forward ... having [our] hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." We are further taught that "power or influence... ought to be maintained ... by gentleness and meekness, ... by kindness, ... without guile." I believe this precept has a universal application to all Latter-day Saints: adults, youth, and children. With that in mind, let me speak directly to you who are Primary-age children for a moment. You already understand how important it is to be kind. The chorus of one of your Primary songs, "I'm trying to be like Jesus," teaches: "Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, For these are the things Jesus taught." Even still, you may sometimes have a hard time. Here is a story that might help you about a Primary boy named Minchan Kim from South Korea. His family joined the Church about six years ago. "One day at school, a few of my classmates were making fun of another student by calling him names. It looked like fun, so for a few weeks I joined in with them. Several weeks later, the boy told me even though he pretended he didn't care, he was hurt by our words, and he cried every night. I almost cried when he told me. I felt very sorry and wanted to help him. The next day, I went up to him and put my arm around his shoulder and apologized, saying, 'I'm really sorry that I made fun of you.' He nodded at my words, and his eyes filled up with tears. But the other kids were still making fun of him. Then I remembered what I learned in Primary class: choose the right. So I asked my classmates to stop. Most of them decided not to change, and they were mad at me. But one of the other boys said he was sorry, and the three of us became good friends. Even though a few people still made fun of him, he felt better because he had us. I chose the right by helping a friend in need." This is a good example for you to try to become like Jesus. Now, for young men and young women, as you grow older, making fun of others can evolve very dangerously. Anxiety, depression, and worse are often the companion of bullying. While bullying is not a new concept, social media and technology have brought bullying to a new level. It becomes a more constant, ever-present threat--cyber bullying. Clearly, the adversary is using this to hurt your generation. There is no place for this in your cyberspace, neighborhoods, schools, quorums, or classes. Please do all you can to make these places kinder and safer. If you passively observe or participate in any of this, I know of no better advice than that previously given by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it!" Did you hear that? Stop it! As you extend yourself with kindness, care, and compassion, even digitally, I promise that you will lift up arms that hang down and will heal hearts. Having spoken to Primary children and youth, I now direct my remarks to adults of the Church. We have a primary responsibility to set a tone and be role models of kindness, inclusion, and civility--to teach Christlike behavior to the rising generation in what we say and how we act. It is especially important as we observe a marked societal shift toward division in politics, social class, and nearly every other man-made distinction. President M. Russell Ballard has also taught that Latter-day Saints must not only be kind to each other but also to everyone around us. He observed: "Occasionally I hear of members offending those of other faiths by overlooking them and leaving them out. This can occur especially in communities where our members are the majority. I have heard about narrow-minded parents who tell children that they cannot play with a particular child in the neighborhood simply because his or her family does not belong to our Church. This kind of behavior is not in keeping with the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot comprehend why any member of our Church would allow these kinds of things to happen. ... I have never heard the members of this Church urged to be anything but loving, kind, tolerant, and benevolent to our friends and neighbors of other faiths." The Lord expects us to teach that inclusion is a positive means toward unity and that exclusion leads to division. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are dismayed when we hear of how children of God are mistreated based on their race. We have been heartbroken to hear of recent attacks on people who are Black, Asian, Latino, or of any other group. Prejudice, racial tension, or violence should never have any place in our neighborhoods, communities, or within the Church. Let each of us, no matter our age, strive to be our best. As you strive to extend yourself in love, respect, and kindness, you will undoubtedly be hurt or negatively affected by the bad choices of others. What do we do then? We follow the Lord's admonition to "love your enemies ... and pray for them which despitefully use you." We then do all we can to overcome the adversity that is placed in our path. We strive to endure to the end, all the time praying that the hand of the Lord will change our circumstances. We offer thanksgiving for those he places in our path to assist us. I am moved by an example of this from our early Church history. During the winter of 1838, Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were detained in Liberty Jail when the Latter-day Saints were forcibly driven from their homes in the state of Missouri. The Saints were destitute, friendless, and suffering greatly from the cold and lack of resources. The residents of Quincy, Illinois, saw their desperate plight and reached out in compassion and friendship. Wandle Mace, a resident of Quincy, later recalled when he first saw the Saints along the Mississippi in makeshift tents: "Some had sheets stretched to make a little shelter from the wind, ... the children were shivering around a fire which the wind blew about so it done them very little good. The poor Saints were suffering terribly." Seeing the plight of the Saints, Quincy residents rallied together to provide aid, some even assisting in transporting their new friends across the river. Mace continued: "[They] donated liberally, the merchants vying with each other as to which could be the most liberal... with ... pork, ... sugar, ... shoes and clothing, everything these poor outcasts so much needed." Before long, the refugees outnumbered the Quincy residents who opened their homes and shared their meager resources at great personal sacrifice. Many Saints survived the harsh winter only because of the compassion and generosity of the residents of Quincy. These earthly angels opened their hearts and homes, bringing lifesaving nourishment, warmth, and--perhaps most importantly--a hand of friendship to the suffering Saints. Although their stay in Quincy was relatively short, the Saints never forgot their debt of gratitude toward their beloved neighbors, and Quincy became known as "the city of refuge." When adversity and affliction is brought upon us by critical, negative, even mean-spirited acts, we can choose to hope in Christ. This hope comes from His invitation and promise to "be of good cheer, for I will lead you along" and that He will "consecrate [your] afflictions for [your] gain."

Let us conclude where we began: A compassionate caregiver, extending herself in kindness with a nurturing spirit, and an unexpected outcome: healing the hearts of animals over whom she had stewardship. Why? Because it was just how she was! As we look through a gospel lens, we recognize that we too are under the watchcare of a compassionate caregiver, who extends Himself in kindness and a nurturing spirit. The Good Shepherd knows each one of us by name and "has a personal interest in us." The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said, "I am the good Shepherd, and know my sheep, ... and I [will] lay down my life for the sheep." On this Holy Easter weekend, I find abiding peace in knowing that "the Lord is my shepherd" and that each of us is known by Him and under His kind watchcare. When we confront life's wind and rainstorms, sickness and injuries, the Lord--our Shepherd, our Caregiver--will nourish us with love and kindness. He will heal our hearts and restore our souls. Of this I testify--and of Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Redeemer--in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Dear brothers and sisters, although he passed away 20 years ago, there are times I miss my father. Easter promises I will see him again. When I was in graduate school in England, my father came to visit. His father's heart knew I missed home. My father loved adventure except in food. Even in France, noted for its cuisine, he would say, "Let's eat Chinese food." A long-serving patriarch in the Church, my father was spiritual and compassionate. One night as emergency vehicles with loud sirens raced through Paris, he said, "Gerrit, those cries are the wounds of a city." On that trip, I felt other cries and wounds. A young woman was selling ice cream from a small pushcart. Her wafer cones were just the size for a single scoop of ice cream. For some reason, a large man confronted the young woman. Yelling and pushing, he tipped over her cart, spilling her ice cream cones. There was nothing I could do as he crushed the cones with his boots. I can still see the young woman on her knees in the street trying to save broken wafer pieces, tears of anguish streaming down her face. Her image haunts me--a reminder of the unkindness, uncaring, misunderstanding we too often inflict on each other. On another afternoon, near Paris, my father and I visited the great cathedral at Chartres. Malcolm Miller, a world expert on the cathedral, pointed out three sets of Chartres stained-glass windows. He said they tell a story. The first windows show Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden. The second recount the parable of the good Samaritan. The third depict the Lord's Second Coming. Taken together, these stained-glass windows can describe our eternal journey. They invite us to welcome all with room in His inn. Like Adam and Eve, we come into a world of thorns and thistles. On our dusty roads to Jericho, we are beset upon, wounded, and left in pain. Though we should help each other, too often we pass to the other side of the road for whatever reason. However, with compassion, the good Samaritan stops and binds our wounds with wine and oil. Symbols of the sacrament and other ordinances, the wine and oil point us to spiritual healing in Jesus Christ. The good Samaritan puts us on His own donkey, or in some stained-glass accounts, carries us on His shoulders. He brings us to the inn, which can represent His Church. At the inn, the good Samaritan says, "Take care of him; ... when I come again, I will repay thee." The good Samaritan, a symbol of our Savior, promises to return, this time in majesty and glory. In this Easter season, Jesus Christ invites us to become, like Him, a good Samaritan, to make His inn (His Church) a refuge for all from life's bruises and storms. We prepare for His promised Second Coming as each day we do unto the "least of these" as we would unto Him. The "least of these" is each of us. As we come with the good Samaritan to the inn, we learn five things about Jesus Christ and ourselves. First, we come to the inn as we are, with the foibles and imperfections we each have. Yet, we all have something needed to contribute. Our journey to God is often found together. We belong as united community--whether confronting pandemics, storms, wildfires, droughts, or quietly meeting daily needs. We receive inspiration as we counsel together, listening to each person--including each sister--and to the Spirit. As our hearts change and we receive His image in our countenance, we see Him and ourselves in His church. In Him, we find clarity, not dissonance. In Him, we find cause to do good, reason to be good, and increasing capacity to become better. In Him, we discover abiding faith, liberating selflessness, caring change, and trust in God. In His inn, we find and deepen our personal relationship with God our Father and Jesus Christ. He trusts us to help make the inn the place He needs it to be. As we offer our talents and best efforts, His spiritual gifts also strengthen and bless. A Spanish language interpreter told me, "Elder Gong, I knew by the Spirit what you were going to say so I could translate," this faithful brother said, "by the gift of tongues." Gifts of faith and assurance come, manifest differently in different situations. One dear sister received spiritual comfort as her husband passed away from COVID-19. She said, "I know my dear husband and I will be together again." In a different COVID situation, another dear sister said, "I felt I should plead with the Lord and the doctors to give my husband just a little more time." Second, He entreats us to make His inn a place of grace and space where each can gather with room for all. As disciples of Jesus Christ, all are equal--with no second-class groups. All are welcome to attend sacrament meetings, other Sunday meetings, and social events. We reverently worship our Savior, thoughtful and considerate of each other. We see and acknowledge each person. We smile, sit with those sitting alone, learn names--including of new converts, returning brothers and sisters, young women and young men, each dear primary child. Imagining ourselves in their place, we welcome friends, visitors, new move-ins, busy individuals pulled in too many directions. We mourn, rejoice, and are there for each other. When we fall short of our ideals and are rushed, unaware, judgmental, or prejudiced, we seek each other's forgiveness and do better. A family from Africa now living in the United States said: "From the first day, Church members were friendly and welcoming. Everyone made us feel at home. No one looked down on us." The father said: "The Holy Bible teaches gospel fruits come from gospel roots. And the missionaries!" The father and mother said, "We want our son and daughter to grow up like those missionaries." Brothers and sisters, may we each warmly welcome all to His inn. Third, in His inn, we learn perfection is in Jesus Christ, not in the perfectionism of the world. Unreal and unrealistic, the world's "insta-perfect" filtered perfectionism can make us feel inadequate, captive to swipes, likes, or double taps. In contrast, our Savior, Jesus Christ, knows everything about us we don't want anyone else to know, and He still loves us. His is a gospel of second and third chances, made possible by His atoning sacrifice. He invites us each to be a good Samaritan, less judgmental and more forgiving of ourselves and of each other, even as we strive more fully to keep His commandments. We help ourselves as we help each other. A family I know lived near a busy road. Travelers often stopped to ask for help. Early one morning the family heard loud pounding on their door. Tired and worried who it could be at 2:00 a.m., they wondered if, just this once, someone else could help. As the insistent knocking continued, they heard, "Fire--there's a fire in the back of your house." good Samaritans help each other. Fourth, at His inn, we become part of a gospel community centered in Jesus Christ, anchored in restored truth, living prophets and apostles, and another testament of Jesus Christ--the Book of Mormon. He brings us to His inn and also to His house--the holy temple. The house of the Lord is a place where, as with the wounded man on the road to Jericho, the good Samaritan can cleanse and clothe us, prepare us to return to God's presence, and unite us eternally in God's family. His temples are open to all who live His gospel with faith and obedience. Temple rejoicing includes gospel unity amidst diverse heritages, cultures, languages, and generations. At the groundbreaking for the Taylorsville Utah Temple, 17-year-old Max Harker shared a legacy of family faith begun six generations earlier by his great-great-great-grandfather Joseph Harker and his wife, Susannah Sneath. In the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we can each become a strong link in our family generations. Finally, fifth, we rejoice that God loves His children in our different backgrounds and circumstances, in every nation, kindred, and tongue, with room for all in His inn. Over the past 40 years, Church members have become increasingly international. Since 1998, more Church members have lived outside than inside the United States and Canada. By 2025, we anticipate as many Church members may live in Latin America as in the United States and Canada. The gathering of father Lehi's faithful descendants is fulfilling prophecy. Faithful Saints, including in the pioneer corridor, remain a reservoir of devotion and service for the worldwide Church. Also, the majority of adult Church members are now unmarried, widowed, or divorced. This is a significant change. It includes more than half our Relief Society sisters and more than half our adult priesthood brothers. This demographic pattern has been the case in the worldwide Church since 1992 and in the Church in the United States and Canada since 2019. Our standing before the Lord and in His Church is not a matter of our marital status but of our becoming faithful and valiant disciples of Jesus Christ. Adults want to be seen as adults and to be responsible and contribute as adults. Disciples of Jesus Christ come from everywhere, in every shape, size, hue, age--each with talents, righteous desires, talents, and immense capacities to bless and serve. We seek daily to follow Jesus Christ with faith unto repentance and enduring joy. During this life, we sometimes wait upon the Lord. We may not yet be where we hope and wish to be in the future. A devout sister says, "Waiting faithfully upon the Lord for His blessings is a holy position. It must not be met with pity, patronizing, or judgment but instead with sacred honor." In the meantime, we live now, not waiting for life to begin. Isaiah promises: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Our good Samaritan promises to return. Miracles occur when we care for each other as He would. When we come with broken hearts and contrite spirits, we can find voice in Jesus Christ, encircled in His understanding arms of safety. Sacred ordinances offer covenant belonging and the power of godliness to sanctify inner intent and outward action. As we create room in His inn, welcoming all, our Good Samaritan can heal us on our dusty mortal roads. With perfect love, our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, desire to save and exalt us. They promise "peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come." I so gratefully witness and testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

We express gratitude to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square for the beautiful music they have provided this morning. The Choir will now favor us with "Teach Me to Walk in the Light." Our concluding speaker for this session will be President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. Following his remarks, the Choir will close this meeting by singing "The Spirit of God." The benediction will then be offered by Elder James B. Martino of the Seventy.

[MUSIC PLAYING: "TEACH ME TO WALK IN THE LIGHT"] My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful to be with you in this first session of general conference. The speakers, the music, and the prayer have brought the Spirit--as well as a feeling of light and hope. That feeling has brought back to my memory the first day I walked into the Salt Lake Temple. I was a young man. My parents were my only companions that day. Inside, they paused for a moment to be greeted by a temple worker. I walked on ahead of them, alone for a moment. I was greeted by a little white-haired lady in a beautiful white temple dress. She looked up at me, smiled, and then said very softly, "Welcome to the temple, Brother Eyring." I thought for a moment she was an angel, because she knew my name. I had not realized that a small card with my name on it had been placed on the lapel of my suit coat. I stepped past her and stopped. I looked up at a high white ceiling that made the room so light it seemed almost as if it were open to the sky. And in that moment, the thought came into my mind in these clear words: "I have been in this lighted place before." But then immediately there came into my mind, not in my own voice, these words: "No, you have never been here before. You are remembering a moment before you were born. You were in a sacred place like this."

On the outside of our temples, we place the words "Holiness to the Lord." I know for myself that those words are true. The temple is a holy place, where revelation comes to us easily if our hearts are open to it and we are worthy of it. Later that first day, I again felt the same Spirit. The temple ceremony includes some words that brought a feeling of burning in my heart, confirming that what was being portrayed was true. What I felt was personal to me regarding my future, and it became a reality 40 years later through a call to serve from the Lord. I experienced the same feeling when I was married in the Logan Utah Temple. President Spencer W. Kimball performed the sealing. In the few words he spoke, he gave this counsel: "Hal and Kathy, live so that when the call comes, you can walk away easily."

As he said those few words, I saw clearly in my mind, in full color, a steep hill and a road leading up to the top. A white fence ran on the left side of the road and disappeared into a row of trees at the top of the hill. A white house was barely visible through the trees.

A year later, I recognized that hill as my father in-law drove us up that road. It was in detail what I saw when President Kimball gave his counsel in the temple. When we got to the top of the hill, my father-in-law stopped by the white house. He told us that he and his wife were buying the property and that he wanted his daughter and me to live in the guesthouse. They would live in the main house.

So, during the 10 years we lived in that lovely family setting, my wife and I would say almost every day, "We had better enjoy this, because we aren't going to be here long." A call came from the Church Commissioner of Education, Neal A. Maxwell. The warning given by President Kimball to be able "to walk away easily" became a reality. It was a call to leave, what seemed an idyllic personal situation, to serve in an assignment in a place that I knew nothing about. Our family was ready to leave that blessed time and place because a prophet, in a holy temple, a place of revelation, saw a future event, for which we then were prepared. I know that temples of the Lord are holy places. My purpose today in speaking of temples is to increase your desire and mine to be worthy and ready for the increased opportunities for temple experiences that are coming for us. For me, the greatest motivation to be worthy of temple experiences is what the Lord has said of His holy houses: "Inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it; Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God. But if it be defiled I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will not come into unholy temples." President Russell M. Nelson made clear for us that we can "see" the Savior in the temple in the sense that He becomes no longer unknown to us. President Nelson said this: "We understand Him. We comprehend His work and His glory. And we begin to feel the infinite impact of His matchless life."

If you or I should go to the temple insufficiently pure, we would not be able to see, by the power of the Holy Ghost, the spiritual teaching about the Savior that we can receive in the temple. When we are worthy to receive such teaching, there can grow through our temple experience hope, joy, and optimism throughout our lives. That hope, joy, and optimism are available only through the ordinances performed in holy temples. It is in the temple we can receive the assurance of loving family connections that will continue after death and last for eternity. Years ago, while I was serving as a bishop, a young man resisted my invitation to become worthy to live with God in families forever.

He told me of the good times he had with his friends. I let him talk. Then, he told me about a moment during one of his parties, in the midst of the noise, when he suddenly realized that he felt lonely. I asked him what had happened. He said that he had remembered a time as a little boy, sitting on his mother's lap, with her arms around him. For a moment, he teared up. I said to him what I know is true: "The only way you can have the feeling of that family embrace forever is to become worthy yourself--and help others--to receive the sealing ordinances of the temple." We don't know the details of family connections in the spirit world or what may come after we are resurrected. But we do know that the prophet Elijah came as promised to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. And we know that our eternal happiness depends on our doing our best to offer the same lasting happiness to as many of our kindred as we can. I feel the same desire to succeed in inviting living family members to desire to become worthy to receive and to honor the sealing ordinances of the temple. That is part of the promised gathering of Israel in the last days on both sides of the veil. One of our greatest opportunities is when our family members are young. They are born with the Light of Christ as a gift. It enables them to sense what is good and what is evil. For that reason, even seeing a temple or a picture of a temple can cultivate in them a desire to be worthy and privileged someday to go inside. The day can then come when, as a youth, they receive a temple recommend, to perform proxy baptisms in the temple. In that experience, their feeling can grow that the ordinances of the temple always point to the Savior and His Atonement. As they feel they are offering a person in the spirit world the chance to be cleansed of sin, their feeling will grow of helping the Savior in His sacred work of blessing a child of our Heavenly Father. I have seen the power of that experience change the life of a young person. Years ago, I went with a daughter to a temple in the late afternoon. She was the last to serve as proxy in the baptistry. My daughter was asked if she could stay longer to complete the ordinances for all of the people whose names were prepared. She said, "Yes." I watched as my daughter stepped into the baptismal font. The baptisms began. My little daughter had water streaming down her face each time she was lifted out of the water. She was asked again and again, "Can you do more?" Each time, she said, "Yes." As a concerned father, I began to hope that she might be excused from doing more. But I remember still her firmness when she was asked if she could do more and she said in a determined little voice, "Yes." She stayed until the last person on the list that day had received the blessing of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. When I walked out of the temple with her that night, I wondered at what I had seen. A child had been lifted and changed before my eyes by serving the Lord in His house. I still remember the feeling of light and peace as we walked together from the temple. Years have passed. She is still saying, "Yes," to the question from the Lord if she will do more for Him when it is very hard. That is what temple service can do to change and lift us. That is why my hope for you and for all your beloved family is that you will grow in desire and determination to be worthy to go into the house of the Lord as often as your circumstances allow. He wants to welcome you there. I pray that you will try to build desire in the hearts of Heavenly Father's children to go there, where they can feel close to Him, and that you will also invite your ancestors to qualify to be with Him and with you forever. These words can be ours: "I love to see the temple. I'm going there someday To feel the Holy Spirit, To listen and to pray. For the temple is a house of God, A place of love and beauty. I'll prepare myself while I am young; This is my sacred duty." I bear solemn testimony that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father. He chose His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior and Redeemer. The only way to return to live with Them and with our family is through the ordinances of the holy temple. I testify that President Russell M. Nelson holds and exercises all the keys of the priesthood that make eternal life possible for all of God's children.

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

[MUSIC PLAYING: "THE SPIRIT OF GOD"] Our Father who art in heaven, with gratitude we come before Thee now, grateful for this general conference and for this Easter season. We give Thee thanks for Thy Son and His wonderful atoning sacrifice. We truly stand all amazed at the blessings and opportunities that we are given. We're grateful for the gospel of repentance that refines us and brings us joy and happiness. We're grateful for prophets, seers, and revelators. Father, we have heard from a prophet, who has invited us to come to Thee and look for those things--that debris--that might need to be moved from within us. Wilt Thou bless us with both faith and courage to act upon that which Thou wilt identify to us needs to be changed. Help us that we may become kinder, that as our hearts are turned to Thee, that we may look to ways that we can draw closer to Thee and bless the lives of Thy children throughout the world. Help us during this Easter weekend to gain an even greater appreciation of all that has been done for us to return to Thee. For this is our prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.