Latter-day Saint women urged to focus on Christ and covenants to receive desired outcomes

A choir sings throughout the girls’s session of the 192nd Annual Basic Convention of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Convention Heart in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, April 2, 2022.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret Information

Heart your lives on Jesus Christ and bear in mind the foundational truths of the “Younger Girls Theme,” a senior chief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mentioned throughout the girls’s session of the religion’s 192nd Annual Basic Convention.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke about doctrines and gospel rules discovered within the “Younger Girls Theme,” together with truths about heavenly dad and mom, divine nature, everlasting future and sacred covenants.

‘The profound doctrine taught within the “Younger Girls Theme” is necessary for younger girls, however it's relevant to all, together with these of us who will not be younger girls,” Elder Renlund mentioned.

There may be nothing extra necessary to an individual’s everlasting progress than preserving sacred covenants, mentioned President Jean B. Bingham, not too long ago launched because the church’s Aid Society common president.

“The important thing to lasting happiness resides the gospel of Jesus Christ and preserving our covenants,” she mentioned.

‘Doing what issues’

A key element of trusting within the Lord is shifting ahead, believing he'll information us even after we don’t have all of the solutions, a frontrunner of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mentioned throughout the girls’s session of the religion’s 192nd Annual Basic Convention.

Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor within the Younger Girls Basic Presidency, advised a few pal who felt prompted to go to a sister she hardly knew. At first she was reluctant, however then determined to offer the lady a container of ice cream to ease her nervousness.

The girl rapidly realized the brand new sister was going through a number of challenges and so they talked for an hour. The ice cream melted however it didn’t matter — “It’s OK. I’m lactose illiberal!” the lady mentioned.

The ethical of the ministering expertise centered on “doing.”

“Sisters, it’s not concerning the ice cream. And it’s not about doing extra,” Sister Craven mentioned. “It’s about doing what issues. It’s making use of the doctrine of Christ in our lives as we attempt to grow to be extra like him.”

Why it issues

The convention is being seen and heard by tens of millions in search of counsel, non secular rejuvenation, peace and private revelation.

Who spoke

President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor within the First Presidency, opened the session. President Jean B. Bingham, launched earlier Saturday as Aid Society common president, additionally spoke as did Sister Susan H. Porter, first counselor within the Major Basic Presidency and Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor within the Younger Girls Basic Presidency, and Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. A video presentation additionally was proven.

President Bingham, who has served because the Aid Society common president for the previous 5 years, performed the ladies’s session.

Why a girls’s session?

President Oaks opened by offering an evidence for the church’s choice to designate Saturday night as a girls’s session for all Latter-day Saint girls and younger girls, together with those that flip 12 in 2022.

• The church had beforehand introduced in July 2021 that the Saturday night classes, which beforehand alternated between a girls’s session and a priesthood session for males, would grow to be a common session for all church members. The final girls’s session was held in October 2020.

• President Oaks mentioned the Saturday classes of common convention have a historical past of various functions and totally different audiences. “For now, this Saturday night assembly is a session of common convention, not a session of any group,” he mentioned. “Like all classes of common convention, the planning, audio system, and music are designated by the First Presidency.”
• “The gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't change. Gospel doctrine doesn't change. Our private covenants don't change,” he mentioned. “However over time, the conferences we maintain to speak our messages do change and really doubtless will proceed to alter over time.”
• Future Saturday night classes could also be performed by common officers of the church, similar to members of the presidencies of Aid Society, Younger Girls and Major, as designated by the First Presidency.
• “We honor the daughters of God on this particular session by concentrating on their considerations and people of their organizations,” President Oaks mentioned.

What have been the themes?

• Maintaining covenants yields blessings and non secular energy.
• It's attainable to seek out peace and objective regardless of the troublesome circumstances of life.
• Being a disciple of Jesus Christ includes extra than simply hoping or believing, it means giving effort and dedication to taking motion.

What was mentioned?

• The subject of heavenly dad and mom was among the many notable truths within the “Younger Girls’s Theme” that Elder Renlund mentioned. What is thought about mom in heaven is summarized within the church’s Gospel Matters.
• “After you have learn what's there, you'll know the whole lot that I do know concerning the topic. I want I knew extra,” Elder Renlund mentioned. “You, too, should have questions and need to discover extra solutions. In search of higher understanding is a vital a part of our non secular growth, however please be cautious. Motive can not change revelation.” 
• Elder Renlund continued: “Hypothesis won't result in higher non secular information, however it could actually result in deception or divert our focus from what has been revealed. For instance, the Savior taught His disciples: ‘at all times pray unto the Father in my title’ We observe this sample and direct our worship to our Heavenly Father within the title of Jesus Christ, and don't pray to heavenly mom.” 
• President Bingham illustrated the facility of preserving covenants to having the correct tools for rappelling. “With Jesus Christ as our anchor and excellent associate, we're assured of his loving energy in trial and of eventual deliverance by way of Him,” she mentioned. “The non secular tools that retains us from being damaged on the rocks of adversity is our testimony of Jesus Christ and the covenants we make.”

• A video was proven earlier than President Bingham’s remarks that shared phrases from President Spencer W. Kimball in October 1979 and President Russell M. Nelson’s discuss for ladies in October 2015. Sister Camilla Kimball learn her husband President Kimball’s discuss throughout the common girls’s assembly in 1979 when he was within the hospital. He foretold that a lot of the foremost development coming to the church within the final days shall be as a result of most of the good girls of the world shall be drawn to the church in massive numbers.
• The video additionally confirmed President Russell M. Nelson’s discuss from October 2015, the place he spoke to Latter-day Saint girls. He mentioned the day that President Kimball foresaw is as we speak. “You're the girls he foresaw! Your advantage, mild, love, information, braveness, character, religion and righteous lives will draw good girls of the world, together with their households, to the Church in unprecedented numbers!” President Nelson mentioned the dominion of God isn't and can't be full with out girls who make and hold sacred covenants and who can communicate with the facility and authority of God. Girls want to talk up and communicate out in ward and stake councils.
• Sister Porter mentioned the life-changing occasions surrounding the demise of her husband, Elder Bruce D. Porter, and shared three classes that she realized that introduced her near Jesus Christ.
• They have been: (1) Our previous and current circumstances don't decide our future; (2) “The ability is in (us)”; and (3) “Out of small issues proceedeth that which is nice.”

•  Sister Craven mentioned being a disciple of Jesus Christ includes extra than simply hoping or believing. It requires effort, motion and dedication. She urged Latter-day Saint girls to concentrate on what issues most to seek out lasting pleasure. “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of motion and a gospel of pleasure,” she mentioned.

Venue and attendance

For the primary time because the pandemic started, the general public attended a convention session.

• Attendance was restricted to about 10,000, so many seats remained empty contained in the Convention Heart (capability 21,000).
• The restriction was not associated to COVID-19. As a substitute, there have been considerations about parking, public transportation and entry as a result of building on and round Temple Sq. with the renovation of the Salt Lake Temple.
• Most of the people hadn’t attended a convention session since October 2019.
• In October 2021, the households and company of the audio system have been allowed to attend, which amounted to a number of hundred folks per session.

Notable quotes

• “We can not create our personal path and anticipate God’s promised outcomes.” — Elder Renlund
• “We can not deviate from Heavenly Father’s course after which blame Him for inferior outcomes.” — Elder Renlund
• “A lot of the foremost development that's coming to the Church within the final days will come as a result of most of the good girls of the world (in whom there's typically such an internal sense of spirituality) shall be drawn to the church in massive numbers.” — President Kimball’s discuss in video
• “The dominion of God isn't and can't be full with out girls who make sacred covenants after which hold them, girls who can communicate with the facility and authority of God!” — President Nelson
• “We should select to be anchored to the Savior, to be sure to him by our covenants.” — President Bingham
• “Expensive sisters, above all else, keep on the covenant path to Jesus Christ!” — President Bingham
• “Irrespective of our circumstances, our lives are sacred and have which means and objective. Every of us is a beloved daughter of God, born with divinity in our souls.” — Sister Porter
• “Despite the fact that chances are you'll really feel alone because the storms of life are raging, you possibly can shine a light-weight within the darkness of bewilderment, confusion and unbelief. Your mild of religion in Christ could be regular and positive, main these round you to security and peace.” — Sister Porter
• “Conversion gained’t come whereas doing nothing. It comes by way of the facility of the Holy Ghost as we make an intentional effort to know by asking, in search of, and knocking. It comes by doing.” — Sister Craven
• “It’s not about doing life completely — it’s about discovering pleasure whereas doing our greatest to reside the covenants we now have made with the Lord.” — Sister Craven
• “If the restored Church of Jesus Christ goes to return out of obscurity, we should come out of obscurity. As covenant-keeping girls, we should shine our gospel mild everywhere in the world by stepping up and standing out.” — Sister Craven

Prayers and hymns

• Sister Rebecca Mehr, a member of the Aid Society Advisory Council, supplied the opening prayer. Sister Andrea Spannaus of Argentina, a member of the Aid Society Advisory Council gave the closing prayer.
• A girls’s choir from stakes in Utah supplied music all through the ladies’s session. They sang “Let Zion in Her Magnificence Rise,” “We Hearken to a Prophet’s Voice,” “Come Ye Kids of the Lord” and “Oh, Could My Soul Commune with Thee.”