Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon spoke during the Saturday morning session of October 2021 general conference. She highlighted two truths that are foundation to a youth’s “grand and glorious work.” The following is a summary of what she said.
Notable quotes from President Cordon
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just nice, it is essential for all.”
“The Savior’s love for us is unfailing – even when we fail! Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
“Don’t delay finding what the Lord wants to tell you now about who you are.”
Summary of President Cordon’s talk
In a recent letter, a young woman wrote: “I am stuck. … I’m not sure who I am, but I feel I’m here for something grand.”
President Cordon pointed to two truths that are foundational to a young man or young woman’s “grand and glorious work” that were shared with her by President Russell M. Nelson.
The first is for a person to know his or her divine destiny as a “beloved and cherished child of Heavenly Father” Who loves them. Studying a patriarchal blessing can help discover the Lord’s guidance.
The second is for a person to know their purpose and to not get distracted. “One of Satan’s most powerful weapons is to distract us with good and better causes which, in times of need, may blind and bind us away from the best cause, the very work that called us into this world. …
“Our eternal purpose is to come unto Christ and to actively join Him in His great work.” This includes anytime a person does anything to help make and keep covenants with God. These can be simple things that can also help a youth’s parents or families.
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just nice, it is essential for all.”
About President Cordon
- President Cordon was named the Young Women general president on March 31, 2018.
- Sister Cordon served a full-time mission in the Portugal Lisbon Mission and later served with her husband from 2010 to 2013 as he presided over the Brazil Curitiba Mission.
- She met her husband, Derek Cordon, at BYU, and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1986. They have four children and four grandchildren.
President Cordon in the news
- President Cordon emphasized at BYU Education Week in August how to follow the Savior’s example in teaching youth how to lead.
- President Cordon and Young Men General President Steven J. Lund joined the Church News podcast in June to discuss reengaging in the Children and Youth program post-pandemic.
- At BYU Women’s Conference in May, President Cordon shared ways to be witnesses of God.
President Cordon’s recent social posts
- When she visited the Book of Mormon Videos set this summer, she felt a renewed gratitude for the Savior as she watched “familiar stories brought to life before my eyes.” “He wants to be in our story, and He wants us to know His stories,” she wrote in a social media post on Aug. 4. “In Him we will find hope and healing just as those faithful Nephites did so many years ago.”
- President Cordon shared on June 30 about a gymnastics meet she recently attended and her eyes were drawn to “a sparkly-eyed gymnast” named Avery doing her teammates’ floor routines from the sidelines. Avery, President Cordon learned, had been on the team three years before she qualified to compete in the meets and would memorize her teammates’ routines and supported them from the sidelines. “I never would have guessed what Avery told me — what she found on the sidelines that changed her life forever,” President Cordon wrote in a social media post.
- On May 27, she shared a photo of an “incredible bouquet of flowers” she had received, which wilted and died as all flower bouquets eventually do. However, when she tried to dispose of them in the trash, she had to pull apart the flowers in order for them to come out of the pot. As she did so, she discovered wires and coils inside of the bouquet, holding it together. “Sometimes we have to be pulled apart to see the strength we are made of,” she wrote in a social media post. “If we are mindful and choose to look inside with eyes that see, we learn we are made of hidden strength.”
