Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used their social media platforms this week to broadcast messages about belonging, faith and covenants.
A few weeks ago, each member of the Relief Society general presidency posted a question on her Instagram page: “What would motivate you to more fully participate in Relief Society?” This week, they shared some common answers.
Many spoke about wanting to belong, Relief Society General President Jean B. Bingham said.
Sister Sharon Eubank, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, said that many wrote that they wished Relief Society were a safe place to discuss real issues and to talk about “life’s non-fairy-tale parts without judgment or sugar coating.”
Some of the comments that Sister Reyna Isabel Aburto, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, received had to do with women supporting each other better in our mortal journey.
“How can you create a welcoming, safe and inviting place for women to strengthen each other in the Lord?” she wrote.
Sister Aburto also wrote a post offering advice to those who are wondering how to help a loved one with emotional challenges: “Increase your knowledge and understanding.”
President Russell M. Nelson wrote a social media post about the Church in Europe following his devotional broadcast to the Europe Area.
“The Lord has never needed His faithful Saints more than right now as He gathers scattered Israel into His fold,” he wrote. “They are the hope of Europe and the hope of Israel!”
In order to be called Zion as the people in Moses 7 were, Brother Jan E. Newman, second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency wrote, “We must have oneness of heart and mind, live righteously, and not just care for the poor, but rather eliminate both spiritual and temporal poverty.”
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about covenants and ordinances as sources of strength and power by explaining the function of a Wi-Fi signal booster.
During a FaceTime conversation with her missionary son, Sister Amy A. Wright, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, asked him the five hardest things about serving a mission in Africa and the five greatest things about serving in Africa.
“As he listed those, it was incredible to me to see that the five greatest things — his five greatest strengths — were exactly what he needed to help him successfully navigate his challenges,” she wrote.
As President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has attended funerals, he has noticed that the speakers focus on “their loved one’s relationships, service to others, life lessons and experiences, and their love for Jesus Christ.”
“I’m not saying that having a nice home or a nice car is wrong or that using social media is bad,” he wrote. “What I am saying is that in the end, those things matter very little compared to loving the Savior.”
“It takes faith to be obedient to the Lord’s commandments,” President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, said in a post. “It takes faith in Jesus Christ to serve others for Him.”
When Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, was 13 years old, her father left for Vietnam for the second time. Although she did not know that her father would return home safely, she trusted that everything would be OK.
“I believe with all my heart that you can feel the same peace I felt as a teen as you trust in the Lord,” she said.
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles posted a video in which he and his wife, Sister Rosana Soares, extended an invitation to participate in Family Discovery Day as part of RootsTech 2022.
Young Men General President Steven J. Lund wrote about a 92-year-old member in his ward named Don Gardner who never leaves a church building until “it’s right.”
Primary General President Camille N. Johnson shared a photo of her grandson and the picture he drew of the plan of salvation while watching a “Come Draw With Me” video on the Gospel for Kids YouTube channel.