During the week of Feb. 6-12, the First Presidency announced April 2022 general conference will include a women’s session and limited tickets will be distributed for all sessions.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke in a devotional for BYU-Pathway Worldwide students, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed missionaries at the Provo (Utah) Missionary Training Center. Elder Christofferson was also featured on this week’s Church News podcast on drawing courage from history.
The Provo Utah Temple celebrated its 50th anniversary this week, and hundreds commemorated the 176th anniversary of the 1846 exodus of Latter-day Saints from Nauvoo, Illinois. A researcher spoke at the 18th annual Brigham Young University Marjorie Pay Hinckley Lecture about mental health during a person’s lifetime. Latter-day Saints in Tacoma, Washington, partnered with the community to hold a family history event for African Americans, and Sikhs and Church members in the United Arab Emirates participated in an annual service project.
Read summaries and find links to these nine articles below.
1. First Presidency announces details for April 2022 general conference
The 192nd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will include a Saturday night women’s session, the First Presidency announced in a letter sent to local leaders Friday, Feb. 11. All women and young women, including those who turn 12 in 2022, are invited. A limited numbers of tickets will also be distributed for the conference.
Read more from the First Presidency's letter
2. Principles of gospel leadership can help with any leadership responsibility, President Oaks says
A focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ — as well as its principles of leadership and eternal perspective — can help BYU-Pathway Worldwide students with current and future leadership responsibilities, said President Oaks. He offered “primary emphasis to principles of gospel leadership that will help you in the various leadership responsibilities that will come your way” as he spoke in a BYU-Pathway Worldwide devotional broadcast Tuesday, Feb. 8.
See more from his devotional
3. ‘Preach redemption’ Elder Christofferson tells missionaries in MTC devotional
Missionaries are the Lord’s authorized messengers whose work is a magnificent expression of His redeeming love, said Elder Christofferson. “The greatest service we can provide to others in this life, beginning with those of our own family, is to bring them to Christ through faith and repentance so that they may experience His redemption. It will mean peace and joy now and eternal life in the world to come.”
Elder Christofferson’s message about repentance, redemption and joy
4. Church News podcast: Elder Christofferson on drawing courage from history
This episode of the Church News podcast features an interview with Elder Christofferson and Mormon Battalion Historic Site leaders, President Brent L. Top and Sister Wendy C. Top. Elder Christofferson and President and Sister Top emphasize drawing courage from the faith-infused actions of the past to face modern challenges.
Listen to the podcast, watch a video about enlisting in today’s battalion and read what Elder Christofferson taught San Diego members
5. Provo Utah Temple turns 50: Looking back and looking forward to its renovation
On Feb. 9, the Provo Utah Temple celebrated its 50th anniversary. After its dedication in 1972, the Provo temple grew to serve not only the stakes in its district, but also thousands of college students and missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center, which was dedicated in 1976. The temple has undergone a few changes since it was dedicated, and soon will undergo major reconstruction and redesign.
Learn more about its history and future and see the latest temple reopening updates
6. A frozen Mississippi River and 10-degree weather: Members in Nauvoo mark 176 years since the exodus
Braving 10-degree Fahrenheit temperatures and subzero wind chills on Saturday, Feb. 5, more than 300 people gathered in historic Nauvoo with missionaries serving in the Illinois Historic Sites to commemorate the 1846 exodus of the Latter-day Saints from Nauvoo. The Mississippi River was frozen and snow-covered — just as it was in 1846.
What the exodus means to members and missionaries in Nauvoo
7. What one researcher learned about mental health over a person’s lifetime
Mental health is a topic many people are increasingly aware of and seeking treatment for nowadays, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. But according to the world’s longest running study of mental disorders, a far larger portion of the population is significantly impacted by mental disorders over the course of their lifetimes than was previously believed.
Read more from the BYU Marjorie Pay Hinckley lecture
8. Members in Tacoma open their family history center to the African American community
To help African Americans in their community connect to their ancestors, Latter-day Saint stakes in Tacoma, Washington, and community partners held a family history event titled “A Proud Heritage” on Saturday, Feb. 5. The free event offered several classes in person at the Church’s family history center in Tacoma and online via Zoom.
How they planned and executed the hybrid event
9. Sikhs and Latter-day Saints participate in annual service project in Dubai
The Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara, a Sikh temple, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United Arab Emirates joined on Jan. 16 for an annual service project. They distributed water flasks as a thank you to 5,000 workers who are helping to build the quickly growing city of Dubai.
