President Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women general president, was born on March 11, 1964, and sustained to her calling during the April 2018 general conference. She was raised the third of seven children on an 80-acre farm in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She married Derek Cordon in 1986 in the Salt Lake Temple, and they are the parents of four children.
President Cordon served a full-time mission in the Portugal Lisbon Mission, later using her Portuguese language skills again when she served with Brother Cordon over the Brazil Curitiba Mission from 2010 to 2013.
She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in education, served as a school volunteer in Idaho and Utah, worked in management in the software industry, and started her own business in Boise, Idaho. At the time of her call, she was serving as the first counselor in the Primary general presidency.
In honor of President Cordon’s birthday today, here are nine of her quotes from the past year.
1. Strength in the Savior
“No matter how steep the climb or hard the journey, we are not alone. We can draw strength from the Savior.”
— Worldwide youth devotional, Jan. 29, 2023
2. A force
“You are a force for good or ill, depending on the roads you choose and the vision you see for yourself, the vision God sees of you.”
— BYU-Idaho devotional, Jan. 17, 2023
3. The first and forever gift
“Jesus Christ was and is our first and forever gift of Christmas. I testify of this truth: He was born, He lived, and He died for us, and He lives ― still.”
— First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional, Dec. 4, 2022
4. A special mission
“You are a powerful generation. The Lord saved you to come here now, because you have a special mission here.”
— Assignment to Asia North Area, Nov. 12-Nov. 20, 2022
5. Spiritual treasures from accepting callings
“In the simplicity and frequency of a setting apart, we may miss the significance of this priesthood ordinance — an ordinance that quite literally sets us apart from the world and designates us for the Lord’s work.”
— Leading with power, promise and holiness, Nov. 6, 2022
6. A specific purpose in life
“No matter what your calling, we all have the same purpose … to strengthen our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and help others come to know the Savior.
“This is the winding-up scene. This is your time. The Lord knows who you are. He called you for a specific purpose.”
— Youth devotional in Nauvoo, Illinois, Sept. 24, 2022
7. Follow the Prophet
“As we listen to general conference worldwide — if you are in Cambodia or Mozambique or Nauvoo — you realize you have a Church family. And we are all listening to the same words that a loving Heavenly Father is giving us through a Prophet.”
— Message to missionaries in Nauvoo, Illinois, Sept. 23, 2022
8. Hearing Him
“As much as hearing Him involves acting in faith, it also involves trusting in His timing. He can comprehend things that are going to bless our lives that we had no idea about.”
— Blog post accompanying new “Hear Him” video, Aug. 24, 2022
9. The path of conversion
“There is nothing more thrilling than to see a missionary progress along their path of conversion as they walk the same journey with those they teach, seeing the beautiful shift in their hearts as obedience becomes less about rules and more about deepening their relationship with the Savior.”
— 2022 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 23, 2022
