Sister Michelle D. Craig, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, was born on July 13, 1963, in Murray, Utah. She was sustained on March 31, 2018, during the 188th Annual General Conference.
Sister Craig spent her childhood living in Provo, Utah, and the last two years of high school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents were mission leaders. She served a mission in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Mission. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Brigham Young University and served in the Parent Teacher Association and as a literacy tutor and school support volunteer. Sister Craig and her husband, E. Boyd Craig, have three children.
Sister Craig has served on the Primary general board (now known as the Primary General Advisory Council) and in ward and stake positions in the Primary, Young Women and Relief Society organizations. She has served as temple ordinance worker in the Provo Utah Temple and Gospel Doctrine teacher in Sunday School.
In honor of Sister Craig’s birthday today, here are eight of her quotes from the past year.
1. Gratitude in prayer
“Our Father in Heaven is the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17), and I want to be a gracious receiver, especially in my prayers.”
— Social media posts about prayer, July 11, 2023
2. Complementing each other in marriage
“There will be discouraging times, and some days that will be sad; there will be difficult conversations. That’s life, but we work, we pray, we serve, we love, we laugh, we forgive, we repent, we love and so we stick together.”
— Devotional in Guatemala, June 6, 2023
3. Comparisons with others
“Often we get discouraged by making comparisons in which we always come up short. Covenant-keeping women and men come in all sizes and shapes; their families, their life experiences, and their circumstances vary. And each one of us experiences want, need, failure, and inadequacy in some form. But remember, the miracles of Jesus always began with a recognition of these very things!”
— Facebook post, May 24, 2023
4. Turn to Jesus Christ with humility
“[Satan] would have us wallow in despair and discouragement, focusing on all that we are not — lacking in capacity, looks, finances, personality, health, talent — you name it. We all come up short in something. Our discontent can become destructive when we listen to those voices and believe the messages Satan bombards us with, or it can become divine when we turn to Jesus Christ with humility,”
— BYU Women’s Conference, May 4, 2023
5. Jesus Christ has marked the path
“Learning about Jesus Christ will help us recognize the signs to guide us on the way. Jesus Christ has marked the path, by learning from Him we will have the Spirit, and we will have more peace and strength in our lives.”
— Devotional in Puebla, Mexico, March 19, 2023
6. Trust in Jesus Christ in the journey
“We gather up daily that which we don’t always understand, but that which can strengthen us. We look forward with an eye of faith. As our journey progresses, we can look back at our most challenging struggles and know that we were not left to wander alone.”
— Ensign College devotional, March 14, 2023
7. What the world needs
“The Young Women and Aaronic Priesthood Quorum themes reaffirm divine identity and purpose. Knowing who we really are as beloved sons and daughters of God, knowing that because of Jesus Christ and His grace we can do all things — this is what the world needs.”
— Facebook post, Jan. 12, 2023
8. Three things to know
“You are known by God, you are loved by God, and you are needed by God.”
— Area-wide devotional in Accra, Ghana, Nov. 6, 2022
9. Trials are part of the plan
“When hard times come, I try to remember that I chose to follow Christ before I came to earth and that challenges to my faith, my health and my endurance are all part of the reason I’m here. … Trials do not mean that the plan is failing; they are part of the plan meant to help me seek God.”
— “Wholehearted,” October 2022 general conference
