Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson was riding the London “tube” recently when she heard a voice over a loudspeaker instructing passengers to “mind the gap.”
This phrase, she said, helped her realize that Jesus Christ “minds the gap” between her capacity and what He’s called her to do; between her dreams and her reality; and between the natural woman in her who sins and the version of herself that seeks a change of heart.
“Will you think about when and how the Savior minds the gap for you?” President Johnson asked. “Perhaps He minds the gap of uncertainty or loneliness. Maybe He minds the gap in a family relationship. Or He minds the gap when you find yourself standing alone, trying to do the right thing.
“What I know is that He minds the gaps for covenant keepers. And that is one of the many reasons I stay faithful to Him, to His gospel and to His Church.”
President Johnson shared this insight with thousands of young single adults during her keynote address at the Gather Together Conference on Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Gather Together Conference is the main event of the 2023 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference, held throughout the month of August with different activities each weekend for young adults ages 18 to 31.
It kicked off Aug. 5 with a concert featuring OneRepublic, Jordan Smith and Jordin Sparks; continued Aug. 11 with a dance at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah; and kept up its momentum Aug. 12 with a 5K run at the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple.
In addition to President Johnson’s keynote address, the Aug. 19 Gather Together Conference features:
- 30-minute TED Talk-style messages called “Christ Daily,” given by Church leaders such as Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, General Authority Seventy; Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency; and Sharon Eubank, director of Humanitarian Services for the Church and former first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency.
- An ancient tabernacle tour (the same one that recently went through Utah).
- A service project focused on packaging a million meals for the Utah Food Bank.
- Life coaching from licensed therapists.
- An appearance by the Brigham Young University Dunk Team.
- A karaoke competition.
- An attempt to break the speed dating world record.
As she opened the Aug. 19 Gather Together Conference, President Johnson called the event a “grand occasion.”
She continued, “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we come together today in support of one another, and seeking to strengthen and deepen a personal relationship with Him and our Father in Heaven. Because together in Christ, all things are possible.”
The importance of covenants
During her keynote address, President Johnson said making and keeping covenants increases a person’s access to Jesus Christ — and therefore increases the ways in which He “minds the gap.”
She encouraged YSAs to not wait until marriage to receive their temple endowment, and said their desire for positive change is evidence of their willingness to make covenants. “It is a sign that you are ready to take His eyes upon you, to see like Him; to take His ears upon you, to listen like Him; to take His lips upon you, to speak like Him. And as you do that, you will come to know Him, become like Him and be blessed by His power,” she said.
Part of keeping covenants involves providing temporal and spiritual relief to brothers and sisters everywhere, President Johnson said. She emphasized the many ways that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints engages in humanitarian work.
For instance, in 2022, the Church expended more than $1 billion in its efforts to help people. It also gave 6.3 million volunteer hours, donated 57.3 million pounds of food and did 3,692 humanitarian projects in 190 countries and territories.
“Friends, this is your cause!” President Johnson said. “You are affecting global change. Your time, talents, compassion, materials and financial resources are all part of the Lord’s storehouse of resources to help His children.”
While providing relief is how individuals keep their covenants, receiving relief is how people allow others to keep their covenants. So when ministering brothers and sisters show up at the door, let them in, President Johnson encouraged.
“It is all part of being together in Christ — part of the body of Christ,” she said.
‘I choose His relief’
President Johnson also spoke about the effort necessary to receive the Savior’s living water. It’s not as easy as simply turning a knob or lifting a handle, she said; it requires time spent in the temple, pondering the things of the Spirit and focusing on eternal goals.
Additionally, it requires listening to the right voices, many of which are competing for attention. Influencers, salespeople and politicians aren’t necessarily bad, President Johnson said, but “I fear that some of our brothers and sisters are looking for answers from unreliable sources or failing to draw from the best sources — the prophet, the scriptures and the Spirit. Don’t let Satan distract you! Keep your eyes on the prize and your ears tuned to the Spirit and the Prophet, and drink of the Savior’s living water.”
Other efforts needed to enjoy the Savior’s living water include counting current blessings rather than believing happiness will come with graduation, marriage or other milestones; and engaging in the process of daily repentance.
“I offer my conviction and testimony that Jesus Christ is the source of our everlasting relief,” President Johnson said. “I know that He understands me. He works with me. He is patient with me. He minds my gaps. And He does it all out of love for Heavenly Father and for each one of us. I choose His relief.”
