Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently met with 13 other ordained apostles, each fasting and fervently praying for the Lord’s guidance in organizing the new First Presidency for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
During that “very sacred experience,” Elder Andersen said, he and every person present received a “powerful and unforgettable” spiritual witness that President Dallin H. Oaks was to be the Lord’s Prophet.
“I give you my solemn and humble witness that [President Oaks] is the Lord’s Prophet upon the earth,” Elder Andersen said. “He knows the voice of the Lord. He will guide us in truth and point us toward the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Elder Andersen shared this witness during a devotional for young adults ages 18-35, broadcast in North and South America on Sunday, Nov. 2.
He and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, hosted the event — “The Prophet and the Temple Point Us to Jesus Christ” — from the grounds of the Washington D.C. Temple on Oct. 18, 2025.
A rebroadcast will be available to viewers in other areas of the world and in additional languages on Nov. 9. It is also available on demand on the Church’s YouTube channel and will later be available in Gospel Library and for two weeks at broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
A witness of the Prophet and of temples
During the devotional, Elder Andersen told young adults that President Oaks now holds the keys of God’s priesthood in their fullness and has the authority to exercise them.
Elder Andersen noted the Savior’s words to the ancient apostle Peter, as recorded in Matthew 16:19: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The Lord also said of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 21:5, that “his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.”
“These words are also true for our prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks,” Elder Andersen said. “Think of it. For 41 years in his sacred calling, President Oaks has testified as a special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Elder Andersen shared a compilation of President Oaks’ teachings throughout the years, testifying that in a world of commotion, confusion and distractions, the Prophet and the temple point individuals toward the Savior.
“As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord sends compensatory power to you, His disciples,” Elder Andersen said. “Two of the greatest compensatory blessings for the righteous are the teachings of the prophets and the gifts of the house of the Lord.”
Sister Andersen added her witness of the temple’s power, sharing her experience growing up in Florida when the closest temple was 2,300 miles away in Salt Lake City.
So learning at age 12 that the Washington D.C. Temple would be built — “only 900 miles away” — brought great excitement and joy to her and her family.
Sister Andersen said she vividly remembers a Sunday when the bishop met with all the ward’s parents, asking each family to donate a significant amount of money for the building of the Washington D.C. Temple. Her family determined to do what was necessary to contribute what had been asked of them, she said.
Because of that, “this temple holds a very special place in my heart and for my family,” Sister Andersen said.
Elder Andersen invited his wife to share her feelings about President Oaks’ wife, Sister Kristen Oaks, and Sister Andersen shared a video clip of President and Sister Oaks, which was posted on Sister Oaks’ birthday.
Sister Andersen reflected: “Sister Kristen Oaks is a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. Her life is so filled with faith and love. She is so tenderhearted, and I think she is a very sweet angel on earth.”
Truth, family and revelation
In addition to sharing his witness of President Oaks, Elder Andersen spoke on three topics relevant to young adults: standing for truth; marriage, family and children; and revelation.
Throughout the devotional, he shared a series of brief, prerecorded videos of conversations he had with multiple young adults about these topics, in which he asked for their ideas and testimonies.
Regarding the first topic, standing for truth, Elder Andersen said President Oaks has always been unafraid to speak the truth with love.
“I admire his courage,” Elder Andersen said. “He is always kind and thoughtful in his speech, but he is direct in helping us know what is right.”
Regarding the second topic — marriage, family and children — Elder Andersen said that Church members were “greatly moved” by President Oaks’ October 2025 general conference address, where he spoke with “great power” about family and children.
He shared a clip from President Oaks’ October 2025 general conference address, in which President Oaks stated: “Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family. ... It is vital that Latter-day Saints do not lose their understanding of the purpose of marriage and the value of children. That is the future for which we strive.”
Regarding the third topic, revelation, Elder Andersen said this is a principle that President Oaks hasn’t just spoken about but has lived.
He shared a 1992 video clip of President Oaks relating an experience he had in Chicago, Illinois, while giving a Church member a ride home after a late meeting. Upon returning to his car, a young man held him at gunpoint and demanded his money.
President Oaks recounted his confidence that he could wrestle the gun away from the young man — and the strong feeling he then immediately had that, if he did so, the gun would fire and kill the young man.
Instead, following guidance from the Spirit, President Oaks proceeded to lecture the young man about his choices. This subdued the young man, and he ran away.
“I bear witness of President Dallin H. Oaks,” Elder Andersen said in closing. “He has been prepared and refined in the fire of adversity, renewed in his body and his mind to lead us at this time, to speak in the name of God.
“I bear witness that this temple before us, and every sacred house of the Lord, is filled with power, peace, solace and revelation. ... It is a wonderful time to live, a time of anticipation and preparation for the Savior’s return.”
Following the devotional, Elder Andersen published a video to his YouTube channel in which he speaks on the grounds of the Washington D.C. Temple with young adults who attended the devotional.
Speaking in various locations around the temple’s grounds, the different groups spoke with Elder Andersen and answered questions from him about the three topics of his devotional.
“Sometimes the Lord speaks to us in a voice that just says, ‘Be patient. This is something you must experience. And we will talk again soon,’” Elder Andersen said.
He then told one group of young adults that even the Savior expressed His desire at times to feel the presence of Heavenly Father more strongly, and said that individuals will sometimes need to go through similar experiences to build their faith.
Previous worldwide young adult devotionals
On May 4, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson encouraged young adults to prepare for Christ’s Second Coming through righteous stewardship. Speaking from the Salt Lake Tabernacle, she recounted three of the Savior’s New Testament parables, each found in Matthew 25.
“These are the times in which we live,” she said. “We are to keep the lamps of our conversion burning brightly, letting our light shine, using and enlarging our talents, caring for those in need — that is, being possessed of charity, the pure love of Christ.”
Speaking from BYU’s Marriott Center on Feb. 2, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged listeners to trust Heavenly Father’s “grand design” for their lives. “You may not see it until much later, but you will look back and know that the Lord never abandoned you, even when He let you make a lot of decisions for yourself,” he said.
He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, who shared her own experiences navigating life decisions and testified that young adults can be powerful influences on one another and the world.
On Nov. 3, 2024, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke from the BYU–Idaho campus about the potential impacts of artificial intelligence, the significance of moral agency and the importance of righteous work. “As we are wise, preserve and exercise our moral agency to love God and serve our brothers and sisters, and take the Holy Spirit for our guide, we can avoid deception and prosper spiritually in the challenging and blessed times in which we live.”
Elder Bednar was joined by his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, who taught about how the Savior lifts, strengthens and walks with individuals through their challenges. “Somehow and in a way that I do not fully comprehend or understand, Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice gives us strength and helps us to do hard things.”
