Karina Cooksey never imagined serving in the military. Even when she felt prompted to explore the U.S. Air Force Reserve, she tried to put the thought aside.
Now a second lieutenant and chaplain candidate, the wife and mother of five is pursuing a path she believes God called her to follow — and it has not been easy.
So when Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told Church-endorsed chaplains at the 2026 Chaplain Training Seminar that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve pray for them, Cooksey found great comfort in his words.
“We pray for you. We are grateful for you. We love you,” Elder Bednar said. “You are in dangerous places, doing very hard things.”
For Cooksey, the reassurance strengthened her resolve to follow a prompting that has stretched her family.
“It’s been a little hard to listen and follow that prompting, and so that gave me a lot of comfort and peace,” said Cooksey, of Plain City, Utah. “There is real and true strength that you can feel that comes from their prayers, and I appreciated the comfort that brought.”
Her husband, Mitcheal Cooksey, an Air Force officer of 19 years, was recently called as a new elders quorum president. He also left the chaplain seminar feeling loved, seen and reminded to rely on the Savior.
“We don’t have to do it alone,” he said. “This is His errand.”
Karina Cooksey and her husband were among the nearly 600 chaplains, chaplain candidates, spouses and other guests that attended the 2026 Annual Chaplains’ Training Seminar of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held Oct. 5-6 at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The two-day gathering offered instruction centered on the theme from 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
The Church’s Military Relations, Chaplain Services and Prison Ministries Division reported that 324 of the 481 Church-endorsed chaplains registered for the seminar.
Elder Bednar was accompanied by his wife, Sister Susan Bednar; Elder David P. Homer, a General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Nancy D. Homer; and Elder Yoon Hwan Choi, a General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Bon Kyung Koo Choi.
Elder Choi delivered opening remarks at the seminar on Oct. 5. Brother Gabriel Reid, second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, also spoke during a session on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Ministering one by one
During the seminar’s concluding session, Elder and Sister Bednar joined Elder and Sister Homer for a discussion-style presentation, sharing personal experiences and counsel while inviting chaplains to seek guidance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost.
While discussing the ministry of chaplains, Elder Bednar pointed to the Savior’s Book of Mormon appearance to the people at Bountiful and His invitation for them to come forward individually and feel His wounds (see 3 Nephi 11).
“That is ministering,” he said. “It is done one by one.”
Such attention is needed regardless of a person’s beliefs. Chaplains have opportunities to be the Savior’s hands, eyes and ears in blessing others, Elder Bednar said.
Chaplains often serve in quiet places, offering comfort when others may not see the need, Elder Homer said. He compared their ministry to the good Samaritan, who stopped, noticed someone suffering and went out of his way to help (Luke 10:25-37).
Sister Homer remembered the comfort a hospital chaplain offered when she was alone with her sick infant son. His willingness to sit and talk with her brought calm and hope during a frightening experience.
Building bridges across beliefs
Elder Bednar encouraged chaplains to remain anchored in Jesus Christ and let their light shine (Matthew 5:16) without pushing their beliefs on others.
Elder Homer said serving people of different faiths begins with love and a willingness to help. Rather than becoming preoccupied with labels others might apply, chaplains can focus on their work and let its fruits speak for themselves.
“Where our focus should be is on who we are,” he said.
Sister Bednar suggested seeking divine help to understand others. “What matters is that we pray to know what the need is and meet the need,” she said.
Measure success through service
Elder Bednar said one dimension of success for chaplains is taking time to understand an individual’s needs and address them.
“I think we talk too much. I think we listen too little,” he said.
No matter where Elder Bednar travels, he always finds at least one person the Lord wants him to encounter and represent Him in assessing the individual’s need.
Elder Bednar encouraged chaplains to ask what people are thinking, learning and feeling, then allow their answers to guide the conversation.
“Our job is not to solve problems for people; it is to help them find their own solutions,” he said.
While rank and advancement have a place in chaplains’ professional lives, Elder Homer emphasized that Jesus Christ, His message and His healing power belong at the center of how they define success.
Treasure personal guidance
The discussion concluded with expressions of love and gratitude for the service of chaplains. “You make a difference in the lives of so many,” Sister Bednar said.
Elder Bednar bore his witness of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and invited the chaplains to treasure the personal spiritual guidance they received during the gathering.
“I hope that the Holy Ghost has brought to your mind a thought or a feeling to your heart that is specific to you and what you need, and I hope you will never forget it,” he said.
Becoming the Lord’s instruments
Speaking in another session Tuesday, Brother Reid said chaplains hold a special place in his heart. Some of his fondest NFL memories happened off the field, with Chicago Bears’ chaplain Harry Swayne.
Brother Reid reflected on how Swayne brought together players from varied backgrounds and beliefs through Bible study, team prayer and quiet, one-on-one conversations.
“He gave us counsel. He gave us perspective, and most of all, he reminded us that faith is not seasonal,” Brother Reid said. “Faith does not expire when the final whistle blows.”
A chaplain’s ministry rarely comes with highlight reels or cheering crowds, Brother Reid noted. Instead, it unfolds in quiet, private and deeply personal settings. Its impact is measured “in the lives changed, in the hearts lifted, and in the souls influenced for the better.”
Drawing on 3 Nephi 18:32, Brother Reid taught that individuals are known and loved by the Lord. He said Jesus Christ’s Atonement can heal and lift, and willing servants can help bring salvation to others.
Brother Reid said the good Samaritan exemplified that willingness. He did not know he would encounter someone wounded along the road, “But when the moment came, he was willing to become the means,” he said.
Likewise, the Lord can prepare chaplains with gifts and place them where they are needed — sometimes for one person.
“I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He uses means like you to help move His work forward,” he testified. “As you help build others, … the Lord will build you. As you strive to bless others, He will bless you.”
What chaplains learned and felt
Other chaplains also reflected on what the Holy Ghost had taught them during the meeting.
For Civil Air Patrol Chaplain Camille Barlow, of West Jordan, Utah, the gathering affirmed that God values chaplains’ work. Feeling loved strengthened her resolve to serve amid the demands of ministry and challenges at home.
“We all feel called to the work,” she said. “It’s wonderful to be a part of the work … and to see God moving things forward.”
U.S. Army Chaplain Capt. Austin Bowler, who serves in South Korea, said one word stood out to him: hope.
“I felt love, and I felt seen by the brethren and by the leaders of the Church,” he said. “Hope is something that I’ve been needing personally.”
Elder Bednar’s invitation to consider what the Spirit had taught prompted Bowler to reflect on three lessons he could apply in his personal life and ministry to soldiers, families and fellow chaplains.
For 1st Lt. Boyd Ocon, a Texas State Guard chaplain, counsel from Elder Bednar and Elder Homer reinforced how to serve alongside those who may not understand his faith — by example.
“The best way to approach that is to let your light shine and let them see your example,” he said, adding, “I just want to do best by the people I serve.”
