Kinley Gearhart, a 15-year-old young woman in the Etowah Valley Ward of the Cartersville Georgia Stake, filled three pages of notes as she watched and participated in the worldwide youth discussion on discipleship on Sunday, Jan. 28.
The prerecorded video broadcast was led by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, and focused on the 2024 youth theme, found in 3 Nephi 5:13, “I am a disciple of Christ.”
Different parts of the presentation involved pausing the video to discuss the following questions:
- “Where are your holy places? How do you find them?”
- “How does gathering with holy people strengthen you as a disciple of Christ? When has that been true for you? How did it make you stronger?”
- “When have you had a chance to testify of Him? Or, when has someone else’s testimony strengthened yours?”
Kinley considered the questions and recorded the following thoughts:
- “Discipleship is a work in progress. We can always rebuild and refine — testimonies, faith, my foundation. A little better every day — a disciple in training — always striving to be like Jesus Christ.”
- “Because we all have the light of Christ in us I think any place could be a holy place. We could listen to Church hymns, read conference talks and study the scriptures. It’s all about what you do with your holy places.”
- “Gathering together can help you realize that you aren’t alone in the Church. ... At school, people don’t make the best decisions and sometimes I feel alone as a disciple. But going to seminary every morning can help me realize there are many wonderful youth in this world.”
- “One time my friend invited me to her church to help her with her church’s Bible school. They were learning about the stories of Jesus, specifically the parable of the good Samaritan. I commented to my friend that this was one of my favorites, and my friend said she didn’t know we [Latter-day Saints] studied the Bible. I was able to tell her about the Book of Mormon and how it works hand in hand with the Bible and shares divine truths about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. I was also able to share my testimony.”
- “Being a disciple is being an apprentice. Apprentices learn their trade from their master. To be a disciple, we must learn from our master. Apprentices act like and do like their master. That is how we will learn to be disciples of our Master, Jesus Christ.”
Kinley was among many young women and young men who participated and shared what they learned about discipleship from the global discussion.
Following are additional insights shared by youth from the Philippines, Brazil and various locations in the United States.
These contributions have been edited for length and clarity.
Philippines
Hazel Bellen, of the Sampaguita Ward in the Camarin Philippines Stake, wrote:
“Fitting in and making friends is challenging for me, and I thought I had to be like everyone else to fit in and have fun. The worldwide discussion event on discipleship reminded me that although we all are different with unique personalities, we can find a sense of belongingness as fellow disciples of Jesus Christ.
“I don’t get to visit the temple as much as I’d like due to school, but I believe that holy places can be found in other places, like a loving home and a Christ-centered circle of friends. I am grateful to be a part of a group of friends who support and uplift each other, striving to find the good in one another and come closer to Christ every day.”
Michigan
Sisters Kyla and Naomi Allen are members of the Greenville Ward in the Grand Rapids Michigan Stake.
“I learned that being a disciple of Jesus Christ means putting forth our best effort to gathering others unto Christ. It doesn’t mean that we all have to be exactly the same. It means that we use our differences to light the world, while allowing Christ’s Atonement to refine us. We need to be willing to accept His will and continue our own process of growth,” Kyla said.
“I learned that being a disciple of Jesus Christ means to be an example to others. A lot of other people can’t see or find the light that comes from Christ, and that is why we’re here,” Naomi said. “We’re here to share our own light with others, and when we do, we actually draw them closer to Christ. We’re here to show them how much their Heavenly Father loves them, and share with them the light that He offers them. As we accept this calling that Heavenly Father has given us, and strive be a disciple of Christ, our own light inside us will grow and strengthen.”
California
Brothers Caleb and Jacob Berge, ages 17 and 16, were among 20 young men and young women from the Springville Ward in the Porterville California Stake who watched and participated in the worldwide discussion.
“We can strengthen our testimonies by being in a holy place, a place we’re comfortable with spiritually,” Caleb said. “We strengthen each other’s testimonies by sharing them.”
“I learned that everyone begins with a foundation,” Jacob said. “And the stronger the foundation, the more you will be stable as you build up in the future.”
Sheccid Lopez, 15, of the La Riviera Branch in the Sacramento Cordova Stake, said: “Tonight I realized that being a disciple of Jesus Christ can feel lonely at times, but when we are His disciples, we are never truly alone.”
Hailey Leazenby, 12, of the Anatolia Ward in the Sacramento Cordova Stake, said: “I loved hearing the testimonies of my friends and of Elder Stevenson. It is always special to hear an Apostle’s testimony. I also was reminded that sharing my testimony can make a great impact on others and can help my testimony continue to grow.”
Sammy Taylor, 16, also of the Anatolia Ward, said: “I’ve learned that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is being His friend. It’s being someone He can rely on. Jesus Christ is the best friend any of us could ever have. We all love our friends, we want the best for our friends, we want to help our friends when they need us, and even when they don’t need us. When we have that mindset, of being friends with Christ, we’re more inclined to treat our discipleship and our relationship with Christ as though He is one of our friends. ... I’ve found throughout my life that the more time I spend with someone, the more I start acting like that person, and that’s true in regards to our friendship with Christ too.”
Sammy concluded that those who strive to learn of the Savior will draw closer to Him and be able to see His hand in their lives. “I know that as we continue to develop our friendship with Christ, and as we apply sacred principles to our lives we will be blessed, and we’ll become better disciples every day.”
Brazil
For Guilherme de Paula of the Caucaia do Alto 2nd Ward, São Paulo Brazil Cotia Stake, the part he enjoyed most was when they could share their experience with someone else and bear their testimony.
“It’s always wonderful to serve and follow Jesus Christ,” he said. “This devotional gave me much more strength to be determined and truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
Talita Gonçalves, from the Cotia 1st Ward, São Paulo Brazil Cotia Stake, said that during the meeting she felt very loved: “Sometimes we have a bit of difficulty in the world, ... with so much judgment. … By feeling the Savior’s love, ... I could strongly feel His concern for us.”
Missouri
Youth from the Houston Ward in the West Plains Missouri Stake gathered together to watch the worldwide discussion on Sunday.
The following are lessons about discipleship learned by youth in the Houston Ward:
Ben Cook: “When you keep your mind and thoughts holy, everywhere you go can become holy.”
Ian Shupe: “We as members of the Church make our [meetinghouses] and temples holy places. Without our Christlike behavior, without attending and making covenants, those places would just be buildings.”
Buckley Miller: “At Young Men camp, we had great discussions about the gospel around the campfire and we didn’t want to go to bed because we just wanted to keep talking about the gospel. When we share our testimonies together we grow and learn.”
Mark Woolstenhulme: “Once when I was preparing a talk, I read a story where a person was telling another person that they have never missed a Sunday. Then the other person asked, ‘Yeah, but what do you do in between the Sundays?’ That touched me and made my testimony grow and I realized it’s not about just going to church, but it’s what we do during the week and If we take the Spirit from Sunday and share with others — not just at church.”
Utah
Hundreds of youth from the Garland Utah Stake watched the presentation in the historic Garland Utah Tabernacle.
“What I learned is becoming a disciple of Christ takes time. It’s a process, not overnight,” said Chloe Cammack, of the Garland 6th Ward. “The thing I learned the most personally is to just be a disciple — just do it, not just talk about it. It takes action.”
Hunter Kotter, of the Howell Ward in the Garland Utah Stake, said, “The feeling of unity that comes with being a disciple with others is phenomenal. I know that’s how the Savior helps His love shine through us.”
— Alejandra Arce, Russell Wilcox, Janet Uresti and Vanessa Fitzgibbon contributed to this report.
