Elder Bednar and his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, were the concluding keynote speakers for this year’s annual event. Their message was broadcast from the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University and streamed live online.

The two centered their remarks on this year’s theme, which drew from an address given by Sister Wendy Nelson, wife of the late President Russell M. Nelson — “May we arise and shine forth as women of light.”

In his remarks, Elder Bednar shared three experiences and then taught lessons from each that can deepen understanding of what it means to “arise.”

The Savior heals the paralytic man

In the New Testament, four individuals carry a man sick with palsy to a dwelling, uncover the roof and lower him into the room where Jesus was (see Mark 2). Christ forgives the man’s sins and tells him to arise, take up his bed and go into his house.

Elder Bednar noted that in the account, the Lord discerned the man’s needs and succored him emotionally, physically and spiritually. “He enabled the man to do things he did not think or believe he could do and see beyond his present circumstances to things as ‘they really [could] be’ (Jacob 4:13).”

In a similar way, before individuals can rise up, they must discern the truth about their own lives, or “things as they really are,” said Elder Bednar.

“The Savior’s grace and the power of the Holy Ghost can help us over time to strip away the self-centeredness, selfishness and self-doubt characteristic of the natural man in each of us — and that constrain our capacity to rise up,” he taught.

Peter and John heal a crippled man

The second experience Elder Bednar shared highlighted the Savior’s ancient apostles Peter and John. The scriptures say Peter fastened his eyes on the man lame from birth and declared, “Look on us” (Acts 3:4).

The man may have anticipated a monetary gift, but Peter declares, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” Following the command to “rise up and walk,” Peter “took him by the right hand, and lifted him up” (Acts 3:6-7).

Elder Bednar observed: “The man was asking for money, but Peter discerned a greater need. Peter blessed the man physically, provided emotional reassurance and supported him to inspire confidence going forward. The command to arise was directed comprehensively to the man’s whole soul and not just to his physical body.”

In a similar way, said Elder Bednar, “we should first fuel the fire of testimony and spiritual growth in us before we modestly and effectively attempt to shepherd and bless family members, friends and associates. Only in this way can we spiritually discern needs and assist others to arise.”

Modern-day example

In October 2025, Elder and Sister Bednar visited the victims of a deadly mass shooting at a Church meetinghouse in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

During his women’s conference address Friday, Elder Bednar read several learnings shared with him by members of the Grand Blanc Ward from that experience. He noted the inclusion of “light,” “glory” and “darkness” in many of their responses.

For example, one member wrote: “The most important lesson is this: The light that comes from Christ is real, and even in the darkest of moments, His light never leaves us.”

What can individuals learn from the Michigan Latter-day Saints about rising up after a devastating experience? “An eternal perspective grounded in the Father’s plan of happiness matters. Acknowledging we absolutely can never rise up without the power and blessings of the Savior’s Atonement matters. Covenants received worthily and faithfully honored matter. Spiritual priorities grounded in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ matter. Consistency in learning, doing and loving small and simple spiritual things matters — all the time and everywhere,” Elder Bednar said.

He promised: “As we humbly accept His will and timing in our lives, we will receive heavenly direction, protection and spiritual strength. We can be blessed to ‘arise and shine.’”

In her remarks, Sister Bednar issued two invitations to listeners to “arise and shine forth now as women of light” — first, in testifying and defending the importance of families in God’s eternal plan, and second, in ministering to one another.

“To you caring and charitable sisters, let us ‘arise and shine forth as women of light’ by truly ministering with love and compassion in a higher and holier way to the sisters in our wards and branches,” said Sister Bednar.

At the end of his address, Elder Bednar offered what Lalani Lyman — an attendee from Pleasant Grove, Utah — later called “apostolic encouragement,” where he blessed listeners to be able to “rise up.”

“There was power in his words,” said Lyman, “and I think that was incredible.”

For Melissa Hickson, from Goodyear, Arizona, the testimonies of the Grand Blanc Ward members were poignant. It reminded her “to see beyond the trial and see the hand of the Lord in everything because He’s in every aspect of our lives,” she said, adding, “I think that’s amazing that they were able to look and see all of the good and all the light through all of that darkness.”

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Elder W. Mark Bassett — a loving husband, father and grandfather; a current General Authority Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and hailed as a valiant disciple of Jesus Christ — died Monday, May 11, 2026. He was 59.

Elder Bassett suffered a traumatic brain injury while in St. George, Utah, with his family, according to a notice on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Most recently, Elder Bassett served as the executive director of the Church’s Missionary Department, overseeing worldwide missionary efforts.

“His service in this calling coincided with a period of historic growth in missionary efforts around the world and unprecedented levels of missionaries deciding to serve. Elder Bassett will be deeply missed and always remembered for his great faith and dedicated service to the Lord Jesus Christ,“ says the Church’s notice.

In a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center just days before his passing, he taught how missionaries can help truth seekers find the “strait gate” and ”narrow" way to eternal life. He challenged missionaries to “invite everyone to come — and do everything you can to help them enter this beautiful gate which leads to eternal life.”

Elder Bassett was serving as an Area Seventy when he was sustained as a General Authority Seventy in April 2016 general conference.

In an interview with the Church News shortly after his call, he said he saw his new calling as a wonderful opportunity to “be a part of building the kingdom of God on earth.”

“I have been blessed personally and am eternally indebted to Him,” he said. “I want others to feel that same love and am happy to do whatever part I can to help that happen.”

In the last 10 years of full-time Church service, Elder Bassett served as a member of the Brazil, North America Northeast and North America Southeast area presidencies.

In teaching new mission leaders in 2024, Elder Bassett testified: “The world desperately needs to access Christ’s redeeming power. People need the doctrine of Christ. They need baptism and confirmation and all that these ordinances can offer them. And what a blessing it is to be involved in this great and marvelous work, which allows us to offer exactly what God’s children need.”

William Mark Bassett was born on Aug. 14, 1966, to Edwina Acker and William Lynn Bassett, in Carmichael, California, the second-oldest of five children.

“I was close to my family and friends through my youth, and we relied on and helped each other,” he noted.

Faith-building experiences were nurtured by Elder Bassett’s gospel-centered family. Both of his parents were raised in the Church and taught their children to develop their own faith.

“I had to decide at a young age what I believed and what it all meant,” he said.

After serving a full-time mission in the Guatemala Guatemala City Mission, he attended Brigham Young University and conducted a long-distance courtship with a young woman from his hometown, Angela Brasher.

They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on Dec. 20, 1989. They have five children.

In 1991, Elder Bassett earned a degree in accounting from BYU and later moved with his family back to the Sacramento area to work in the wholesale auto auction industry. He worked as controller at Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction and as the chief financial officer and co-owner of West Coast Auto Auctions Inc., where he operated automobile auctions throughout the western United States.

In 2007, he and his wife were called as leaders of the Arizona Mesa Mission.

“His humility and how he treats others stands out in my mind,” Sister Bassett said in 2016 in describing her husband. “I love watching him interact with the people he’s serving. ... He is thoughtful of people. He’s tender. He remembers people, and he’s always quietly doing things for others.”

Elder Bassett spoke twice in general conference: in October 2016 and in April 2023.

“He lives. Jesus Christ is His Only Begotten Son and the Redeemer of mankind. Because of Christ’s infinite Atonement, He has the wisdom and foresight to guide us in these latter days. Joseph Smith is His Prophet, chosen to restore His kingdom on earth to its fullness,” he testified (“For Our Spiritual Development and Learning,” October 2016 general conference).

The funeral service will be at noon on Tuesday, May 19, at the North Salt Lake Utah Stake Center, 900 Eaglepointe Drive, North Salt Lake. It will be preceded by a viewing from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Burial will be in Sandy, Utah.

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Young Matthew began to cry, replying, “I don’t know.”

At the tender invitation of his father, the two knelt on his bedroom floor — near the rocking chair where his mother would read to him every night before bed — and prayed. “That was probably the first time I felt the Spirit that strongly in my life,” Elder Eyring recalled. “I knew my Savior lived.”

That experience was formative, he said, but also illustrative of the many faith-filled influences that have guided him throughout his life.

“I think the Lord has been very kind to me to put righteous mentors in my way,” Elder Eyring noted soon after being sustained as a General Authority Seventy during April 2026 general conference.

At the top of his list of mentors is his wife. “Amy Froerer Eyring has been one of the biggest influences in my life — of light and love and devotion to the Savior,” he said.

Sister Amy Eyring is quickly followed by his parents — President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, and the late Sister Kathleen Johnson Eyring.

The influence of these and other righteous mentors for Elder Eyring has resulted in an abiding testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and a desire to serve in His Church.

“We’re happy to serve, wherever we’re needed,” said Elder Eyring of this new call. “We’re very grateful to be part of the work of the Lord in any capacity.”

Early influences

Matthew Johnson Eyring was born in Palo Alto, California, on July 19, 1969.

Elder Eyring described his childhood as “wonderful and loving and faith-filled.”

Individuals will sometimes ask him what it was like to grow up with a general authority as a parent. “I wouldn’t describe our growing up as unusual in any sense, but it was spiritually very consistent,” he said.

Like many Latter-day Saint families around the world, they read scriptures together daily and held home evening weekly.

As the third of four sons — the family would eventually grow to also include two daughters — Elder Eyring has a distinct memory of being part of a row of sleepy boys lined up on the couch for morning scripture study. His dad, an artist, would sometimes draw little cartoons to illustrate the scripture stories they were learning.

His mom, he said, was focused on serving her Heavenly Father and showing her love for the Savior, Jesus Christ, “and that really permeated everything we did.”

When he was about 3 years old, the family exchanged their more urban living situation in the Bay Area of California for small-town Rexburg in southeast Idaho, when President Eyring was asked to be president of Ricks College.

“It was a special time, in a special place,” said Elder Eyring of the six years the family spent in Rexburg.

College students were often at their home for home evening, and the boys loved going to their father’s administrative office for lunch.

The sometimes-heavy demands of serving in the Church and the school never seemed like a burden, but a blessing, Elder Eyring noted. “Both my parents, it was clear, loved Ricks College and loved Rexburg, Idaho,” Elder Eyring said. They “set a pattern of joyfully serving, even in their young, busy years.”

When President Eyring’s tenure as Ricks president was over, the family moved to Bountiful, Utah. At age 10, Elder Eyring received his patriarchal blessing. “As a young boy, I wanted my patriarchal blessing because I knew that that would contain true guidance for my life,” especially for his teen years, he said. “It was also, I think, representative of the feeling I had, the longing I had, to try to be close to my Heavenly Father and the Savior the best I could.”

Through middle school and high school, “I played every sport until I got cut,” he said with a smile, except for swimming and tennis, which he did competitively until graduating from high school. Tennis, he noted, was the family sport.

“I have hundreds of hours of memories with my mom, hitting a tennis ball,” he recalled.

Besides his parents, Elder Eyring said, he benefited during his teen years from the influence of amazing seminary teachers and priesthood leaders and, eventually, his mission presidents in the Chile Santiago South Mission — President Jared Taylor and President W. Craig Zwick, both of whom would later be called as general authorities.

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Marriage and education

Elder Eyring attended one year at Ricks College prior to his mission, then earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Utah following his mission.

After graduation, he began working for a management consulting company in Boston, Massachusetts. Eventually, the company learned he spoke Spanish and offered him a project based in Bogota, Colombia, and then La Paz, Bolivia. Soon he was commuting among Massachusetts, South America and Salt Lake City.

On a winter vacation to Salt Lake to visit family, Elder Eyring was set up on a blind date by the daughter of his mission president with a friend of hers — Amy Rebecca Froerer.

Sister Amy Eyring recalled: “I had been on previous blind dates that didn’t go so well, and I did have other plans that weekend, and so I started to tell her no. And then I had a very strong impression that came to my mind that said, ‘Don’t say no.’”

The two met for pizza and ice skating and went on several dates before Elder Eyring had to fly back to Massachusetts and then Bolivia.

“Then we probably set a record for the amount of money spent on long-distance phone calls,” Elder Eyring said.

The two were married on Aug. 5, 1995, in the Salt Lake Temple. Sister Eyring then moved with Elder Eyring, first to Boston, then to Bolivia. While he was consulting business executives and heads of state, she served in an orphanage in the center of La Paz.

“It was really a sweet experience for me to be able to love these children and serve,” said Sister Eyring.

It was also a crash course in learning to speak Spanish.

“It really bonded us as a couple,” Elder Eyring observed.

The two returned to Boston when Elder Eyring was accepted to Harvard Business School. In his second year of business school, the two were delighted when Sister Eyring became pregnant with twin girls.

The pregnancy, however, was difficult. Sister Eyring went into labor at 31 weeks, and they lost one of the babies to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a pregnancy condition that involves a disruption in blood flow between identical twins.

“We’re grateful to be here. We love this Church, and we love the Savior.”

Elder Matthew J. Eyring, General Authority Seventy

“It was a bittersweet time,” Sister Eyring recalled. “We mourned the loss of our one daughter and were so grateful for the healthy arrival of our other daughter.”

Although devastated, “we were so grateful for the comfort and strength of the Lord,” Elder Eyring said.

As a mother, Sister Eyring said, “that was a time for me to really turn everything over to the Lord and trust in Him with all my heart.”

Since then, the Eyrings have welcomed four more children — two sons and two more daughters.

“We’re really grateful for our family,” said Elder Eyring.

Serving in the kingdom

Amid career moves and raising their children, the Eyrings also always prioritized serving in the Church. “Those were wonderful, busy years,” Elder Eyring said.

Elder Eyring’s diverse career has included positions in management consulting, medical technology and business innovation. Much of his career kept them in the Boston area, which they loved. There they rubbed shoulders with many dynamic, faithful role models.

“I could tell you story after story after story how [Church members] were quietly being ambassadors and true Saints and ministering in that area and were big examples for us,” said Elder Eyring.

Since 2021, Elder Eyring has worked as the vice president of career development at BYU–Pathway Worldwide.

Elder Eyring said he could spend hours talking about the amazing blessings happening in BYU–Pathway and education. “The Lord loves His children and wants to give them opportunities in all areas to progress and become like Him, and that is happening. And it’s happening in an organized, global way. And that’s the miracle.”

There is “an extraordinary acceleration” of the Lord’s work right now that can be seen only “on the ground, all around the earth, and we’ve been lucky enough to see that in many, many places. So we’re really, really grateful. We’re grateful to be here. We love this Church, and we love the Savior,” said Elder Eyring.

About Elder Matthew J. Eyring

Family: Born in Palo Alto, California, on July 19, 1969, to Henry Bennion Eyring and Kathleen Johnson Eyring. Married Amy Rebecca Froerer on Aug. 5, 1995, in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of five children.

Education: Earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Utah and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.

Employment: Has worked for a variety of companies in management consulting, medical technology and business innovation. Most recently, he has been vice president of career development at BYU–Pathway Worldwide.

Church service: Area Seventy, mission presidency counselor, stake presidency counselor and bishop, and served in the Chile Santiago South Mission.

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Sitting side by side, President and Sister Ashton drew the theme of their remarks from a recent Brigham Young University devotional — streamed to other Church Educational System organizations — by Church President Dallin H. Oaks, who emphasized the caution given by his predecessor, the late President Russell M. Nelson.

“It will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost,” said President Nelson (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” April 2018 general conference).

President Oaks, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then made “a startling statement,” said Sister Ashton. He said, “One of the many reasons you will need the constant influence of the Holy Ghost is that you live in a season where the adversary has become so effective at disguising truth that if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, you will be deceived.”

Sister Ashton noted that those who are deceived believe falsehoods and are led into sin and error without knowing it.

President Ashton assured students, “Your honest search for truth in your studies will teach you how to have the influence of the Holy Ghost in your life more often” and avoid deception.

President Oaks offers the way to overcome any doubt: Draw closer to the Savior

Learning and becoming

In fulfillment of the prophecy that the Lord will give “a pattern in all things, that [we] may not be deceived,” (Doctrine and Covenants 52:14), President Oaks shared four things that will help individuals draw closer to the Savior and thereby invite the Holy Ghost into their lives, said President Ashton.

President Oaks’ four invitations are:

• First, strengthen faith in Jesus Christ.

• Second, increase in humility.

• Third, seek help from others.

• Fourth, be patient.

Time at BYU–Pathway can come help students with each of these invitations, said Sister Ashton.

President Ashton said, BYU-Pathway’s spiritually based curriculum is designed to help students develop faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. “Your studies will also help you develop daily habits like prayer and scripture study that will help you stay close to the Savior throughout your life.”

Sister Ashton said, in the process of learning, students can discover how much they don’t know and learn to rely upon an all-knowing and loving Heavenly Father to master the skills and knowledge they need. “These experiences will help you increase your humility.”

President Ashton added, time at BYU–Pathway can also help students develop righteous, lifelong friendships with well-informed people who have similar beliefs and desires and who will help them through hard times.

And the process of getting an education can help individuals learn patience, added Sister Ashton. “It is impossible to understand some truths without first understanding other foundational truths upon which the greater truths are built. For example, you cannot learn algebra unless you first learn arithmetic. This means you can only earn your degree by consistently putting in effort over time. This is the process for developing patience.”

The Holy Ghost is the witness of all truth, President Ashton taught. “You cannot learn the truths and skills that you are striving to learn in your studies or understand why they matter without the help of the Holy Ghost,” he told students.

Sister Ashton encouraged listeners to focus on learning and becoming. It’s one thing to check off an assignment or cram for an exam; it’s another to internalize the truths and learn the skills needed to be successful in lives and careers.

President Ashton noted that prior to his mission to Peru, his focus was on getting good grades while doing minimal work. After his mission, however, his focus was on learning and becoming.

“I put in the work required to learn,” he said, adding, “Not surprisingly, I received better grades. I learned judgment, discernment and leadership. It was a pleasure to go to school. I felt the Holy Ghost in my life more often and I was happier.”

President Ashton assured students that if they will focus on learning and becoming during their time at BYU–Pathway Worldwide, they will learn to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. “You will not be deceived and you will become honorable, productive and joyful disciples, spouses, parents, citizens, employees and leaders.”

Sister Ashton testified, “Our dear BYU–Pathway students, having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts we can receive from our Heavenly Father.”

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President Eyring testified to members of the temple district that the Lindon temple is the house of the Lord. Feelings of peace felt there come from the Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost.

For the 17 stakes that make up the temple district, the Lindon temple can be “a refuge” and a “place of peace,” promised President Eyring, who dedicated the Church’s newest house of the Lord in a single session on Sunday, May 3, in Lindon, Utah.

“That which we experience in the temple increases our desire to submit our hearts and our wills to God, as His humble children. When we obey what we are taught in the temple with all our hearts, it makes possible our receiving the gift of peace,” President Eyring said.

He also taught that it is only by following the Savior that individuals can find peace and serenity in the trials that will come to them.

Each time patrons return to the temple, they will, by the Spirit, learn more about Jesus Christ and His Father, President Eyring promised members of the temple district. And the sweet feelings of peace can go with them into their busy lives if they are faithful to the covenants made there.

“Trials, challenges and heartaches will surely come to all of us. None of us are immune from thorns of the flesh (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). Yet, as we attend the temple and remember our covenants, we will feel peace from the Lord,” he said.

Elder Steven R. Bangerter, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Susan A. Bangerter; and Elder Jorge T. Becerra, General Authority Seventy and member of the Utah Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Debbie I. Becerra, also attended Sunday’s dedication, which was broadcast to meetinghouses throughout the temple district.

Another temple for Utah state, Utah County

The late President Russell M. Nelson announced Lindon as one of six locations for new temples during the October 2020 general conference.

The Lindon Utah Temple is the 216th dedicated temple of the Church, the 25th in Utah and the seventh in Utah County. Including temples that are under construction, announced or undergoing renovation, the Beehive State has or will have 32 houses of the Lord.

This new sacred edifice is nestled at the base of the Wasatch Mountains. To the northeast stands the imposing, snow-capped Mount Timpanogos. To the west, the valley stretches out to the shores of Utah Lake.

Lindon’s new house of the Lord is closely sandwiched between two other operating temples — the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, roughly 6 miles to the north, and the Orem Utah Temple, about 7 miles to the south.

When President Nelson announced a temple in Lindon “I was speechless,” related Steve Anderson, a longtime resident and the Lindon temple historian. “I never imagined.”

With other temples within close proximity, many Lindon residents were shocked when it was announced, said Lindon Utah West Stake President Andrew Wright, “but also very grateful and joyful.”

Lindon Utah Central Stake President Michael Lloyd recalled serving in his ward’s Young Men organization and routinely getting up at 4 a.m. to take youth to the nearby Mount Timpanogos temple and experiencing lines of youth already trying to perform baptisms before school. Many youth were staying up late on the first of the month to try to secure appointments. “It just was so overwhelmed with the demand for ordinances for the youth.”

During the March 9 media day prior to the temple’s open house, Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy and then an assistant executive director of the Temple Department, noted this temple would enable local members to make temple attendance part of their regular worship, not just an occasional occurrence.

The Lindon temple is also the second in the Church to be dedicated with two baptistries, the other being the Syracuse Utah Temple. “I think the fact that there’s a temple here, and the fact that it has two baptistries, is a reflection of the faithfulness of the Saints in this area,” said Wayne Corbridge. He served as a temple open house and dedication coordinator with his wife, Brenda Corbridge.

Open house for Lindon temple is an invitation to draw closer to Christ, says Elder Becerra

History of the Church in Lindon

As this area of Utah County became settled in the 1860s, houses were strung along the main road connecting Pleasant Grove, Orem and Provo, earning the nickname “String Town.”

A prominent linden tree planted along State Street by an early Latter-day Saint settler inspired the town’s name, explained Anderson. But a typo on the paperwork spelled linden as Lindon.

The linden tree’s tiny blossoms, about the size of an adult’s fingernail, and heart-shaped leaves are reflected throughout the designs in the temple, and several linden trees are featured on the grounds.

For many years, the town was predominantly agrarian, with fields full of crops and livestock, giving rise to the city’s tagline: “Lindon: A little bit of country.” Today, President Wright describes the town as a “quiet, residential community.”

Though many of the fields have now been developed into smaller home lots, “it’s not uncommon to see people riding horses up the mountain trails or for people to raise chickens in their backyards,” he said.

Since Wayne and Brenda Corbridge moved to Lindon 30 years ago, the Church has gone from one stake to three stakes as the population of the town has tripled. “And it’s still growing,” Wayne Corbridge said.

One of the earliest settlers of the area was Henson Walker, an early convert of the Restoration and part of Brigham Young’s vanguard company to the Salt Lake Valley.

Anderson shared how the early years of farming were extremely difficult in the area’s rocky, claylike soil. One year, Walker brought a crop of potatoes to pay tithing at the bishop’s storehouse, but they didn’t want to take them because they were so puny.

Those years of toil, however, produced hardworking, resilient, faithful Saints. Many multigenerational Latter-day Saint families with roots to those early settlers are anchors to the Church in the area, said President Wright.

And the acres of land where Walker once toiled to help build up Zion is now set apart for a sacred purpose: the location of Lindon’s house of the Lord.

Lindon Utah Temple open house begins

A place of strength and peace

Jake Braithwaite has a deep testimony of the temple that belies his age. At just 13 years old, he knows the temple is the house of the Lord and a place of strength and peace.

As the youngest of five, Jake remembers waiting outside the temple for years with his mom, Hillary Braithwaite, while his four older siblings performed baptisms for the dead.

“When I finally turned 11, I begged my bishop to come over to my house right on Jan. 1,” Jake said. His bishop complied. He was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood and the very next day went to do baptisms for the dead for the first time.

Jake thought it might be “long and boring” because sitting outside the temple waiting for his siblings felt like it took so long. “But actually doing it, it’s awesome,” he said.

Whenever he goes to the temple, “I feel good for the rest of the week.”

Jake made a goal to go every week and kept that goal consistently until he was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2024.

“When I found out I got cancer and I wasn’t able to go every week, it was very hard. And I could feel how much harder it was without the temple. It was like a habit by then,” Jake said.

Even though he couldn’t attend the temple when he started his chemotherapy, Jake was still able to find comfort through his service. In the months he had been going every week, he would get on FamilySearch to print off family names. His account kept track of them.

“I had like 800 and something, and we said I had 800 angels helping me get through my cancer journey,” Jake said.

Not being able to do things on his own, like walk down stairs or participate in sports or go to school or the temple, was hard and “really, really annoying,” Jake said.

Going to the temple helps him feel connected to Christ, which comforted him, he said. “Having someone that knows what I’m going through and being close to that person through the temple is really awesome. It definitely helped me.”

Jake recently finished his cancer treatments and says he is “so happy” to have an appointment to perform baptisms next week in the Lindon temple.

‘I feel such peace’

More than 280,000 toured the temple during its four-week open house.

Brenda Corbridge reported that they gave roughly 1,700 tours in various languages and more than 40 specialty tours to individuals and groups with special needs.

Wayne Corbridge said they would often ask visitors at the end of a tour, “What will you remember?”

“The most common response was ‘I feel such peace,’” said Wayne Corbridge. “Not everybody understands that that’s a fruit of the Spirit, but they were feeling the Spirit manifested through the peace and the love of God there in the temple.”

The Corbridges said they could share many stories of people who were drawn to the temple as they saw it being built.

One man who walked every day along the nearby Murdock Canal Trail watched the temple be built, attended the open house and told one of the open house committee members: “You know, I have just decided that I have to change my life. I feel like I have to be in that building and be part of this again.”

Another man, a welder, worked on the temple and felt inspired to reach out to a priesthood leader and was proud to share with a volunteer during the open house that he had recently been endowed. “Initially, it was just a welding job, and it turned into a place that beckoned to him and motivated him to be better,” said Wayne Corbridge.

Even through the construction phase, the Lindon temple has enabled many more opportunities to teach and invite individuals to come back or to learn about the Savior, said President Wright. “Individuals’ lives are changing; marriages, families, homes and the community are already being blessed, and that’s been wonderful to see.”

The house of the Lord changes people, noted President Lloyd. “It softens hearts. It helps them to come back to Jesus.”

Lindon Utah Temple facts

Address: 850 E. Center St., Lindon, Utah 84042

Announced: Oct. 4, 2020, by President Russell M. Nelson

Groundbreaking: April 23, 2022, presided over by Elder Kevin W. Pearson, a General Authority Seventy and Utah Area president

Public open house: March 12 through April 11, 2026, excluding Sundays and general conference

Dedicated: May 3, 2026, by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency

Property size: 12.63 acres

Building size: 83,140 square feet

Building height: 224 feet above ground level

Elder Renlund dedicates Davao Philippines Temple, a place of God’s power and strength

Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the many blessings Thou hast granted to Thy children throughout the Philippines, including those who will be served by the Davao Philippines Temple. In deep humility, we acknowledge Thy goodness, love and compassion.

We thank Thee for the faithful Latter-day Saints in this temple district who have given devoted service over the years. We recognize their sacrifices and the contributions of members in the Philippines, and throughout the world, that have made this temple possible. Please bless them and those who will serve in this temple in the future for their faith and faithfulness.

Elder Renlund dedicates Davao Philippines Temple, a place of God’s power and strength

Please pour out specific blessings on these people. Please restore to them what they cannot restore themselves, heal wounds they cannot heal, fix what has been irreparably broken, compensate them for any unfairness they experience and permanently mend even shattered hearts. Please grant these blessings so that they can fulfill their missions in mortality.

We are gathered today to dedicate this temple, this “mountain of the Lord’s house” (Isaiah 2:2) where Thy Son can “teach us of his ways” (Isaiah 2:3). By the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, under the direction of President Dallin H. Oaks and exercising the keys of the holy apostleship, we solemnly dedicate the Davao Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unto Thee and Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We dedicate every portion and detail of this beautiful building, from its footings and foundations to the dome and steeple that adorn its top.

We dedicate the auxiliary structures, surrounding grounds and landscaping. We also dedicate the wonderful meetinghouse that is on this temple site. We plead with Thee to protect the temple, meetinghouse and surroundings from adverse forces of nature or acts of wickedness.

We recognize that the temple is not simply a beautiful structure but a holy place wherein sacred ordinances can be performed that allow Thy children on both sides of the veil to make and keep covenants with Thee. We are grateful that by worshipping Thee and Thy Son here, we can better learn of Thy ways and more completely follow Thy Son. We pray for the fullness of the Holy Ghost to direct our lives. We humbly pray that our worship here will help us mature in our discipleship and help us live our lives with an eternal perspective.

We pray for protection from evil and to gain greater power to resist temptation and to repent when we stumble. We ask that Thou will bless us with hope, comfort and strength to withstand mortality’s trials and heartaches better.

We ask Thee to grant us greater access to Thy power as we keep temple covenants we make with Thee. We pray that the temple will be the gateway for us to receive all of the blessings promised to Abraham.

We are grateful for the central role of Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation. We know that He bore “our griefs, and carried our sorrows,” that He had “laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6), that He “endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2), broke “the bands of death” (Mosiah 15:23), “ascended into heaven, and [claimed from Thee the] rights of mercy” (Moroni 7:27) for those who believe on His name (Moroni 7:28).

We sense that He yearns for us to access His power so that He can forgive our sins and pardon us from the punishment that we would otherwise warrant. We recognize that He wants to transform us, to have us become perfected in Him, thus helping us be sanctified. We stand all amazed at the love He offers us. We stand amazed at the love Thou offers us. We are forever indebted to Him and to Thee.

Today, we not only dedicate this temple, but we rededicate ourselves to Thy Son’s work. We are grateful for the Restoration of His gospel, His priesthood and His Church. We are grateful for Joseph Smith and modern prophets who have helped us understand our divine nature and the role of temples in helping us achieve our eternal destiny.

We ask Thee to bless the current and future temple leaders, workers and patrons with health and wisdom. Please bless all who enter the temple that they may feel Thy power and recognize that Thou has sanctified it. Bless those who visit the temple grounds that they may sense that it is a place of Thy holiness.

We pray for all who now live in the temple district and those who will live here in the future. We pray that Thou would bless all those who suffer in any way and help us as we try to relieve suffering and offer hope. May faithful Latter-day Saints in the temple district act as a leaven to call down Thy blessings on all people in the Davao area.

We pray that Thou would bless this choice nation of the Philippines with peace, protection and prosperity. We ask Thee to inspire and strengthen government leaders who facilitate freedoms that allow for the worship of Thee and for the well-being of all Thy children. Help those leaders to be favorably disposed to facilitating the forward progress of Thy Son’s work.

Now, dear Father, we present this temple as an offering to Thee. We pray that Thou will accept it. We pray that Thou will sanctify it and bless all who worship here for decades and decades to come, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Church News Almanac | Davao Philippines Temple

And like a faithful lighthouse keeper, “you are not only called to preserve the light — you are called to beam it forth, to act upon it, to bless and sometimes rescue others because of it.”

More than 7,000 graduates — along with their friends and family — filled the Marriott Center for the commencement ceremony on a cloudy, gray morning. A spring drizzle, however, held off as graduates clad in caps and gowns filed into the arena.

Sister Rosana Soares, Elder Soares’ wife, as well as Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy and Church commissioner of education, and his wife, Sister Mary Rasband, also attended.

Preserving and sharing light — the Light of Jesus Christ — was a theme throughout the event, which also included remarks by BYU President C. Shane Reese; Derek B. Miller, president of the BYU Alumni Association; and Mirabella Archibald Keogh, a graduate.

Elder Soares noted that Thursday’s proceedings were enriched “by a sacred milestone in Brigham Young University’s history” — its 150th anniversary or 150 years of “devoted learning, spiritual growth and the pursuit of truth revealed by God and discovered through diligent study.”

Fifty years ago, President Spencer W. Kimball, then the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, described BYU “as becoming an educational Everest” or “a unique university in all of the world” by maintaining academic excellence as well as spiritual strength and faith in Jesus Christ. “There are many ways in which BYU can tower above other universities … because of the unique light BYU can send forth in the educational world. Your light must have a special glow,” President Kimball declared (see “The Second Century of Brigham Young University,” Oct. 10, 1975).

The call to bring a distinctive light to the world brings to mind the example of Ida Lewis, a humble American lighthouse keeper, Elder Soares said.

Off the coast of Rhode Island in the eastern U.S., Lewis faithfully tended a light that guided ships through dangerous waters. “Beginning at age 15, she ventured into churning and frigid waters to rescue those who could not save themselves,” Elder Soares recounted.

The prophetic charge given by President Kimball is not limited to administrators and faculty. “In a very real sense, it now rests upon you,” Elder Soares told graduates. “As you step forward into your divinely appointed future, you do not simply benefit from that vision — you are now called to become stewards of it just like the courageous lighthouse keeper.”

‘Keepers of the light’

If BYU is to remain unique in the world, anchored in covenant belonging, moral courage, faithful discipleship and academic excellence, it will be because its students and graduates choose to live that uniqueness wherever the Lord places them, said Elder Soares.

“There must have been times when noble lighthouse keepers were ill, freezing, battered by raging storms, feeling isolated and exhausted. … In those moments, they focused on what mattered most: keeping the light alive and not abandoning their post. They may not have fulfilled every duty perfectly, but they endured — and because they did, ships were guided safely,” said Elder Soares.

When the storms of life come, graduates should similarly focus on what matters most, he encouraged. “Let us not abandon our love for the gospel or allow the Light of Christ within us to go out. The prophetic vision of the second century will unfold not only on this campus, but wherever you stand as men and women who blend things secular and sacred with integrity and devotion.”

Graduates who remain anchored in Jesus Christ and loyal to covenants will become what prophets have foreseen — “disciple-leaders whose competence commands respect and whose character reflects the light of the Savior,” said Elder Soares.

Elder Soares said Church President Dallin H. Oaks recently taught “from this very pulpit” that the ultimate purpose of BYU — and of an education — is to draw closer to Jesus Christ. “Coming closer to Jesus Christ is not a single event. Like the keepers of the light, it is the steady work of a lifetime, accomplished in quiet, consistent, often unseen acts.”

Though the structures of life may change, the invitation remains the same, said Elder Soares. “The habits of discipleship you have cultivated here must now become the anchors of your future. Drawing nearer to Christ will not remove all uncertainty from your path, but it will give you clarity of purpose, resilience in adversity and peace that surpasses understanding.”

As graduates leave campus, there will be moments when the seas around them and those they serve will feel uncertain or even stormy. “In those times, remember the lighthouse keeper,” said Elder Soares, adding: “Like that faithful lighthouse keeper, Ida Lewis, you may be prompted to move beyond what is comfortable, to reach out, to lift and even to rescue those who cannot find their way alone. As you do, you will come to know that what you carry is not your own — it is the Light of Jesus Christ.”

As graduates share that light, they will become part of that light, said Elder Soares, “bringing direction, safety and hope to all within your influence. The light you carry from this campus is meant to shine in places only you can reach. It is not merely institutional progress or academic distinction — it is the Light of Jesus Christ. It grows within a believing heart, increases as knowledge is joined with covenant faithfulness and blesses others as it is shared.”

‘Let your light so shine’

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior teaches: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

President Reese told graduates: “Class of 2026, go ‘let your light so shine.’ This year, as part of our 150th celebration as a university, we’ve been celebrating gifts of light. As the president of this university, I’ve seen your light. As a faculty member, I’ve seen your light. And, most tenderly of all, as a father of a son in this graduating class of 2026 today, I see your light.”

As both university president and a parent of a graduate, President Reese said: “We love you, and we are so proud of you. We see your light shining, and we pray it never dims. As you stay true to your covenants, keep your foundation on Christ, and serve in ways big and small, your light will shine brighter and brighter in a world that so desperately needs illumination.”

Speaking on behalf of nearly 500,000 alumni, Miller promised graduates: “If you follow the Savior’s example of being meek and humble — and rather than focusing your efforts on making a name for yourself — and instead you keep your promise to take upon yourself the name of Christ, then you will have His light in your countenance. Then the Light of Christ will shine in your eyes. Then you will change the world in the best way possible, in the only way that truly matters.”

BYU students can become ‘beacons of light’ in a world that ‘desperately needs it,’ says President Reese

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Since the early days of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has striven to provide opportunities for learning by establishing schools, academies, colleges and universities.

The late President Russell M. Nelson counseled young adults to pursue education “as a priority of the highest order. Gain all the education you can,” he encouraged (“Education — A Religious Responsibility,” Brigham Young University–Idaho devotional, Jan. 26, 2010).

Why is education a priority for Latter-day Saints? Here’s a look at what modern Church leaders — the current First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — have taught about the power and importance of education, lifelong learning and seeking truth and understanding.

Latter-day prophets, from Joseph Smith to Dallin H. Oaks, on the value of education

‘Education takes faith’

“Faith is defined as a conviction so strong that it causes us to act in a way we otherwise would not act. It can be directed to many things. Going through the many deprivations and stresses of an education takes faith that this will give a better life later. Surely many of you and your families know this. To serve the Lord and keep His commandments during a time of higher education takes faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His promises. … Do your best, and then trust in the Lord and His timing.”

— President Dallin H. Oaks, “Faith,” BYU–Idaho devotional, Nov. 16, 2021

President and Sister Oaks teach BYU–Idaho students how faith in the Lord is synonymous with trust in the Lord

‘Make your home a house of learning’

“We have the wonderful assurance that our Heavenly Father is ready and eager to bless us with knowledge. The Lord spoke through the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith this wonderful news: ‘As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints’ (Doctrine and Covenants 121:33).

“Whatever your current or future situation, I urge you to seek experiences that will increase your knowledge and enlighten your understanding. You should decide and commit now to make your home a house of learning, surrounding yourselves with scriptures, good books, uplifting music and other learning activities.

“Some of you may choose formal educational routes to continue your life of learning. Some will make contributions in science, medicine or business. Some will create art. But all of you have the potential to have a righteous influence in the lives of your families, friends, colleagues or students.”

— President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, “A Life of Learning,” BYU–Idaho commencement, July 20, 2022

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Pursue the right higher education

“We would say, ‘Pursue higher education, but the right higher education for the person.’ For some, it is going to be vocational and the trades. For some, it is going to be college and academia. For some, it may be another approach that continues to expand their minds and their capacities and their talents and abilities. And if they will involve the Lord, then we can help them with all of … the logistical things.”

— President D. Todd Christofferson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, now second counselor in the First Presidency, Church News podcast, Dec. 10, 2024

Church News podcast, episode 218: Elder D. Todd Christofferson and Elder Clark G. Gilbert on thriving in and through the Church Educational System, with guest host Sheri Dew

‘It’s a commandment’

“For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea — it’s a commandment. We are to learn ‘of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:79–80). ...

“You have a duty to learn as much as you can. Please encourage your families, your quorum members, everyone to learn and become better educated. If formal education is not available, do not allow that to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can. Under such circumstances, the best books, in a sense, can become your ‘university’ — a classroom that is always open and admits all who apply. Strive to increase your knowledge of all that is ‘virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy’ (13th article of faith). Seek knowledge ‘by study and also by faith.’ Seek with a humble spirit and contrite heart. As you apply the spiritual dimension of faith to your study — even of temporal things — you can amplify your intellectual capacity, for ‘if your eye be single to [God’s] glory, your whole [body] shall be filled with light, and … [comprehend] all things’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:67).”

— President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then second counselor in the First Presidency and now acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Two Principles for Any Economy,” October 2009 general conference

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Lifting people spiritually, temporally

“A core tenet of our faith is the importance of education. Many early Church converts in the 1830s were poor and uneducated, and their conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ fueled their desire for learning.

“Interestingly, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the few religions where the more education you receive, the more committed you are to the religion. Pew Research found over 80% of Latter-day Saint college graduates describe their religion as ‘very important.’ …

“As a Church, we believe that education can lift people both spiritually and temporally, and we have developed BYU–Pathway to ensure our people have access to affordable, high-quality education everywhere in the world.”

— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, address to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., May 26, 2022

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Emulating the Savior’s message, mission

“Latter-day Saint doctrine is unique and unequivocal about the role of intelligence and the importance of education and knowledge. In section 93 of our Doctrine and Covenants, we are taught:

• “Truth is independent: ‘Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come’ (Doctrine and Covenants 93:24).
• “‘The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth’ (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36).
• “‘Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be’ (Doctrine and Covenants 93:29).
• “Exercising our agency to find light and truth and lay hold of every good thing is a doctrinal goal. …

“The leadership of this church and our leaders in higher education have over a long period dedicated the time and resources necessary to provide exceptional educational institutions. The Church system of higher education tries to emulate the Savior’s message, ministry and mission.”

— Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Preparing Students for Eternity,” BYU University Conference, Aug. 28, 2023

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‘Important for each of us’

“In our family, it was as important that our two daughters graduated from the university as it was that our two sons graduated. ‘Education,’ President [Russell M.] Nelson has said, ‘is a religious responsibility.’ You young women need understanding and skills, as do the young men. Prayer, thoughtful planning and hard work will be needed to prepare for your life, and education is important for each of us.”

— Elder Neil L. Andersen, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Facing Mortality as Adults,” BYU–Idaho devotional, May 19, 2024

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Worthy of a ‘hurrah’

“We see the Lord hastening educational opportunities for our members and even those not of our faith around the world. One of the things that distinguishes us as a church is our emphasis on education. The Lord commanded in the early days of the Restoration to ‘seek learning, even by study and also by faith’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). That is happening today and is worthy of a resounding ‘hurrah.’”

— Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Right Before Our Eyes,” April 2025 general conference

Elder Ronald A. Rasband at April 2025 general conference: ‘Right Before Our Eyes’

Obtain understanding

“And with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).

“Most of you seated here today are approaching or have entered a critical intersection or crossroads in your life. You are becoming more independent with each year of your life that passes, and you are moving deeper into the ‘And with all thy getting’ phase of your life. What is it that you are going to be getting? It may be getting a husband or a wife, your own family, a car, a job, a salary, a house and a mortgage, to name a few. In order to manage these very important things that we ‘get,’ one must also obtain ‘understanding,’ as the scripture teaches. This understanding comes through an interdependence of study and prayer. Said another way, one must have trust or reliance upon the Lord. Alma described this when he likened the word unto a seed. As he stated, ‘It beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me’ (Alma 32:28).”

— Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding,” BYU devotional, Jan. 14, 2014

BYU devotional: 'Lean not to thine own understanding'

The great objective of gathering

“To acquire both intelligence and knowledge of the kingdom of God are reasons God commanded a gathering. In fact, early Church leaders said:

“’Intelligence is the great object of our holy religion. … Intelligence is the result of education, and education can only be obtained by living in compact society. … One of the principal objects then, of our coming together, is to obtain the advantages of education; and in order to do this, compact society is absolutely necessary.’

“The compact society that we call Brigham Young University fulfills a key role in furthering the great objective of our religion: acquiring intelligence.”

— Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Creating and Conveying a Christlike Culture: More Than a Job,” BYU University Conference, Aug. 26, 2019

Lifelong learners and teachers

“President Russell M. Nelson has exemplified that ‘education is the difference between wishing you could help other people and being able to help them’ (’What Will You Choose?’ Ensign, January 2015). Here at BYU–Idaho, then-Elder Russell M. Nelson admonished: ‘Please be true to yourself. Honor — yes, even demand — highest expectations from yourself. … With us as Latter-day Saints, education is a religious responsibility’ (’Education — A Religious Responsibility,” BYU–Idaho devotional, Jan. 26, 2010).

“Please pay attention in your general education classes, your major classes and your quorum, class and family home evening lessons. You will need and use them all. As it is said, please think of your education as more the lighting of a fire than the filling of a pail (’On Listening’ from ‘Moralia’ in ‘Essays’ by Plutarch, translated by Robin Waterfield).

“As lifelong learners and teachers, all we learn in every place and circumstance can be a blessing as we reach out to others.”

— Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Things Expedient to Understand,” BYU–Idaho devotional, Oct. 20, 2020

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Knowledge is revelation

“The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that ‘truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come’ (Doctrine and Covenants 93:24). The Prophet Joseph Smith once taught: ‘Knowledge is necessary to life and godliness. … Knowledge is revelation. Hear, all ye brethren, this grand key: knowledge is the power of God unto salvation’ (see ’Discourse, 21 May 1843, as Reported by Howard Coray,” Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, Illinois, josephsmithpapers.org). …

“My friends, in this context, truth relates to light, knowledge and revelations from heaven and is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory and being of God. There is power in truth because ‘the truth shall make [us] free’ (John 8:32). Therefore, truth enables us to see clearly, discern and avoid deception, and set a course through the uncertainties of our day. In fact, we should always be searching for truth in our lives in one way or another.”

— Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Light and Truth,” BYU devotional, Dec. 6, 2022

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Hold to truth and light

“It is hoped that your education has prepared you ‘for a lifetime of service,’ by equipping you with ‘the thinking skills and character of a servant-leader.’ …

“Graduates, your diligently applied time here has equipped you with a marvelous set of skills that, coupled with the guiding light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, will shape your contributions to the world. As you go out from this threshold, ‘into the unknown,’ holding fast to pure sources of truth and light, let your mantra be ‘Whom can I serve?’ Remember that Christ has counseled, ‘He that is greatest among you shall be your servant’ (Matthew 23:11). In the Lord’s eyes, greatness is measured not by our personal achievements but by the charity with which we treat His children.”

— Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Give Me a Light That I May Tread Safely Into the Unknown,” BYU–Hawaii commencement, Dec. 8, 2023

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Knowledge is a gift

“The glory of God is intelligence. We believe that each of us has the right to receive a significant portion of this intelligence, which includes both sacred and secular knowledge. Education is an important element of our eternal progression. I was recently moved as I read this profound thought from Shakespeare, engraved upon the walls of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., it says: ‘Knowledge [is] the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.’ In other words, as we increase in knowledge, we get closer to our Heavenly Father. …

“I would like to continue reading from the writings of prophet Nephi, when recorded this magnificent promise from the Lord: ‘I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; … for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have’ (2 Nephi 28:30).

“This scripture reminds me of the inspiring message contained in the parable of the talents. Knowledge isn’t a right, it’s a gift. It is a talent that God gives to us, and like any talent, it needs to be cared for and nurtured in order to grow, flourish and multiply. If we are negligent in our education, we risk losing that which we have already received, just as the slothful servant lost the talent he buried in the ground.”

— Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then the presiding bishop, “Continual Learning: A Joy and a Duty for Everyone,” Ensign College devotional, Sept. 25, 2018

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The power of Church education

“I think one of the things I’ve learned since I’ve had this assignment as commissioner is just the scale of what the Lord’s doing and the role Church education has in the kingdom of God. There is a gathering happening. The work is accelerating. Even with the pressures we face from the world, the work is accelerating. It’s more vibrant and relevant than ever. And Church education is only relevant to the degree it is part of that. Church education is only powerful and worth the investment of the Church to the degree it brings people to the Savior and allows them to be disciples who can help support the work of the kingdom.”

— Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then a General Authority Seventy and commissioner of the Church Educational System, Church News podcast, Feb. 20, 2024

Church News podcast, episode 176: Elder Clark G. Gilbert on the expansive Church Educational System and the power of involving the Lord in learning

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A single dedicatory session will be held at 11 a.m. and broadcast to meetinghouses within the temple district.

Other leaders attending Sunday’s ceremony will be Elder Steven R. Bangerter, a General Authority Seventy and the executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Susan Bangerter; and Elder Jorge T. Becerra of the Utah Area presidency and his wife, Sister Debbie Becerra.

The three-story, more-than-80,000-square-foot edifice will be the Church’s 216th operating house of the Lord when it’s dedicated and the seventh for Utah County.

The Lindon Utah Temple was announced on Oct. 4, 2020, by President Russell M. Nelson, and ground was broken roughly a year and a half later by Elder Kevin W. Pearson, a General Authority Seventy who was then the Utah Area president.

“As we break ground today for the Lindon Utah Temple, we need a groundbreaking effort to prepare for the dedication of this temple by searching out and preparing our family names to submit to and nourish this new temple as it’s constructed,” said Elder Pearson.

The Lindon temple welcomed roughly 300,000 visitors during its open house March 12 through April 11.

“We call [God] our Father in Heaven. This is a Father reaching out to His children and inviting them to come to Him,” Elder Becerra said while welcoming media representatives for the first official tour of the newly completed structure on Monday, March 9.

Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy also at the media tour, noted the Lindon temple will be the second temple dedicated with two baptistries, following the Syracuse Utah Temple.

The Beehive State currently has 32 houses of the Lord operating, under construction, announced or undergoing renovation.

The following 24 temples have been dedicated in Utah: Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Deseret Peak, Draper, Jordan River, Layton, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Orem, Payson, Provo City Center, Provo Rock Canyon, Red Cliffs, Salt Lake, Saratoga Springs, St. George, Syracuse, Taylorsville and Vernal.

Of those temples, two are undergoing extensive renovations and reconstruction: the Salt Lake Temple, closed Dec. 29, 2019, and the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple, closed Feb. 24, 2024.

Three other houses of the Lord are under construction in Utah: the Smithfield temple (since June 2022), Ephraim temple (August 2022) and Heber Valley temple (October 2022).

Four temples are in planning and design stages — in West Jordan (announced 2024), Lehi (2024), Price (2024) and Spanish Fork (2025).

Open house for Lindon temple is an invitation to draw closer to Christ, says Elder Becerra

Lindon Utah Temple groundbreaking signals how the Lord is hastening His work

See photos of the the interior, exterior of Lindon temple as it begins open house

Elder Gerratt ministered to Latter-day Saints worldwide as a General Authority Seventy from 2002 to 2007, a mission president and temple president. His wife of 69 years, Sister Marjorie Crane Gerratt, died Dec. 18, 2024.

Decades of service and leadership were a reflection of Elder Gerratt’s faith. “I have never been given a calling I felt adequate to do, but I know that whom the Lord calls, the Lord prepares and helps,” Elder Gerratt said upon being called as a general authority. “As I have accepted each call in my life, I have pleaded with Heavenly Father to help me be effective in His hands.”

A soft-spoken crop and dairy farmer from Idaho, Elder Gerratt was called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy in 2002 at age 66. He served in the Idaho Area presidency and as a counselor in the Philippines Area presidency with President Dallin H. Oaks, who was then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, according to his obituary.

He and Sister Gerratt also served as mission leaders in the Philippines Manila Mission from 1996 to 1999 and as president and matron of the Twin Falls Idaho Temple from 2008 to 2010.

“When we are humble and call on the Lord, then get up off our knees and go to work, it always brings good results,” he said of his leadership callings.

His deep sense of duty — to his family and the Lord — was instilled in him by his parents, Donald Wayne and Ann Bailey Gerratt. Born on April 9, 1936, in Heyburn, Idaho, his family moved to nearby Burley when he was 11. There, he came to know his neighbor, Marjorie Crane. Her father was bishop, and her mother was his Primary teacher.

The high school sweethearts were married on Nov. 9, 1955, in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple.

When Elder Gerratt was a teenager, his father gave him and his brother the proceeds from a half-acre potato crop for working on the farm. With this money, the brothers each purchased a milk cow. That became the start for a successful dairy and farm operation, as Elder and Sister Garrett raised their nine children.

In a speech given at Brigham Young University–Idaho in 2008, Elder Gerratt expressed gratitude for his wife, who he called “his best friend” as well as his eternal companion.

Sister Marjorie Gerratt, wife of Elder D. Rex Gerratt, dies at age 87

They worked to build a home and family centered on faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

“I can remember many mornings when our children and I would sit on the back porch with our family dog, putting on our boots to do our dairy chores,” Elder Gerratt recalled. “Sister Gerratt and I are, of course, concerned for our children, but we have great confidence in them because they all know how to work hard and they have testimonies of the gospel.”

His callings in the Church have included Area Seventy, temple president, mission president, regional representative, stake president, stake clerk, bishop, ward clerk and home teacher.

Elder Gerratt spoke just once in general conference. In his talk titled, “Follow the Instructions,” he recalled, “During my lifetime, I have been a farmer and a father of a large family. Even though personal and family prayer have always been a daily part of our lives, on occasion I have felt an overwhelming need to go into the field at night or kneel by the haystack, look up into the heavens and speak aloud to my Father in Heaven. I have always felt His warmth and knew then, as I know now, that He is listening to me and will answer my prayers in His wisdom for my best good.”

His hard work on the dairy and farm led to him being inducted into the Idaho Dairy Hall of Fame and the Southeastern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame. He was also named Conservation Farmer of the Year.

His obituary states that he loved to build and create — barns, corrals, fences — and found joy in improving the land he loved.

“Rex’s life was one of quiet strength, steady faith and deep love — for his family, his work, and his Savior, Jesus Christ,” says his obituary.

Elder Gerratt is survived by his children: Mary Ann (Dan Clayton), Alan (Kayla), Darlene (Glen Fish), Dale (Becky), Carolyn (Kevin Wood), Lynn (Shalawn), David (Bonnie), Steven (Michelle), and Donald (Julie); 45 grandchildren; 92 great-grandchildren; and his brother, Larry (Barbara) Gerratt, and their family.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie; his parents, Don and Ann Bailey Gerratt; two grandsons, Spencer Gerratt and John Clayton; and a great-granddaughter, Aliza Bingham.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints meetinghouse located at 275 S. 250 East, Burley. Burial will follow at Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley.

Family and friends will be received from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, at Rasmussen- Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 East 16th Street, Burley, Idaho, and from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m. Saturday, preceding the funeral, at the Latter-day Saint meetinghouse.

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“You did not just earn a degree. You proved that you could do hard things. You learned to adapt, adjust and not give up. You learned to finish,” Brother Reid said.

Those lessons were reiterated to Brother Reid by his teenage son, Adney, who accompanied Brother Reid and his wife to Australia when the two were called as mission leaders.

Adney soon discovered that Australians don’t play American football — his great passion. Instead, they play rugby. So Adney decided to try out for the rugby team.

During his first game, Adney dropped a pass and caused a knock-on, or a turnover. On the drive home, Brother Reid said, he asked Adney how he felt, knowing it hadn’t been the best performance of his athletic career.

He told his dad: “I actually loved it. I stayed in the game. I got involved. And I finished.”

It is a message, Brother Reid told graduates, he hopes they remember: “Stay in the game and finish.”

Brother Reid was the featured speaker during Ensign College’s winter 2026 commencement on Friday, April 17. Graduates from 114 countries and their loved ones gathered in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City — or watched a livestream of the event online — on a chilly but sunny spring morning.

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As graduates move forward, Brother Reid encouraged them to anchor everything — their careers, families, leadership, opportunities and adventures — in Jesus Christ.

“Stay connected as you build. Stay grounded as you rise. Stay faithful as you lead,” he said.

The secret to success

When Brother Reid first walked into his biology class on his first day at BYU in Provo, Utah, he realized his entire high school in his village in American Samoa could fit inside the classroom with seats to spare. He thought, “I cannot do this.”

But he stayed, and he graduated.

“This lesson to stay and finish is not just true in sports or education. It will prove to be true in every stage of your life, every future endeavor and success,” Brother Reid told graduates.

Looking back on his own graduation, Brother Reid said whatever success he has experienced has flowed directly from one source: “My discipleship and my relationship with Jesus Christ.”

In the Book of Mormon, Ammon describes the difficulty of his mission, saying: “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren … and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success" (Alma 26:27).

Said Brother Reid: “When we turn to the Lord, He will comfort us. He will strengthen us to bear our afflictions with patience, and in His own way and timing, He will grant the success He desires for us.”

Abide in Him

The Savior invites His disciples to abide in Him (see John 15:4), Brother Reid noted.

Like loaves and fishes, “the Lord desires to take what you have and multiply it beyond what we could accomplish alone. That is the promise of staying with Him,” Brother Reid taught.

Jesus Christ offered the perfect example. In Gethsemane, He stayed. On the cross, He finished the course. “Move forward knowing you do not walk alone. When life stretches you — stay. When faith is tested — stay. When the outcome is uncertain — stay and finish.

“Your future is bright not because it will be easy, but because it will be purposeful,” Brother Reid promised.

Because of Jesus Christ, there is hope ahead. There is opportunity ahead. There is purpose ahead. There is light ahead, he testified. “So stay in the game. Stay with Him and finish.”

In his remarks, Ensign College President Bruce C. Kusch quoted the lyrics of a beloved hymn, “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel,” (“Hymns,” No. 252). While graduates may not be pushing pioneer wagons or pulling handcarts, “the Lord needs willing men and women to move the gospel cause forward. The world desperately needs you to be a light of faith and integrity,” said President Kusch. He added, “Your helping hands can reach out to lift God’s children. Your helping hands can be raised to sustain those called to serve.”

Two Ensign College graduates — Barbara Alves and Cameron Kohutek — also spoke, in addition to Michael J. Christensen, a senior director in the office of the Church commissioner of education.

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“My friends, this same invitation is extended to you and to me,” Elder Peter M. Johnson, a General Authority Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told BYU–Hawaii graduates during commencement on Friday, April 17. “‘Follow me,’ Christ declared. May we be like Peter and Andrew, and leave behind nets of distraction, nets of deception and nets of disobedience that limit our covenant commitment to immediately follow Jesus Christ.”

Roughly 500 graduates and their families and friends filled the Cannon Activities Center on the Laie, Hawaii, campus for Friday’s ceremony. Acting BYU–Hawaii President R. Kelly Haws noted that graduates represented 36 countries and 70% came from outside of the United States.

Being chosen as BYU–Hawaii’s winter 2026 commencement speaker was deeply personal to Elder Johnson, who attended the school some 40 years ago.

A young Peter Johnson came to the Church-owned university at 17 years old on a partial basketball scholarship as a devoted Muslim from Queens, New York City, who had a lot to learn about his sport and about Jesus Christ, His doctrine and His ministry.

The young athlete, however, soon had many individuals — including his coach, teammates and teachers — who ministered to, taught and mentored him in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1986 and a year later received his endowment in the Laie Hawaii Temple.

“My journey along the covenant path of discipleship started on this campus,” Elder Johnson recalled. “My journey in developing my sacred relationship with God and Christ and my testimony of the power of ministering to the one started on this campus. My journey to understand the importance of achieving academic excellence and of giving back started on this campus. … My journey of goodness, of love and of understanding my Savior’s role started on this campus.”

Like many BYU–Hawaii alumni, Elder Johnson said, he was the first in his family to graduate from a university.

Looking back at his time at BYU–Hawaii, now called as a special witness of Jesus Christ, Elder Johnson said: “I am eternally grateful. I cannot find the words to adequately express how deeply I feel about Brigham Young University–Hawaii. Any words to describe these innermost feelings of my heart are insufficient.”

Living the doctrine of Christ

Individuals’ ability to answer Christ’s call to become fishers of men and women will be enhanced as they live the doctrine of Christ, Elder Johnson taught. “Living the doctrine of Christ will ‘produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives,’” Elder Johnson said, quoting the late President Russell M. Nelson (“Overcome the World and Find Rest,” October 2022 general conference).

The doctrine of Christ constitutes four interconnected elements: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, receiving ordinances and honoring covenants so that a disciple can be sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, Elder Johnson taught.

“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a principle of action and of divine power. Repentance is the exercising of one’s faith in Christ by turning our hearts and souls toward Him. Repentance is not punishment. Repentance is powerful because it allows God’s power into our lives.”

Those who truly understood the principle of repentance would run to it, said Elder Johnson.

Receiving ordinances and honoring covenants made with God and Christ give individuals greater access to Their power and Their love and allow people to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost, he continued.

“And enduring to the end, oh, my friends, is not just holding on, gritting our teeth and waiting to die. No. It is living each element of the doctrine of Christ repeatedly and iteratively so that we can be transformed and blessed with the gift of charity,” Elder Johnson said.

Those who follow Jesus Christ “will remember all that we have felt from this sacred institution, and we will continue our journey of becoming lifelong, joyful disciples of Jesus Christ,” he promised.

Friday’s ceremony also included remarks by President Haws and Timothy Putra Samad, a graduate from Indonesia.

President Haws invited graduates to “commence in the Lord’s way” by calling upon His name every day and being a peacemaker. “As you finish today, you’re also commencing tomorrow. Please choose now to commence in the Lord’s way,” he said.

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Throughout her life, Sister Gerratt served faithfully in many callings, including several with her husband. Besides supporting her husband as he served as a general authority from 2002 to 2007, the two served as mission leaders of the Philippines Manila Mission from 1996 to 1999. She also served as matron of the Twin Falls Idaho Temple as her husband served as president from 2008 to 2010.

Marjorie Crane was born on May 24, 1937, to Elmer LeRoy and Mary Cottrell Crane, who raised their eight children on a farm in Burley, Idaho.

When she was 10 years old, D. Rex Gerratt, who was a year older than her, and his family moved to Burley and they became neighbors.

In high school, Rex and Marjorie each served as president of his and her respective class, and the two would have good-natured discussions about whose class was better (Church News, Nov. 9, 2002). The high school sweethearts were married on Nov. 9, 1955, in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple.

Young Rex’s father gave him and his brother the proceeds from a half-acre potato crop for working on the farm. With this money, they each purchased a milk cow. That became the start for a successful dairy and farm operation where Elder and Sister Gerratt raised their nine children.

In a speech given at Brigham Young University–Idaho in 2008, Elder Gerratt expressed gratitude for his wife, who he called “his best friend” as well as his eternal companion.

Through the years, Sister Gerratt served as ward Young Women and Primary president and counselor in a ward Relief Society presidency. An accomplished musician, Sister Gerratt served as a ward organist until this year. She enjoyed cultivating a large garden, quilting and taught her children to play the piano. Her obituary states that she acknowledged each child, grandchild and great-grandchild on their birthday.

In her obituary, her children express appreciation for their mother’s “quiet strength and support. Thank you for all you have done for us and for showing us how to live loving, industrious and Christ-centered lives.”

Sister Gerratt is survived by her husband, Elder Rex D. Gerratt; children, Mary Ann Clayton (Dan), Alan Gerratt (Kayla), Darlene Fish (Glen), Dale Gerratt (Becky), Carolyn Wood (Kevin), Lynn Gerratt (Shalawn), David Gerratt (Bonnie), Steven Gerratt (Michelle), and Donald Gerratt (Julie); 43 grandchildren; and 83 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, LeRoy and Mary Crane; her seven siblings; and grandsons Spencer Gerratt and John Clayton.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, in the Church meetinghouse at 515 E. 16th St., in Burley, Idaho. Burial will follow at Pleasant View Cemetery in Burley.

Family and friends will be received from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, and from 10 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. Saturday, prior to the service.

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“Heavenly Father knows each of you and has a purpose for you,” the General Authority Seventy testified during winter 2026 commencement on Friday, April 10. “Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, hope is always available, even when the sky appears to be gray. As you remain faithful and stay in the Lord’s field, the Lord will bring light into your life in ways you cannot yet imagine.”

While addressing graduates and their loved ones gathered in the BYU–I Center for the afternoon ceremony in Rexburg, Idaho, Elder Teixeira spoke about his decision to enroll in a digital photography program offered online through a university on the East Coast.

For one of the assignments, Elder Teixeira needed to choose a location, plan a photo shoot and capture images worthy of a portfolio — on a tight schedule.

“Eventually, I selected a location along the Great Salt Lake where a small island sits in the distance,” Elder Teixeira recalled. “Under the right conditions, the water’s surface in this location can reflect the sky like a mirror, and if everything worked perfectly, the scene could be beautiful.”

As he left the office the day of the shoot, however, the sky was gray and featureless. No color or clouds.

Before driving to the spot, and again after he set up his equipment, Elder Teixeira considered packing up and going home.

But as the sun descended, something unexpected happened. The water became still. Subtle blue tones appeared, then delicate pastel colors. “For a brief moment, it looked as if heaven and earth had become one,” Elder Teixeira recalled, and he captured it on camera.

That experience taught him something he has never forgotten, he said. “Some of life’s most important, beautiful moments appear only to those who stay a little longer.” Or, in other words, “faith often requires us to remain in place even when the sky still looks gray.”

He then shared three lessons.

Lesson 1: ‘Do not leave the field too early’

“Dear graduates, the years ahead will bring moments when conditions are not ideal. Plans may not unfold exactly as expected. Progress may feel slow to you,” said Elder Teixeira.

Preparation does not guarantee success, but it places individuals on the path. “If I had not prepared the equipment, if I had not driven to the lake, if I had not remained until the last moment, that photograph would never have existed.”

Lesson 2: ‘Goals place us on the path’

Elder Teixeira’s goal that evening was to complete a class assignment, but something greater emerged, he said.

“Sometimes the goals we set in life do not produce exactly the results we expected. But they do something equally important. They place us on the right path.”

Graduates’ education will work much the same way, he noted. “The degree you receive today will open doors you cannot yet see. Some of the most meaningful chapters of your life will unfold in places you never originally planned to go and with experiences you never dreamed of.”

Lesson 3: ‘Live a life that can reflect heaven’

For a brief moment that evening, the surface of the lake reflected the sky so perfectly that the horizon almost disappeared. That image reminds him, said Elder Teixeira, that “each of us has the opportunity to live in a way that reflects heaven. … When we follow Jesus Christ, our lives begin to reflect something higher than ourselves.”

Elder Teixeira reminded graduates that there will be days when the sky appears gray, moments when progress seems slow. “But remember the lesson from the shores of the Great Salt Lake.

“Stay in the field. Don’t give up. Trust that your preparation matters. And most importantly, live a life that can reflect heaven,” he said.

BYU–Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III and Michael J. Christensen, a senior director in the office of the Church commissioner of education, also spoke during commencement.

In his remarks, President Meredith told graduates: “As you commence this next phase of your life, we wish you success in all that you pursue. But our greatest hope is that you leave here as devoted, lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ — true peacemakers, as President [Dallin H.] Oaks has invited us to become.”

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What began as a small class of 25 students in a small town in Idaho in 1926 has grown to include more than 2,700 locations in more than 170 countries in 39 languages.

A brief look at the history of institute

In 1926, Church President Heber J. Grant sent J. Wyley Sessions to Moscow, Idaho — a small town on the border of Washington state on the Idaho Panhandle — to start “collegiate seminaries.” The first institute of religion classes were held near the campus of the University of Idaho, with just 25 students.

Two years later, a building was dedicated, with Sessions appointed as the first institute director and teacher.

By 1946, there were 17 established institute of religion programs — all adjacent to junior colleges and universities. By 1950‚ as Church membership surpassed 1 million members, institute enrollment reached 4,309.

As the gospel of Jesus Christ spread and the Church’s branches continued to sprout, so did institute. In 1975, institute enrollment grew to more than 88,000; in the year 2000, it hit close to 350,000 worldwide, with the numbers continuing to climb.

The COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, however, stunted the program’s growth for a time. In a training broadcast in 2021, Brother Chad H Webb, administrator for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, reported their concern that worldwide enrollments in seminary and institute programs were decreasing.

The Church surveyed thousands of young adults around the globe and asked them what they thought institute should be and how it could best serve them.

“They talked about wanting to feel Heavenly Father’s love and deepening their faith in the Savior,” Brother Webb, also a member of the Sunday School general presidency, said of the surveyed young adults. “They talked about wanting a place where they had people who would help them with their goals in life and how to stay on the covenant path. They talked about relevance and finding answers to questions.”

The result was the creation of several initiatives, known as Innovate Institute, to meet those needs. At the same time, the pandemic spurred the program’s digital transformation.

During the Religious Educators Conference in 2024, Brother Webb reported: “After five years of decline, we have added 57,000 additional students in the past two years. That is a 20% increase — and we know there are also a large number of students attending that do not officially enroll. It is the largest number in eight years, and we are thrilled to see back-to-back years of growth."

Included in that growth was an increase of 14,000 online enrollments.

In a recent interview for the Church News podcast, Brother Webb reported that in the last two years, institute has grown by more than 100,000 students.

The extent of the growth is “absolutely remarkable,” he said, adding that it can be attributed to a number of factors.

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A Prophet’s invitation

In a video message in 2023, President Russell M. Nelson issued a special invitation to all young adults throughout the Church: Attend institute.

Those who participate in institute will experience a sense of belonging, increased faith in Jesus Christ and guidance from the Holy Ghost, President Nelson said.

Earlier this year, President Dallin H. Oaks promised a new series of special blessings for the next generation of young adults.

Calling institute “one of the greatest opportunities to learn, gather and lift others,” President Oaks noted that “we live in a day when noise and confusion are common.”

He added that those who attend institute consistently, however, will be able to:

• Learn to distinguish truth from error. 
• Build their relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
• Find direction and discover answers to life’s questions. 
• Meet others to help them along the covenant path. 
• Meet people to date and marry. 
• Prepare to love and lead like the Savior.

The Prophet then encouraged young adults to invite their friends to enjoy these same blessings.

“I promise that your time in institute will bring the Savior’s peace, joy and divine love,” President Oaks declared.

In the podcast interview, Brother Webb expressed his gratitude for the Prophet’s invitation and promised blessings. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to think about how institute can bless us, or if we’re trying to invite a child or a friend, ... it’s a great way to invite them by sharing those promises.”

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‘Marvelous teachers’

Brother Webb noted that the program’s tens of thousands of teachers have caught a vision of the gathering of this generation.

Seminary and institute teachers are “working really hard extending invitations and welcoming people. They’re trying hard to do more than just teach lessons but to build relationships and answer questions and meet needs. They’re creating a sense of community, a sense of belonging in these institute buildings and classes. That’s going a long ways. They’re really striving to help institute become relevant in addressing the specific needs of the people that they’re teaching,” Brother Webb said.

In the same Church News podcast episode, Yaw Danso, associate administrator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, also spoke of the “wonderful men and women” who work in seminaries and institutes.

“We have examples of coordinators who are leaving their offices and literally going to homes and inviting young single adults to come to institute,” Danso said.

An institute director in Cape Coast, Ghana, for example, went to young adults who were not attending and asked, “What do you need?” Based on the young adults’ feedback, their institute created new, specific courses, and that institute saw a 75% increase in enrollment.

Teachers are doing a better job of not just covering material but addressing the needs of students, said Brother Webb.

In speaking to Church religious educators last June, President D. Todd Christofferson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught that teachers should help activate students’ agency to take personal ownership in learning.

“It is in so doing that they can become active and lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ,” said President Christofferson, who is now the second counselor in the First Presidency.

Seminary and institute teachers are finding ways to invite that kind of diligent learning, said Brother Webb. “While [students] are in class, it’s not just a teacher speaking at them, giving a lecture, but they’re engaged in learning. They’re exercising their own agency. They’re asking questions. They’re finding answers. And they’re sharing what they’re learning with each other. ...

“We’ve been really blessed to have teachers all over the world that are marvelous teachers,” he said.

Inviting friends

In the spring of 2025, seminaries and institutes — in collaboration with the Missionary Department — began an “Invite a Friend” initiative, encouraging students to invite others to attend class with them.

“When a young person personally invites a friend to join an institute class or activity, it carries special power,” Brother Webb said during the 2026 annual training for seminary and institute teachers. “Their authentic testimonies and friendships are essential in welcoming all to attend.”

Danso shared how in Brazzaville, Congo, “we have an institute building that has about 3,000 students that come there every week. More than half of them are friends of the Church, and they come to institute, they feel the Spirit, they learn about Jesus Christ, and they continue coming. So it’s just been an incredible thing to see peers inviting peers, and they come.”

And these simple invitations are working, Brother Webb noted. Last year, roughly 75,000 friends of the Church enrolled in seminary and institute courses worldwide.

During the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults earlier this year, Brother Webb issued his own invitation as he noted the approaching enrollment milestone. “Every one of you who attends institute this year will literally be one in a million — an important part of a historic year known and numbered by our Father in Heaven. We invite you all, no matter what your stage in life or circumstance, to come and be one in a million.”

Searching for faith in Jesus Christ

As hard as people are working and as much as seminary and institute administrators are trying to implement new ways of blessing the young adults of the Church, “I’m still amazed at what’s happening,” Brother Webb said.

While he might be surprised by the extent of the growth, Brother Webb said he knows “it is the hand of the Lord in hastening the work among this generation right now.”

The young people of the Church are looking for faith and to have a relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. “And they know that seminary and institute can help them with that,” said Brother Webb.

Throughout this year and around the world, local institutes are invited to host activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary. There will also be a devotional later this year in Moscow, Idaho, to commemorate where it all began. Those interested can learn more at MyInstitute.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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Sister Stanley served faithfully in a variety of callings within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including alongside her husband as leaders of the Idaho Boise Mission from 1990 to 1992, as president and matron of the Bountiful Utah Temple from 1997 to 2000, and as he served as a General Authority Seventy from 1992 to 1997.

She will be remembered for her kindness, faith and testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ, states her obituary.

Annette Shewell was born Feb. 11, 1938, in Evanston, Wyoming, the sixth of 10 children of Harry Shewell and Lucile James Shewell.

She was introduced to F. David Stanley by her brother when he was a student at the University of Utah and she was attending West High School in Salt Lake City. Their first date was attending a basketball game where Elder Stanley played.

Romance blossomed quickly, and they married in the Salt Lake Temple in June 1956.

“The day we were married, we made a commitment to each other as we left the temple that we would not let anything stand in our way of serving the Lord,” Sister Stanley said in a Church News article. “We have received so many blessings because of that commitment, and we’ve learned so much, too.”

The Stanleys have eight children — four sons and four daughters — and 37 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.

Besides her general Church service, Sister Stanley also served as a stake Relief Society president and board member, stake Primary board member, ward Young Women president, Primary chorister and teacher. As an accomplished pianist and vocalist, Sister Stanley filled their home with music.

In a Church News article when Elder Stanley was called as a general authority, Elder and Sister Stanley attributed their happiness and success — individually and as a family — to the basics: regular scripture study, personal and family prayer, home evenings and participating fully in the Church, and doing faithfully whatever they were called to do.

“Annette had an amazing measure of faith and a pure testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” her obituary says.

Sister Stanley is survived by her husband and seven children: Deborah (Bill) Wright; Diana (Brian) Thomas; Douglas (Vicki); Matthew (Lisa); Catherine (Lee) Peacock; David (Mary Ann); and Jennifer (Thayne) Hansen; 37 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren; brothers Elsworth Shewell and Cordell Shewell; and sister, Victoria Collard. She was preceded in death by her oldest son Mark (Julie) Stanley.

A funeral was held April 11 in Salt Lake City. Interment took place at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

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Elder Rasband’s talk summary

Last conference, President Russell M. Nelson said: “Do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment. The Lord is indeed hastening His work.”

This year, Elder Rasband has “had a front-row seat to the Lord ‘hastening His work.’ The Church is building temples at an unprecedented pace, giving more members an opportunity to worship in the house of the Lord. Second, missionary work is gathering record numbers to the fold of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. And third, Church education in many configurations is at a new high in teaching those who ‘seek this Jesus’ (Ether 12:41).”

As Apostles Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball left their families sick and destitute and set off to preach in the British Isles, they struggled to their feet and shouted, “Hurrah for Israel.”

Earlier this year at a missionary meeting in Lima, Peru, the missionaries similarly cheered, “Hurrah for Israel.”

“Right before my eyes were missionaries who had set aside the things of this world to serve the Lord and help hasten His coming.”

May disciples of Jesus Christ shout “Hurrah for Israel” as they prepare for the return of the Savior.

See the full text of Elder Rasband’s talk: ‘Right Before Our Eyes’

Notable quotes

“I marvel at what President Nelson calls the ‘majesty of this moment’ and express profound gratitude to the Lord for His work. I encourage us to stand tall as his disciples, eyewitnesses of the fulfillment of prophecy, both ancient and modern.”

“The Lord commanded in the early days of the Restoration to ‘seek learning, even by study and also by faith.’ That is happening today and is worthy of a resounding ‘Hurrah.‘”

“I recognize that in the midst of the good news of the gospel, there are those who struggle, who have faith challenges, doubts and questions that seem to have no answers. Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the answer. Start with Him. Look for His hand in your life. Listen to Him.”

See more quotes, stories, video clips and other study helps for this talk

Who is Elder Rasband?

• Elder Ronald A. Rasband was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Oct. 3, 2015. Between his call as a General Authority Seventy in 2000 and serving in the Presidency of the Seventy in 2005, he served in the Temple Department first as an assistant executive director and then as executive director of the Temple Department in 2004 — a position no other living prophet or apostle has held.
• Although he attended the University of Utah, Elder Rasband never graduated, due to a business opportunity. But in 1995, he received an honorary doctorate of business and commerce from Utah Valley State College, which is now Utah Valley University.
• Elder Rasband and his wife, Sister Melanie Twitchell Rasband, were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1973 and have five children.

What has Elder Rasband done recently?

• In the October 2024 general conference, Elder Rasband spoke about how to sustain or hold up leaders, including the Prophet.
• In November, Elder Rasband concluded an 11-day ministry in the Caribbean Area by traveling to Barbados, where he spoke with missionaries about the unique work they have as they serve on the islands of the sea.
• During a BYU–Pathway Worldwide devotional broadcast in December, Elder Rasband assured more than 70,000 students around the globe that they are needed in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Elder and Sister Rasband spoke to missionaries in the Church’s 11 missionary training centers worldwide during a devotional broadcast from the Provo MTC on Christmas Day.
• In February 2025, Elder Rasband visited and met with hundreds of Latter-day Saints while on a ministry in the Bicol Region of the Philippines.

Read more of Elder Rasband’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.

Jesus Christ is the answer. Start with Him. Faith in Jesus Christ can lift you up and heal your wounded soul. Trust Him and you will hasten your return to “the arms of His love” (2 Nephi 1:15). #GeneralConference pic.twitter.com/Gd4BlAWKV7

— Ronald A. Rasband (@RonaldARasband) April 5, 2025

April 2025 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

President Nelson, in a surprise appearance, rededicates the historic Manti Utah Temple

Elder Cook’s talk summary

It is a special blessing to have general conference coincide with Easter. It also coincides with the vision of the Savior in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 — just one week after the Kirtland Temple was dedicated.

The appearance of the Savior to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and the keys committed by Moses, Elias and Elijah are central to the Restoration of the gospel in the latter days. “The role of Elijah in restoring the priesthood keys of the sealing power is crucial in our journey of returning to our Father as a covenant people.”

Elijah was a prophet who held sacred priesthood keys, performed mighty miracles and exercised the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

“Elijah ‘committed’ to Joseph Smith the priesthood keys pertaining to the sealing power to bind sacred ordinances and covenants on earth and in heaven. … Without these keys, there are no eternal families and the ‘whole earth would be utterly wasted’ (Doctrine and Covenants 2:3; see also Malachi 4).”

All can have a confirmation by the Spirit “that our Savior accomplished the Father’s plan. He atoned for our sins and broke the bands of death so that we might return to the Father and the Son in the celestial kingdom.”

Read the full text of Elder Cook’s talk: ‘Keys, Covenants and Easter’

Notable quotes

“Our emphasis at Easter encompasses the eternity-shaping events that occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the cross at Calvary and in the Garden Tomb where Jesus Christ was resurrected.”

“It is my witness that His Atonement accomplished His Father’s plan of salvation and provides the way for everyone who has ever lived to be free of death unconditionally and free of sin on condition of repentance.”

“I promise to you on this Easter day that as you adhere to His ordinances, covenants and commandments, you will grow closer in your relationship with our Savior as well as your appreciation and gratitude for the sealing keys that have been restored in this dispensation.”

Who is Elder Cook?

• Elder Quentin L. Cook was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Oct. 6, 2007. He is a great-great-grandson of Heber C. Kimball, who was among the first missionaries in this dispensation to preach the gospel outside North America.
• He married Mary Gaddie on Nov. 30, 1962, in the Logan Utah Temple. They are the parents of three children.
• Elder Cook was President Jeffrey R. Holland’s mission companion in summer 1962 during their full-time mission service in the British Isles.
• He worked as an attorney and business executive in California. At the time of his calling as a General Authority Seventy in 1996, Elder Cook was vice chairman of Sutter/California Healthcare System — a California health care company with 25 hospitals and more than 26,000 employees.

What has Elder Cook done recently?

• October 2025 general conference about welcoming new converts.
• In a devotional to missionaries serving in the Provo Missionary Training Center on Christmas Day, Elder Cook shared five examples from the Savior.
• During a ministry in West Africa, Elder Cook met with the president of Ghana.
• In the age of AI, “choose truth when deception is easy,” Elder Cook encouraged BYU students during a devotional address on March 3.

Read more of Elder Cook’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X/Twitter.

Read more Church News coverage of April 2026 general conference

President Freeman’s talk summary

God allows mortality to do its work — and that includes both best days and worst days.

The story of Peter teaches that strength comes as individuals walk with Christ and hold fast to His eternal truths.

“From Peter’s story we learn that our understanding of eternal truth is not forged in a single moment — testimony is built over time, day after day, both best days and worst.”

In Matthew 14, Peter walks on the water to go to Jesus. “Best day.”

But in the next verse Peter begins to fear and to sink. “Worst day in a matter of moments.”

But Jesus was in the water — with Peter. “As you accept the Lord’s invitations, on both your best days and your worst, the same will be true for you.”

After some of Peter’s worst moments — at Jesus’ trial, the cross and the tomb — Christ invites him to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17).

“Sometimes we may wonder if the Lord’s promises will truly be fulfilled in us — especially when all seems lost. Especially on our worst days. Peter’s story reminds us that they will.”

It took worst days and best days for Peter to become who the Lord needed him to become.

Read the full text of President Freeman’s talk: ‘Best Days and Worst Days’

Notable quotes

“From Peter’s story we learn that our understanding of eternal truth is not forged in a single moment — testimony is built over time, day after day, both best days and worst.”

“As you spend time in [’For the Strength of Youth’] guide, you will begin to realize this is not just a guide for standards, this is a guide for strength.”

“Jesus Christ knows all about best days and worst days: Suffering so great that an angel was sent to strengthen Him. The betrayal of a good friend. The cross on Calvary. But His story also has a garden, a stone rolled away and an empty tomb.”

Who is President Freeman?

• President Emily Belle Freeman was sustained as Young Women general president on April 1, 2023.
• She has written more than a dozen books and spoken at a variety of conferences, workshops and gatherings. She taught for many years in the Church Educational System.
• Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on Dec. 31, 1969, she married Gregory Garth Freeman Dec. 19, 1989, in the Los Angeles California Temple. They have five children.

What has President Freeman done recently?

• Along with Young Men General President Timothy L. Farnes and the late President Jeffrey R. Holland, President Freeman spoke to youth during a 2025 Worldwide Devotional from the Kirtland Temple in Ohio.
• President Freeman participated in a press conference following the announcement of the missionary-age change for young women.
• On a Church News podcast in January, President Freeman and President Farnes discussed the 2026 youth theme, “Walk with me.”

Read President Freeman’s previous general conference addresses.

April 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

Elder Caussé’s talk summary

The miracle of God’s relationship with His children is that though the universe is vast beyond comprehension, every soul carries infinite worth in the eyes of the Creator.

“I bear witness of this truth: God and His Son, Jesus Christ, love all, and They love each.”

The dual reality of God’s love is clearly manifested in Jesus Christ’s Atonement. “All sons and daughters of God, without exception, will receive a full opportunity to access its supernal blessings. Yet it is a remarkably intimate gift, tailored to each individual’s needs and applied to one person at a time.”

To love all and to love each is the same divine love expressed on two scales — one expansive enough to embrace the whole world, and the other personal enough to notice an individual with unique needs and circumstances.

Service in the Church expands one’s circle of love. “We don’t serve only those we already love; rather, we come to love people as we serve them.”

In Christ’s Church there should be no anonymity. “As we extend Christlike love to each person we serve, our eyes are opened to their divine potential. We begin to see them as the Lord sees them.”

Read the full text of Elder Caussé’s talk: ‘Love All; Love Each’

Notable quotes

“Are we selective, or exclusive, in determining who deserves our love, or do we extend Christlike love to all with whom we associate?”

“Discipleship was never meant to be a comfortable circle of familiar friends focused on their own interests. Rather, our congregations are a beautiful mosaic — enriched by diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences — yet united in devotion to Christ.”

“May we follow the Lord’s perfect example and learn to love all and to love each, just as He does.”

Who is Elder Caussé?

• Elder Gérald Caussé served as the presiding bishop from October 2015 until Nov. 6, 2025, when he was called to be an Apostle.
• A native of France, Elder Caussé spent his career in the food industry, where he worked with several supermarket chains and food distribution companies.
• He is an accomplished pianist and has participated in the recording of several piano albums.
• He married Valérie Babin in August 1986. They have five children.

What has Elder Caussé done recently?

• In the April 2025 general conference, Elder Caussé taught that through the Lord’s atoning sacrifice, the Savior will compensate for every inability and injustice if one offers their whole soul to Him.
• In November 2025, he dedicated the new Logan Institute of Religion building.
• In February, he returned to his home country of France to minister as an Apostle.

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Read more of Elder Caussé’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and YouTube.

April 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights