LDS young women gather

Sister Tanner suggested LDS youths can learn much from looking at the lessons learned by the young boy, who became a modern prophet of God. She told of his willingness to share his spiritual experiences with his family, his willingness to be tutored by repetition of true principles and his belief that his prayers would be answered.

Latter-day Saints are also bound by eternal covenants to the Lord, which can be a source of peace and hope when earthly trials, including death of spouse or parents, come to them, she said. "The gospel promises us a rock in the storms and whirlwinds, not an umbrella. . . . We, too, can emerge victorious through trials, wickedness and persecutions."

Sister Julie B. Beck, first counselor in the Young Women presidency, noted Joseph Smith didn't decline the Angel Moroni's declaration that God had a great work for him to do. Likewise, every Latter-day Saint has a role to play in building the kingdom of God on Earth, she said.

As a child, Sister Beck accompanied her parents and family to Brazil, where they lived for five years while her father served as a mission president. At that time, there were only 3,000 members in the country, but when she returned last year for the rededication of the S�o Paulo temple, she found more than 1 million members there. Such growth has occurred because thousands of members there and around the globe.

"We have a work to do," in daily decisions to live righteously, sharing the gospel with others through service and example."No one shipped the church to us (in Brazil)," she said. "The material to build the church was in the people."

Sister Elaine S. Dalton, second counselor, agreed, saying "Heavenly Father knows you personally — by name," just as he called Joseph Smith by name during what church members know as the First Vision. The way the 14-year-old boy approached God with his questions about faith offer a pattern for young people to follow in accessing help from the heavens.

"Turn to the scriptures, Kneel in prayer. Ask in faith. Listen to the Holy Ghost. . . . Live the gospel with patience and persistence." Such a pattern sustained Joseph Smith through peer pressure and persecution, just as it will for those who persist in seeking to do God's will, she said.

"The Lord strengthened Joseph Smith for his divine mission. He will strengthen you for yours. He may even send His holy angels to tutor you. Now the challenge is this: Will you be in such a place that angels can enter? Will you be still enough to hear? Will you be undaunted and trust?"

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