Taking upon oneself the name of Christ is inherent in the ordinance of the sacrament and in temple covenants, Elder Holland said. They are buoyed by prayer and fasting, meditation, serving others and offering to them the pure love of Christ.

Elder Holland called for a more "straightforward personal experience" with the Savior. "Sometimes, we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important, but not as important as personal experience, true discipleship and the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the majesty of his touch."

Those who battle addictions, family problems and other mortal challenges should first come to Christ, whatever other solutions they apply, he said. ". . . the Savior's atonement lifts us not only from the burden of our sins, but also from the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair." Those who know the voice of the Savior and strive to do as he did can find strength.

In a similar vein, Sister Anne C. Pingree, second counselor in the general presidency of the Relief Society, urged Latter-day Saints to choose to "put away childish things" and to "grow up unto the Lord." While physical growth is natural, there must be a conscious choice to become spiritually mature, she said.

Service to others, a willingness to press forward in the Lord's work and faithfully following callings are all avenues to spiritual growth, Sister Pingree said.

The universal blessing of the Atonement should be a welcome message to people in every corner of the world, said Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve, quoting numerous Book of Mormon scriptures that emphasize that God's love extends to all his children.

Elder Oaks recounted what he said were miraculous conversions of people to the church in Russia, Nigeria, India, Thailand, Cambodia and Mongolia. "The Lord provides a way for all his children and he desires that each of us come unto him."

A conviction of the saving power of the Atonement eases both physical death and the spiritual death that separates mankind from deity, said Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Presidency of the Quorums of the Seventy.

"The Atonement is an event that enables us to be reconciled to God . . . In terms of family, it means to be reunited with one another and with God and his son, Jesus Christ. It means sadness through separation will become happiness through reuniting."

Missionary work was the focus of two LDS apostles during afternoon session speakers.