Prophet Speaks to the Youth

            The youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had the opportunity to have the Lord’s prophet speak directly to them. President Russell M. Nelson spoke to the youth on Sunday evening, June 3, 2018, from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. His address was carried worldwide using various means of technology. Marianne Holman Prescott reported on his address for the Church News. The following comes from her article.

            President Nelson posed this question to the youth: “Would you like to be a big part of the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on the earth today? Would you like to gather Israel during these precious latter days? Would you, who are the elect, be willing to help find the elect who have not heard the message of the restored gospel?”

            After explaining that the gathering of Israel means to offer “the gospel of Jesus Christ to God’s children on both sides of the veil,” President Nelson told the youth that they “were sent to earth at this precise time – this most crucial time in the history of the world – to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. … This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.”

            President Nelson told the youth that he will one day be required to report his stewardship to the Lord. He said that he does not want to report that he did not teach the youth about their responsibility in gathering Israel. He asked "every young woman and every young man between the ages of 12 and 18 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to enlist in the youth battalion of the Lord to help gather Israel.” He then suggested five specific things that the youth can do to change the world.

1. Disengage from a constant reliance on social media for seven days in a row.

2. Make a weekly sacrifice of time to the Lord, for three weeks in a row.

3. Do a thorough life assessment with the Lord, perhaps with parents and a bishop, to ensure an individual is firmly planted on the covenant path.

4. Pray daily that all of God’s children might receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

5. Stand out and be different from the world.

            President Nelson asked the youth to study the For the Strength of Youth book that lists standards and values and to share a copy of it with a friend. He asked them to be a light to the world and to set a standard for the world to follow. He told the youth:

You can be smarter than previous generations have ever been…. You are among the best the Lord has ever sent to this world. … I invite you to stand with the youth from all around the world and experience the thrill of being a member of the Lord’s youth battalion.