October 31, 2007 — News from the Church
The culmination of many months of planning by the young adults and their leaders, the three-day conference required a total of 11 hotels and other lodging facilities to house the attendees. Nearly 20 seminars were offered, covering topics such as true conversion, eternal marriage, a balanced life, and becoming a light to the world.
As an opening activity, everyone donned yellow Helping Hands vests and prepared 5,000 school kits for students on the islands of Chuuk and Palau, part of the Federated States of Micronesia. Following the service project, Renster P. Andrew, Minister-Counselor in the Micronesian Embassy in Tokyo, gratefully accepted the kits from Elder David F. Evans of the Seventy, Asia North Area President.
All were touched by Mr. Andrew’s heartfelt expression of appreciation for making the materials available to thousands of children who otherwise would have no pencils, notebooks, erasers, rulers, or book bags for the school year.
Following the event, Elder Evans, joined by
his wife, Mary, introduced the conference theme, “Be Not Afraid,
Only Believe” (
They shared the story of young Gordon B. Hinckley struggling as a new missionary. His father had written this scripture on a card and given it to him as he boarded the train for his mission. Finding comfort in this scripture, the young Elder Hinckley retired to his room and made a sacred promise to serve the Lord. This became a day of decision for him.
Elder Evans admonished those attending the conference to make that day a “day of decision” of their own. He and Sister Evans suggested five areas where they might feel direction and make important decisions: missions, marriage, education, service, and patience.
At the closing devotional, cordless microphones enabled individuals in the large audience to ask Elder and Sister Bednar direct questions. Elder Bednar provided counsel on a variety of topics. While discussing prayer, he said, “My experience is that answers to prayers tend to come slowly and in small pieces.”
He counseled members to prayerfully approach decisions regarding education and career selection, especially when one might feel impressed to try a specific field. Receiving answers is a learning process and “as we begin to investigate work opportunities, we [may] feel unsettled and unsatisfied,” he said, “potentially indicating that we should pursue something else.” As individuals move forward with faith, “we feel more settled and comfortable about the direction we are pursuing. We could not have felt settled,” he said, “without the experience of first feeling unsettled about a different option.”
To illustrate faith as a principle of action, he used the example of Nephi praying for guidance to receive the brass plates. Three times Nephi and his brothers tried different courses to obtain the plates. While the first two attempts did not yield the plates, they were necessary preparation for ultimately obtaining them.
When Nephi prayed, Elder Bednar taught, he “did not just stay in his tent, kneeling and praying, waiting for an answer. He got up, and he got to work.”
“It was simply wonderful, so spiritually uplifting,” remarked a brother in Tokyo, speaking of the conference, adding, “[Elder Bednar’s closing devotional] gave me very spiritual insights that can change my life.”
Elder Bednar expressed his intentions to revisit Japan as the work continues on the island. “I plan to return to Japan many times over the years and look forward to seeing you as you raise families and grow the Church here,” he said.
Other highlights of the conference included an early morning Helping Hands cleanup of Yoyogi Park, one of the largest in Tokyo; a visit to one of the seminars by a government official; and an evening of folk and other dancing.