“I promise that as you [seek answers] with sincerity and with consistency according to the Lord’s timing and His will, you will always be able to find the answers to the questions that you have and the concerns that you face in your life,” said Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
His comment came in a worldwide Face to Face broadcast for young adults held on Sunday, September 12, 2021. Accompanied by his wife, Susan, Elder Bednar shared Christ-centered messages with adults ages 18 through 30 from more than 13 countries. The virtual and in-person event was broadcast from the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Participants asked Elder and Sister Bednar questions about personal, spiritual and emotional aspects of their lives.
“What can we do to understand God’s will for us and our personal life?” said Howard Saavedra, from Utah. “I lost my wife a little over two months ago from cancer, and I know our whole lives are in the hands of God.”
“Thank you for a stirring and a very tender question,” Elder Bednar said. “All kinds of other things enter into our lives, and you've just described the tragic loss of your wife at a very young age. … It is the Atonement of the Savior that makes all things right.”
The Apostle and his wife focused on the heavenly power that unfolds when young adults “Ask, Seek, Knock” (the broadcast’s theme, based on Matthew 7:7–8).
“I gained more power to overcome my weaknesses,” said 19-year-old Thricia Diores, who participated virtually from Devao, Philippines.
Diores said she recently overcame a personal challenge by being more intentional in her gospel studies and personal prayers.
In her interaction with the Bednars, Diores explained that she applied this principle after watching a global Face to Face with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in June 2021. She recalled hearing the counsel Elder Andersen shared with a woman who desired to strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ and in turn find a way to resolve personal issues.
“[Elder Andersen] asked her, ‘What does it mean to be intentional with our faith?’” Diores said in her discussion with Elder and Sister Bednar. “To me, being intentional means to consciously take the time and put up the effort to do these small, little, simple things every day that will bring me closer to my Savior.”
“A theme for our conversations tonight has been a desire to follow our Savior Jesus Christ and to learn for ourselves the things that He’s taught and the things that we should do,” Elder Bednar said.
“This is a one-by-one experience for each of us as we come to Him and allow His atoning sacrifice to be a part of our lives,” Sister Bednar said.
The pair also reflected on the core lessons shared by global faith leaders from more than 20 previous Q&A events held in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Pacific and the United States.
“Such a review of the past can help us to remember the things we need to remember, to reflect on and renew commitments and to be better prepared for the opportunities and challenges of the future,” Elder Bednar said.
“We are living in a world and in a time that’s very difficult and very different from past times,” said 25-year-old Aitana Alapa from Woods Cross, Utah. “I think these events are so important to just kind of help us navigate what to do.”
“To feel the love that the Lord has for us through His prophets and the inspired leaders of the Church, it gives me a sense of love — love that the Lord has for me and for all my young adult friends,” said 27-year-old CJ Madsen from Provo, Utah.
“They want to follow the Savior,” Elder Bednar said after the event. “There’s great power in the unity of knowing that young people from all over the world are bound together in that righteous desire.”
“I’d like them to take away that they’re loved and that the Savior loves them, that they belong to a Church that cares about them and that they can ask, seek, and knock and get answers to their own questions,” Sister Bednar said.