Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I first met Sister Louise two years ago at the Good Shepherd Sisters in Bangkok, Thailand, and we became fast friends. I was pleased to visit with her again during my recent assignment to Asia.   I was honored to represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and present additional aid in support of their mission to shepherd single mothers, children, and youth.   Now 90 years old, Sister Louise has continued to dedicate her life to providing shelter, vocational training, and educational opportunities for women and children at risk. She is a true shepherd and a wonderful example to me.

We come to church not to hide our problems but to heal them. It is not an automobile showroom—a place to put ourselves on display so that others can admire our spirituality, capacity, or prosperity.   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is more like a service center, where vehicles in need of repair come for maintenance and rehabilitation.   And are we not all in need of repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation?   Artificial discipleship not only keeps us from seeing ourselves as who we really are, but it also prevents us from truly changing through the miracle of the Savior’s Atonement.   The Savior’s Church is a place of healing, not a place of despair, judgment, or sorrow. Jesus Christ, and living His restored gospel, can make of us the genuine, spiritual being of light and truth we desire to be.

All of God’s children—both givers and receivers—are blessed by the wonderful donations offered around the world at Giving Machines. We were grateful to be present as a new Giving Machine was unveiled recently in Hong Kong.   It is wonderful to be working closely with a number of important charities in Hong Kong in this effort. The opportunity to collaborate in lighting the world with these wonderful organizations allows us to more effectively provide meals, clean water, school supplies, toys, and clothing to those truly in need.   During this special season, may each of us follow our Savior Jesus Christ—the light of the world—by showing love, kindness, gratitude, and peace to all who we encounter.

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God” (Mosiah 2:41).

A few months ago, I told you of our granddaughter Jasmin, who has been a wonderful example of faith despite some very serious health challenges. While Jasmin’s challenges remain a part of her daily life, these challenges pale in comparison to her wonderful faith and commitment to follow Jesus Christ. She inspires me daily. Harriet and I just recently returned from Switzerland, where, among other meetings and assignments, I had the profound privilege of sealing Jasmin and her husband for time and all eternity in the house of the Lord. How grateful we are for their decision! I know of many of you across the globe who are also facing significant challenges, yet are moving forward with faith. Your diligence, your commitment, and your devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ inspire me. We love you.

Faith endures the trials and the uncertainties of life because it is firmly rooted in Christ and His doctrine. Jesus Christ is the one undeviating, perfectly reliable object of our trust.

My heart was full yesterday as I joined friends and fellow disciples of Christ as we participated in the dedication of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple.   Pittsburgh is often referred to as the “city of bridges” because of its 446 bridges—more than any other city in the world. Just as these bridges are designed to connect one place to another, the purpose of God’s temples is to connect heaven and earth.   For each of us, regardless of whichever of the Lord’s temples we attend, the temple can be a place where we may commune with the Lord. When you come because you feel grief or confusion, the Lord will offer you serenity and inner peace.   Let us always remember that Jesus Christ is at the center of the temple, its ordinances, and its covenants. May He also be at the center of our lives as we strive to live as He lived.

When you experience any kind of turbulence in your life, turn to Jesus Christ for stability. Keep Him and His doctrine at the center of your life to help you “look unto [Him] in every thought” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36) so that you can face the future without doubt and without fear.

In Jesus Christ, you have a perfect, trustworthy pilot for your life. He is, as the Epistle to the Hebrews says, “the captain of [your] salvation” (Hebrews 2:10). He is also the best friend you can ever wish for.

I invite you to take charge of your own use of media. If you put Jesus Christ in the center of your frame, I promise that you will see everything else more clearly.

Many years ago, I spoke at general conference about the principle of how each of us should “lift where [we] stand” (“Lift Where You Stand,” general conference, Oct. 2008). I told of a small group of us in Darmstadt, Germany, being perplexed about how to move a heavy piano until we received the counsel for us to “stand close together and lift where you stand,” and we then moved the piano freely.   I was reminded of this important principle (and this heavy piano) recently as I found myself next to the very piano we had moved years ago.   The principle of lifting where we stand continues to resonate in my mind to this day. As strong as some of us are, we cannot and we should not try to lift a piano by ourselves.   Likewise, none of us can or should move the Lord’s work alone. But if we all stand close together in the place the Lord has appointed and lift where we stand, nothing can keep this divine work from moving upward and forward.

2024 is a significant year for me. It has been 20 years since I was called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 30 years since I was called to be a General Authority for the Church, and 75 years since I was baptized in this pool in Zwickau, Germany.   When I was just six years old, my life was eternally blessed because of someone who understood what it meant to reach out to “the one.”   Just after World War II, my grandmother was standing in a line for food when an elderly single sister invited her to sacrament meeting in Zwickau. My grandmother and my parents accepted the invitation.   They went to church, felt the Spirit, were uplifted by the kindness of the members, and were edified by the hymns of the Restoration. My grandmother, my parents, and my three siblings were all baptized. I had to wait two years, but I was able to be baptized in this public pool.   Witnessing the baptisms of my family members in a lake-like public pool was my first lesson of the importance of making covenants that bind us to our Heavenly Father. Making covenants with our Father in Heaven is a delight. The covenants we make are the very things that guide you and me from our current state to the person of glory we wish to become.