Former Olympian and Church Leader Teach Australian Teens About God’s Grace 

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At 6:00 am on Thursday morning (17 August 2023), teenagers aged 14 to18 gathered in various locations throughout the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania to hear lessons and practical applications on how the Bible can help them feel God’s love and come closer to their Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Speaking from the USA, Peter Vidmar, the first Zoom speaker who is a former president of the Australia Melbourne Mission and currently serves as a member of the Young Men General Advisory Council, was happy to address the youth in a country he holds dear.  

He said that the purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to bring individuals closer to Jesus Christ.

Brother Vidmar learned lessons in Seminary (scripture class for teenagers) that helped him in a moment of temptation. 

He told a story from his life, when he was a younger man attending a similar religious class for youth. After learning about Joseph fleeing from Potiphar’s wife in a tempting situation, he determined that he would also flee if ever put in a similar situation.

Some time later, he found himself in a situation where he had to make a choice whether or not to obey God’s law of chastity. He remembered Joseph’s example and chose to leave quickly.  Eight days later, he was blessed to meet his future wife to whom he has been married for 40 years. 

As a gold medalist in Olympic gymnastics, Brother Vidmar could tell people of his standards and values “because he fled.” 

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Torrence Ta’ala, a 14-year-old in attendance at the Deer Park gathering, said of this story, “It was a testimony to me that if we just walk away, things will be so much better for us, and it will be so much easier for us to not get into deeper trouble in the future. Don’t let the world change you; we walk with Christ."

Her friend, Kisa Kaio, said, “It made me think of temptations I face. If everyone else is doing it, it doesn’t make it right. We don’t have to follow peer pressure if we follow the Spirit.” 

The final speaker, Bradley (Brad) Wilcox, a member of the Young Men General Presidency of the Church, praised the Australian youth for the positive effect they have had on Church youth worldwide, as Australia hosted the first international FSY (For the Strength of Youth) conference in 1999. FSY now has over 122,000 attendees in North America alone and 200,000 worldwide.  “And Australian youth were the pioneers,” said Brother Wilcox. 

Monson Ah’fua, another youth in attendance, was impressed to learn that FSY was held for the first time recently in Pakistan and had 375 in attendance.  

Brother Wilcox also appreciated the influence that Seminary teacher Kit Rahman had on his son when his family lived in New Zealand for six months. 

Brother Wilcox’s message came from the New Testament Book of Romans and the hymn, “I Stand All Amazed.”  

Quoting words from this hymn, “I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me; confused (standing in awe) at the grace that so fully he proffers me," he emphasized that the word “proffer” denotes a proactive offering of His enabling power and grace. 

Brother Wilcox said that a study was conducted at Brigham Young University showing that those who understood the Saviour’s grace as a free gift showed lower levels of depression, anxiety, shame, and perfectionism – and higher levels of gratitude, self-esteem and optimism. 

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“Grace gives us the power to change and become better as we walk in the ‘newness of life’ through baptismal covenants,” he said. 

 Both Brother Wilcox and Brother Vidmar referred to teachings of the apostle Paul in the New Testament to help students better understand applications of the Saviour’s grace. 

Oscar, a Seminary student from Frankston, Victoria, said, "I felt the Spirit during the meeting."

Lani Tai, a student at the Werribee, Victoria gathering, said, “I enjoyed when Brother Wilcox said, “Jesus will meet you where you are, and He will help you become stronger.”’  

She added, “That was a reminder for me that Jesus doesn’t ask us to be perfect BEFORE turning to Him, but to come to Him as imperfect as we are, and He will accept us.”  

Also from Werribee, Bella Kaufusi learned that “there’s nothing outside of us that can separate us from God’s love, only what’s inside can separate us. It truly opened my eyes about being saved by the Lord’s grace. When we say we are 'saved by grace' we are saying that we have been saved by the Lord.”  

“If God be for us,” Brother Wilcox continued, “then no one or nothing can be against us unless we will it to be so of our own agency. God loves us just the way we are! But He loves us too much to leave us that way. He is willing to help us change through His grace, His endowment of strength, His power. Grace is a gift. It has to be received, and it has to be used. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.” 

These words resonated with many of the Seminary students in attendance. 

Jackson, who will be a new student next year in Frankston, Victoria, said, “Brad Wilcox's message was inspiring and spiritually uplifting. I really loved this quote, ‘Don't let the world change you when you were born to change it."’  

Halle, a second year Seminary student attending the Hobart, Tasmania gathering, added, “He will come to you right as you are, He will give you His power and help you become better. We’re working with Him.”  

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Avilia Seumalu, from Werribee, agreed, “We must be willing to receive grace from God in order to change. If we are willing to change, everything will fall into place. We are living for Christ, meaning we can change our ways! The Lord loves us all, but He loves us enough to want to help us change.” 

Brother Wilcox invited the youth to “keep living in such a way that your friends can see your light. You can stand with the Saviour to invite others to receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” 

Of this counsel, Torrence said, “Teens have a lot of mental challenges. I feel that this knowledge would help them. The main message I heard is that Jesus Christ loves us and wants us to be better. That really stood out to me.” 

Fourth year student, Hinemoa, from Frankston, was inspired by these words: "Don't let the world leave its mark on you - leave your mark on the world! Jesus will meet you where you are!"  

Also from Frankston, third year student, Summer, said, "I loved when Brad shared that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, but that means very little until the worth of God is great in the sight of souls." 

Seminary teacher, Stefanie Kirifi, said, “I learned more fully about receiving grace as a gift and that Christ loves us so much that He wants to help us change. If God doesn’t expect anything from us, we wouldn’t improve.” 

The Tarneit Seminary class of the Wyndham area of Victoria shared this video of pieces of the broadcast, activities of last week, and the joy they find in the gospel of Jesus Christ: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f01PB8UiMH8A9ku59jJsdGjg