Pacific Youth Begin a Worldwide Wave of Testimony

Gathering in various locations across the Pacific, young people from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were among the first to share a "wave of testimonies" of Jesus Christ in a Worldwide Day of Testimony held on 22 October.

The Church’s Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and Young Men General President Steven J. Lund welcomed the youth in a pre-recorded video message, sharing their own testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and expressing confidence in the rising generation.

Church President Russell M. Nelson expressed his love to the youth of the Church and thanked them for their strength and the power of their faith.

DOWNLOAD

He reminded these 11-18-year-olds, “You are a son or daughter of God, a child of the covenant and disciple of Christ. These are more important than any other identifiers. You are sent to earth now because God knows you can be strong and courageous. As you follow Jesus Christ, you will have all the strength you need.”

Abinadi Lameko from Auckland said, “We had a fabulous testimony meeting for the worldwide youth event. We met as a stake, watched the video, and then split into congregations where the rooms were prepared with pictures of the Saviour. Then we all met back in the hall for refreshments.

“We used our huge canvas of the Saviour which we retrieved from FSY January 2023 where we asked the youth to write a message to the Saviour. It brought a nice spirit to the evening and all the youth, parents and leaders loved taking photos and reading the messages from the youth.”

Young people from Pacific Island nations and territories and Australia had similar experiences. The following Melbourne youth shared their thoughts and feelings:

Oliver Martinez: “The Church has given me confidence in my daily life. I love the Church and I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me.”

Albert Faalaga: “I’ve been working to find a job this year and some jobs have clashed with Seminary. Working at 7 am instead of attending class, I wasn’t receiving enough spiritual nourishment. I talked with my mum and she supported me in leaving the job and finishing Seminary. I wanted to be worthy to enter the temple and serve a mission. This gospel is very true. You feel it in many ways. I know the Lord loves us.”

A young woman shared her desire to believe. “My testimony has been quite shaky this year. I’ve had many questions and many doubts. I don’t know for sure that the Church is true. But I do know I feel safe and happy here.”

Another young woman said, “I asked myself why I didn’t bear my testimony more often, and it’s because of fear of judgment. But then I thought of the scriptures, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and ‘I can do all things through Christ’ and it gives me the strength to share that I know the truthfulness of this gospel.”

Marie Sam from Vanuatu shared, "I was happy and felt joy to attend this youth worldwide meeting and learned a lot. I love President Nelson. As I listened to him, I was reminded that I need to know who I am and be obedient. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, and a covenant daughter of Heavenly Father. If all the youth and I try to follow this counsel, the spirit will always guide us to do the right things. I know the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and through Christ our lives will be full of joy and peace."

Young people living in nations in the world’s many time zones were invited to gather at 7pm Sunday evening, 22 October.

This led to a wave of testimony continuing throughout the world over a 24-hour period, as many young people of different nationalities felt united in the strength of the Lord.