Youth from Auckland’s Whau River congregation of the New Zealand Waterview Stake (group of congregations) were treated to “An Evening with a General Authority” on 15 October 2023. The meeting featured Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Anita Wakolo.
Elder and Sister Wakolo Oct 15 2023
Elder Taniela B. Wakolo and Sister Anita Wakolo speak to the youth of the Whau River Ward.© 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Several of the youth had set a goal to meet a Church General Authority in person. When Elder Wakolo learned of this, he quickly agreed to meet with the group. Bishop Steven Lopari opened the meeting by sharing an analogy of ‘connecting the dots’ to form a picture. He said we need to connect the spiritual dots in our lives to ‘come unto the Savior.’
Elder Wakolo began his remarks to the youth by saying, “I hope you will all know that you are sons and daughters of God.” He offered loving counsel to “take the long view” and to study the teachings contained in the For the Strength of Youth booklet. He suggested that the youth look to President Russell M. Nelson’s example of faith in Jesus Christ and service to others. Elder Wakolo encouraged the young people to serve others including as missionaries.
Sister Wakolo spoke of her conversion to the Church as a young woman and how studying the scriptures can strengthen our resolve to do good things in our lives. She quoted Alma 37:37 which teaches to “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings.” She advised the youth to be particularly careful with social media and how cell phones are used. She suggested they think about whether they consider phones “a tool or a toy.”
The program concluded with a question-and-answer session where Elder and Sister Wakolo addressed a variety of questions brought up by the youth.
