Latter-day Saint youth share insights after worldwide youth discussion

Kinley Gearhart, a 15-year-old young woman within the Etowah Valley Ward of the Cartersville Georgia Stake, filled three pages of notes as she watched and took part within the worldwide youth discussion on discipleship on Sunday, Jan. 28.

The prerecorded video broadcast was led by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, and focused on the 2024 youth theme, present in 3 Nephi 5:13, “I’m a disciple of Christ.”

Different parts of the presentation involved pausing the video to debate the next questions:

• “Where are your holy places? How do you discover them?”
• “How does gathering with holy people strengthen you as a disciple of Christ? When has that been true for you? How did it make you stronger?”
• “When have you ever had a likelihood to testify of Him? Or, when has another person’s testimony strengthened yours?”

Kinley considered the questions and recorded the next thoughts:

• “Discipleship is a piece in progress. We can all the time rebuild and refine — testimonies, faith, my foundation. A bit higher day-after-day — a disciple in training — all the time striving to be like Jesus Christ.”
• “Because all of us have the sunshine of Christ in us I feel anyplace may very well be a holy place. We could hearken to Church hymns, read conference talks and study the scriptures. It’s all about what you do along with your holy places.”
• “Gathering together can assist you to realize that you just aren’t alone within the Church. … At school, people don’t make the most effective decisions and sometimes I feel alone as a disciple. But going to seminary every morning may also help me realize there are numerous wonderful youth on this world.”
• “One time my friend invited me to her church to assist her along with her church’s Bible school. They were learning in regards to the stories of Jesus, specifically the parable of the nice Samaritan. I commented to my friend that this was one in all my favorites, and my friend said she didn’t know we [Latter-day Saints] studied the Bible. I used to be in a position to tell her in regards to the Book of Mormon and the way it really works hand in hand with the Bible and shares divine truths about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. I used to be also in a position to share my testimony.”
• “Being a disciple is being an apprentice. Apprentices learn their trade from their master. To be a disciple, we must learn from our master. Apprentices act like and do like their master. That is how we are going to learn to be disciples of our Master, Jesus Christ.”

Kinley was amongst many young women and young men who participated and shared what they learned about discipleship from the worldwide discussion.

Following are additional insights shared by youth from the Philippines, Brazil and various locations within the United States.

These contributions have been edited for length and clarity.

Philippines

Hazel Bellen, of the Sampaguita Ward within the Camarin Philippines Stake, wrote:

“Fitting in and making friends is difficult for me, and I believed I needed to be like everyone else to slot in and rejoice. The worldwide discussion event on discipleship jogged my memory that although all of us are different with unique personalities, we will discover a sense of belongingness as fellow disciples of Jesus Christ.

“I don’t get to go to the temple as much as I’d like attributable to school, but I think that holy places may be found elsewhere, like a loving home and a Christ-centered circle of friends. I’m grateful to be an element of a bunch of friends who support and uplift one another, striving to seek out the nice in each other and are available closer to Christ day-after-day.”

Michigan

Sisters Kyla and Naomi Allen are members of the Greenville Ward within the Grand Rapids Michigan Stake.

“I learned that being a disciple of Jesus Christ means putting forth our greatest effort to gathering others unto Christ. It doesn’t mean that all of us should be the exact same. It implies that we use our differences to light the world, while allowing Christ’s Atonement to refine us. We have to be willing to just accept His will and proceed our own strategy of growth,” Kyla said.

“I learned that being a disciple of Jesus Christ means to be an example to others. A variety of other people can’t see or find the sunshine that comes from Christ, and that’s the reason we’re here,” Naomi said. “We’re here to share our own light with others, and after we do, we actually draw them closer to Christ. We’re here to indicate them how much their Heavenly Father loves them, and share with them the sunshine that He offers them. As we accept this calling that Heavenly Father has given us, and strive be a disciple of Christ, our own light inside us will grow and strengthen.”

California

Brothers Caleb and Jacob Berge, ages 17 and 16, were amongst 20 young men and young women from the Springville Ward within the Porterville California Stake who watched and took part within the worldwide discussion.

“We can strengthen our testimonies by being in a holy place, a spot we’re comfortable with spiritually,” Caleb said. “We strengthen one another’s testimonies by sharing them.”

“I learned that everybody begins with a foundation,” Jacob said. “And the stronger the inspiration, the more you can be stable as you construct up in the long run.”

Sheccid Lopez, 15, of the La Riviera Branch within the Sacramento Cordova Stake, said: “Tonight I noticed that being a disciple of Jesus Christ can feel lonely at times, but after we are His disciples, we’re never truly alone.”

Hailey Leazenby, 12, of the Anatolia Ward within the Sacramento Cordova Stake, said: “I loved hearing the testimonies of my friends and of Elder Stevenson. It is all the time special to listen to an Apostle’s testimony. I also was reminded that sharing my testimony could make an incredible impact on others and may also help my testimony proceed to grow.”

Sammy Taylor, 16, also of the Anatolia Ward, said: “I’ve learned that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is being His friend. It’s being someone He can depend on. Jesus Christ is the most effective friend any of us could ever have. We all love our friends, we wish the most effective for our friends, we wish to assist our friends after they need us, and even after they don’t need us. When we have now that mindset, of being friends with Christ, we’re more inclined to treat our discipleship and our relationship with Christ as if He is one in all our friends. … I’ve found throughout my life that the more time I spend with someone, the more I start acting like that person, and that’s true with reference to our friendship with Christ too.”

Sammy concluded that those that strive to learn of the Savior will draw closer to Him and find a way to see His hand of their lives. “I do know that as we proceed to develop our friendship with Christ, and as we apply sacred principles to our lives we can be blessed, and we’ll turn into higher disciples day-after-day.”

Brazil

For Guilherme de Paula of the Caucaia do Alto 2nd Ward, São Paulo Brazil Cotia Stake, the part he enjoyed most was when they might share their experience with another person and bear their testimony.

“It’s all the time wonderful to serve and follow Jesus Christ,” he said. “This devotional gave me far more strength to be determined and truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Talita Gonçalves, from the Cotia 1st Ward, São Paulo Brazil Cotia Stake, said that in the course of the meeting she felt very loved: “Sometimes we have now a little bit of difficulty on the earth, … with a lot judgment. … By feeling the Savior’s love, … I could strongly feel His concern for us.”

Missouri

Youth from the Houston Ward within the West Plains Missouri Stake gathered together to observe the worldwide discussion on Sunday.

The following are lessons about discipleship learned by youth within the Houston Ward:

Ben Cook: “When you retain your mind and thoughts holy, in all places you go can turn into holy.”

Ian Shupe: “We as members of the Church make our [meetinghouses] and temples holy places. Without our Christlike behavior, without attending and making covenants, those places would just be buildings.”

Buckley Miller: “At Young Men camp, we had great discussions in regards to the gospel across the campfire and we didn’t need to go to bed because we just desired to keep talking in regards to the gospel. When we share our testimonies together we grow and learn.” 

Mark Woolstenhulme: “Once after I was preparing a chat, I read a story where an individual was telling one other individual that they’ve never missed a Sunday. Then the opposite person asked, ‘Yeah, but what do you do in between the Sundays?’ That touched me and made my testimony grow and I noticed it’s not about just going to church, however it’s what we do in the course of the week and If we take the Spirit from Sunday and share with others — not only at church.”

Utah

Hundreds of youth from the Garland Utah Stake watched the presentation within the historic Garland Utah Tabernacle.

“What I learned is becoming a disciple of Christ takes time. It’s a process, not overnight,” said Chloe Cammack, of the Garland sixth Ward. “The thing I learned essentially the most personally is to simply be a disciple — just do it, not only discuss it. It takes motion.”

Hunter Kotter, of the Howell Ward within the Garland Utah Stake, said, “The feeling of unity that comes with being a disciple with others is phenomenal. I do know that’s how the Savior helps His love shine through us.”

— Alejandra Arce, Russell Wilcox, Janet Uresti and Vanessa Fitzgibbon contributed to this report.