Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told the Church’s young women on Saturday that there was no limit to their potential.
“If you will take control of your lives, the future is filled with opportunity and gladness,” he said. “You cannot afford to waste your talents or your time.”
The meeting was a gathering of Mormon young women between the ages of 12 and 18. Over 20,000 attended the meeting at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, with hundreds of thousands watching via satellite at Church buildings around the world.
President Hinckley outlined a simple four-point program that young women could follow. He told them to pray, study, pay tithing and attend Church meetings.
He said, “If you will do these four things, I promise you that your lives will be fruitful, that your happiness will be great, that your accomplishments will be tremendous and satisfying in every respect.”
Susan W. Tanner, the Young Women general president, examined how the young women of the Church can overcome the identity crisis many teens face.
“The teenage years are also a time of what I describe as ‘identity theft,’ meaning that worldly ideas, philosophies and deceits confuse us, buffet us and seek to rob us of the knowledge of our true identity,” she said. “I know unequivocally that you are a daughter of God. He knows you, He loves you and He has a plan for you.”