Covenants, Faith in Christ Bring Peace in Uncertainty, Says Sister Dennis at BYU 

“We can feel peace even in the midst of chaos,” said Sister J. Anette Dennis from the Marriott Center on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.

The First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught that peace amidst uncertainty is possible through covenants with God and faith in Jesus Christ.

“It’s a peace we can feel despite our uncertainty about the future or about our own capacity. It’s a peace that often defies logic and understanding.”

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She referenced President Russell M. Nelson’s most recent conference talk in October, in which the Prophet recounted a time when his life was threatened by robbers but felt an “undeniable peace.”

“Brothers and sisters, the Lord will comfort you too,” President Nelson said. “He will strengthen you. He will bless you with peace, even amidst chaos” (see “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again”).

Sister Dennis recounted how 2013 President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency assured her and her husband, Jorge, as newly called and inexperienced mission leaders that “the Lord would be with us in the details of our mission if we sought His guidance. Our lack of certainty would teach us to rely on Him.”

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While leading the Ecuador Guayaquil West Mission, Brother Dennis had a dream that led the couple to prepare their missionaries both spiritually and physically for an emergency. Two years later, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Ecuador, affecting their entire mission. “But miraculously, not one of our missionaries was hurt, and they all knew where to go and what to do because of their emergency preparation,” she said.

Because of their spiritual preparation and covenant relationship with God, the missionaries not only experienced miraculous protection but also love and peace in the middle of chaos and destruction.

“I testify that you too can feel profound peace and God’s love for you in the middle of whatever chaos or uncertainty you may experience in your life, now or in the future,” Sister Dennis said. “There is power, peace and protection in choosing a strong covenant relationship with our Father in Heaven and the Savior.”

Sister Dennis encouraged students not to make decisions based on fear, lack of experience, or uncertainty about the outcome.

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“Trust the Lord and believe that He can send angels to hold up the walls of your faith as you walk forward into the uncertainty of the future,” she said. “Trust in His unlimited capacity to help you. Trust in His ability to give you a peace and a strength and a capacity that defies logic and understanding.”

Sister Dennis told listeners that as God’s “most noble spirits,” they are needed to “go out and lift and influence the world for good as covenant children of God and as disciples of Jesus Christ.”

“I testify that as you walk forward with faith in what the Spirit guides you to do, heeding the words of prophets, and trusting the Lord, you can be blessed with divine peace and support, strength and capacity that defy logic and understanding. You are not alone. There are angels around you, on both sides of the veil, who will help you and lift you. Trust your Father in Heaven; trust your Savior.

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Sister Dennis encouraged listeners to rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, especially during trials that will come to all mortals. Sharing Helaman 5:12 from the Book of Mormon, she testified, “As we build upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we cannot fall.”

She concluded, “I bear witness that the Lord will be your light and your strength in uncertain times if you choose Him. It is your choice. I invite you to use your agency and choose to believe and walk forward into your future with faith and trust in Christ. I promise you, He will be with you.”