Swahili-ward
Young women in the Treasure Valley Branch (Swahili) attend girls camp in Boise, Idaho, June 5, 2025. The branch was made into the first Swahili ward in the U.S. on February 8, 2026. Photo by Blake Bybee, courtesy of Church News. All rights reserved.This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Mary Richards, Church News
When President Dallin H. Oaks, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke at Tuesday, February 10, devotional at Brigham Young University, members of the Young Women General Presidency took note of his counsel, invitations and testimony.
In a live video Tuesday evening on the Young Women Worldwide Instagram and Facebook accounts, President Emily Belle Freeman and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, her second counselor, continued the presidency’s ongoing discussion of chapters in the For the Strength of Youth guide along with the most recent words of the Prophet.
President Oaks emphasized the caution given by his predecessor, the late President Russell M. Nelson, who said, “It will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” April 2018 general conference).
Now is that season and that time, President Freeman said, when there are many obstacles and distractions. The fourth chapter of the For the Strength of Youth guide, titled “Walk in God’s light,” can help.
The chapter invites, “Make time for the Lord every day. Learn of Him. Always remember Him. Pray to your Heavenly Father. Study the holy scriptures and the words of living prophets. Then strive to live by what you learn.”
President Freeman said, “The guide tells us to study the words of living prophets. And that’s what we got — we got a reminder of the importance of walking in God’s light.”
Sister Spannaus read Jacob 4:13, which says in part, “For the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls.”
She explained, “Everything that the Holy Ghost is teaching us — is showing us — is for our own salvation, that’s for our good.”
Young women
A young woman prays in her bedroom. © 2026 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Turning to Doctrine and Covenants 11:12-13, Sister Spannaus read what the Lord told Hyrum Smith.
“It says here, ‘Put your trust in that Spirit, which leadeth to do good.’ So again, the same thing, right? The Holy Ghost is always telling us the truth, guiding us to the best way,” she said.
As the presidency members minister around the world and meet with groups of youth, one of the common questions they receive is, “How do I know if it is the Spirit?” President Freeman said.
“I might feel the Spirit in a different way or hear the Spirit in a different way than you do. You might hear me talk about it in class, and I’ll say what happened to me, and then you’ll say, ‘I’ve never had that happen before.’ But that doesn’t mean you don’t know how to hear the Spirit. It just means the Spirit speaks to you differently,” she said.
Seek What Invites the Spirit
Chapter four of the guide counsels youth to “seek that which uplifts, inspires and invites the Spirit.” Choices about what to watch, read, listen to or participate in can dull someone’s judgment or sensitivity to the Spirit.
Sister Spannaus said things like phones and friends are great, but like the guide says, make sure they are uplifting, wholesome, real and lasting.
She said she loves the example of Moroni and Lehi in Alma 53:2. Lehi had been with Moroni “in the more part of all his battles.” He was “like unto Moroni” and “they rejoiced in each other’s safety” and “were beloved by each other.”
Young Women
Young women attend a For the Strength of Youth conference in Chile on February10, 2026. Photo by Niko Serey, courtesy of Church News. All rights reserved.“What a great example of real friendship,” Sister Spannaus said.
President Freeman pointed out that in his devotional address, President Oaks said to “seek friends who are striving to follow the Lord, with whom you can feel the Spirit and reinforce your faith. Surround yourself with people who believe.”
She explained that “if you have surrounded yourself with the type of friends who believe like the Prophet said, then the music you listen to and the things that you watch and even the conversations that you have are going to be conversations where the Spirit can be felt.”
An invitation
President Freeman invited young women to do the following by themselves, with their families and with their classes.
- Read Doctrine and Covenants 11:12-13.
- Read “How can I know if I’m feeling the Holy Ghost?” on page 19 of the For the Strength of Youth Guide.
- Read the scriptures and write down the different ways the Spirit spoke to the people in the scriptures.
- Share the different ways you have seen the Spirit speak to you.