You may feel burdened by worry, fear, or doubt. To you and to all of us, I repeat a wonderful and certain truth: #God's light is real. It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn.

Be strong and of good courage. You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your "once upon a time" is now.

The one help we all need is given to us freely though the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ and In His Atonement means relying completely on Him-trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love.

Even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life.

God's promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways.

If Jesus Christ were to sit down with us and ask for an accounting of our stewardship, I am not sure He would focus much on programs and statistics. What the Savior would want to know is the condition of our heart. He would want to know how we love and minister to those in our care, how we show our love to our spouse and family, and how we lighten their daily load. And the Savior would want to know how you and I grow closer to Him and to our Heavenly Father.

We acknowledge that our path at times will be difficult. But I give you this promise in the name of The Lord: rise up and follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer and Savior, and one day you will look back and be filled with eternal gratitude that you chose to trust the Atonement and it's power to lift you up and give you strength.