SALT LAKE CITY — Elder Carlos A. Godoy became the first general conference speaker to give an address in Portuguese with his talk on Sunday afternoon. He chose to talk about each member’s potential and God’s plan for them.
He began with a personal story about raising a family in Brazil. He described his life as good, with everything as it should be. Then came the question from a friend, “If you continue to live as you are living, will the blessings promised in your patriarchal blessing be fulfilled?”
He described multiple principles he has since learned on choosing a course in life.
His first principle was to consider one’s options with the end in mind.
“Making decisions that can impact our lives and those we love without having a broader vision of their consequences can bring some risks,” Elder Godoy said.
He went on to explain that sometimes in order to get to the place that the Lord wants, one may have to leave their comfort zone.
His second principle was that of preparedness. He countered the opinion that making correct decisions would leave to an easy journey through life using prophets such as Joseph Smith, Lehi and Moses to show the difficulties the righteous could encounter.
“Each of you, single or married, regardless of age, has the opportunity to learn and to grow,” he explained. “Expand your knowledge, both intellectual and spiritual, to the full stature of your divine potential.”
The last principle he described was to share one’s personal vision with the people they love. He used the example of Lehi, who, after his vision, shared all he had seen with his children.
He closed by challenging those who felt things were going well in their life to consider if there was something better, promising that the Lord has a plan and knows what is best for his children.
