By Stacey Reed
Women”s Conference received a standing ovation from those attending the closing session Friday afternoon.
After the speakers made their last remarks and a prayer of gratefulness was offered, thousands of women rose to their feet and applauded this year”s Women”s Conference.
Sandra Rogers, chair of the conference and one of the key speakers that afternoon, expressed her excitement and equal satisfaction by raising her arms in a victory motion.
Elder David B. Haight, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also addressed the sisters.
Haight is 97 years old and will celebrate his seventy-third marriage anniversary in September.
As he began his talk by mentioning he can still read his watch at his old age, the audience laughed.
Through many personal stories and touching experiences, Haight expressed the importance of heeding to spiritual promptings.
“I want to remind you in your lives, to be conscious of the impressions that you have,” he said. “Be mindful of them.”
In addition, Haight expressed his love and faith in Cecil Samuelson as the new president of BYU.
“What a marvelous president he will be, and what a marvelous individual he is,” he said.
He said that as they thought of the many men in the world who could hold this position, “there wasn”t anyone that could compare with Cecil O. Samuelson.
Additionally, Haight expressed his love for the women and how thrilled he was to be apart of this conference on the last day.
Sandra Rogers was also grateful and full of emotion when she began her talk.
“All of you are messing up my ability to give this talk,” she said emotionally.
Rogers invited the audience to remember their callings as women and to remember their covenants with God.
She told the audience of mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and sisters they can only find peace through the gospel of Jesus Christ and by being true Christians who are dedicated to their eternal covenants.
“Through making and keeping covenants we will know peace of mind and peace of community that will truly make us distinct and different – in happy ways,” Rogers said.
Specifically, Rogers spoke about the covenants made at baptism – taking upon the name of Christ, always remembering Him, keeping His commandments, standing as a witness of Christ and making covenants in the temple.
“We can have a tenfold influence for good in times of turmoil,” she said.
Rogers quoted President Spencer W. Kimball of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to illustrate her point, “In a darkening world, there has never been a better time to ”walk in the light” and draw others to know and love the Savior because they see, through us, that knowing him and loving him make a difference.”
“Sisters we hold peace in our hands, perhaps even more than others because we have the truths of the gospel,” Rogers said.
Agency, righteousness, loving God and loving others, Rogers said, are requisites to receiving individual, family, community and international peace.
“Our covenants help us to use our agency to choose righteously and establish peace within ourselves,” she said. “We are victorious in the war for peace by winning daily battles for personal righteousness.
Some of these daily struggles she outlined were fighting against the adversary by making good choices, loving others even when it”s difficult and being able to offer our whole soul to God.
She said offering your whole soul, mind, heart, mind and strength was the only way to have peace in this life and in eternal life.
“I testify that our sacred covenants, made with the Lord over all the earth, and kept by giving our whole souls to him, will be an anchor in the turmoil, a compass in the chaos, a light in the darkness and a comfort in the sorrows that mortality may bring.”
