LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley encouraged young women on Saturday to get all the education they can to prepare themselves for a complicated world.
"Life is becoming so exceedingly competitive," he told young women gathered on Temple Square for the General Young Women's Meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "I urge each of you young women to get all of the schooling you can get . . . . The world is changing and it is so very important that we equip ourselves to move with that change. But there is a bright side to all of this. No other generation in all of history has offered women so many opportunities."Young women's first objective should be a temple marriage and motherhood, President Hinckley said. "Education can better equip you for the realization of those ideals."
He also encouraged listeners to cultivate a good self-esteem. "Know that yours is a divine birthright. Cultivate a good opinion of yourselves. Others may make cutting remarks concerning you. This is only a sign of their ignorance and not of your qualities. Walk with that dignity which is becoming a young woman who is a daughter of God."
The theme of the conference was "Stand as a Witness by Sustaining the Living Prophets." Members of the General Young Women's Presidency each testified that President Hinckley is the living prophet of God and urged each listener to find a personal message in his words.
Others will feel the prophet's message in the way each young woman acts after Saturday's conference, General Young Women's President Janette Hales Beckham said. "In this way, the message doesn't end tonight - it just begins."
Just as a tuned violin sustains and enlarges sound, so young women's lives - if they are in tune - can sustain and magnify the prophet's message, she said. "When the prophets speak to us, it is as if our Heavenly Father is speaking to us."
Virginia H. Pearce, first counselor in the general presidency, instructed young women to use the help of the Holy Ghost in identifying President Hinckley's personal message for them, then practice that message in their lives. "It doesn't matter how often the Lord chooses to speak to us if we fail to do anything about it," she said. "Don't be discouraged - keep trying until you succeed. We are entitled to the help of the Lord when we are trying to do his will. Pray for that help and keep trying."
Bonnie D. Parkin, second counselor, recalled passing Pres. David O. McKay on the street as a young woman. "He said nothing as he passed me; he merely gently smiled and tipped his hat. The spirit literally filled my being. I knew I had seen a prophet of God . . . . We can all receive the same witness I did on those steps long ago. More important than seeing a prophet is understanding the message he has for us. Applying that message is a sure way to gain a testimony of his holy calling."
Three young women spoke briefly on the impact President Hinckley's messages had in their lives. Teenager Anne Prescott lost her father last summer, leaving her and her mother alone. As Christmas approached, Anne's heart was heavy. But President Hinckley spoke at a stake conference she was attending. He urged members to be positive, lift their eyes and sing songs of Christmas.
"Those few words meant so much to me. I knew if I did my best at this hard time in my life, things would work out," she said.
President Hinckley encouraged young women to be true to themselves, their parents, the church and to God. He admonished them to be honest. "We cannot afford to cheat or do anything of that kind."
He urged them to be moral. "We cannot afford to be tainted by moral sin. We live in a world where temptation is constantly being thrown at us, particularly at you young people. It is on television. It is in magazines. It is in books. It is on videos which are readily available. Stay away from these things. They will only hurt you. When it comes to the moral law, you know what is expected of you."
Avoid gossip and be a good friend, he said. He urged young women to listen to their parents. No one has their interest more at heart than their parents.
The LDS Church is true, President Hinckley said. "I wish each of you would remember that tonight you heard me say that this church is true. Other churches also do much good, but this is the `true and living church' of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name it bears."