A group of teenagers from Queensland, Australia met recently with visiting leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brother M. Joseph Brough, second counsellor in the Church's Young Men general presidency, and Sister Emily Brough, along with Brother Milton Camargo, first counsellor in the Sunday School general presidency, and Sister Patricia Camargo, visited Queensland as part of their South Pacific tour.
- Brother M. Joseph Brough meets with youth, parents and local leaders in Forest Glen on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, February 2020.
- Brother M. Joseph Brough meets with youth, parents and local leaders in and near Brisbane, Australia, February 2020.
- Sister Camargo greets youth in and near Brisbane, Australia, February 2020.
- Church visitors from Salt Lake City, Utah meet with youth in Brisbane, Australia, February 2020.
- Brother M. Joseph Brough speaks to youth, their parents and local leaders near Brisbane, Australia, February 2020.
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Queensland-based Latter-day Saint leaders Elder Carl R. Maurer and President Daniel J. Shine accompanied the visitors.
The group met with local youth early on Saturday morning 22 February at the Church’s Mudgeeraba Stake meetinghouse.
Each leader spent time teaching from the scriptures.
Brother Brough encouraged the young people to prepare for their future responsibilities, particularly as full-time missionaries.
“Prepare by understanding your divine identity and work to overcome shyness,” he said.
Joseph Wong, a teenager from the Isle of Capri ward (congregation), remarked of the meeting, “It was great. I felt how much they all loved us and how special we are.”
Anakalia Pauga was reminded to “act straight away, when prompted by the Spirit and not to stay in my comfort zone.”
Reflecting on their time together, President Daniel J. Shine commented, “Our youth left the meeting feeling loved, enthused and excited for their future opportunities.”
Brother Brough talked about the need to allow youth to lead. “We all need people that will help us to reach higher than we believe we can,” he said.
In the second group, Brother and Sister Camargo taught about the importance of loving those you teach. “Know who they are, what they like, how they feel,” he said. “Visit with them, pray for them, try to understand their challenges. Sharing our time shows our love for others.”
Brother and Sister Camargo later visited with members from Ipswich and held a focus group with Sunday School teachers.
"We are all called as teachers,” Brother Camargo said. “We are all called of God. We represent the Lord. In Revelation 3:20 we are invited to teach in the Saviour's way."
The visit concluded with a youth devotional attended by nearly 1,000 youth and broadcast to 14 other meetinghouses across Queensland.
Sister Brough spoke about the parable of the rich young man. “Sometimes even though we are good, we are often asked to do a little more by the Lord. We need to step over that line of what we think we can do, and into what we can become with the Lord.”
Brother Brough related the Book of Mormon story of the 2060 stripling warriors, noting that even though we might try to obey with exactness, when we make a mistake we need to repent immediately. “Exact obedience makes miracles possible. Heavenly Father makes a way. We can accomplish anything he asks because he will make a way.”
Sister Camargo spoke about our clothing and the need to be modest. Asking the youth about sports teams and their uniforms, she asked, “Would you wear the opposing team’s jersey to a sports match?” Likewise, she urged, we need to ensure that we “cheer for Jesus Christ and wear the clothes of Jesus Christ’s army.”
Brother Camargo centred his remarks to the youth around loving God with all of our hearts. “To love him with all of our heart, we need to know him better. Attend Seminary to learn more about Him. He speaks to us through the scriptures."
Brother and Sister Brough are the parents of four children and understand some of the challenges that our youth face today. Brother Brough remarked, “Our youth face a lot of noise challenges - social media - they have the whole world that’s telling them every day that they’re not good or that they need to be a certain way or act a certain way.”
During the visit Brother Brough taught that youth have the ability to rise above any challenge they may face. He counselled, “Our youth also have the tools--they have the scriptures, Seminary, and they have one another.”
His instruction for parents was equally reassuring. “Remember that they have to stand on their own. Parents need to lead, teach and guide, but not do it for them.”
Quoting Church President Russell M. Nelson, Brother Brough said to parents and youth leaders: “Resist the temptation to take over. Our children need to do their scripture study. They need to fulfil their calling. They need to pray. They need to ask. In the end, they can do all of those things.”