| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met with young single adults in Quezon City, Philippines, and answered questions about faith in Jesus Christ, hope, enduring life’s trials, and other concerns important to them during a special devotional held on May 23, 2026.
Accompanied by his wife, Sister Rosana Soares, Elder Soares addressed more than 450 young adults from the Quezon City, Quezon City South, Marikina, Marikina East, and Fairview Stakes. Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong and Elder William K. Jackson of the Philippines Area Presidency, along with their wives, also attended.
Prepared for This Time
“The Lord has preserved you to come forth at this moment in the history of the world because you are capable of facing the challenges of our day,” Elder Soares taught. “Can you see how precious you are and how deeply God trusts you? He sent you here at a time when we are helping prepare the world for the Second Coming, and He has prepared you for this sacred responsibility.”
“More than love, we place great trust in you and have great confidence that you can do anything, even the impossible. Through your influence, you can change the world, and that is what you do.”
The Apostle testified that young adults are living in this time according to Heavenly Father’s grand plan.
“The Lord brought you to this moment in history because you can overcome this and many other challenges of our era,” he emphasized. “You are prepared. You are gifted. The Lord has prepared you for this moment in history.”
Let Your Light Shine
Elder Soares also invited the young adults to let their faith in Jesus Christ influence those around them.
“Start being a light to the people who are close to you,” he said. “Let your light shine, and invite people to know Jesus Christ through your exemplary life.”
He also reminded the young adults that Jesus Christ remains central to the Church and to individual discipleship.
“We invite people to come unto Christ, to develop faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and to receive the Holy Ghost in the name of Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is central to our worship and our belief,” Elder Soares added.
Questions From Young Single Adults
During the devotional, Elder Soares also answered questions from young adults about challenges they face in their lives and discipleship, including faith in Jesus Christ, hope for the future, enduring life’s trials, and related concerns.
Responding to a question about maintaining hope for the future while striving to keep the commandments, Elder Soares acknowledged that “trials and discouragement are part of life” and reminded the young adults to turn to Jesus Christ.
“Turn your heart to the Savior because He understands pain,” Elder Soares said, teaching that Jesus Christ “understands physical, emotional, and spiritual pain.”
“So, He is a specialist in pain,” he pointed out. “We can be blessed through Him and His atoning sacrifice. We can be blessed in every circumstance of our lives.”
When asked how young single adults can overcome fears and uncertainties about marriage, Elder Soares encouraged the audience to focus on examples of faithful and successful marriages.
“Instead of focusing on unhappy marriages, let’s focus on successful families who are doing what is right in life,” he said.
“There are many couples in the Church who have centered their marriages on the Savior Jesus Christ and have built strong, successful relationships,” he said. “Let us learn from them what they have done to strengthen their marriages.”
The devotional came near the conclusion of Elder and Sister Soares’s two-week ministering visit to the Philippines. During their visit, they met with Church members, missionaries, and leaders across the country, including young single adults in Cebu and missionaries at the Philippines Missionary Training Center.
General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regularly travel throughout the world to minister, strengthen faith in Jesus Christ, and provide counsel and encouragement to members and local leaders.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Young Adults Share Impressions
Among those in attendance was 23-year-old Cyrus Kyle Obedoza from Marikina Stake, who rushed to the devotional after finishing his work shift.
“I made sure I could still catch the devotional. I know it’s something that I need, specifically as a YSA, and I know there would be questions that could possibly help me,” he said.
He added that attending the devotional was “a great opportunity to see a disciple of Jesus Christ, even an Apostle, in person.”
Also among the attendees was 24-year-old Strawberry Anne Jumalon, who said one of the messages that stayed with her was Elder Soares’ counsel about choosing an eternal companion.
“When it comes to choosing a partner, you should see that the person supports you in becoming closer to Heavenly Father,” she said.
Brother Hyrum Ballesteros Tandog, 23, shared that Elder Soares’ message encouraged him to continue trusting in the Lord.
“Choose the Lord first. Heavenly Father will support us. He will help us with the choices in life,” he said.