Saturday Evening Session

Stake Conference Sept. 2025

President Lynn Pace President Lynn Pace shared a poignant story about a family member who encountered car troubles while traveling through the desert at night. With uncertainty and fear surrounding his journey, the family prayed fervently for his safety- and through divine mercy, he made it home unharmed. From this experience, President Pace taught God never promised us that we would not have trials in the desert.  He just promised that he would bring us safely home. Drawing from the story of Joseph in Genesis 39, he reminded us that even through betrayal, famine, and political upheaval, Joseph learned to "see the Lord's hand" guiding him through every trial. Likewise, we must learn to recognize God's hand in the details of our own lives. 

President Pace promised that as we open our hearts and look with spiritual eyes, we will begin to see the Lord's influence in ways both great and small— "deep impressions" will come to us personally if we are humble enough to feel them. He reminded us of the Lord's counsel in the Doctrine and Covenants: "And in nothing doth man offend God... save those who confess not his hand in all things." (D&C 59:21). Living with gratitude and spiritual awareness allows us to "seek and expect" miracles, for God is a God of miracles. President Pace concluded with an invitation full of hope and testimony: Come, look, and see—the miracles are all around us. 

President Mike Pingree  President Mike Pingree shared a deeply personal and powerful story of his near-fatal bicycle accident, an experience that forever changed his understanding of God's protection and mercy. In the midst of tragedy and pain, he witnessed a series of miracles — moments of divine intervention and tender mercies that reminded him the Lord's hand is ever-present, even in the darkest hours. He taught that when we pray for protection, the Lord's answers may not always come in the ways we expect. Sometimes, rather than removing the trial, God strengthens us to endure it. The key to receiving His protection, President Pingree explained, is to strive to live righteously, trusting that even when outcomes take unexpected turns, the Lord's promises remain sure. He reminded us of the Lord's words in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88: "I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." Often, the Lord's help comes through "others" whom He sends to lift, comfort, and save us in our times of need. President Pingree also drew upon the Book of Mormon, noting Jacob's testimony that "we shall receive our errand from the Lord" (Jacob 1:17; 4:5). Through these teachings, he bore witness that God enables, blesses, and strengthens us— not only to survive our trials but to see His miracles unfold within them.