In hindsight, Elder Carlos A. Godoy sees that the guiding and protecting hand of a loving Heavenly Father was present throughout his life. He looks back at joining the Church and falling in love with his now-wife, Sister Mônica Godoy, as direction from a God who knows him and cares for him.
“I could not see it in those days,” said Elder Godoy of the Presidency of the Seventy in the May 5 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults. “But I can see it now, looking back.”
Elder and Sister Godoy shared their experience as young adults — including how they met and started a family — and explained principles today’s young men and women can apply to more clearly see and follow the Lord’s direction when making critical life decisions.
The pair were joined by Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert. Together, they offered counsel to young adults on the topics of loneliness, dating, institute, service, missions and marriage.
Loneliness
As a recent convert attending Sunday meetings, Elder Godoy would sit by himself in the back of the chapel, then go home after church feeling alone and discouraged.
“It is not easy to feel we are invisible or don’t have much value,” said Sister Godoy. “For those in a similar situation, please don’t let this feeling overwhelm you. You are not alone.”
That’s because the Savior knows them and loves them and has always been there for them. “Please, don’t give up on trying to belong. He will send you angels to help you.”
Elder Godoy added that “we are supposed to be those angels.” He encouraged young adults to look beyond their regular friends’ circle to find those feeling alone or forgotten. “Please give them a chance. They need your smile, your handshake and your friendship.”
Dating
When Elder Godoy first met his future wife, it was love at first sight for him. Yet for Sister Godoy, falling in love was a more gradual process that started as friendship.
“For some, it will be clear and strong,” said Sister Godoy. “For others, it could take more time, effort and patience. It will become more evident as you keep investing in the relationship. Don’t give up quickly because you didn’t have a strong impression initially. Experience teaches us that some great marriages started in a small way, little by little, date by date.”
Elder Godoy added that “the process of finding ‘the one’ is similar to the process of receiving revelation.” Quoting Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from April 2011, Elder Godoy said revelation sometimes comes as immediate as illumination when a light switch is turned on, while other times it comes as gradually as light from a sunrise.
“The same can be said about receiving spiritual confirmation about our eternal companions,” said Sister Godoy. “Most frequently, it will come in small increments as we meet people and spend time together.”
Institute
Attending seminary was a critical decision for young Elder Godoy, he recounted, one that profoundly impacted his spiritual journey.
“Because of those daily doses of gospel teachings, I was able to strengthen my testimony and resist temptations throughout my day,” he said. “It helped me to understand that I was a child of God and that He has a plan for me in this life.”
The same results, said Sister Godoy, can be found by attending institute classes. “I hope you are taking advantage of this great resource. There you will find not just the gospel truth but also true friends.”
Service
As a young adult, Elder Godoy was assigned as a home teaching companion to the Young Men president — who happened to be Sister Godoy’s father. The young man didn’t know much about the gospel, but his companion trusted Elder Godoy and gave him opportunities to teach.
He said, “Serving made me feel valued. It prepared me to help others and, as a consequence, strengthened my own testimony.”
As young adults today are “anxiously engaged in a good cause” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27), he continued, they can likewise strengthen their testimonies.
One way young adults can serve, added Sister Godoy, is to attend the temple. “Attending the house of the Lord frequently also brings blessings.” Quoting Doctrine and Covenants 64:2, she continued, “In the temple, we receive lessons to help us ‘overcome the world.’”
Elder Godoy said, “I hope you are actively engaged in service opportunities. It could be ministering, family history, temple service or any other Church assignment where you forget about yourself and help others. It will bless you, strengthen you and protect you.”
Missions
Six months after Elder Godoy left to serve a full-time mission, Sister Godoy left for one as well. “We saw our missions as a good way to please the Savior and at the same time prepare ourselves for our married life,” she said.
“I returned from those two years more prepared for life,” said Elder Godoy, adding that their missions brought many new abilities and blessings. “Because of our missions, our testimony of the Savior was strengthened, our knowledge of the gospel increased, and the communication and leadership skills learned there helped us in our careers.”
However, “we should not judge those with different mission experiences or no mission experience at all,” said Elder Godoy. Serving a mission “is not a gospel ordinance, so nobody will be penalized in their progress in this life or lose blessings in eternity because of it.”
Marriage
Many young adults feel they have to finish schooling and have a stable career before getting married. However, that doesn’t always have to be the case, said Elder Godoy. “You need the basics, each other and the Lord on your side — everything else can be achieved together, which will strengthen your marriage.”
Establishing a successful marriage is a process, said Sister Godoy. “Marriage life is a learning experience that hopefully gets better as we progress. The love has existed since the beginning, but getting along on a daily basis is built step by step.”
There may be struggles like headaches, illness and concerns with money, she said. “But you know what? This is how life is supposed to be.”
One thing is sure, said Elder Godoy: “If we bring the gospel of Jesus Christ into this equation, married life will be much easier and more joyful.”
For those who never marry in this life, he shared a video clip of counsel that President Gordon B. Hinckley gave in 2003: “Do not spend your life grieving over it. The world still needs your talents. It needs your contribution. The Church needs your faith. It needs your strong, helping hand. Life is never a failure until we call it such.”
Hope in the future
Elder and Sister Godoy ended with their testimonies and a bold declaration that young adults can have hope in their future through the Savior Jesus Christ.
“I know that this life is the time to prepare to meet God,” said Sister Godoy. “I know that He leads us and prepares the way.”
Elder and Sister Gilbert offered brief testimonies at the devotional, adding their witness that seeking the Lord’s help brings miracles into one’s life.
“I stand as a witness that when we involve the Lord,” said Sister Gilbert, “He will instruct our desires and magnify our best efforts.”
Added Elder Gilbert: “The only way for you to become who you need to become and to find joy in the journey is to involve the Lord.”
In closing, Elder Godoy testified, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and through His grace and the blessings of His Atonement, we can have hope and joy in this life and an eternal family in the next.”
How to watch this devotional
This event was shared through broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the Church satellite system, BYUtv, Gospel Stream and the Church’s YouTube channel. The devotional can also be accessed on Gospel Library.
Viewers in North and South America tuned in for a live broadcast in the following 21 languages: American Sign Language, Cambodian, Chuukese, English, French, Guarani, Hmong, Japanese, Kekchi, Korean, Mongolian, Navajo, Persian, Portuguese, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Tongan, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Closed-captioning was available in the English, Spanish and Portuguese broadcasts.
On Sunday, May 12, at midnight MDT, the devotional can also be viewed on demand in 40 more languages: Albanian, Amharic, Armenian, Bislama, Bulgarian, Chinese-Simplified, Chinese-Traditional, Cebuano, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Fijian, Finnish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Kinyarwanda, Kiribati, Lingala, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malagasy, Malay, Marshallese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Tshiluba, Swedish and Urdu.
Additional closed-captioning information and satellite broadcast times can be found on the broadcast schedule.
Previous Worldwide Devotionals for Young Adults
On Feb. 18, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Rosana Soares, testified of the Savior’s healing and redemptive power. They responded to five topics that many young adults are concerned about: strengthening testimony, enduring trials, following God’s plan, preparing to enter and worship in the temple, and focusing their lives on Jesus Christ.
This event, held in Mexico City, Mexico, marked the first time an entire Church event produced for a global audience was broadcast in a non-English language. Remarks, prayers and music were all shared in Spanish, with live translation broadcast in almost 20 languages.
On Nov. 19, 2023, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Mary Cook, addressed five key concerns for young adults in the Church: facing life and faith challenges, love and belonging, life planning and life balance, standing for truth, and receiving personal revelation and prophetic guidance.
The Apostle shared that for young adults, who “share similar longings, aspirations and concerns” around the globe, the answer to every faith challenge is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This devotional was recorded in the Marriott Center on BYU’s campus in Provo, Utah.
On May 21, 2023, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, and his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks, encouraged young adults to “combine and apply both law and love” at a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults.
The devotional, originating from the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City, offered loving counsel for young adults regarding marriage and dating. It also included counsel about how to stand fast with love while proclaiming truth.
