FSY Youth and Leaders Worship in the House of the Lord  

From June 16 to June 28, 2024, as part of their trip to the Guam FSY conference, youth and leaders from across Micronesia worshipped and served in the Yigo Guam Temple. They came from the islands of Palau, Yap, Guam, Saipan, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Many of these Latter-day Saints entered the temple for the first time, and their presence was deeply gratifying for all who participated. 

The theme of the Church’s worldwide For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conferences for 2024 is “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.” Making sacred temple covenants as part of their FSY experience was an ideal opportunity for those attending the conference to fortify their commitments to follow the Savior.  

This gathering of Latter-day Saints who traveled great distances to worship in the holy temple was a testament to the Lord’s promise to “those who are upon the isles of the sea” (2 Nephi 29:7). The FSY participants’ testimonies of the temple as the House of the Lord were strengthened, and they felt the Spirit profoundly. The temple presidency expressed that “Hopefully, they will cherish this temple experience throughout their lives," 

In order to accommodate the desire of the large number of FSY participants to attend the temple, the temple leadership was prompted to function in unprecedented ways. “These flexible new approaches, inspired by revelation, affirmed that the Lord indeed directs His work in the temple,” explained members of the presidency. 

They went on to observe that it was especially evident that the Lord manages His objectives in the temple, as the insights gained from the FSY experience have given the temple presidency and workers alike greater perspectives on temple worship and service. 

FSY Proxy Baptisms and Confirmations 

26 FSY groups, comprising 185 youth (not including those from Guam) participated in proxy baptisms and confirmations. For more than 90% of the youth, it was their first time visiting the temple. A total of 21 young men holding the office of priest performed baptisms for their first time, which made the baptism and temple experience particularly special and memorable. Many of these youth had obtained their own family names through FamilySearch and brought them in for proxy baptism and confirmation.  

Prior to entering the House of the Lord, invited ordinance workers provided orientation and guidelines regarding the importance of maintaining a reverent spirit while in the temple, and gave instructions on the protocol that would be followed in the temple baptistry.  

In addition, youth could write names of loved ones in need of the Lord’s blessing for inclusion on the temple prayer roll. They wrote these names on a piece of paper during the orientation and dropped them off as they arrived at the temple. 

The temple presidency was especially gratified to be blessed with enough workers and baptizers for the higher-than-usual number of temple patrons, and expressed gratitude to the Lord for providing what was needed for the youth to have a meaningful temple experience. In addition to local members from Guam who are called as temple workers, senior missionaries, FSY counselors and leaders were available to officiate in the temple ordinances.  

Young Leaders Receiving Own Endowment 

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One particularly special event occurred on June 16th when seven young single adults (YSA) from Pohnpei received their own endowment, marking the highest number of patrons facilitated to receive their own endowments in a single day at the Yigo Guam Temple. These YSAs included Juster Hairens, J.P. Inowe, Kimo Kalasans, Louis Obed, Sinatra Epina, Elehna Torres, and Jane Mallarme. All of them are preparing to go on missions, with Elehna Torres receiving her mission call to Honolulu, Hawaii during FSY. 

Our Pohnpeian-based ordinance workers, including Elder Robert and Sister Jill Palmer, along with Brother Bradley and his wife Sister Riann Spirin, acted as escorts for the YSAs receiving their endowments. Brother MFour Matheus (Chuuk) also served as an additional escort. The session was conducted in Pohnpeian, allowing them to experience the ordinance in their native language. 

The love for the temple shown by these Pohnpeian YSAs was evident throughout FSY. After receiving their endowments, they attended every available endowment session whenever their schedule permitted. Particularly, when given the choice to either participate in recreation in Guam or visit the temple on their last day, J.P. Inowe expressed a strong preference to visit the temple. The YSAs also participated in multiple proxy initiatory and proxy sealing sessions. 

FSY Counselors and Chaperones Temple Visits 

As their schedule permitted, over 18 FSY leaders consistently attended regular temple endowment sessions, demonstrating their strong commitment to serving the Lord. Many of these FSY leaders also serve as ward and stake leaders in their respective areas. Their dedication necessitated the need for two simultaneous endowment sessions, a unique occurrence for the Yigo Guam Temple. 

Following are expressions of faith from some of those who attended the temple during FSY: 

 “The moment I walked in [to the temple] the feeling was so unexplainable. I felt a mixed sensation of happiness, peace, freedom and safety . . . I felt so happy and relaxed, like all my troubles went away.” 

“I really felt the spirit today. After doing baptisms for the dead, I felt a sense of peace, that everything was going to be okay. I want to feel this peace every day.” 

“Whenever I enter the temple, I always feel peaceful and am always filled with the Holy Spirit. I feel important when I volunteer to do baptisms for the dead . . . The temple always reminds me of my family members that are still alive and especially those that are dead . . . I feel like I want to see all my family members on both side of the veil . . .” Raynold Omee Edward (Pahnasang ward, Pohnpei)

“Today is June 26, 2024. It was amazing! We just visited the temple or the House of God. It was very peaceful, and I performed baptisms for a lot of people, even our family members who have already passed away . . .” 

“Today in the temple was peaceful and relaxing. The feeling in the temple is . . .  like Jesus Christ is there for us.” 

“My experience in the temple was very comforting. The amount of peace I felt afterwards was overwhelming . . . I felt like it was a blessing not only for me, but the people I was doing the work for. I think the temple is not only a way to come closer to the lord, but a way to feel the spirit and strengthen my testimony in Jesus Christ.” Kysha Kileleman (Saipan) 

“In the temple it felt like a sense of comfort and it was so quiet. I also had felt the need to do service, so it accomplished that too.” Keliv Del Lumbana (Saipan) 

Wynona Inos – “To me the temple is different than the church we go to back at home. The temple is important to me because it is a holy place . . . I want to remember everything.” 

“When I step through the gate of this temple, I feel very blessed and I feel good inside, like I feel the Spirit.” Luisa Herman 

“My experience in the temple was amazing and it was a wonderful blessing to do the lord’s work.” Shana 

“I’ve been to the temple a couple of times and it’s always such a surreal experience. It always makes me feel the Holy Spirit.” Mellina Mae Faimaw (Yap) 

“Going into the temple is like walking into the Kingdom of God.”