In a twist on the scripture, “Put on the whole armor of God,” Jack Marshall addressed his remarks, “Wear the armor of God, not the sweats of your religion. Stand strong and be powerful.” In reference to the rising generation of the church Marshall said, “We lose you, we lose a whole generation.” Marshall drew a comparison between the Strength of Youth booklet from 1965 and today’s Strength of Youth. In it he highlighted the vast changes that have occurred from then until now. He said the standards of the church and the standards of today have become drastically different. “It was really funny to see the differences between the old Strength of Youth and the one we have now. It’s weird to think that the standards have changed so much,” said Jessica Rodham, a visitor from California. Marshall said that now, more than ever, it is important to hold sacred what we have. He added our knowledge of the plan of salvation is vital in living the gospel and in attaining our goal of returning back to live with our Heavenly Father. As a convert to the church, Marshall told of how the plan of salvation was key in helping him receive a testimony of the church. “When the missionaries told me that God had a body like me, knew me, loved me, and wanted me to return back to him, that resonated with me. It felt familiar and I knew that I wanted to learn more,” he said. Marshall cautioned that Satan would try to tempt you by focusing on the things you can’t do. Marshall’s advice was to focus on what you can do and not “play spiritual adventures”. Ricky Oxford, a senior studying finance from San Antonio, Texas, said, “That is one of the greatest blessings of being here at BYU-Hawaii. Great waves and a great place to strengthen myself both intellectually and spiritually.”
Writer: Homer Wolman~Multimedia Journalist
