Young Men General President Ministers in Kansas and Missouri

President Steven J. Lund, Young Men General President for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Kalleen, ministered to young men in Missouri while visiting Church historic sites March 13–16, 2025.

At each location, six young men from surrounding stakes were invited to join President and Sister Lund to discuss the events that took place there. They also discussed issues facing young men today, including leadership in adversity, priesthood keys, the power of the Book of Mormon, and building Zion.

While speaking to the young men at Liberty Jail, President Lund reminded them that Heavenly Father sent everyone to this world to grow and learn through their struggles. He encouraged the young men to have hope in Christ and remember the final words shared by Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17): “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.”

During the visit to the Far West Temple Site, President Lund shared his testimony of priesthood keys by speaking of modern-day prophets and Apostles. He shared how much respect the First Presidency has for each other and how much they value each other’s input and counsel.

At the Three Witnesses monument, the young men shared their efforts to study the Book of Mormon and to adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Many spoke of their efforts to prepare to serve full time missions to formally witness about the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. President Lund noted that the young men’s personal witness of the Book of Mormon is critical because they are the rising generation.

The theme for the tour in Independence was “Building Zion” and how each person can build Zion in their own lives, quorums, wards, and stakes. Sites visited included the Temple Lot, the location of the printing press used to print the Book of Commandments, the Gilbert and Whitney Store, and the old courthouse.

Sam Benson, a young man in the Lenexa Kansas stake shared, “Knowing what the early Saints sacrificed in that time to serve the Lord and to build Zion showed me that this work of the Lord left such an impression on them to continue in faith despite the many trials they went through. We need to work together, and like the people of Enoch, ‘with one heart and one mind’ so that we can prepare the world for the Savior’s return to Zion.”

A highlight for all the young men in the Kansas City metropolitan area was an evening devotional with President and Sister Lund and Elder Jeremiah Morgan, Area Seventy in the North America Central Area, and his wife, Rebecca.

“I feel the strength of the youth of Zion that are the leaders of the Church already and will continue to lead throughout their lives,” President Lund said. “The youth battalion we have spreading out over the world is changing this world.”

He shared experiences of youth who are changing the world in places he recently visited, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Pakistan, Thailand and Uganda.

“These, in Oliver Cowdery’s words, are times never to be forgotten,” President Lund said. “There have been days in the history of man where Satan’s power has borne sway and when truth has been swept from the earth, but these are not such days. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has sworn that this time we will prevail and to secure that promise, He has sent us, you and me, to make it so. He sent us and He came with us. We have left the camp of Israel and we go forth now as bright as the sun, as clear as the moon and as terrible as an army with banners. That is my testimony to you, you of the noble birthright who are preparing now to go to the four corners of this world and you’re going to transform this world through the power of priesthood and the power of righteousness that you weld with such dignity.”

Additional activities during the four-day ministry included a service project with young men clearing debris and planting trees near the Kansas City Temple grounds, as well as a devotional and music festival in Olathe, Kansas, with all young single adults in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

“As we gathered together in sacred historic sites, undertook to give service, and then shared in inspired instruction, beautiful music, and fervent testimony, there was a demonstrable strength and power among the rising generation,” Elder Morgan said. “We see quite literally the youth of the Church flocking to the Church, and [we see] their faith in God and Jesus Christ.”