PROVO, Utah — For a while, Sister Amy A. Wright and her husband invited close friends to attend church with them. The friend eventually agreed, and after sacrament meeting Sister Wright asked the friend what she thought of the service.
The friend said she loved the administration of the sacrament and how the speakers taught and testified based on Jesus Christ and the scriptures. She also loved music and understood some hymns.
Sister Wright said: “Then she stopped and said, ‘I learned something.'” With tears in her eyes, she added, “I didn’t know Jesus would come again.” This changes everything. ”
Speaking at the 2026 New Mission Leadership Seminar, the first counselor in the Primary general presidency and member of the Church’s Mission Executive Council testified that knowledge and testimony of God’s plan makes all the difference.
She added that knowledge of the plan of salvation changes every aspect of life and helps missionaries fulfill their mission and answer deep questions of the soul.
In a message delivered Friday, June 19, at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, Sister Wright guided new mission leaders through four fundamental truths found in God’s plan of salvation that help missionaries accomplish their divine purposes.
Truth 1: Jesus Christ is the central figure in God’s plan of salvation
Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches missionaries that no matter where they serve or who they teach, their messages should focus on the Restoration of Jesus Christ and His gospel.
“When missionaries focus on Jesus Christ—His life, redemption, and role in Heavenly Father’s plan, their lessons become more meaningful and spiritually powerful,” she said.
Understanding Jesus Christ and His divine role helps individuals act in faith and accept invitations.
Truth 2: As children of God, we all lived with God before we were born.
Testimony of God’s plan gives deep meaning to families and eternal life.
“Eternal families are possible through Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement,” Sister Wright said. “Missionaries serve a sacred purpose by testifying that families are ordained by God and central to God’s eternal plan, and that through ordinances and covenants, family relationships can transcend this life and endure into eternity.”
When Sister Wright was battling an aggressive form of cancer several years ago, she spent a lot of time with others who were struggling with the disease and hoping for a cure. Over the course of two years, she developed relationships with fellow patients from a variety of backgrounds.
Through these relationships, she never learned what they did for a living, how much money they made, what kind of education they had, where they traveled, or what kind of cars they drove.
Instead, she was shown a photo of her loved one.
“In the face of mortality, the only measure that mattered was family,” Sister Wright told mission leaders.
Truth 3: Jesus Christ was the Creator of the Earth under the direction of God the Father
Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel says, “Creation is an expression of God’s love and his desire to provide us with opportunities for growth.”
From that eternal perspective, Sister Wright said missionary work is central to gathering God’s children. A missionary’s success is not determined by how others respond to their invitation. Missionaries teach about Jesus Christ while respecting individual agency.
“This is the harvest of Jesus Christ,” she said. “And every soul is precious to God.”
Truth 4: All people can return to live with God the Father and Jesus Christ as an eternal family.
Eternal life is the highest state of happiness and glory in the celestial kingdom. Sister Wright taught that righteous men and women are united in a covenant with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that leads to exaltation.
“This family-centered uplift is only possible because of Jesus Christ,” she said.
Many missionaries come from imperfect or semi-religious families, and some have lost one or both parents. Sister Wright advised leaders to model the joyful, united qualities of a heavenly marriage.
“The blessing of an eternal family is greater than any social status, cultural predilection, world philosophy, or physical predisposition,” she continued.
Finally, Sister Wright testified that the promise of God’s plan of salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. Citing Doctrine and Covenants 84:36-38, she taught that those who accept God inherit all that He has.
“Everything means everything,” she said. “I can’t begin to understand all the definitions, but I do know this: All of this is possible because of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ did not flinch when a world without numbers was at stake.”
