July 21, 2025, 5pm MDT
During the global dedication of Relief Society in March 2025, the Relief Society presidency testified to the strength and power that arises from making a temple covenant with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Relief Society President Kamille N. Johnson said it was a blessing to be a covenant woman at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Sister, that’s a glorious time,” she said. “And we are all carrying a collection of testimony that we are engaged in the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We know that he is alive, we know that he loves us.
Since then, the Relief Society’s General Advisory Committee and female members around the world have been explaining the blessings seen from temple worship and contracts on Instagram and Facebook Relief Society around the world.
The joy and transformation of temple worship
Hannah Miller, a sister to the Relief Society General Advisory Committee, found personal strength through the church’s teachings on temple worship, President Russell M. Nelson.
“President Nelson said, “Regular temple worship will strengthen the way you see yourself and how you fit into God’s grand plans,” Sister Miller quoted (see April 2024 General Meeting, “The Joy of the Priesthood Key Gift”).
Sister Miller said that temple worship gives her clarity about her divine identity.
“When I draw ideas in the temple, I can think about what I learned there, the creation, the gift of the Savior, the gift of the family.
Sister Andrea McConkie of the Relief Society General Advisory Committee noted to President Nelson’s teachings that “the construction of a temple will not change our lives, but our time at the temple will certainly be” (see Let Us All Press On, General Conference, April 2018).
Sister McConkey said temple worship changed her relationship.
“I can forgive more quickly and kindly see what others do about me. I think a lot of what we learned in the temple is about our relationship with God and our relationship with others.”
Sister M Martin, to the Relief Society General Advisory Committee, has been working with her husband for nearly 20 years as an ordinance worker. This regular service strengthened both their marriage and spiritual life.
When asked about dedicating a lot of time during her husband’s demanding law school days, Sister Martin said they couldn’t afford not to be in the temple.
“Indeed, our lives were more sublime, due to our time in the Lord’s house,” she said. “How grateful are we for this reward?”
Sister Sharen Minor, the Relief Society’s General Advisory Committee, shared this promise from President Nelson: “The temple will become a place of safety, comfort and revelation” (The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, October 2021 General Assembly).
Sister Minor said he personally experienced these blessings.
“I testify to how I felt safety, comfort and revelation. When I first felt that before I was awarded, I sat in the car in the temple car park and prayed about something very important. And I felt that I was the daughter of God and he loved me,” she said.
Take the temple contract home
Sister Dana Earl, from the Relief Society’s General Advisory Committee, spoke about how temple contracts extend across building walls.
“When I go home, I love being able to bring those contracts home with me and share them with the people I love and those I serve.”
She quoted Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the 12 Apostles, Quorum, where there can be a right unity between the temple and the house. Understanding the externalities of the temple will attract you to your family.
For the Philippine Mafi M. del Rosario, the contract represents far more than just a promise.
“The covenant is not just a promise. They are a sacred commitment that binds us to (Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ) in a relationship of love, trust and leadership,” she said.
Del Rosary said that honouring these sacred promises brings divine power to everyday life.
“When we keep the covenant, we invite God’s power and direction in our lives,” she explains, “through the covenant we approach the Savior, who provides us with infinite grace and strength.
Finding temple connections despite the distance
Some church members around the world live farther away from the Lord’s house than others. Pakistan-born Apphia Peter shared how she and her fellow members maintain temple connections despite the fact that they do not have temples in their own country.
“The way we get closer to the temple is to teach about the temples of the church, serve and do the work of family history,” Peter said. She visited a temple in the Philippines in 2006 and explained how her community can prepare her mentally despite geographical challenges.
“Through the year, it’s not close to us, but we help each other, chase all the commandments and make sure that it’s worth helping each other and going to the temple by following all the standards that we deserve to go to the temple.”
Minnie Isaac, from Chennai, India, said that although she does not get much opportunity to attend temples, she follows the commandments of the Lord and makes the temple very important in her life.
“I will stay in the path of the covenant, be close to the Lord and live a life worthy of the temple. When I do so, the Lord will help me to go to the temple in my own time and in his own way,” she said.
For those who cannot worship regularly at the temple, Sister Anna Astashova, a local organization advisor for the Eurasian region, provided some guidance.
“First, we always recommend the present temple, a way to show Jesus Christ what we want,” she said. “Secondly, we will search for our ancestors and submit their names to the temple. They are waiting. This is a sacred work that cannot be postponed until a better time.”
She also suggested that people learn more about temple contracts. “President Nelson said, “When we maintain the temple covenant, we will have greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power” (“The Lord Jesus Christ Comes Again”, General Assembly, October 2024).
