Weekly study · October 2026 General Conference
Conference Talk of the Week
One conference talk each week, pre-selected on a rolling cycle. Start with the overview here, then open the official talk when you are ready to read it in full.
Saturday Afternoon Session
Divine Appointments
President Timothy L. Farnes
Young Men General President
As covenant followers of Jesus Christ, we minister with compassion to whomever God places in our path.
Overview
President Timothy L. Farnes teaches that ministering to the people God places in our path is part of keeping the covenant we renew with the sacrament. He tells two stories. In the first, Elder Dallin H. Oaks noticed him discouraged in a temple dressing room, asked how he was really doing, and lifted him; years later Elder Oaks did not remember it and said, "But it's what we do. Isn't it?" In the second, President Farnes and his wife helped a frightened young missionary on his first flight alone, after the Spirit prompted him to look up from his book a second time. President Farnes calls these moments "divine appointments" and teaches a pattern taken from the parable of the good Samaritan: see the person, feel compassion, then act.
Three Key Takeaways
- 1Ministering is part of keeping the sacrament covenant. When we witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, we promise to see, feel, and act as He would, so people who meet us should experience something of His kindness, patience, and love.
- 2The Lord's promise that His Spirit will be with us lets us minister as the Savior would, with His power and not only our own effort. In the airport, President Farnes first went back to his book, and the Spirit prompted him to look at the missionary again.
- 3The good Samaritan shows the pattern: where others saw an interruption, he saw a person to help. Seeing led to compassion, and compassion led to action. To Jesus, the people who came to Him were not interruptions of His mission; they were His mission.
Reflection Questions
- When you take the sacrament this Sunday, what would it look like for someone who meets you this week to experience something of Jesus Christ through you?
- Think of a time you noticed someone who needed help and then went back to what you were doing, as President Farnes did with his book. What kept you from acting, and what might have helped you look again?
- Who in your regular routine might you be treating as an interruption instead of a person God has placed in your path?
Application Prompt
Each morning this week, pray for eyes to see the divine appointments God places before you, and when you notice someone who seems to be struggling, ask them how they are really doing and listen.