Initiative 4: Amplify Prophetic Messages
S&I Annual Training Broadcast 2026
Friday, January 23, 2026
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: Our next topic is a discussion on the opportunity to amplify prophetic messages, something we have emphasized for several years now. Our students live in a day when noise and confusion are pervasive. The direction and teaching of living prophets has never been more important. In January of 2023, I invited you, our teachers, to prayerfully discover inspired ways to amplify the words of living prophets in our classrooms.
At that time, I said, “Brothers and sisters, we live in perilous times. But the Lord has prepared a pattern in all things so that we need not be deceived. Part of that pattern is the presence of a prophet in the land to teach us truth. Are we listening, and is it impacting how we teach and minister to our students” in our classrooms and in our ministering to them?
Amplifying prophetic messages in our classrooms has remained a focus over the past three years. Teachers in S&I have dedicated time and prayerful effort to studying foundational prophetic messages and incorporating them into our classroom learning experiences.
We have also strived to integrate prophetic teachings into the way we respond to questions and minister to the needs of our students. Let’s look now at some effective examples of amplifying the living prophets’ messages. We will first hear from some teachers and students in the South America South Area, followed by the US Central Area.
South America South Area Video: Amplify Prophetic Messages
Natanael Lastarria: When I plan my institute classes, I pause to contemplate what the prophets have recently instructed regarding the subject I must discuss. I review their messages and extract some quote or excerpt for future sharing with my students. By doing so, the class undergoes changes. You experience a unique essence. Truly amplifying the voice of the prophets gives authority, clarity, and support to my words, and I know that what I am teaching is the voice of the Lord through His servants the prophets.
Agustina Jiménez: I have often contemplated how Jesus Christ communicates with us. The response is found within the scriptures. However, how would He communicate with us? What might His voice sound like? I have received confirmation at general conference always that the voice of the leaders serve as the voice of the Lord. A week ago, we were encouraged to invite students from seminary to share spiritual thoughts grounded on current teachings of the Church. I have been able to witness the teachings of Christ, cherishing the voice of the Lord that directs us. He is a merciful Christ.
Betsabé Arteaga: Hearing the voice of the prophet in our area has been a blessing, and seminary youth are a living testimony of this. The class presidents accepted the invitation to become disciples of Jesus Christ, and with this in mind and with list in hand, they went out to visit the youth who were not participating in the classes. They extended invitations and affection because they understand and are convinced that the love of Christ is for all of us.
Thiago Pinto: When my seminary teacher gave me this recommend holder, I was able to remember the prophet’s voice and his invitation to draw closer to the temple, to spend more time there to make covenants for people who can’t do it for themselves. I felt inspired to accept that invitation to be able to better evaluate my decisions and to live with more honor, and that effort helped me be able to serve. I was in the temple, and I could feel the Savior’s love more in my life.
US Central Area Video: Amplify Prophetic Messages
Drew Wright: One way I have tried to amplify the words of prophets in the classroom is by asking my students what they’ve heard recently from prophets related to the principle that we have identified in class. For example, if I were teaching “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” I would ask my students, “What did you hear in the most recent general conference that relates to the principles we’ve identified in ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World’?” And if I had a student who I know hadn’t watched general conference or expressed to me that they hadn’t in that moment, I might invite them, “Would you go to President Oaks’s most recent general conference talk and see what you can find in that talk?” to set them up for success in this discussion. I’ve noticed as I’ve tried to do this, it’s easier for me to connect my students’ comments to the Savior and it becomes more natural for them to use the words of prophets in their other comments they share in class.
Jonathan Saunders: So I know that all my students had questions about life and the gospel in general, and I found in my life that I could find answers to those questions in the words of living prophets. So we came up with something where we would do a devotional where we would have a question asked by a student and we would use the words of the prophets to answer those questions.
Student: I really loved this whole question and answer thing. I think when we would read the words of the prophets, it would go through, like, what I was going through that exact day. Like, that thought I had that morning—boom—in seminary that question was up. And through the prophets’ words it just felt like Jesus Christ was talking to me personally because the prophets directly get the words from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ straight to them, and it felt like it was to me personally as well.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: We have here with us Sister Betsabé Arteaga from the South America South Area and Brother Jon Saunders, who’s with us from the US Central Area. Welcome. It’s so nice to have both of you with us.
Sister Arteaga, I was inspired by the way you used prophetic messages with your students. What role did the words of prophets play in the story you shared with us in the video?
Betsabé Arteaga: Thanks for the question. Well, the prophet’s message transformed the class president’s perspective on their assignment. They understood that the role is more than a simple initial seminary protocol. Because they studied and reflected on his words, they realized that as the Lord blessed him, they have the mission and ability together to gather Israel from their place of service. And the class president felt inspired to follow the prophet’s voice. Through the Holy Ghost, they received personal revelation to lead other young people to Jesus Christ. The class, they know that the prophet is called by God and that it is the Lord Himself who called them to His work.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: It’s beautiful. And it sounds like not only did it help strengthen the student on this particular issue but deepened the witness of the prophet and his role.
Brother Chad H Webb: Yeah, that’s wonderful. We can extend invitations, but there’s extra power when there are principles taught by prophets behind that invitation. That’s beautiful. Thank you.
And Brother Saunders, thank you for what you’re doing. I was curious what you found in using prophetic messages, specifically with student questions like you referred to. What’s been your experience there?
Jonathan Saunders: Thank you for the question. I realized that in my career I had done a pretty decent job at helping the students to go to the scriptures and find answers to their questions. A few years ago, I also realized that maybe I could do a better job—more than just quotes in my lessons and things like that—we could do a better job at bringing in the recent words of prophets into our lessons. And I know that students always have questions. And so once a week during our devotional time period, we invited students to ask specific questions. And rather than just going to the scriptures, we printed out words and messages from the most recent conference from every speaker front and back on a piece of paper, and we gave them some time—not much, a couple of minutes—to find answers to that question on that paper. And I was a little nervous the first time, I’m not going to lie. But it didn’t take much time at all where they were underlining and highlighting many different phrases and opened it up for discussion. And it became the students’ favorite part of the week, I think, in that they could find real answers real fast to real questions.
Brother Chad H Webb: One thing that I love about this—sometimes we talk about engaging students, and we maybe have the misconception that that just means a collective conversation, a discussion about their opinions, instead of engaging them in finding truth. “What do prophets teach about your question?” is a much better use of our time than just, “What do you think?” That sets them up to learn.
Jonathan Saunders: And to see the excitement of the students when they find an answer, how excited they are to share it. And I realized that what happened was, during lessons, they often went back to the paper. And so it became an organic—it just happened, and it was awesome.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: It’s powerful because it’s teaching our students to look to the prophets. It’s having us as teachers to be in the current teachings of the living prophets. And those words are coming for this moment right now. And so when we want to answer questions, this is such a powerful source. Let’s go now to—we have a question for you, Brother Saunders, from someone in our online learning division. And we’ll turn to them.
Megan Betterton: Hi, my name is Megan Betterton from the Online Learning Division. As you prepare your lessons using curriculum, how has amplifying prophetic messages impacted your preparation?
Jonathan Saunders: That’s a really good question, and I’m sure everyone would agree with me that the current curriculum that we have is the best we’ve ever had. And I love it. Maybe my favorite part of our current curriculum is how recent the quotes are that we have living prophets often who spoke those words. And so for me as a teacher, it really helps to save time in my lesson preparation. And so one of the very first things I do is go to those prophetic quotes at the beginning and the middle and at the end of the lessons in the supplemental material. And it just narrows my search, and it allows me to be able to focus more on perhaps the needs of the students but through the lens of modern prophets’ words.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: That’s so great to hear. And I’m sure our curriculum team says, “You know how much work it is to keep everything up to date?”
Jonathan Saunders: We should appreciate it.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: And our teachers should say, “You know how much work it is for us to do this?” And it matters, and it makes a difference.
Brother Chad H Webb: I just had a quick thought to share. I remember when I was a very new seminary teacher, I spent a summer going through all the recent—and I think it was five years of general conference—looking for every time a Church leader had quoted a scripture and wrote that reference into my scripture. So when I came to that in my teaching, I would already have it there to refer to keep it more up to date.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: Beautiful.
Jonathan Saunders: That is awesome.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert: Well, thank you for these amazing insights. And you know, there’s not much we can teach or do that will have a greater impact on our students than teaching the truths, doctrines, and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ as shared with us by those called to serve as His special witnesses for our day. Will you please continue to amplify prophetic messages in all you do ministering and teaching to our students?
Thank you for being with us.
Brother Chad H Webb: Thank you very much.