God is preparing you for great things. Yes, the workout is intense, but the rewards are immense.

I wanted to write this to let you know a bit about what it looks like on the far side of 20. I hope that I can give you a bit more hope, a bit more courage, and a bit more faith.

I’m not that far out of my twenties yet, but even though it’s only been a few years since I was your age, already the lessons I learned are distilling down, leaving behind only the most valuable and useful of principles behind. I wanted to share some of those truths with you, in no particular order.

When I was in my teens I thought I had quite a lot of wisdom, and I suppose I did for somebody my age, for whatever that’s worth. But I find the most enduring things I learned and experienced are those related to the church. This comes as a bit of a surprise, I’m sure, because if you’re like me church stuff is basically the lowest priority right now, and of the least concern.

As a youth I never appreciated just how hard it is to be a leader for the youth. Those scoutmasters, advisors, and presidency members have their own lives. And yet they sacrifice time in preparing and participating in activities and lessons for you. A ton of time. Why do they do it?

Truth #1: Your leaders love you.

I can’t tell you how much we love you. We’re not allowed to say it, of course, because of cultural taboo. Plus it’s just not cool, right? But we do love you and you need to know that. We look at you and we feel amazed at how wonderful you are, how strong you are, the courage and selflessness you display. But more than that we have the privilege (and it is a privilege) to receive a portion of God’s love for you through the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Your Heavenly Father makes us very very aware of His love for you. It is real and powerful. Sometimes it’s so overwhelming that we ache with the desire to have you see yourself as we see you – as somebody surrounded by love and power.

Truth #2: You are not evil.

You are not bad. You are not evil. The worst of the worst things you’ve ever done are not as bad as you think they are.

You have greater control over your life at this time than at any time to come. You can choose who you are, who you will be, and what your character will be. Satan knows this. So he tries harder at this time than at any other to convince you that you are bad. That you are unclean, unloved, and unworthy, and especially that there is no hope for somebody like you.

He. Is. A. Liar.

You are not evil. You are not bad. You are not wicked. You are always, always worthy to approach your Father in Heaven. Do not let the adversary of your destiny lure you into dark places, especially in your own mind.

No matter what you do, or what you’ve done, you have plenty of road ahead. You are not broken. You are not lost. You are God’s child. He did not send you here to fail, He sent you here to succeed gloriously. And you will! Don’t give up on yourself, or the church!

Truth #3: The church is true.

Don’t skip this section just because you think you’ve heard it before!

When I was in seminary, I remember looking at certain of my contemporaries who always had on a cheerful face. I remember thinking “they’re so fake.” I knew that they must be lying. I told myself that they weren’t happy because life simply isn’t happy.

Imagine my surprise when I found out, years later, that they weren’t faking at all. That it is, in fact, possible to be happy and a teenager.

Life is full of happiness and your best shot at being immersed in it is with the church.

Sure, there’s going to be lots of days when you’re going to wish that it wasn’t true. In fact, you’ll find that many of the people you know will eventually start choosing to believe that the church is not true, and finding all sorts of excuses to back up that decision. It’s certainly more convenient to choose not to believe. Not believing means you don’t have to *do* anything.

Please, don’t give up. I know it’s hard to be a member of this Church. Christ asks a lot of us and it’s never convenient. But don’t give up. There is so much beauty and sweetness ahead that comes only through the church that I can’t even describe it. If you need help getting through a rough patch, remember those leaders I told you about. They love you.

Truth #4: you will be changed.

You’ll get through the hard times and come out stronger than ever. That’s perhaps the biggest miracle of the church. We become new people.

The power in the church is real because the church is true. As you engage in the church, by doing the stupid, silly things like fast offerings or shoveling snow, or attending your classes on Sunday you invite the Holy Ghost into your life, and the Holy Ghost will literally change you. In the scriptures it’s called being purified and sanctified. But what it means is you are actually changed into a new person.

Do you get how amazing that is?

Bit by bit, day by day, the Holy Ghost changes you into the person you want to be.

So if you find yourself thinking “why can’t I keep this promise?” or “if only I were more caring!” then you need to know that you can be changed. You can be the person who keeps promises, or who is caring.

For me it was service. I never wanted to do service. I always went because I knew it was my duty, and I felt like I should, but I never wanted to. Here’s the thing though: One day, something changed inside me, and I started *wanting* to serve.

If there is one big reason for writing this letter, that might be it. See, I know it’s really tempting to give up. There are days when I know you would like nothing more than to walk away and start over without all the pressure and everything else that feels like a burden right now.

Don’t give up!

I know that you’ve got a heavy load on your back, and it can feel unfair. But it’s not a punishment, and it’s not to make you miserable. It’s because you can’t get stronger without exercise. And that means heavy lifting, soreness, and pain. This is the spiritual exercise for what lies ahead.

God is preparing you for great things. Yes, the workout is intense, but the rewards are immense.

Truth #5: you should go on a mission.

I almost didn’t make it. I put it off for months and then years, with all sorts of excuses. But the reality was I didn’t want to go.

Finally I listened to that nagging sensation in the back of my mind, that I later recognized was the Holy Ghost, and went.

Best. Decision. Ever.

Yes, a mission is hard. It’s like switching from working out with the high school football team to going through the intensity of Navy SEAL training. But along with the extra work, struggle, and sacrifice, comes blessings unmeasured, not the least of which is to know God in a way you never have before.

If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking “you know, I already have a testimony. I already know God. So that’s not really a good reason to go on a mission for me, is it?”

To that I say: There’s a difference between reading about Moses, and actually parting the Red Sea for yourself.

In other words, knowing about something is totally different from experiencing it.

On your mission, you won’t just study about God, you will experience him. He will go with you every. Single. Day. And that’s what he wants you to have on your mission.

He doesn’t actually need you in order to convert people. That’s just the weight set. What he wants is for you to become familiar with the Holy Ghost – to become a prophet, essentially. It’s not the exercise that’s important, it’s the results.

He wants you to know what it’s like – to experience some degree of the miracles, the visions, the wonders and blessings of being a follower of Christ.

And you will have those things if you want them. You are a child of God. You are entitled to them. You only need to ask, and go.