SALT LAKE CITY -- President Thomas S. Monson asked Mormons in the Salt Lake Valley to reach out to the aged, the widowed, the sick, the handicapped and the less active members of the LDS church.

"Extend to them the hand that helps and the heart that knows compassion," said the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking to members of 109 local stakes gathered in the Conference Center and in meetinghouses throughout the south end of the Salt Lake Valley on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Reaching out to another "will bring joy into their hearts," he said. And, he added, "we ourselves will experience the rich satisfaction which comes to us when we help another."

The meeting took place just two weeks after the LDS Church's 179th Semiannual General Conference. Other Mormon leaders on the program included Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Claudio R.M. Costa of the Presidency of the Seventy, and Sister Vicki F. Matsumori, second counselor in the Primary General Presidency.

President Monson said that during the nearly 46 years since he was first called to the LDS church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, it has been his privilege to visit personally many of the 109 stakes represented at the conference.

"There are so many stakes in the church today that it is not possible for one person to visit all of them," he said. "I want you to know, however, that I love each of you. Your dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ is appreciated. You respond willingly to the calls that come to you. You look after each other. You 'lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees,' as the scripture encourages us to do. Thank you for your dedicated and devoted service."

Elder Hales began his remarks by speaking about President Monson. "I have known him many years," he said. "I have traveled with him throughout the world."

Elder Hales told the congregation that the words "caring and loving" describe who President Monson is as a prophet. "That is how he conducts his life," he said.

At the center of what Mormons believe, Elder Hales continued, is the Savior Jesus Christ. Prophets of all dispensations foretold of the coming of Jesus Christ.

"We must know and feel the spirit of the Atonement in our lives," he said. "We need to not only know it to be true, but we must feel it in our hearts."

Elder Costa asked the congregation to follow the counsel of living prophets. "We learn from the scripture that the Lord will reveal to his prophets absolutely anything that he feels is necessary to communicate to us, his church. ... The Lord will reveal His will to us through his living prophets."

Today, Elder Costa said, President Monson has asked church members to love their fellowman, to serve, to take care of the rising generation, and to rescue the inactive or less-active members of the church. "We need to understand that these priorities are God's priorities, and the prophet is his voice in communicating it to all of the church and the world."

Sister Matsumori said LDS Church members from other areas often imply that it is easier to be a Latter-day Saint in Utah -- where there are many temples and meetinghouses within walking distance -- than in other parts of the world.

"May I suggest that at times, it is not easier, but actually more difficult to be faithful if we have become so reliant on the testimony of others, that we have not developed our own testimonies and made personal commitments to live the standards of the church at all times and in all places."

She said that when church members live in this area, where they are surrounded by loving family members and good friends, they may not make a conscious decision to live LDS standards. "Without our own testimony, when challenges come or when we are placed in situations when we do not have a support system, we may waver in our resolve. Each of us must choose today."

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