‘Stand Close Together, and Lift Where You Stand,’ President Uchtdorf Says

In his first public address as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared a message of unity through Jesus Christ and invited young Latter-day Saints to participate now in the Savior’s “great and marvelous work.”

Speaking from the Cannon Activities Center on the BYU–Hawaii campus in Laie, Hawaii, on Sunday, March 1, 2026, the Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was accompanied by his wife, Harriet, encouraged young adults to “stand close together, and lift where you stand.”

President Uchtdorf recounted a story from his home ward in Darmstadt, Germany, about a challenge several volunteers faced to move a grand piano from the chapel to the cultural hall for an upcoming musical event. After several failed attempts to budge the heavy object even a few feet, one of the men suggested, “Let’s stand close together and lift where you stand.”

Though the technique seemed too simple, it worked. “I am still impressed by the profound truth in his counsel,” President Uchtdorf said.

“You and I also have a piano to move, so to speak,” he said. “We’re here to build something. Our Savior, our Master, Jesus Christ, has given us, the members of His restored Church, a mighty task — a unique mission, a special work.

Download Photo

“Call it building Zion, or establishing the Church, or proclaiming the kingdom of God. We are tasked with preparing the world for His Second Coming.”

President Uchtdorf recognized that “dedicated, devoted people” from various religious traditions share Church members’ desire to improve the world. But the Lord requires more from those blessed with an understanding of the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, he taught.

“We are to follow Jesus Christ and become His true disciples,” he said. “We are to reach out in love and bless those in need around us. We are to invite all to come unto Christ and make covenants with Him. We are to gather and unite His people, from ‘every kindred, nation, and tongue’ (Mosiah 3:13) — and not just those who are living, but those generations who went before and generations still to come!”

BYU–Hawaii is a “shining example” of the heavy task the Lord is asking, he said. “Here you gather from various nations and cultures. Here you are learning to overcome this world’s artificial walls of separation. Here you learn how to stand in holy places even in the most challenging times. Here you see, every day, how the gospel of Jesus Christ unites hearts and minds.”

Encouraging young people not to wait to dedicate themselves to the cause of Christ for a future moment, President Uchtdorf invited them to learn now how to seek first “the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, no matter what else is going on in your life, and trust the Lord’s promise that all needful things ‘shall be added unto you”’ (Matthew 6:33).

Download Photo

Youth and young adults may be the future of the Church, but they are also the present, he said. “Remember that grand piano? It moves because you each lift where you stand — where you are right now, not where you’ll be someday.”

He added that “being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not just one of many things you do. No, Jesus Christ is the motivating power behind everything you do. And if there’s something you’re doing that can’t be motivated by His plan, then it’s probably time to stop doing that.”

Download Photo

“Trust in the Lord,” President Uchtdorf said. “Rejoice in Him. Put Him first in your life. Find the joy in serving Him. Believe that He will guide you.”

When lacking confidence, “trust that your Savior will lead you to stand where He wants you to lift. ... You don’t have to lift the whole piano — just the part in front of you.”

When feeling anonymous, he said to remember the Book of Mormon account of Helaman’s army of 2,000 young warriors who “essentially saved the Nephite nation.”

“As individuals, they are anonymous,” he said. “As a group, however, they stood close together and lifted where they stood. And together they accomplished things that none of them could have achieved alone.”

When feeling inadequate, remember that “the Lord asked you to do it,” he said. He quoted President Dallin H. Oaks, who said, “We are all a work in progress. We are all at different places on … the covenant path. We need to be patient with one another and, occasionally, even with ourselves.”

President Uchtdorf taught that “it’s not really about the piano. Heavenly Father is trying to move you. He wants to give you opportunities to stand close together with your sisters and brothers, to become stronger together, and eventually return to Him — holy, united and purified — as one eternal family.”

“Stand close together and lift where you stand, and nothing can keep this divine work from moving upward and forward,” President Uchtdorf testified as he concluded. “You will see miracles in your personal lives and in the lives of the people you love and serve.”

Download Photo

Sister Harriet Uchtdorf also spoke, urging young adults to “trust the Lord” and “seek Him first,” testifying of the “comforting expressions of love by the Creator of the earth and the universe” found in Moses 1:39. “When we ponder the meaning of this divine declaration, we can feel that this love is very personal. God knows that you are here at BYU–Hawaii. He knows where you are going from here.”

Education and dating work together, Sister Uchtdorf said. “Both require humility. Both require effort. Both require patience,” she said, so “trust the Lord’s timing” and “focus on becoming the right person.”

Download Photo