Benjamin De Hoyos

First Quorum of the Seventy (April 2, 2005 – August 1, 2023)

General Conference Addresses

• April 2023 General Conference
  • The Work of the Temple and Family History—One and the Same Work
    • “Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord encourages us as members of His Church to preserve our own family history, to learn from our ancestors, and to make the necessary arrangements for them to receive the ordinances of the gospel in the temples to help them to progress along the covenant path, which will bless them with an eternal family. That is a central focus of the plan of our Heavenly Father: uniting family for this life and for eternity.”
    • “As we follow the guidance of the prophets and learn how to do our family history and perform the temple ordinances for our ancestors, we will experience great joy to the point that we will not want to stop doing it. The Spirit will flood our hearts, awaken our faculties to do it, and guide us as we search for the names of our ancestors. But let us remember that family history is more than just looking for names, dates, and places. It is uniting families and feeling the joy that comes from extending to them the ordinances of the gospel.”
• April 2017 General Conference
  • That Our Light May Be a Standard for the Nations
    • “What, then, has the Lord revealed through President Thomas S. Monson that we need to continue doing so our light can be a standard for the nations? What are some of the important things to be done in this brilliant moment of building up Zion and of gathering Israel?”
    • “I testify that by learning “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” and by hearkening to our leaders’ counsel, we will have oil for our lamps that will enable us to give light unto others as the Lord commanded us.”
    • “As we keep the Sabbath day holy and partake of the sacrament, we are not only cleansed, but our light also grows brighter.”
• April 2011 General Conference
  • Called to Be Saints
    • “To the degree that members of the Church live the gospel and follow the counsel of the prophets, they will, little by little and even without noticing it, become sanctified. Humble members of the Church who conduct daily family prayer and scripture study, engage in family history, and consecrate their time to worship in the temple frequently, become Saints. They are those who are dedicated to creating eternal families. They are also those who set apart time from their busy lives to rescue those who have become alienated from the Church and encourage them to return and sit at the Lord’s table. They are those elders and sisters and mature couples who respond to a call to serve as the Lord’s missionaries. Yes, my brothers and sisters, they become Saints to the degree that they discover that warm and wonderful feeling that is called charity, or the pure love of Christ (see Moroni 7:42–48).”
    • “For many years I have been a witness to the faithfulness of the members of the Church, Saints of the latter days, who with faith in our Heavenly Father’s plan and in the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, have overcome tribulations and afflictions with bravery and great enthusiasm, thus persevering and continuing in the strait and narrow path of sanctification. I do not have words adequate to express my appreciation and admiration for all of those faithful Saints with whom I have had the privilege of associating!”
• October 2005 General Conference
  • True Happiness: A Conscious Decision
    • “Happiness comes as a result of our obedience and our courage in always doing the will of God, even in the most difficult circumstances.”
    • “Yes, we find happiness in the midst of the trial of our faith.”
    • “Happiness is a condition of the soul. This joyous state comes as a result of righteous living.”
    • “Yes, my beloved brothers and sisters, life is good if we live in such a way to make it so. Believing, desiring, deciding, and choosing correctly are the simple actions that define an increase in happiness and an increase in the inner assurance that transcends this life.”

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