"Most (people) are mirrors reflecting the moods and emotions of their time," Sister Oaks said.
She quoted Emily Dickinson's line: "The soul can split the sky in two and let the face of God shine through."
The whole purpose of our earthly education is to start looking outside of ourselves, said Sister Oaks.
"When you're in the minority, you have to stick up for what you believe; you have to know who you are," she said.
She showed a graphic of a six-pane window. In each pane was a precept from the book "Preach My Gospel" that new Mormon converts should understand before they are baptized:
1. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us
Sister Oaks recalled speaking to a group at the University of Utah with twice the number of people; she asked them, "How many of you know that Heavenly Father loves you?"
Only one hand went up.
