The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

WEST POINT, New York — During a time of international conflict and war — more than 150 years after the first Latter-day Saint entered a United States military academy — Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stood in the historic Cadet Chapel at West Point and addressed those who serve in defense of freedom.

“We are as sobered and sad as you are about what is happening in Eastern Europe,” said Elder Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Friday, March 18. “A tragedy is unfolding for people we love and people we know, people we have prayed with and wept with, laughed with and worshiped with.”

Of those whose daily experiences are defined by the horrors of war and all that ripples from them, Elder Holland said “life is going to be very difficult for very innocent people.”

Speaking during a commemoration event marking Latter-day Saints at the United States Military Academy, Elder Holland looked back on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the academy and forward to the continued contributions Church members will make as officers in the United States Army.

He noted that Eastern Europe is “not the only place there is trouble in the world” and this is “not the only time” that peace has been threatened. The world needs resilient leaders who can handle “dissonance, surprise, disappointment and fear,” he said.

Traveling to New York with Sister Patricia Holland, Elder Holland’s remarks during the sesquicentennial celebration of Latter-day Saint cadets were the capstone of a busy day for the senior Church leader at West Point — including lunch in the cadet mess hall and the dedication of the new chapel near the academy.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.