In a powerful devotional address last Tuesday, February 4th, Elder Kevin R. Duncan of the Seventy drew upon his own experience with personal tragedy to remind students that “Jesus Christ is the Answer.”
Elder Duncan began by echoing the optimistic words of President Nelson, reminding students that great things lie ahead for our generation. He then warned that in addition to blessings, miracles, and manifestations of God’s power, the future will also bring great personal trials and challenges. When we face these in our lives, Elder Duncan told students to remember the words of Jesus Christ, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Elder Duncan then promised, “You can overcome the world, too.”
Elder Duncan then recounted his own story of personal loss. After two years of marriage and the birth of a beautiful daughter, Aubrey, tragedy struck when a horrible accident claimed the life of his young wife, Wendy. Suddenly finding himself a single father in his early twenties, Elder Duncan described the agony of loss, the stress of caring for his daughter, and the persistent burden of loneliness. Despite it all, he can still point to specific ways he saw the Lord’s hand in his life, including a conversation he had with a friend the week before the accident that prepared him for how he might face the sudden loss of his wife. Addressing the students, Elder Duncan testified, “The Lord is aware of every detail in our lives. He is constantly preparing and sustaining us.”
Sometime during the following months, as Elder Duncan struggled to find stability in his new life, his young daughter, Aubrey, became seriously ill. He reflected on the long nights he would sit by her in the hospital as she struggled to breathe under an oxygen tent while he attempted half-heartedly to study for his final exams, which were that same week. “I couldn’t shake the guilt – this overwhelming feeling that her sickness was my fault.”
Speaking powerfully through the noticeably still and silent Marriott Center, Elder Duncan continued: “I prayed like I have never prayed before. Raw, pleading prayers that the Lord would make up for all the ways I was falling short as a dad. Through it all, I began to realize something profound. Even though he felt inadequate, he wasn’t alone. The Lord was there sustaining me in ways I could not fully understand at the time.”
After Aubrey recovered, Elder Duncan recounted the lesson this experience taught him, saying,“Christ’s grace isn’t about us being perfect, it’s about us trusting in and relying on Him when we’re at our lowest and allowing His grace to carry us through. I wasn’t the perfect dad, but I didn’t need to be. Christ’s strength was enough for both of us. Miraculously He had healed Aubrey and, simultaneously, He had rescued me.”
While working part-time as an MTC teacher, taking classes at BYU, and juggling the responsibilities of fatherhood, Elder Duncan described his efforts to find belonging at church and with friends. His circumstances made it difficult. He felt out of place both in a YSA ward and a married student ward he attended. He said he “felt like a question mark in a world where everyone else seemed to find the answers,” though he stressed that he was always treated with kindness.
Looking back on those moments, Elder Duncan learned that “the church isn’t the showroom for the perfect, it is a hospital for the spiritually weary, the lonely, and everyone who feels like they don’t belong … I might not have found the perfect ward for my situation, but every time I walked through those doors and partook of the sacrament, I found Christ. It reminded me that no matter how out of place I felt, I always had a place with Him.”
Eventually, Elder Duncan met a wonderful young woman. He mustered the courage to talk to her and earn her friendship. Eventually, as they began to date, he found additional courage to tell her about his situation. Her wonderfully accepting response was “impossibly perfect” and strengthened Elder Duncan’s testimony that “God truly is in the details.”
In his conclusion, Elder Duncan testified:
My friends, your challenges may not look like mine did, but the answer is always the same. The answer is Jesus Christ … I invite you to stay close to Him. Remember, He is the answer. He has overcome the world, and He will help you to overcome it, too. And when the adversary whispers that you are alone or unworthy or that Christ’s love isn’t for you, you will remember this truth: Christ’s love is perfect and always within reach. He will never leave you alone to walk this life alone if you will strive to walk with Him.
A powerful spirit could be felt in the Marriott Center during the remarks, and as students exited the devotional, many could be heard expressing awe and appreciation for Elder Duncan’s humility, authenticity, and powerful testimony.
Written by: Kimball Call
Contributor at the Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Cover photo: BYU Photo, https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2025/02/04/elder-kevin-duncan-byu-devotional-christ-is-the-answer/
