Almost 700 young women were urged to make a decision to obey the Lord and let Him direct their lives at a six-stake Young Women conference held here Aug. 9-12.

"Each of you stand at a very crucial and far-reaching point in your life," observed Ardeth G. Kapp, Young Women general president and keynote speaker during the conference. "If you haven't made the choice yet in this life to always follow the light and keep the commandments of God, you can make that choice today. Don't wait. Set your goals to choose the light and let nothing or no one take you from your course."Once you decide to choose the light, the Lord will move in and help you," Sister Kapp continued. "But until you take a stand and ask, He will not take over your life for you. If you've already made that commitment, you can reaffirm it with every fiber of your being."

The events of the conference, called Camp Cumorah and planned with a focus on the Book of Mormon, could be just as significant on a personal level as the events that happened centuries ago on Hill Cumorah, explained Sister Kapp.

"What happened at Hill Cumorah was a part of the great events of the restoration of the gospel for all mankind. But what can happen here, if you really receive an answer from the Spirit in response to your supplication about the Book of Mormon, can be just as important in your own individual lives."

In addition to the keynote address, Sister Kapp also gave a closing message and talked to each stake separately in "mountain-top experiences." During these meetings, she encouraged the young women to share the gospel with their non-members friends. "You don't have to know the door approach or the six missionary discussions," she noted. "You just have to have a love of the gospel and a love for your friends."

In each session, she asked if there was a girl who had brought a non-member friend to the conference. In each case there was, and Sister Kapp presented the non-member friend with a Book of Mormon, as well as bearing her testimony to the young woman.

"Once we truly choose to study the Book of Mormon and follow its teachings, we can never again return to neutral ground," counseled Sister Kapp. "We will have chosen a path that requires the heart of a hero, the courage of high adventure, and the need for purification that comes only through trials and tests."

The conference, which has been months in planning, was hosted by the San Rafael California Stake. In addition, young women from the Eureka, Fairfield, Ukiah, Napa and Santa Rosa California stakes also participated. Each stake was assigned one of the colors representing the Young Women values, and each young woman wore T-shirts with the conference theme, "Choose the Light."

That theme was based on a statement by President David O. McKay: "Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God's greatest gift to man. . . . Freedom of choice is more to be treasured than any possession earth can give."

The brightly colored T-shirts reminded the young women of the power they had to direct their lives and "choose the light."

"As the young women marched through the redwood trees and into the general assembly each evening, they each wore their T-shirts in the appropriate color," noted Sister Kapp. "It was truly a spectacular sight."

Activities throughout the four-day conference centered on the Book of Mormon and included campfires, training meetings, pageants, and the mountain-top experiences.

One of the conference highlights was an activity where the young women discussed Moroni and the unique position he had of being the last living Nephite. Each young women then put herself in a similar position and wrote a letter to future generations. The subject of the letters varied, but the testimonies were strong.

"Jesus Christ is the best friend you could ever ask for," wrote one young woman. "He's always there for you, you'll never be alone."

Another participant wrote: "If you want to know how to live your life, if you want to be able to have the true gospel in your life, if you want an eternal family, then listen to what the missionaries have to say."

And still another wrote: "The Book of Mormon is like a map when you are lost, a recipe when you cook, or a pattern for clothes. The scriptures are the pattern for life."