With childhood memories of blessings from the welfare program of the Church, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf reflected during his priesthood session address on the basic principles of caring for the poor and needy, becoming self-reliant and serving one's fellowmen.

This year being the 75th anniversary of the welfare program, he shared his experience of 65 years ago, just after World War II. "Even though I was a young child, I still remember the sweet taste of canned peaches with cooked wheat and the special smell of the donated clothing sent to the post-war German Saints by caring Church members from the United States," said President Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency.

More than simply another gospel topic, "in the Lord's plan, our commitment to welfare principles should be at the very root of our faith and devotion to Him," he said.

"The two great commandments — to love God and our neighbor — are a joining of the temporal and spiritual," President Uchtdorf observed.

"Like two sides of a coin, the temporal and spiritual are inseparable," he noted, adding that there are, unfortunately, those who minimize the temporal.

"While it is important to have our thoughts inclined toward heaven, we miss the essence of religion if our hands are not also inclined toward our fellowman," he said.

Expressing gratitude for the many good people in the world who are trying to meet the pressing needs of the poor and needy, President Uchtdorf remarked, "The Lord's way of caring for the needy is different from the world's way. … He is not interested only in our immediate needs; He is concerned about our eternal progression. For this reason, the Lord's way has always included self-reliance and service to our neighbor in addition to caring for the poor."

He pleaded with the priesthood brethren he was addressing, "Do not think this is someone else's responsibility. It is mine, and it is yours. We are all enlisted. 'All' means all — every Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood holder, rich and poor in every nation around the globe. In the Lord's plan, there is something everyone can contribute."

He added, "Too often, we notice the needs around us hoping that someone from far away will magically appear to meet those needs. Perhaps we wait for experts with specialized knowledge to solve specific problems. When we do this, we deprive our neighbor of the service we could render, and we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to serve."

Noting that there will never be enough experts to solve all problems, President Uchtdorf said, "Instead, the Lord has placed His priesthood and its organization at our doorsteps all around the globe, in every nation where the Church is established. And, right by its side, He has placed the Relief Society."

Using an analogy, he said the Lord's way is not to sit at the side of a stream and wait for the water to pass before one crosses. "It is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges. You men of Zion, you priesthood holders, are the ones who can lead out and bring relief to the Saints by applying the inspired principles of the welfare program! It is your mission to open your eyes, use your priesthood and go to work in the Lord's way."

President Uchtdorf related that during the Great Depression, future Church president Harold B. Lee was asked by the Brethren to find an answer to the problem of widespread poverty, sorrow and hunger across the world. It came to President Lee that "nothing is greater than the priesthood organization. All in the world you need to do is put the priesthood to work."

President Uchtdorf remarked, "That is the starting point in our time as well. We already have the Lord's organization in place. Our challenge is determining how to use it."

Priesthood brethren should begin by familiarizing themselves with what the Lord has already revealed, he said. "Every generation must learn anew the doctrines that undergird the Lord's way of caring for the needy."

He admonished his listeners to read the handbooks regarding Church welfare, take advantage of the Internet website, providentliving.org, and re-read the June 2011 Liahona or Ensign article on the Church welfare plan.

"Once you have studied the doctrines and principles of the Church-wide welfare plan, seek to apply what you have learned to the needs of those within your stewardship," he said. "What this means is that in large measure, you're going to have to figure it out for yourself."

In the end, he said, priesthood holders must do what Christ's disciples have done in every dispensation: "Counsel together, use all resources available, seek the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, ask the Lord for His confirmation, and then roll up your sleeves and go to work."

He called the prophetic promises and blessings of Church welfare "some of the most magnificent and sublime the Lord has pronounced upon His children."

"The temporal is intertwined with the spiritual," he concluded. "God has given us this mortal experience and the temporal challenges that attend it as a laboratory where we can grow into the beings Heavenly Father wants us to become."