We attended a conference this morning on self reliance. It was held in Durban and was led and presided over by Elder Joseph Sitati of the Quorum of the 70. It was a wonderful meeting with several strong “takeaways."

• Our Father in Heaven is self reliant. In order to become like him, each of us must also become self reliant.
• The purpose of the self reliance program is to help individuals become converted disciples of Jesus Christ and to eventually become exalted beings. Acquiring an education or employment are milestones along the path for accomplishing that end. 
• The 3 pillars of the self reliance program are ability, commitment, and effort. Individuals assess their spiritual and temporal shortcomings and then make commitments to overcome them. The program’s success is determined by each individual's efforts to keep the commitments they make.