Uchtdorf acknowledged the global breadth of the BYU–Pathway Worldwide student body — more than 65,000 students representing over 180 countries around the world, with 63% living outside the United States — and the students’ varied situations.

“Most of you are feeling your way through the obstacles of daily life and are trying to find your place in the world,” he said, adding that some face physical, emotional or spiritual challenges pressing upon them.

In underscoring an empathy for their challenges and hardships, Elder Uchtdorf related those of his youth — a refugee twice, with his family forced to abandon their home and seek refuge in different lands during World War II.