Gospel Story Finder

At the end of that year, I added another thing to my testimony box. The temple. I felt for a while like I needed to go to the temple. I needed to receive my own endowment. I was just 21 at the time, and in those days, women didn’t go through the temple unless they were getting married or going on a mission. I wasn’t getting married, so I assumed that I was supposed to go on a mission. I prayed and prayed and couldn’t get an answer to go on a mission. I went to my branch president and told him my impressions. He calmed my heart and let me know that he had been praying for his own answers recently, and my telling him this impression answered a question that he had been diligently seeking clarity for.

I received a calling in my branch that needed me to be endowed. I went through the temple a few short weeks later. I had a profound experience. It was sacred and has provided me with spiritual clarity ever since. During the years after, I was able to bring people to Christ in a way that only could have been seen by God beforehand. I was able to add both the temple and how interconnected we all are in the eyes of God to my testimony box. He gives us opportunities to be linked together. I was the answer to someone else’s fervent prayer. And in turn, I received my response. God always uses us for good.

Once when my grandfather and I were sitting in the backyard of this little ranch out in the country at sunset we heard this awful screaming sound. I asked him what was making that horrible sound. Grandfather said it was the Peacocks settling in for the night. And he said there was a reason for that screeching and he told me another fable.
On the eighth day after the creation of the world all the animals that the Lord had created on the land were gathered together at daybreak in a meadow. They spoke among themselves on the names that Adam had given them and which was the strongest, the swiftest, the tallest etc. The subject came up of which one of God's creatures was the most beautiful. As if on cue, just as the sun was rising over the hill, the peacock comes over the crest and fans his tail feathers. Every color of the prism shines brilliantly about him and the animals gasp in awe. As he walks down to the crown they part and make a pathway for him. Coming up to them they see how iridescent and vivid each color his, it is as if he had caught the rainbow in his feathers.
He walks to the edge of the crown and stands next to a little brown sparrow and the contrast is painful. He says to the sparrow, "Do you not think that I am the most beautiful creature the Lord has created?"
"Oh yes brother Peacock surely you are the most beautiful of all God's creatures." And the sparrow bowed his little head to the ground in reverence and humility. But while he had his head bowed low to the ground he happened to notice the legs and feet of the Peacock. His legs were stick like and a ugly color of bluish-grey. And the claws were grotesque looked horrible. "Oh brother Peacock have you ever notice your legs and claws?"
"What ever are you talking about?
"Your legs and claws are not very pretty." So the Peacock gazed down upon his ugly legs and his grotesque claws and screamed in agony for surely they were the ugliest of all God's creatures. And while the Peacock screamed in horror the little sparrow flew up and away to enjoy his life.

A wonderful example of acting your part and using time appropriately comes from the life of Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, when, as a marine, he was part of the occupying U.S. force in Japan at the end of World War II. Elder Perry shared this account when he recorded his special witness of the Savior.
“I was among the first wave of Marines to go ashore in Japan following the signing of the peace treaty following World War II. As we entered the devastated city of Nagasaki, it was one of the saddest experiences of my life. A large part of the city had been totally destroyed. Some of the dead had not yet been buried. As occupation troops, we set up headquarters and went to work.
“The situation was very bleak, and a few of us wanted to give more. We went to our division chaplain and requested permission to help rebuild the Christian churches. Because of government restrictions during the war, these churches had almost ceased to function. Their few buildings were badly damaged. A group of us volunteered to repair and replaster these chapels during our off-duty time so that they would be available for the holding of Christian services again.
“… We found the ministers who had been unable to serve during the war years and encouraged them to return to their pulpits. We had a tremendous experience with these people as they again experienced the freedom to practice their Christian beliefs.
“An event occurred as we were leaving Nagasaki to return home that I will always remember. As we were boarding the train that would take us to our ships to return home, we were teased by a lot of the other marines. They had their girlfriends with them and [were] saying good-bye to them. They laughed at us and indicated that we had missed the fun of being in Japan. We had just wasted our time laboring and plastering walls.
“Just as they were at the height of their teasing, up over a little rise near the train station came about 200 of these great Japanese Christians from the churches we had repaired, singing ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers.’ They came down and showered us with gifts. Then they all lined up along the railroad track. And as the train started down the tracks, we reached out and just touched their fingers as we left. We couldn’t speak; our emotions were too strong. But we were grateful that we could help in some small way in reestablishing Christianity in a nation after the war.”5

A son asked his father to teach him about mountain climbing. The father taught all the essentials, including planning, safety, preparation, and equipment. The son asked when they were going to talk about what to do in case of emergency. The father said that he didn’t want to scare his son and that this conversation could wait until it became essential.
They completed their training and went on their first climbing expedition up Mount Rainier near Seattle, Washington. The experience and conditions started great until the weather took a turn for the worse, and they soon found themselves looking into the eyes of an oncoming avalanche.
They didn’t know what to do because they hadn’t discussed it. The son asked his father, “Am I ready for that conversation on what to do in emergencies now, Dad?”
Essential conversations—in the safety of our homes—can help us prepare for the avalanches of life.

Elder Wayne S. Peterson shared this story in general conference about the importance of kindness and choosing to act:
Many years ago, while on vacation with my family, I had an experience that taught me a great lesson. On a Saturday, my wife and I decided to take the children for a drive and to do some shopping. During the drive the children fell asleep, and not wanting to wake them, I volunteered to stay in the car while my wife ran into the store. While waiting, I glanced at the car parked in front of me. It was full of children, and they were looking at me. My eyes caught the eyes of a small boy, six or seven years old. As our eyes met, he immediately stuck his tongue out at me. My first reaction was to stick my tongue out at him. I thought, What have I done to deserve this? Fortunately, before I reacted, I remembered a principle taught in general conference the week before by Elder Marvin J. Ashton. He taught how important it was to act instead of react to the events around us. So I waved at the little boy. He stuck his tongue out at me again. I smiled and waved again. This time he waved back. Soon he was joined in his enthusiastic waving by a little brother and sister. I responded by waving this way and that until my arm became tired. Then I rested it on the steering wheel and continued with every creative wave I could muster, all the time hoping their parents would quickly return or that my wife would soon come back. The parents finally did come, and as they pulled away, my newfound friends continued to wave for as long as I could see them. That was a simple experience, but it demonstrated that in most encounters we can determine the kind of experience we are going to have by how we respond. I was grateful that I chose to act in a friendly way rather than react to my young friend's childish behavior. In doing so I avoided the negative feelings I would have felt had I followed my natural instinct.

I hold in sacred memory two priesthood bearers who had qualified for the Spirit of God to go with them on the errand to which the Lord called them. They had found the restored gospel themselves in America. They were the Lord’s servants who first spoke of that gospel to two of my European ancestors.
One of those ancestors was a young girl living on a small farm in Switzerland. Another was a young man, an orphan and an immigrant to the United States from Germany, living in St. Louis, Missouri.
Both of them heard a priesthood holder testify of the restored gospel—for the girl by the fireplace of her little home in Switzerland, and for the boy it was sitting in the balcony of a rented hall in America. Both of them knew by the Spirit that the message those elders brought to them was true.
The boy and the girl chose to be baptized. The two of them met for the first time on the dusty trail years later, walking hundreds of miles to the mountains of western America. They talked as they walked. What they talked about was the miraculous blessing that in all the world, the servants of God had found them and, even more miraculous, that they knew their message was true.
They fell in love and were married. And because of a testimony of the Spirit, which began as they heard the words of priesthood holders under the influence of the Holy Ghost, they were sealed for eternity by priesthood power. I am among the tens of thousands of descendants of that boy and that girl who bless the names of two priesthood holders who brought the ministrations of the Spirit of God with them as they climbed the hill in Switzerland and rose to speak in that meeting in St. Louis.

When Christiane and I were young, these were the words of our living prophet, and we trusted and followed his advice. We knelt across the altar of the Swiss Temple, being only twenty-two and twenty years of age. We were worthy of the covenant, we had no real clue of what to expect, we had no work experience or finished education, and we were as poor as church mice. All that we had in abundance was our love for each other and a lot of naïve enthusiasm. But we began building our world together. We did not postpone having children, and we needed to support each other in getting our educations. We strongly believed in the Lord’s promise that “if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.”

And He did. When we married, Christiane was in nursing school. Our vision included having her finish her degree, but at the same time we also made a conscious decision to begin fulfilling our dream of having a family. As a result, our first child was born about two weeks before Christiane passed her final exam as a certified nurse.

However, we knew that even in our marriage there would be stumbling blocks, challenges, and some difficulties. But we had a simple oral agreement, which we often repeated with smiles on our faces: “If difficulties approach, no manslaughter and no divorce.”

Now, thirty-six years later, we are grateful that we could build this family together. Our faith in God and our relationship with each other have become unshaken as we have seen the hand of the Lord guiding us through the process of building our kingdom in mortality, which at present consists of seven children and six grandchildren. This kingdom will continue to grow, forever and ever.

At his Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts, David, a Bear Scout, learned a valuable lesson. He was happy when he won a table centerpiece from the banquet, complete with a gold star that had a number one written on it. But another boy at the banquet took David’s star when he lost his own. The other boy’s father made him give it back. “I was really mad at first,” David says. But then he realized, “It wasn’t worth fighting over.” David set an example by giving the other Cub Scout the star since he wanted it so badly.

I had always seen God’s love when reading the Bible, but I could never find any church that taught it the way I understood it. When the missionaries taught me about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I felt so vindicated and a peace like I had never felt before. Finding the restored gospel of Jesus Christ was a long-awaited answer to my prayers to better understand God’s love for me.
God sent two angels in the form of two sister missionaries, Sister Hanah Otera Kershw (USA) and Sister Shelda Wandera (Kenya). They helped me understand my Heavenly Father’s love for me and to see myself as His cherished daughter with a divine identity.
When this truth sank deep into my heart, I was ready to make an everlasting covenant with Him. I got baptised on 17 March 2019. My love for God grew. I felt my Heavenly Father’s love through the missionaries.

Mylea Moua’s cousins make fun of her for going to church. Some of her close family members discourage her church attendance. Her friends at school wonder why she would ever want to be a Latter-day Saint.
Mylea’s challenges are not unique in the Twin Cities Second (Hmong) Branch of the Anoka Minnesota Stake. Many of the youth have less-active parents and nonmember family members who mock their religion. It would be easy for Mylea, a Mia Maid, to just quit coming to church. “A lot of Hmong people ask ‘How can the Church help you?’ They reject it,” she says. “I don’t really care what people think, because how I feel makes me happy. But I feel bad for them because they don’t have the gospel.”
Unlike many of the older Hmong generation in Minnesota, Mylea and the other youth feel it’s possible to be both Hmong and LDS. “I do the best I can and try to be a good example,” she says.

I remember when I was washing the car as a 17-year-old young man, my father came out to the driveway and, with justification, began to criticize me for something I had done wrong. I became upset and turned to dad and said something like, “Hey, let up, dad. This is the first time I have ever been a teenager.”
My father, in a beautifully sensitive way, said, “Hugh, this is the first time I have ever been a parent.”
My father, perhaps unknowingly, had taught me a great lesson. As a teenager, I had responsibilities to my parents and was to be patient with them as I expected them to be patient and understanding with me.

Annette Aagard was in the middle of a bad week. She felt overwhelmed. She did not need one more thing to do. Then why was she rushing off to become—of all things—a volunteer?
A couple of months earlier it had seemed like a good idea. She had signed up to donate a few hours each week to Great Oaks Village, a residential school for abused children in Orlando, Florida. She had been through orientation to assist girls between the ages of six and twelve. And now she faced her first assignment—all alone.
As soon as she walked into the dorm at Great Oaks, she heard someone say, “Hey, the new volunteer’s here!” Several anxious, wide-eyed little girls ran up to her and asked, “Are you our new volunteer?” And someone said, “Better be good or she won’t talk to you!”
By the end of that first evening in March of 1989, Annette knew why she had rushed off to become a volunteer. She learned that the word volunteer is like magic to these youngsters. It means that for a little while, someone has come to be family; someone has come to give love.

In speaking of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Lord proclaimed:
“And again, the duty of the President of the office of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses—
“… Yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:91–92; emphasis added).
I have been blessed to witness some of the gifts of God upon His prophets. May I share one such sacred experience with you? Prior to my current calling, I assisted in identifying and recommending future temple sites. After September 11, 2001, crossings along the U.S. borders became more controlled. As a result, it took two to three hours for many Church members to make the crossing from Vancouver, Canada, while going to the Seattle Washington Temple. President Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church at that time, suggested that a temple in Vancouver would bless members of the Church. A site search was authorized, and after we examined several Church-owned properties, other sites not owned by the Church were also investigated.
A beautiful site with religious zoning adjacent to the Trans-Canadian Highway was found. The property had excellent access, was dotted with beautiful Canadian pine trees, and enjoyed a prominent location which would make it visible to thousands of passing motorists.
We presented the site with pictures and maps in the monthly Temple Sites Committee meeting. President Hinckley authorized that we place it under contract and complete the necessary studies. In December of that year, we reported back to the committee that the studies were complete, and we sought approval to proceed with the purchase. After hearing our report, President Hinckley said, “I feel I should see this site.”
Later that month, two days after Christmas, we left for Vancouver with President Hinckley; President Thomas S. Monson; and Bill Williams, a temple architect. We were met by Paul Christensen, the local stake president, who transported us to the site. It was a little wet and misty that day, but President Hinckley jumped out of the car and began walking all over the site.
After spending time on the site, I asked President Hinckley if he would like to see some of the other sites that had been considered. He said yes, he would like that. You see, by looking at the other sites, we were able to make a comparison of their virtues.
We did a large clockwise loop around Vancouver looking at the other properties, ultimately arriving back at the original site. President Hinckley said, “This is a beautiful site.” Then he asked, “Can we go to the Church-owned meetinghouse about one-quarter mile [0.4 km] away?”
“Of course, President,” we responded.
We got back into the cars and drove to the nearby meetinghouse. As we arrived at the chapel, President Hinckley said, “Turn left here.” We turned and followed the street as instructed. The street began to rise slightly.
Just as the car reached the crown of the rise, President Hinckley said, “Stop the car, stop the car.” He then pointed to the right at a parcel of ground and said, “What about this property? This is where the temple goes. This is where the Lord wants the temple. Can you get it? Can you get it?”
We hadn’t looked at this property. It was farther back and away from the main road, and it was not listed for sale. When we responded we didn’t know, President Hinckley pointed to the property and said again, “This is where the temple goes.” We stayed a few minutes, then left for the airport to return home.
The next day, Brother Williams and I were called to President Hinckley’s office. He had drawn out everything on a piece of paper: the roads, the chapel, turn left here, X marks the spot for the temple. He asked what we had found out. We told him he couldn’t have picked a more difficult property. It was owned by three individuals: one from Canada, one from India, and one from China! And it didn’t have the necessary religious zoning.
“Well, do your best,” he said.
Then the miracles happened. Within several months we owned the property, and later the city of Langley, British Columbia, gave permission to build the temple.
In reflecting upon this experience, I am humbled by the realization that while Brother Williams and I possessed formal education and years of experience in real estate and temple design, President Hinckley had no such formal training, but he had something far greater—the gift of prophetic seership. He was able to envision where God’s temple should stand.
When the Lord commanded the early Saints in this dispensation to construct a temple, He declared:
“But let a house be built unto my name according to the pattern which I will show unto them.
“And if my people build it not according to the pattern which I shall show … , I will not accept it at their hands” (Doctrine and Covenants 115:14–15).
As with the early Saints, so it is with us today: the Lord has revealed and continues to reveal to the President of the Church the patterns by which the kingdom of God is to be directed in our day. And, at a personal level, he provides guidance as to how each of us should direct our lives, such that our conduct may likewise be acceptable to the Lord.
In April 2013 I spoke about the efforts involved in preparing every temple’s foundation to ensure that it can withstand the storms and calamities to which it will be subjected. But the foundation is just the beginning. A temple is composed of many building blocks, fitted together according to predesigned patterns. If our lives are to become the temples each of us is striving to construct as taught by the Lord (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17), we could reasonably ask ourselves, “What building blocks should we put in place in order to make our lives beautiful, majestic, and resistant to the storms of the world?”
We can find the answer to this question in the Book of Mormon. Concerning the Book of Mormon, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (introduction to the Book of Mormon). In the introduction to the Book of Mormon, we are taught that “those who gain [a] divine witness from the Holy Spirit [that the Book of Mormon is the word of God] will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and [prophet of the Restoration], and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth.”
These then are some essential building blocks of our individual faith and testimony:
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
The Book of Mormon is the word of God.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on the earth.
Joseph Smith is a prophet, and we have living prophets on the earth today.
In recent months, I have listened to every general conference address which President Nelson has given since he was first called as an Apostle. This exercise has changed my life. As I studied and pondered 34 years of President Nelson’s collected wisdom, clear and consistent themes emerged from his teachings. Each of these themes relates to those building blocks just mentioned or is another key building block for our personal temples. They include faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost, redemption of the dead and temple work, keeping the Sabbath day holy, beginning with the end in mind, staying on the covenant path. President Nelson has spoken of them all with love and devotion.

I would like to share a personal experience in which I learned the value of serving others. This happened when I was called to serve as a young missionary back in 1965. I served in the Southern Far East Mission with headquarters in Hong Kong. After catching my last wave here at the Hukilau Beach and was then set apart by the Stake President, I went directly to Hong Kong by myself. Even though I am of Chinese ancestry I did not speak any Chinese which made it very difficult since there was no MTC in those days.

In Hong Kong I saw beggars on the street and even small children in ragged clothes begging for money. Seeing this made me wonder and question why they were suffering so much. Why was I born and raised in Hawaii where I had everything that I needed as to food, clothing and shelter. It seemed to me that God was unfair. It bothered me so much that I decided to talk to my Mission President. I shared my concern with him and he asked me if I had read the book, “The Challenge”, which was one of the books required for all missionaries to read along with” Jesus the Christ” and “Articles of Faith”.

I told him that I had not yet read it and he asked me to read it and then go back to visit with him. While reading the book I came across this statement made by Elder Alvin R. Dyer that answered my question.
How else can be explained the apparent inconsistencies in the birth of people?
Without a knowledge of the gospel plan, a man, if he thought of these things, would become hardened. But there is a plan that governs all, for life upon this earth is not the beginning. We are here in this life by virtue of what we have been before. This is a matter of vital concern because it helps us to understand that we enjoy our position because of what we have done in the pre-mortal life. Upon visiting with my Mission President again, he shared with me that we are born here to a specific family, a specific place and at a specific time based on our performance in the pre-mortal world.

The prophet Alma stated this in the Book of Mormon:
"And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such."
After sharing this scripture with me, he told me the fact that I was born in Hawaii and those children whom I saw were born in Hong Kong or China did not make me better than them.
He further taught me that I now had a greater responsibility to share the Gospel with others and then he had me read another scripture:
"For of him unto whom much is given much is required."
After the visit with my Mission President I began to ponder and realized that I was given much and now it was required of me to serve with all of my heart, might, mind and strength. I made up my mind then that I would consecrate myself to the Lord not only while on my mission but also throughout my whole life. I vowed that I would accept every calling in the Church and do my very best to magnify it.

On a personal basis, my desire to stay connected with Carol while we were long-distance dating—she at BYU and I at San Diego State—led to many letters and expensive long-distance phone calls. Those are some things that now you only read about in history books.
What happened is that just prior to dating Carol, I had what I thought was a brilliant idea for a poor college student to earn some extra money. In the early 1980s, interest rates on very conservative investments were actually higher than the interest rates you would pay for a student loan. I obtained the loan and placed the money in a ­savings account, with the plan to make money on the difference between what I would earn and what I would pay. What I had not counted on was the cost of long-distance phone calls to Carol, which over several months used up the entire student loan. So instead of interest being earned to offset interest on the student loan, I now owed the entire amount of the loan, plus interest.
However, there was a significant upside. Those long-distance phone calls and bills, which don’t exist today, allowed me to stay connected with Carol and resulted in my marrying my eternal companion in 1984. Not a bad investment after all! You can tell [from this photo] that I thought I had just scored. And I absolutely did.
Apollo 13: “Houston, We’ve Had a Problem”
There are other ways of staying connected that have more serious consequences than paying for a loan, including one that took place a little more than fifty years ago.
In April 1970, following the highly successful Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 trips to the moon and back, including the occasion of having astronaut Neil Armstrong become the first man to step on the moon, Apollo 13 blasted off with equally great expectations.
Despite the success of previous Apollo ­missions, this type of event also carried with it potential dangers and challenges. As with previous launches, the three astronauts left loved ones behind who eagerly awaited their safe return, which clearly was the astronauts’ number one objective: to make it home safely.
The Apollo 13 liftoff went well, with everything working as planned as they traveled toward the moon. However, a little over two days into the mission, and more than two hundred thousand miles from home, one of the three crew members was asked to perform a routine check on the oxygen levels of their spacecraft. As the check took place, the crew heard a loud bang from outside their spacecraft. They immediately called down to Houston with these famous words: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”1
During the oxygen check, a circuit breaker had malfunctioned, causing an explosion that compromised the oxygen the crew would need—not only to reach the moon but to accomplish their primary purpose of returning home safely.
Over the next few days, the crew maintained constant communication with Mission Control in Houston, which provided needed support and guidance. It was only by carefully following instructions on the steps and procedures they received that the astronauts were able make the necessary adjustments that allowed them to safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean approximately six days after their launch.2
The crew may not have accomplished everything they had planned to achieve when they blasted off with so much hope and expectation, and they may have been a bit disappointed that they missed out on certain aspects of their mission, but more than anything else on their epic adventure, of all the possibilities and plans, returning home to their loved ones was their most important objective, which they successfully accomplished.
From their experience, let me point out two of the “keys” to their success:
1. The crew stayed connected to the only source that could guide them safely home.
2. They trusted and carefully applied the counsel and instructions they received.

In Acts 27, we read that Paul was being escorted by a Roman centurion named Julius to stand trial before the Roman emperor. The first part of their journey by sea progressed very slowly. By the time they arrived at a harbor called "the fair havens," the ideal season for sea travel had passed, and the scriptural account reports that "sailing was now dangerous." At this point, Paul, as an Apostle with prophetic gifts, warned, "Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the [cargo], but also of our lives." That sounds like a pretty ominous warning worth serious consideration!

In the response of Julius and the crew, I believe we can see three reasons people commonly have difficulty heeding prophetic voices. First, "the centurion believed the master and owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul." Before we condemn Julius too harshly, remember that the scriptures say Paul was a tentmaker (see Acts 18:3). Whom would you believe: a sea-hardened, experienced sailor or a land-loving tentmaker? In the world today, experts with earthly credentials are often viewed as more reliable sources of counsel and direction than prophets, whose spiritual gifts are unseen and require faith to accept. But let us remember what President Ezra Taft Benson said: "The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.... We encourage earthly knowledge in many areas, but remember, if there is ever a conflict between earthly knowledge and the words of the prophet, you stand with the prophet, and you'll be blessed and time will vindicate you."[4] A second reason Paul's counsel may have been rejected by some was "because the haven was not commodious to winter in." The place on the southern coast of Crete most commonly associated with "the fair havens" is not what most people would call "pretty."[5] It looks kind of like where I grew up in southern Wyoming, but with a shoreline. I can understand why some of the sailors may have felt the place was misnamed! Obeying Paul's direction on this occasion was viewed as uncomfortable, inconvenient, and just plain not very fun. Prophetic instruction is seldom about our comfort, convenience, or entertainment but always designed to bring us ultimate safety, peace, and joy. The final reason Paul's counsel fell on deaf ears was because "the more part advised to depart thence also." I don't know if they actually took a vote or held an open debate, but Paul's one prophetic vote apparently didn't count for much against the vote of the crowd. Again, we may want to recall an observation from President Benson: "Popularity is never a test of truth. Many a prophet has been killed or cast out [or, as in this case, voted down]. As we come closer to the Lord's second coming, you can expect that as the people of the world become more wicked, the prophet will be less popular with them."[6] If we are not careful today, the prophetic voice can be drowned out by the myriad voices of various scholarly, scientific, or political crowds. In the face of these objections, Paul's prophetic warning was discarded, and the group resumed their voyage.

Some people might think this story would teach a more powerful lesson if they had barely left the harbor when the ship struck ground and sank and everyone drowned-but that wasn't what happened at all. In fact, the record states, "And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete." In other words, at first everything seemed to go along quite nicely-even better than expected! I can imagine Julius and the ship's captain, or perhaps some of the crew, standing on deck and chuckling toward Paul and his associates, muttering under their breath, "Stupid tentmaker..." Most often, brothers and sisters, there are not immediate consequences for rejecting the counsel of prophets. People who date before they're 16 don't spontaneously burst into flames; those who get body piercings and tattoos don't die from infectious diseases contracted from the needles; and the sky doesn't come crashing down, nor does civilization immediately dissolve because same-gender marriage becomes legal. However, what happens to the passengers during Paul's voyage will just as surely happen to all those who reject the counsel of living prophets-sooner or later.

"Not long after," the scriptures continue, "there arose against [the ship] a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon." Euroclydon is a Greek word indicating a "violent agitation"-a typhoon, in today's terminology. Those who ignore, neglect, scoff at, or reject the words of prophets in their midst may think that things are still smooth sailing, but sooner or later-Euroclydon! Every time! This storm was so terrible that eventually the crew and captain lost control of the ship and "let her drive." That too has a parallel in our lives. When we refuse to heed prophetic warnings, we will eventually come to the frightening realization that we are no longer in control or have the power to steer our lives where we would like to go. For three days the ship was at the mercy of the storm, cargo and tackling were tossed overboard to lighten the load, and when "neither sun nor stars in many days appeared ... all hope that [they] should be saved was then taken away."

Just in that moment of great despair, Paul offered a prophetic rebuke and message of hope: "Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss." That's a little bit of an apostolic I-told-you-so, but here comes the hopeful part: "Be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship ... howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island." While this may not have been terribly comforting to the ship's owner, at least the group was being assured that no one was going to die. It is interesting to note that just as disobedience did not bring immediate punishment, things did not immediately get better after Paul's promise either. Several more uncertain and stormy days passed before their depth-testing tactics revealed that they were nearing land, just as Paul had foretold. However, their willingness to stand united with a living prophet was about to be put to the extreme test.

The relief that they were approaching a shoreline soon turned to alarm as they discovered that the bottom of the ocean was coming up toward them more quickly than they could stop! Fearing that the ship would be dashed upon the rocks by the still-raging wind and waves, they cast four anchors out of the back of the boat to slow it down and hoped for daylight. But this didn't seem to help, and soon they were all heading for the lifeboat to abandon ship. This makes a lot of sense from a rational standpoint. Paul said the ship would be destroyed, so if you want to survive, it makes sense to get off the doomed vessel as quickly as possible. Now, I don't know if there were enough seats in the lifeboat for all 276 people on board, but I kind of doubt it. Prisoners and servants in the Roman culture were not valued very highly, so there was probably only enough room in the lifeboat for the Roman guards, the captain, and the crew. Just then came the ultimate test of whether this band of struggling voyagers would stand united with a living prophet. Paul instructed them, "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." What? If you want to live, you have to stay in a boat that you've been told is going to be destroyed? That doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, does it? But something has happened in the hearts of these men: they have learned to trust Paul, a prophet. So the scripture tells us they did something completely amazing, a sure sign that they were going to stand united with a living prophet: "The soldiers cut off the ropes of the [life]boat, and let her fall off." This is what it looks like to be "all in" when it comes to standing with a living prophet. This is what total commitment and faith look like. They were completely willing to do what Paul said rather than listen to experts or look for what might be convenient or do what the majority thought made sense.

After this remarkable demonstration of faith, Paul told them to get something to eat, assured them again that no one would die, and prayed with them. Then something happened that can only happen for those who know that they are following the Lord's servants and are doing what He has ordained for their safety and security. The record says, "Then were they all of good cheer." There they were in the middle of a life-threatening storm, on a boat that was likely to end up on the bottom of the sea, with no way to escape-and they all seemed to be feeling pretty good about the whole situation! That may sound crazy to the world's way of thinking, but that is the peace that comes to those who know they are following the Savior by heeding His servants.

Just around daybreak, they discovered a creek coming out from the island that they could drive the ship into so they could make it as close to land as possible. They took up the anchors, hoisted up the main sail, and headed full-speed for shore. Running the ship aground, the forepart of the ship stuck fast, and the violent waves tore off the rear part of the boat. They knew they were close enough to land that they could now swim or float ashore on the broken boards from the ship. True to their professional code, some of the guards proposed killing their prisoners so none would escape. But Julius, "willing to save Paul," thwarted this traditional solution. He knew by now exactly how valuable a true prophet and Apostle was! So they cast themselves into the sea, some swimming and some on boards, and the account concludes, "They escaped all safe to land"-all 276 of them, because they stood united with a living prophet.

Josh followed Dad into the basement storage room, where he rummaged through some boxes and pulled out a shiny trophy with a football player on top.
Josh’s eyes grew big. “An MVP award! And it has your name on it!”
Dad nodded. “I received this when I was a junior—the first junior ever to earn it at our school. I thought I was the toughest, meanest, most powerful seventeen-year-old on earth. I played on both sides of the ball, but I preferred defense because I really got to unload on people. I loved to hear the crowd cheer when I made a hit.”
Josh stroked the trophy lovingly. “Why isn’t this where everybody can see it?”
Dad shrugged and put the trophy back into the box. “It just doesn’t seem that important anymore. Maybe that’s because my senior year I got an award that taught me a lot more.” He opened his wallet and took out a plastic bracelet.
Josh looked it over. “It’s like the bracelet Mom wore in the hospital when she had Stacey. But this one has your name on it.”
Dad nodded. “I earned it in the homecoming game. I’d intercepted a pass on the other team’s twenty, and only one man was between me and the end zone. He was so small, I didn’t bother putting any moves on him. I just lowered my head and charged. When I came to, I was lying on the field, and, Josh, I couldn’t move! This big, tough, proud football player was lying there eating grass—crying like a baby and scared out of his mind.”
Josh didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t imagine his strong, calm father frightened and helpless. “What happened?” he asked at last.
“They strapped me to some kind of a contraption, carried me behind the stands, and put me into an ambulance. I could hear the crowd cheering, and I thought, They’re watching the game again. They’ve forgotten all about me.
“My father was out of town, so my mother rode in the ambulance with me. Brother Jones got in too. Besides Dad, he was the only Melchizedek Priesthood holder in our little town. He was also the math teacher at school, and I didn’t like him much. He was small and soft-spoken, and he called the students ‘ladies and gentlemen.’ We all laughed at him behind his back.
“My mother asked if he would give me a blessing, and he said, ‘I’d be honored.’ He anointed me with oil. Then he put his small hands on my head and told me that Heavenly Father knew me and loved me. He said that people in wheelchairs can still serve valiantly, but that I had some work to do on foot. He promised me that I would walk again.”
“And you did!”
“It turned out that my spinal cord was only bruised. My recovery took a long time, though, and it wasn’t much fun. No one was kinder or more helpful than Brother Jones. Sometimes he held me up while I learned to walk again, and I was amazed at the strength in his small hands. I began to understand that power doesn’t come just from muscles, that some heavy weights can be lifted only by kindness, gentleness, and love. Do you understand, son?”
Josh looked at his feet. “A little.”
Dad put the bracelet back into his wallet, and Josh followed him upstairs to the living room. Taking a picture of the Savior from the wall, Dad said, “On my last day of school, I hobbled into Brother Jones’s room and told him that I hoped to be as strong someday as he was. He smiled and handed me a graduation gift. ‘Thank you,’ he said, ‘but here’s a better example to follow.’ I unwrapped this picture. Since then I’ve studied the life of the Savior and done my best to follow his example.”

This is my friend Aisha, from Tonga. She joined the Church when she was 13, even though her father was opposed to the idea. She worked hard in high school to show her dad how responsible she was, but he passed away before he could see her graduate with honors.
She wanted to serve a mission. That fell through.
She wanted to be sealed to her family. That fell through, too.
Even when her plans completely fall apart, Aisha has a heart of gratitude, because God has other things planned for her. He’s shaping her into what He wants. She loves giving thanks to God.

Throughout his life, President Spencer W. Kimball faced many health challenges.
Doctor: You may have cancer in your throat. I recommend we operate.
Elder Kimball: My sister died of cancer. I’d better have the operation.
The surgeries that worried him the most were on his throat.
Elder Kimball: How can I continue to serve as an Apostle of the Lord if I lose my voice?
After Elder Kimball had surgery on his vocal chords, he traveled with fellow Apostle Elder Harold B. Lee.
Elder Lee: I’d like to invite Elder Kimball to bear his testimony.
Elder Kimball: I’m too embarrassed to keep speaking. I rasp and make terrible noises. Maybe in our next meeting I shouldn’t speak.
Elder Lee: Spencer, your testimony needs to be heard. You better get your voice back.
Elder Kimball did all he could to regain his voice. He followed his doctor’s orders, received priesthood blessings, and took voice lessons.
Elder Kimball: Camilla, I realize I cannot quit for anything, though the temptation is terrific when I stumble and stammer and halt.
The true test came when Elder Kimball returned to his home—the Gila Valley in Arizona.
Elder Kimball: Forgive my voice. While in the East, I fell among cutthroats.
Woman: His voice is different, but he still has the same sense of humor!
President Spencer W. Kimball never stopped preaching. In fact, his soft, deep, mellow voice became something people loved about him.

When I was seven or eight, I wanted to earn some money. I found some old bottles of shoe polish and decided to set up a shoeshine stand. I thought I was going to make my fortune. But I had to set up my stand in the attic of a granary, near the back of a lot, and, because of the isolated location, not one customer ever came. For another project, I gathered worms and sold them to fishermen for ten cents a dozen.

If we are willing to work, we can accomplish many things. When I was about thirteen, some of my friends and I decided to organize a Boy Scout troop. We couldn’t find a leader, and we really wanted to go to the Jamboree that was held by a lake many miles away. We found a ride to the Jamboree and won the award for the best camping skills, even without a leader!