Gospel Story Finder

Following the earthquake there was a run on gasoline. The fuel trucks that could maneuver over broken roads traveled very slowly, resulting in three-hour waits for gasoline, if any was available at all. But the Lord provided for us in miraculous ways. For example, while evacuating sisters and elders to safety in Niigata on the other side of the island, we realized we had driven 18 hours on a single tank, with a gas gauge that always registered “full.” As we neared Niigata, the gas gauge immediately dropped to “empty.”

I also know that Jesus waits
For me to come back “home.
He put me in my family
So I won’t be alone.
I’m learning truths my parents teach;
I’m trying to obey.
Then when I need to make a choice,
I’ll choose the righteous way.
If I will follow on this path
That Jesus set for me,
Someday I’ll be back “home” again;
Then His face I will see.
I’ll thank Him most for giving me
My fam’ly kind and dear.
I’m glad He shows His love for me
And that He’s always near.

“Elder Confer, teach me,” said the voice on the other end of the line, “but don’t teach me about the Book of Mormon.” Christine Yong, our new investigator, was wanting to know more about our religion.
As missionaries in the Singapore Mission, my companion and I were excited to have an investigator like Christine. She and her sister Sara seemed to be sincerely interested in the gospel. But during the weeks we had shared the gospel with them, they had some doubts about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. We weren’t about to give up on them, though, so we set up another appointment.
I went with our branch mission leader, Patrick Lim, while my companion went with another member to other appointments. Brother Lim and I planned to teach Christine about repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We usually invited people to be baptized when we talked about baptism. But both of us wondered, given all the challenges she was facing, whether Christine would be ready for baptism. We prayed for the Spirit before meeting with her.
During the discussion, Christine seemed to understand repentance and baptism. But as Brother Lim taught about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, Christine voiced her concerns.
“Elders, I’m not sure if God is there and if He would really answer my prayer,” she hesitantly admitted.
We described to her the calm, peaceful feelings the Spirit brings, but she wasn’t familiar with the influence of the Holy Ghost. She had tried to pray and read the scriptures, but things just didn’t seem to be coming together.
For a moment, we were at a loss for answers. Then a scripture came to my mind, and I felt impressed to share it, even though it was in the Book of Mormon—the book she had requested us not to teach from. I asked Christine to read Ether 12:6: “I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”
As I explained that our faith in the Lord is tested before we receive an answer from Heavenly Father, I felt the Spirit strongly in my heart. I prayed Christine would feel it too. And she did.
“I’m so touched. I’m really very touched,” Christine said, as tears flowed down her cheeks.
“This is the Spirit, Christine. This is what the Spirit feels like,” Brother Lim and I said as tears started to flow down our cheeks too.
After we had shared that verse with her and taught her further, Christine accepted our invitation and was soon baptized.

The diary also serves as a family record. Because the family is the most important unit in eternity, a record of it should be at least as important as minutes of Church meetings. My journal is such a record, discussing births, deaths, illnesses, achievements, and the individual interests, tastes, and personalities of each member of my family. As one example, here is how my diary described our young family’s normal nighttime routine six years ago while I was in graduate school:
“(January 22, 1971) Nightly ritual—Daddy walks thru door about 6 P.M. Jeff (2) grabs his legs, Scott (9 months) follows him in bedroom. Coat etc. off. Both boys on lap in big green chair. Julie (nearly 4) waits in wings. Scott terribly fussy. Dinner. Julie cleans up plate, eats vegetables as it ‘makes her tough.’ Jeff so-so. Scott doesn’t let Linda eat. After dinner: PJ time. Julie easy. Chase Jeff down. Change him. Piggy back rides to Scott’s room. Tell all nursery rhymes off curtains. Prayers—both do it. Bed. Phonograph (Julie wants ‘Lemon Sisters’). Close door except for 6?, Scott tries to go in. Julie needs drink, etc. Jeff crawls out of crib over chest of drawers—gets Julie. Finally settle down. Dad restless. Doesn’t get studying til 9. Lin to bed by 10 or 11. Bill by 12. Kids wake up. 4 nites of 7 one ends up in bed with us.”

Sherry Blanpied, a 13-year-old from the Richardson Second Ward, had no intention of waiting for “someday, when I’m good enough,” to display her dramatic talents. She performed a monologue right after winning first place with the same piece in a school competition held earlier that day.

The majority of young members in Japan are, however, converts themselves.
Hiroyuki Inoue, 17, of the Machida First Ward, remembers vividly the day he and some friends went into Tokyo “just to hang around.”
“We saw several missionaries at a display in the street. One of them held out his hand to me and said, ‘I would like to talk to you a little.’ I was strongly impressed with this missionary’s sincere eyes, his beautiful, shining eyes. He gave me a feeling that what he was telling me was of great significance to me. I promised to attend church the following day.
“At church, even though I had never been there before, I felt as if I was coming back after a long absence. The missionaries taught me the gospel. When I learned about the atonement of Jesus Christ and the many blessings the Lord has given to us, I was happy. My knowledge became sure that he is my Savior and this is his Church.”

Badalona, Spain—Service and love cannot be separated when you talk about the young women of the Badalona Ward in Badalona, Spain, a suburb of Barcelona.
The Young Women take it upon themselves to see that each girl is contacted about every activity, although most do not have telephones and live more than 48 kilometers from the chapel. If ever a girl is absent, the others make sure that nothing is wrong.
Their service is not restricted to Church members. The girls agreed to help at a home for handicapped (both children and adults). Sara Lopez Garrido, 15, echoes the thoughts of the other girls when she says, “I was scared at first because I didn’t know how I would react, but I soon realized how much love these people need. It’s helped me be a better person by giving of my time and getting involved in their lives.”
The gospel has blessed the lives of these young women, and they are blessing the lives of others through love and service.

(53) The Church and its members in the Philippines rescue members and nonmembers following a devastating typhoon.

When I was 17, Sabrina and I went to the same boarding school in Uruguay. I was going through a difficult time and didn’t want to have anything to do with anybody. But I did make a few friends.
Sabrina in particular stood out. She was nice to everyone. She invited me to play volleyball at her church, and she smiled even when I made excuses not to go. As I felt more comfortable with her, I thought maybe I should go.
Then one day I was rushed to the hospital with appendicitis. After surgery, I couldn’t go to school for 15 days. When I returned, Sabrina wasn’t there. She had moved back home. School wasn’t the same without her, so I wrote her a letter.
I asked her to forgive me for not playing volleyball. I told her that I’d always felt good around her and that I missed her.
Soon I received a letter and a package. In the letter, Sabrina told me she was happy that I’d written to her. She also told me about a tragic bus accident in which several people she knew had been killed. Then she wrote something that would change my life:
“We should always be at peace with God, because we never know when He will call us to His presence. Please read the book I sent with this letter. Ask God if it is true.”
In the package was the Book of Mormon. I started reading and I did ask if it was true. I felt so wonderful I thought my heart would burst. I’d never felt that way before. I went to church and started meeting with the missionaries. Soon I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
That was 15 years ago. Today I still have a firm testimony. Thank you, Sabrina, for inviting me to play volleyball. Even though I never did come to play, your example helped to bring me to Jesus Christ.

I tried it again last night while my three tiny ones were in the tub together—just to see if it’s as much fun as it used to be.
“Ah, bubble filled with
Sun is bright … reach, blink … hand filled
With bubble is empty”

Art’s son, Brody, loved the Church, but he was concerned about serving a full-time mission. He was nervous about his natural shyness. “I wasn’t a big talker,” he explains. And up to that time, he “wasn’t super motivated to study the gospel.” He prayed every day, but his worries persisted.
His family was supportive. His father recalls: “We reminded him how important his mission would be, not only for his own growth but also for those he would meet and teach.” Just the same, Brody remained nervous. That’s when the letters arrived.
They were an answer to Brody’s prayer. Reading them was like being able to sit down and visit with his own father years ago when he was the same missionary age. It was a profound experience. “The first letter talks about him struggling, like me,” Brody explains.
The second letter was written when his father got his call. “That’s the one that was crucial for me,” Brody says, “to see how excited he was. There was a great change.”
In the third letter, Brody’s father talks about his first area and his struggles learning how to teach the gospel. Brody learned another lesson: “The harder you work for something, the more rewarding it’s going to be. His decision was hard for him. The letter shows he’s glad he went.”
Brody’s parents saw how amazing the letters were. Brother Hansen realized that at the time he wrote them, he thought he was writing to his friend. But, as it turns out, he was really writing to his own son who would experience similar feelings and doubts 30 years down the road. “As an adult, I hadn’t been able to share those feelings in the same way,” his father says. “Brody needed to read about those feelings in writing from a 19-year-old’s perspective.”
What about Brody’s concern about his shyness and his gospel knowledge? The Lord helped him with those too. “At the Missionary Training Center, my teachers and my branch president reassured me that overcoming shyness and gaining gospel knowledge were things I could work on,” he recalls.
When Brody spoke in sacrament meeting before leaving on his mission, he says it was the first time he teared up at church. “My parents were pretty excited to hear me talk that much.”
Elder Hansen was called to the Switzerland Geneva Mission. He knows Heavenly Father answered his prayers. Those letters from his father weren’t delivered when expected, but they couldn’t have come at a better time. “The coolest part is the timing,” he says. “What can’t be explained is why those letters sat untouched in the mission home for all those years. I already know that God loves me, but this strengthened my testimony that He wants me to know I’m doing the right thing,” Brody says.
To others who may be struggling with the decision to serve a mission, Brody says, “Really pray about it. Be specific with the Lord. I hadn’t really done that before, and when I did, I got a specific answer.”
The answer may not come in the form of 30-year-old letters. “But the Lord will help you,” Elder Hansen explains. And he knows from experience.

One evening I argued with my mom and felt pretty bad. So I decided I would pray. Although I was in a bad mood and didn’t want to be “spiritual,” I knew praying would help me feel happier and less argumentative. After my mom left the room, I started my prayer. “Dear Heavenly Father, I’ve come to Thee tonight because …” No. I opened my eyes and unfolded my arms; that sounded awkward. I tried again. “Heavenly Father, I need …” That also sounded strange. I felt Satan urging me to give up my prayer of asking Heavenly Father for help.
Suddenly I had a prompting to say thank you! So I did, and thoughts started spilling from my mind of all the many things I could thank my Father in Heaven for. When I was done thanking Him, I discussed the problem at hand.
Afterward I felt a wonderful peace inside me, the warm spiritual feeling that I know our Heavenly Father and my parents love me and that I am a child of God. I was able to apologize to my mother and accept her apology.

Are the young women of the West Terrace Ward, Spokane Washington West Stake, caught in a time warp? Do they spend all of their time at thrift stores and estate sales? Hardly. But these girls recently took time to present a retro fashion show to residents at a retirement home in their community.
Playing “dress up” gave them a chance to reminisce with their senior friends about the good old days, and have some fun in the process.

“This is the best Young Women activity we’ve ever had,” said Kimberly Whatcott, of the Waynesboro Virginia Stake, when the stake Beehives gathered in the Waynesboro General District Courtroom for a mock trial.
The girls took the parts of everyone involved in the trial—judge, jury, attorneys, defendants, witnesses, etc., in deciding the case of a teenage romance that resulted in violence.
“What the trial made me think of,” said Tara Hull, “was how I should not accuse people, or judge them, unless I have good evidence—and even then I should go through proper channels to ensure fairness.”
“During the trial, I though a lot about how we learn the difference between right and wrong,” said Elizabeth Rogers, proving that the activity was a good learning experience.

In a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Brian Chan, his wife, Sukanya Choysrakoo, and their son and daughter sing a children’s song together. “Music is an important part of worship,” Sukanya says. “It invites the Spirit to be with us.”

Not long ago, I met a couple during a stake conference in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The wife had been a member of the Church all her life. The husband was not a member.
They came up to me, and the husband said, “I am ready to be baptized.”
I was happy to hear that! I asked him, “What has changed?”
He told me, “When I heard President Nelson’s message in general conference, it touched me so much. I knew then that he was a prophet. I gained a testimony, and now I’m ready to be baptized.”

When Kathy and I were married and sealed in the Logan Utah Temple, then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball performed our sealing. In the few words he spoke, he gave this counsel: “Hal and Kathy, live so that when the call comes, you can walk away easily.”
Initially, we did not understand what that counsel meant for us, but we did our best to live our lives in such a way that we would be prepared to leave to serve the Lord when the call came. After we had been married nearly 10 years, an unanticipated call did come from the Commissioner of Church Education, Neal A. Maxwell.
The loving counsel given by President Kimball in the temple to be able to “walk away easily” became a reality. Kathy and I received a call to leave what seemed an idyllic family situation in California to serve in an assignment and in a place that I knew nothing about. However, our family was ready to leave because a prophet, in a holy temple, a place of revelation, saw a future event for which we were then prepared.

I like going to the music page first and playing the song on the piano. It makes everyone in my house feel the Spirit. My favorite song is “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” (March 2012).

Liliana was excited to go to Primary. She wanted to show Sister Lee her new dress.
I’m a princess!
I’m a princess too!
You both are beautiful princesses. Heavenly Father loves you, and we are His children.
Then Sister Lee showed the class some paper crowns.
These crowns say “I am a child of God.”
The children said the words together and then sang “I Am a Child of God.” It was one of Liliana’s favorite songs.
Sister Lee placed the crowns on their heads, one at a time.
Liliana is a child of God.
Liliana felt warm and happy inside.
Liliana couldn’t wait to show Mama and Daddy her crown.
Now I’m really a princess because I am a child of God.
When it was time for bed, Liliana looked everywhere for her crown. She wanted it by her while she slept.
I can’t find my crown! I want to be a child of God!
Mama sat down and pulled Liliana onto her lap.
How do you feel when you sing “I Am a Child of God”?
Happy.
Me too.
Are you a child of God?
Everyone is a child of God, even without a crown. Always remember, you are a child of God—no matter what!
Mama hugged Liliana, and Liliana smiled as if she knew a special secret.

But getting to Palmyra took more money and effort than Lucy had planned. When there were only two cents left she began trading material and household goods and clothing to pay for food and lodging along the way.
“I wish we’d never decided to move to Palmyra!” Sophronia cried. “We’ve had nothing but trouble all the way.”
Young Joseph thought about what his big sister had said. It was true about the trouble. It had been dogging their heels ever since they left Sharon, Vermont. But this was the last day of their journey. Palmyra was almost at hand.
Outside, the sky was overcast. The woods were breathing deeply in the wintry wind. Joseph shivered as a blast whipped his coat and trousers against his body.
When the wagon was reloaded, Joseph noticed his brothers, Alvin and Hyrum, talking to Mr. Gates whose family had been traveling in sleighs along with the Smiths.
Alvin called to Joseph, “I’ll lead out with our wagon. Mother and Sophronia and the littlest children will ride with me. Mr. Gates and his boys will follow with their sleighs. He says you can ride in the last sleigh, Joseph.”
After Joseph climbed into the sleigh, the Gates boy clucked to the team and they pulled off down the road. Joseph was too excited about seeing his father in Palmyra that night to notice the frown on the boy’s face.
Joseph was aware of how much this boy and Mr. Howard had enjoyed tormenting him throughout the trip. However, with Mr. Howard gone, Joseph had hoped the meanness would stop.
“I’m glad to be able to ride. I had an operation on my leg and it’s still a little weak,” Joseph explained.
“I heard about that,” the boy answered, scornfully. “I think you use it for an excuse.”
Joseph gazed steadily at the boy. “It’s the truth.”
The boy threw a long, hard look at his companion, then with a quick glance ahead to make sure no one could see, he knocked Joseph off the moving sleigh into the road.
When Joseph regained consciousness, he raised up on one elbow, and tried to get up, but a sharp pain knifed through his side. He eased back into the snow, red-stained with his blood. What will I do? Joseph wondered, looking up into the branches of a tall maple tree, dried and frayed as a brush broom. It swept the sky and sent a dusting of snowflakes down upon his face. He gulped back the fullness that pained his throat. No tears would drown his hopes of their promised land.
Joseph wasn’t sure how long he lay in the rutted road before help came. But when he opened his eyes again he was looking into a bearded face.
“What happened to you, boy?”
“I fell off a sleigh. Can you take me to Palmyra?”
“That’s just where I’m heading.”
“My father is there … Joseph Smith … and my family.”
“Say, I know him. I can take you right there!”
After checking Joseph over, the man carefully lifted the boy into his wagon and covered him with a quilt.
“After your ma fixes that cut and you have a chance to warm up a bit, you’ll feel good as new.”
He was right. They met Joseph’s mother and father on the road, anxiously looking for him. Then it didn’t matter that the journey had been long and painful or that they had arrived with only two cents in cash. All was forgotten in the joy of reunion with his father. (To be continued)