Gospel Story Finder

“You look stressed,” Aunt Jennie said. “But you’re in luck! I’ve been baking all morning. These might cheer you up.”

In St. Johns, New Brunswick, Joseph found a schooner captain willing to take him across to Nova Scotia for working on board en route. While crossing in a storm the young missionary saw what looked like a star and immediately told the captain, who recognized it as the Digby Lighthouse. The captain was barely able to change course in time to avoid the rocks and make it through the narrow passageway (called “Digby Gut”) and on into port at Digby (1). But now let Elder Millett again speak for himself, this 19-year-old just arrived in the field:

Linda K. Burton
(122) A young woman in the Philippines stays true to her covenants.

Ever since the passing of their father, Elizabeth and her brother, Enaw, of Cameroon, Africa, have relied on their mother. “She has been a source of aid to us ever since our father died. God has blessed us and protected us in everything we do,” Elizabeth says.
Elizabeth’s family (above) rallied together after the passing of her father. Then, after they joined the Church in 2010, Elizabeth and Enaw learned the eternal significance of the family.
“One of the important things we have learned [from the gospel] is about the importance of the family,” Elizabeth says. “The family has been of great importance to me because through my family, I have been able to become what I am today.”

Robertson emerged from Utah’s Sanpete County and attracted national attention by the thirties. He skyrocketed to fame in 1947 by winning a Western Hemisphere competition. Every major composer of this hemisphere competed, but the Fountain Green “fiddle-playing, sheep-herding” composer’s photo appeared in the nation’s press and weekly news magazines. “The largest prize in musical history” ($25,000) was presented in a nationwide broadcast from Detroit, where his symphony, Trilogy, was performed.

Photographs by Norma Smith
Deedra R., 15, of Malaysia has had a chance to work with Latter-day Saint Charities to serve her fellow countrymen. She says, “I had some wonderful experiences with the humanitarian aid projects. The one that was my favorite was going to the Orang Asli village [a native village] teaching them about family home evening. I like teaching little children and helping them understand what I know. I loved how they were so willing to listen. I really felt the Spirit when we visited them.”

When he was 24 years old, he prayed one night and felt prompted to read the Bible. He opened it randomly to Isaiah 56:1.
Wilford: “For my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.” I wonder if that means I will soon learn of the true gospel.
Within two years of this inspiration, Wilford had moved to New York, learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and been baptized. The Lord had answered his prayers!

Born 30 November 1874 at Oxfordshire, England, young Winston was the son of Lord Randolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome, a beautiful American woman. He longed for attention from his parents, whom he dearly loved, but Lord and Lady Randolph were caught up in political and social responsibilities and spent little time with their son. Consequently his nurse, Mrs. Everest, whom he affectionately called “Woom,” was the one whom he grew to love as a mother.

During his early life, Woom was the only person who gave Winston any real love. When she visited him at Harrow, he walked hand-in-hand with her, despite the ridicule of his schoolmates. Years later, one of his classmates wrote that it was one of the greatest acts of courage and compassion that he had ever seen. Winston wrote and visited Woom often, and he kept a picture of her on his desk until he died.

During the last few years I have experienced much ill-health. My dear husband, who is not a believer, but who is also not an atheist, remarked recently that someone seems to be helping me, as I am still here after so many health problems and investigations.
Priesthood blessings, and especially the scripture in D&C 84:88, have brought me much comfort. In the dark hours after surgery to remove cancer, the Lord always seemed near when this scripture came to mind: “… for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” These angels also include my sisters and brothers in the Gospel.

After Joseph Smith allowed Martin Harris to take the 116 Book of Mormon manuscript pages, which Martin lost, the plates and Joseph’s gift to translate were taken from him. After repenting and humbling himself in prayer, the plates were returned to him with a promise that someone would come to help him with the translation.

I’ve been warmed by the example of another young woman whose parents got divorced. She did not want her younger brother and sisters to feel unloved, so she says prayers with them every night and tells them she loves them. This young woman knows she is a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves her, and she loves Him by loving her siblings.

This day of service kicked-off various additional activities commemorating the 40th anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-­day Saints in the Dominican Republic. One hundred service projects were performed throughout the country with government institutions, mayors, nongovernmental entities, leaders and friends of the Church.
A total of 204 square kilometers were cleaned or rejuvenated on streets, avenues, roads, parks, schools and other public centers, collecting a total of 3,874 garbage bags of 55 gallons each.
In addition, 6,687 units of many medications were distributed in six medical operations in different cities of the country, directly benefiting 1,658 people.

When Elder Dunn was eight, he got his first horse and called him Smokey. “I had to ride him home a distance of about eleven kilometers,” he remembers, “and that was a great experience. It was the first time I had ridden a horse that far, and of course I rode without a saddle.”

Zenadine Blake, a 15-year-old from Saint Catherine, Jamaica, is the youngest of seven siblings. He learned valuable life lessons early on. One significant lesson is the importance of forgiveness.
His story begins when he was in preparatory school and faced bullying from a fellow student. The bullying was hurtful, and it left a lasting impact on him. However, things started to change when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With school closures and the shift to online learning, Zenadine lost contact with the student who was bullying him. When the school began online classes, there was time allowed on Fridays for students to socialize with one another via the internet.
Zenadine noticed a difference in his nemesis. He had changed. He stopped the cruel behavior, and the two began to develop a friendship. Eventually, the student even apologized to Zenadine for the harm he had caused. Zenadine, despite the pain he had endured, chose to forgive him.
Life was not easy during the time of bullying. At one point, he found himself retreating to the internet to escape his feelings. But as time passed, he realized that this distraction wasn’t helping him heal. Instead of avoiding the problem, he chose to confront it by embracing forgiveness and positivity. Zenadine said, “If you’re scared to do everything, then you would just be living your life in fear.”
“Forgiveness takes time,” he shared. “It’s a process. I was sad at times, but I realized that nothing would change unless I changed. I started surrounding myself with positivity.”
Zenadine’s approach to dealing with negative emotions was rooted in his faith and strong sense of self. He studied the teachings from the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth, which helped him understand that forgiving others is not only for their benefit but also for his own well-being. “Once you fill your life with positivity, you stop thinking about negativity,” he said. “It doesn’t consume you anymore.”
When asked what helped him stay positive, Zenadine mentioned reading scriptures, praying, and spending time with supportive friends and family. These practices gave him the strength to face his challenges and remain humble.
Zenadine found inspiration in the scriptures, particularly in 1 Nephi 7, from the Book of Mormon. He recalled the moment when Nephi’s brothers, Laman and Lemuel, had tied him up and left him to die in the wilderness. Despite their cruelty, Nephi forgave them when they later apologized, showing that forgiveness is not about forgetting the hurt but about letting go of the anger and pain that comes with it.
“For me, this story teaches that forgiveness is powerful,” he explained. Even though Nephi’s brothers were wrong, he forgave them, which also helped Zenadine forgive. It reminded him that we all make mistakes, and it’s important to forgive, just as Nephi did.
“Never give up on people, even if they hurt you,” he said. “They can change.”
Through forgiveness, Zenadine not only healed his own heart but also built a stronger relationship with someone who had once caused him pain. His story is a reminder that kindness and understanding can lead to change, even in the most challenging circumstances.

By the time Jeff was missionary age, Bishop Chambers had been called as the stake president. But the new bishop, David Nye, had already heard from Jeff, who wanted his opportunity to serve, too. President Chambers and Bishop Nye arranged for Jeff to work one day each week in the cafeteria of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple. In addition, Jeff was called to serve with his brother as an usher, and they were encouraged to study their scriptures together.
Both young men check in regularly with their bishop, and from time to time with their stake president, to report on their progress. That progress has been magnificent.
The young men are enthusiastic about their callings and greet everyone they meet with a handshake and a smile. In return, they are greeted with friendship and kindness. Everybody in their home ward, as well as in the Riverside Singles Branch, which meets in the same building—in fact, just about everybody in the stake—recognizes the Balls brothers and knows about their special assignments. Lots of children in the stake remember Jacob as one of the special teachers who helped them learn about baptism and confirmation. And every Wednesday, Jeff’s mother Denise makes the one-hour drive to the temple so Jeff can spend the afternoon working in the cafeteria.
There, Jeff has made friends with cafeteria workers and temple patrons alike. He gathers up dishes and helps serve food, and yes, he loves to eat the meal he is provided, especially the slice of pie. But his number-one accomplishment, he says, is to help people feel happy. It’s something Jeff does in the house of the Lord, and something both Jacob and Jeff do in the ward, branch, and stake where they serve.

When he was young, he saw a vision of an angel holding a trumpet to its mouth.
John: What could this mean?
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The angel he saw in his dream was like the Angel Moroni on top of latter-day temples, proclaiming the gospel to all lands.

I recently learned a valuable lesson about seeing deeply from a young woman named Rozlyn.
The story was shared with me by my friend who was devastated when her husband of 20 years moved out. With her children splitting time between parents, the prospect of attending church alone seemed daunting. She recounts:
“In a church where the family is of paramount importance, sitting solo can be painful. That first Sunday I walked in praying no one would speak to me. I was barely holding it together, and tears were on the brink. I sat in my typical spot, hoping no one would notice how empty the bench seemed.
“A young woman in our ward turned and looked at me. I pretended to smile. She smiled back. I could see the concern in her face. I silently pleaded that she wouldn’t come to talk to me—I had nothing positive to say and knew I would cry. I looked back down at my lap and avoided eye contact.
“During the next hour, I noticed her looking back at me occasionally. As soon as the meeting ended, she made a beeline for me. ‘Hi, Rozlyn,’ I whispered. She wrapped me in her arms and said, ‘Sister Smith, I can tell today is a bad day for you. I’m so sorry. I love you.’ As predicted, the tears came as she hugged me again. But as I walked away, I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I can do this after all.’
“That sweet 16-year-old young woman, less than half my age, found me every Sunday for the rest of that year to give me a hug and ask, ‘How are you?’ It made such a difference in how I felt about coming to church. The truth is I started to rely on those hugs. Someone noticed me. Someone knew I was there. Someone cared.”

Then the merchant told his story. “I was once a farmer and had a strange tree on my farm. The tree had only a few barren branches but no leaves. One day I noticed that three fruits appeared on the branches. The fruits grew bigger and bigger until each was about the size of a barrel. I cut the fruits open and found a young man in each of them. I made them all work for me on the farm. But one day the young men ran away because they didn’t like the hard work.”

Debbie is unable to bring friends home after school because her mother has severe emotional problems, and Debbie never knows what she might find when she goes home. Therefore she is hesitant to accept invitations to visit her classmates’ homes, knowing she cannot reciprocate.

Emma looked at the bright yellow rubber raft on top of the van and felt a little shiver run down her back. She’d never been rafting before, and she didn’t know what to expect.
“You’ll like the Big Eddy,” Dad was saying. He pulled their lifejackets out of the van and handed one to Emma. “It’s beautiful and exciting. Someone takes your picture right when your raft crashes through the Big Eddy.”
Emma didn’t like that word—crash.
“Let’s hurry, Dad,” her little brother Zachary said. He didn’t look nervous at all, but Emma’s stomach churned.
A raft passed them going down the river, and Emma could hear one of the men yelling over the rushing water.
“The guide in the back tells them when to paddle forward or backward, and when to stop so they won’t tip over,” Dad said.
Dad was going to be the guide in their family’s raft. She hoped he knew the right directions to tell them.
Mom and Dad put the raft into a calm place in the river and they all jumped in. The water was moving slowly for now, and Emma started to relax.
The raft bobbed around and up and down through the current. Everyone paddled when Dad said to paddle. A little water splashed up on them. Emma and Zachary laughed. Maybe this would be fun after all.
Suddenly the raft started going faster, and the sound of the water got louder. They were getting close to the Big Eddy!
Dad shouted instructions for them to go through the next rapid sideways. They paddled on the right side of the raft, but something went wrong. When the river curved, the current washed them to the other side. They tried to go back, but instead, the raft banged into a log on the riverbank.
Emma, Zachary, and Mom yelled as the water pushed against the raft. At first the water pushed them back into the river, but then another wave crashed them back against the log.
Dad tried so hard to get them out of the whirlpool that he fell overboard and the river swept him downstream toward the Big Eddy. The next surge of water tossed Mom out. Emma was terrified, but she felt prompted to grab Zachary and point to the log. Somehow they both scrambled onto it just before the raft flipped upside down and slipped out into the rapids again.
Another raft came down the river, and the guide had the people in the raft steer over until they were next to the log.
“Get in!” yelled the guide.
Zachary held back, his eyes wide. Emma was frozen in place. They both clung to the log, unable to move.
Then she remembered President Packer’s words from a conference talk she had taped to her closet door at home. He said that the Spirit will show us what to do so we don’t have to be afraid.
As she thought about those words, Emma felt less afraid. She thought that she should hold Zachary’s hand and they would make it to the raft safely. She gripped Zachary’s hand, and with the help of the guide, they scrambled into the bouncing raft. They huddled together until the guide got the raft to a calm pool of water where Mom and Dad were anxiously waiting. Dad’s arm had a cut on it, and both of Mom’s knees were scraped up, but they were OK.
They all hugged. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” Dad said.
“I was really scared, but the Spirit helped me feel brave,” Emma said. “He told me what to do.”