Gospel Story Finder

The last group reached camp at 10:30 P.M. after stopping on the trail to rest and cook dinner. A mile from camp an “emergency squad” met the stragglers and helped carry their packs. Somehow 18 people were squeezed into the four-bunk cabin.

Some years ago I worked in the Missionary Department of the Church. We were developing materials to help missionaries be better and do better. One of the General Authorities shared this experience about repentance:
“A little over a year ago, I had the privilege of interviewing a young man to go on a mission. Because he had committed a major transgression, it was necessary for him under then-existing policy to be interviewed by a General Authority. When the young man came in, I said, ‘Apparently there’s been a major transgression in your life, and that has necessitated this interview. Would you mind telling me what the problem was? What did you do?’
“He laughed and said, ‘Well, there isn’t anything I haven’t done.’ I said, ‘Well, let’s be more specific then. Have you … ?’ And then this General Authority began to probe with some very specific questions. The young man laughed again and said, ‘I told you, I’ve done everything.’
“I said, ‘How many times have you …’ He said very sarcastically, ‘Do you think I numbered them?’ I said, ‘I would to God you could if you can’t.’ He said, again quite sarcastically, ‘Well, I can’t.’
“I said, ‘How about …’ And then the General Authority probed in another direction. He said, ‘I told you. I’ve done everything.’ I said, ‘Drugs?’ He said, ‘Yes,’ in a very haughty attitude. I said, ‘What makes you think you’re going on a mission then?’ He said, ‘I know I’m going. My patriarchal blessing says I’ll go on a mission, and I’ve repented. I haven’t done any of those things for this past year. I have repented, and I know I’m going on a mission.’
“I said, ‘My dear friend, I’m sorry but you are not going on a mission. Do you think we could send you out with those clean, wholesome young men who have never violated the code? Do you think we could have you go out and boast and brag about your past? You haven’t repented; you have just stopped doing something.
“‘Sometime in your life you need to visit Gethsemane; and when you have been there, you’ll understand what repentance is. Only after you have suffered in some small degree as the Savior suffered in Gethsemane will you know what repentance is. The Savior has suffered in a way none of us understands for every transgression committed. How dare you laugh and jest and have a haughty attitude about your repentance? I’m sorry, you are not going on a mission.’
“He started to cry, and he cried for several minutes. I didn’t say a word. Finally, he said, ‘I guess that’s the first time I have cried since I was five years old.’ I said, ‘If you had cried like that the first time you were tempted to violate the moral code, you possibly would be going on a mission.’
“He left the office, and I think he felt I was really cruel. I explained to the bishop and the stake president that the boy could not go on a mission.”
About six months later the same General Authority returned to that city to speak in a lecture series held in the evening. When he finished, many young adults lined up to shake hands with him. As he shook hands, one by one, he looked up and saw the young man that he had previously interviewed standing in the line about four back. The General Authority relates the following:
“My mind quickly flashed back to our interview. I recalled his laughing and haughty attitude. I remembered how sarcastic he was. Pretty soon he was right in front of me. I was on the stand bending over, and as I reached down to shake his hand, I noticed a great change had taken place. He had tears in his eyes. He had almost a holy glow about his countenance. He took my hand in his and said, ‘I’ve been there; I’ve been to Gethsemane and back.’ I said, ‘I know. It shows in your face.’ We can be forgiven for our transgressions, but we must understand that just to stop doing something is not repentance. If it had not been for the Savior and the miracle of forgiveness, this young man would have carried his transgressions throughout all eternity. We ought to love the Savior and serve Him for this reason and this reason alone” (Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, Sweden Area Conference, Youth Session, Aug. 1974).

The youth of Butler 20th Ward gave their hearts to these youngsters another time this past year. When they were planning the 1994 summer calendar, they were told that they would have to make a budget choice between a three-day river trip and the children’s Christmas activity.
They took a vote. And guess what? Yep. It was unanimous. They chose Christmas.

During the early part of those nine years, there was one Latter-day Saint family in Delhi, the Shortlefts, who worked in the U.S. Embassy. I traveled to Delhi for sacrament meeting in their home. In 1962, Elder Richard L. Evans (1906–71) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited us, and in 1964, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came. I remember placing a garland on Elder Hinckley and handing over my pot of saved tithing, which I had been accumulating for many years.
Unfortunately, these moments of fellowship—though helpful—were infrequent, and while in India I was devoid of the constant fellowship of other Saints. This troubled my heart. As the years wore on, lonesomeness was taking a toll on me, and I saw no future for me in India. I longed to have the priesthood and live among the Saints.
When I felt it was time to be closer to the Saints, I discontinued my law course and immigrated to Canada. When I landed in Edmonton, Alberta, I went to the nearest ward. I met Bishop Harry Smith and immediately felt a sense of belonging and fellowship in that ward. I visited the Cardston Alberta Temple, even though I could not receive my endowment yet.

Sometimes when it is winter
And it’s time for me to rise,
And it’s cold and dark outside
And sleep won’t leave my eyes,
My mother comes to call me
And says my breakfast’s waiting.
I pull the covers to my nose
And say, “I’m hibernating!”
And when we have a cozy fire,
I get a book to read
And snuggle up in Grandma’s quilt—
That’s everything I need.
Then Mother pats me on the head
And says my chores are waiting.
I peek above the page, entranced,
And say, “I’m hibernating!”
Sometimes I think it must be nice
To be a bat or bear
And find a nice, warm, cozy cave
And spend the winter there.
Bear mothers never interrupt
Their naps to go outdoors,
Or stop their winter dreams to say,
“It’s time to do your chores!”
Yes, there are times when winter’s here,
And warm spring weather’s waiting,
I wish my mom would say to me,
“It’s time for hibernating!”

Shortly thereafter I boarded a train in Osaka for Yokohama and a ship that would take me home. Brother and Sister Sato came to the station to say good-bye. Many tears were shed as we bade one another farewell.
It was a very chilly night. The railroad station, what there was left of it, was very cold. Starving children were sleeping in the corners. That was a common sight in Japan in those days. The fortunate ones had a newspaper or a few old rags to fend off the cold.
On that train, I slept restlessly. The berths were too short anyway. In the bleak, chilly hours of the dawn, the train stopped at a station along the way. I heard a tapping on the window and raised the blind. There on the platform stood a little boy tapping on the window with a tin can. I knew he was an orphan and a beggar; the tin can was the symbol of their suffering. Sometimes they carried a spoon as well, as if to say, “I am hungry; feed me.”
He might have been six or seven years old. His little body was thin with starvation. He had on a thin, ragged shirt-like kimono, nothing else. His head was shingled with scabs. His one jaw was swollen—perhaps from an abscessed tooth. Around his head he had tied a filthy rag with a knot on top of his head—a pathetic gesture of treatment.
When I saw him and he saw that I was awake, he waved his can. He was begging. In pity, I thought, “How can I help him?” Then I remembered. I had money, Japanese money. I quickly groped for my clothing and found some yen notes in my pocket. I tried to open the window. But it was stuck. I slipped on my trousers and hurried to the end of the car. He stood outside expectantly. As I pushed at the resistant door, the train pulled away from the station. Through the dirty windows I could see him, holding that rusty tin can, with the dirty rag around his swollen jaw.
There I stood, an officer from a conquering army, heading home to a family and a future. There I stood, half-dressed, clutching some money which he had seen but which I could not get to him. I wanted to help him, but couldn’t. The only comfort I draw is that I did want to help him.
That was years ago, but I can see him as clearly as if it were yesterday.
Perhaps I was scarred by that experience. If so, it is a battle scar, a worthy one, for which I bear no shame. It reminds me of my duty!

That experience began a long search in our family for the true church of Jesus Christ. The search ended with my mother, my sisters, and myself becoming members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My father came to believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but he died without being baptized.
Many times I have recalled that stormy night on Puget Sound with feelings of reverence and awe. It was out on that foamy, turbulent sea in the darkness, almost helpless, that my father realized that God rules in the universe.

The choir leaders work with the region’s public affairs office in organizing places and times to sing. The choir is often included in public performances where the audience is not well acquainted with the Church. When asked about their most memorable performance, they immediately mention a Christmas program held at the local YMCA. Rachel Neifert of the Maryland Heights Ward says: “There were all kinds of choirs there. We sang, ‘This Is the Christ.’ Afterwards people were asking us, ‘What was that feeling?’ It was the best we have ever done. I didn’t know we could sound that good.”

“I think before every performance at least one person says, ‘Let’s try and make this like the YMCA performance.’ That was the most spiritual experience,” adds Carolyn Rees of the Spencer Creek Ward.

Relief Society Sisters Knit Warmers for Penguins
A team of Relief Society sisters from the Coffs Harbour Branch in New South Wales has pulled out their knitting needles in response to a cry for help from the fairy penguins of Phillip Island.
“Nature reserves in this area use the knitted sweaters for the rehabilitation of oil-damaged penguins. Oil spills kill many penguins there each year because the oil damages the penguins’ feathers, making them susceptible to poisoning and drowning,” says Marion Braun of the Coffs Harbour Branch.
The Bass Strait of Australia, separating Tasmania from the mainland, is a major shipping thoroughfare. Occasional seafaring mishaps can be disastrous to the fairy penguins, so called because they are the smallest penguin species in the world.
The penguin sweaters are stored in oil-spill-response kits positioned in critical locations around Tasmania. In the case of an oil spill, little penguins are usually far too ill to be cleaned with water and mild detergent right away, and the scrubbing can be quite stressful. Instead, rescuers slip the oil-coated birds into wool sweaters, which prevent them from preening themselves and possibly swallowing toxic petroleum-based oil as they regain needed strength. The sweaters also serve to keep the penguins warm until their bodies are once again producing the natural oils (removed by the cleaning) necessary for their insulation and waterproofing.

One Sunday one of the sisters in the branch approaches you and asks you and your companion to bless her baby who is critically ill. Your faith wavers, but hers doesn’t. The blessing is given, and a life is saved by a mother’s faith. You are left with a deep respect for the faith of a people who, when one of theirs is sick, go to the elders even before they seek medical help.

The day I received my call was exactly two weeks after I had sent in my papers. Before opening the envelope I knelt down to ask my Heavenly Father if this was where he wanted me to go. I begged with all my heart that he would answer me, and the answer came with the same peaceful feeling I had received when I asked about the gospel before my baptism. “Yes, this is the mission I have chosen for you,” came the answer, and I quickly opened the envelope. I was called to the California Ventura Mission.

From a member who attended the dedication: “How I felt was peaceful. I felt the Spirit, and I felt the Holy Ghost testifying that what [President Ballard] was saying was true and that we were in the right place.”4 —Amy Bowie

President Boyd K. Packer
(6) Missionaries give a message of hope to grieving parents.

9:55 a.m. Missionaries dedicate a lot of time to planning, at the beginning of the day, throughout the day, and at the end of the day. They talk not just about what they’re going to do but about what each investigator needs.
Today the elders are talking about a man from France, an investigator they’re going to invite to be baptized.
“He’s worried,” Elder Triplet says. “He doesn’t feel worthy.”
“Let’s talk about repentance and how God remembers sins no more,” Elder Ward suggests after the companions think it over. “Why don’t you teach it in French to make sure he understands?”
The last thing the elders do before leaving is pray—again. This is one of many prayers they’ll offer today. Missionary work requires a lot of heavenly help. Then it’s out the door and off to the bus stop in a hurry.
11:21 a.m. A 10-minute bus ride and a short walk later, the missionaries arrive at a rented meetinghouse at the same time as their investigator. The meeting begins well, but the investigator’s concerns push the 45-minute lesson they had planned on to more than an hour.
“That was the most frustrating lesson I’ve ever been in,” Elder Triplet says afterward. “He likes the Church. He thinks it’s true. He wants to pay tithing. But he doesn’t believe he needs to be baptized again. He was a little argumentative.”
“He’s a great guy,” Elder Ward says, shaking his head. “Maybe he’ll be ready to talk about baptism next time.”

Diane’s love of the spotlight was quickly matched by her gymnastic ability, and the two made a championship combination. She started training when she was fourteen and a half years old, a late start by competitive standards, but within a year she was competing against the best in the country. She was the Junior Olympic National Champion in high school, and in college she led the University of Utah’s women’s gymnastics team to their first national victory.

3 You are with a group of friends at school. They don’t know what your religion is and make some false and misleading statements about our church. What would you do?
Become embarrassed and say nothing.
Tell them that you are a Latter-day Saint and that you think they may have been misinformed. Ask them if they would really like to know the truth about what Mormons believe. If your friends are interested, have your parents arrange a visit by the missionaries.
Tell them that other churches have a lot of faults too.
If you have chosen the following answers, 1. c, 2. a, 3. b, 4. c, 5. b, you have strong convictions, know how to stand up for what you believe is right without hurting the feelings of others, and can be a good missionary by your example.

The work of the Lord is going very well in the Democratic Republic of Congo in spite of the war in certain provinces of the country.
One day my companion and I knocked on the door of Sister Sylvie. Two days later we met her husband, Brother Antoine. He asked us the name of our church. We answered that we were from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“That is the church I have been looking for,” he cried with joy. “I have an old Book of Mormon, several pages of which I have lost. I am very happy to have found you.”
Three weeks later Brother Antoine was baptized. I know with all my heart that the Spirit leads those who want to be led to the work of the Lord.
Elder Mahongo Ruffin,Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa Mission

Dad, we’re back from the library.
How’s the plumbing job going?
Maybe I’ll have this fixed by the time you’ve read all those books.
Better hurry then. Matt’s worked hard on his reading this year.
I’ll bet I can read faster than Mandy.
Yeah? I read so fast the book starts to get hot and I’m afraid it will catch fire.
That’s nothing. I read so fast the wind from my eyeballs blows the letters right off the page.
Well, I read so fast I get to the end of the book before the writer does.
I’ve got some good practice for you, Matt. How about reading this recipe to me while I fix dinner? Maybe the food will cook faster.
Mandy, how about reading me the instructions for this new faucet? Then maybe I can finish in time for you two to wash the dishes.
OK.

One student bought wool and knitted a poncho. This was sold and the money used to purchase enough wool for two more ponchos that were also sold. The net profit was $8.

For Merrick, 13, the simple choices he made to be in the right place at the right time brought him spiritual strength. He chose to go on a pioneer reenactment trek with the youth in his ward. On the last day, they held a testimony meeting and a lot of youth bore their testimonies.

“It was really cool,” Merrick says. “You could feel the Spirit a lot by just sitting there and listening to these people talk about all of the challenges they had on trek and how the pioneers had to do this but a lot worse. It was really cool to hear their perspective on the gospel.”