Gospel Story Finder

In closing, I introduce to you the Luca and Patrizia Vaccarono family. They live in a small town near Rome, Italy. In a recent letter, they wrote:

“We decided after some experience that it is important to store the items we use. Sometimes we have to modify our habits in eating certain kinds of foods. …

“The feeling of peace and the desire to be faithful to the commandment given by the Lord through the modern prophet helps us feel the Holy Spirit, … to not be afraid, and to see that the signs of the time for the Second Coming of the Lord is a blessing and not something to fear. We rejoice in it. … It gives us the motivation to be faithful and endure to the end and to be saved and obtain eternal life.”

As a final thought, Brother Vaccarono writes: “I’m sorry for my English. I hope you understand what I tried to explain to you.” Brother and Sister Vaccarono, we understand, for it is written in scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

6. Polynesian Saints from many islands traveled long distances across the Pacific Ocean to go to the Hawaii Temple. In 1954 it was announced that another temple was to be built in the South Pacific. President McKay dedicated the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __Temple in 1958.

Photograph by Christina Smith
During the winter in Argentina, the hospitals get really cold. I had the experience of participating in a service activity with women from my church. We made little blankets for babies and children in the hospital. It felt great to be there!
Since I know what it’s like to be in the hospital, I felt like this was an activity that was important to help the little kids. I like to think that Jesus Christ would also like to be in activities like this one, helping the children.
To me, being a disciple of Jesus Christ is loving Him. We can show our love for Him by helping others, especially since He also always helps others.

In my professional life, I was an ear, nose, and throat surgeon. On one occasion in Reno, Nevada, USA, I was called on to assist the hospital’s pediatric intensive care team as they treated a fragile baby boy who had been born very early. That little guy overcame some tough challenges in the first few months of life and gained enough strength to go home with his parents and family.
Unfortunately, after being home for two months, he was now back in the hospital with a serious infection in his left lung, and he was not responding well to a high dose of medication.
The intensive care specialists were suspicious that the baby might have breathed something in that became stuck in his lung, but it had not shown up on any X-rays. Due to his worsening state, they recommended that I look into his lungs with him asleep in the operating room.
At the time we did not have the technology to see very far down into the small airways of infants well. As we labored to clear the infection from his left lung, for just a brief moment I saw what he had inhaled—a bright yellow fragment of crayon, wedged beyond the reach of any of the instruments available to retrieve it.
A nurse in the operating suite realized the severity of the situation and mentioned that she had seen a long, slender instrument used in removing kidney stones from tight places. She quickly produced one, a slender spiral flexible wire basket that un-spirals just enough when used properly to retrieve a small stone without damaging the surrounding tissue. But how to get it there?
I asked the anesthesiologist to continue to manage our little patient for a moment while I went to the corner of the operating room. “Heavenly Father, I can’t do this by myself.” The thought came to my mind: “Do your best. Together we can do this.”
I practiced several times opening and closing the wire basket in my hands in different positions. Ever so gently, the slender wire basket was passed through the instrument right up to the crayon. With delicate maneuvering, it was passed beyond, opened, and then slowly allowed to close. The airway was now clear and clean.
With the crayon removed, the child quickly recovered and thrived. He was discharged within the week with a little jar containing a bright yellow souvenir.
I know I received divine help, as real to me as though a providential hand had guided my own.

President George Albert Smith became President of the Church in 1945. He had been known during his years as an Apostle as a peace-loving leader. In the preceding 15 years before he became President, the challenges and trials of a massive worldwide depression, followed by the death and destruction of World War II, had been anything but peaceful.
At the conclusion of World War II, during his first general conference as President in October 1945, President Smith reminded the Saints of the Savior’s invitation to love their neighbors and forgive their enemies and then taught, “That is the spirit all Latter-day Saints should seek to possess if they hope some day to stand in his presence and receive at his hands a glorious welcome home.”

The next stop was in Trinidad and Tobago, where both sisters comforted families in their homes and also trained the leaders of that country.

Devrani Barrios, a Church member from Trinidad and Tobago, remarked: “It was good, I enjoyed it. Their sense of humor and their interactions with the kids was amazing. The prayer they left with my family is unforgettable.”

Taramatie Kotiah, another sister from Trinidad manifested: “I truly enjoyed the home visits. The sisters were very friendly with us all, as if we knew each other. They have such a welcoming spirit. They taught me what ministering truly is.”

I received a letter from a missionary in California. He was there with his wife and he wrote this: “There have been so many Mormon boys here in uniform, and they have been such fine, outstanding young fellows that they have turned the attitude of the people of this town toward the Mormon Church.”
Now you see they were uncommon boys. Then he told this specific story. He said that one of the women’s clubs was putting on a luncheon at the hotel. The lady in charge had an extra plate placed at the table, and she said, “When the next soldier comes along, we will invite him to occupy this place at the table.” Well, he happened to be a Mormon boy and he didn’t hide his light under a bushel. Like Jesus said, we should let our light so shine that the world, seeing our good works, will glorify our Father in Heaven. (See Matt. 5:16.)
When they passed the coffee around, he didn’t touch the coffee. You see how easy it would have been for the boy to say, “Oh, shucks, Mother isn’t here. Father isn’t here. My bishop isn’t here. I am the only man with all of these women. A little cup of coffee won’t hurt me.”
But he had to show forth the praises of the Lord who had called him out of darkness into the marvelous light, and he wouldn’t touch it. They offered to get him tea and he didn’t want that. Then they wanted to know all about him. That opened the door so he could tell them about how he was raised. And then when they were through eating, they lighted their cigarettes and passed them around. Of course, the young soldier refused. Well, anyway, right there one of those women decided, “If the Mormon elders ever call at my home, I will let them in. I want to know more about a people who can raise a boy like that boy who sat at our table today.” When the missionary wrote me about this lady, she was a very earnest investigator.

“Families Can Be Together Forever” is a well-known hymn of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members work assiduously to find their family members going back as far as Adam and Eve. This has led many members to find lineage with famous people who have lived on the earth. One such member is Sister Clevene Clarke (nee Bogle).
Through FamilySearch.org, a website accessible to the general public, Clevene was able to create her family tree by adding all their living and deceased family members. The website also provided other avenues to seek family, including indexing. Memories is a new addition to the FamilySearch website. This allows anyone to add stories, pictures, voice recordings and video recordings of themselves or family members.
For Clevene, FamilySearch has led her to find lineage with Paul Bogle, who is one of Jamaica’s seven national heroes. The information she has received depicts that Paul Bogle is her great great-great-grand uncle. The research and her knowledge of Jamaican history came alive for Clevene as she looked into who Paul Bogle actually was.
Sister Clarke feels very uneasy about not finding all the records for Paul Bogle. Nevertheless, she says “I am very proud to know that I am related to someone who aided in defending the rights of our ancestors. It brings a feeling of sheer respect and awe that such a man was my uncle. I have been blessed with a rich heritage to share with my children and grandchildren. It is truly a marvellous work and a wonder to behold our genealogy, it is almost as if you walk with your ancestors. I am glad to reminisce and walk with Paul back in time.”

I have a friend, not of our faith, who indicated to me that he is not a spiritual person. He will not study the scriptures or pray because he says he cannot understand the words of God, nor is he sure that God exists. This attitude explains his lack of spirituality and will lead to the opposite of revelation, as explained by Alma. He said, “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word.”

Explain that President Brigham Young led the first pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. As the pioneers followed the prophet to the valley, they marked the trail for other Saints to follow. The prophet leads us today by teaching us what we should do in order to return to our Father in Heaven. Thread a button onto a long piece of string, and tie the ends together. Have the children sit in a circle, each holding onto the string with both hands. Have one child hide the button in his or her hand. Sing “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” (Hymns, number 19). Have the children move their hands back and forth along the string, secretly passing the button in either direction until the leader stops the singing. Have the child with the button tell one way to follow the prophet. Continue singing and moving the button. Bear testimony of how following the prophet has guided your life.

Michael Garfield, a priest in the Plymouth Ward, stood his ground last summer when his soccer team was about to go into the state tournament. His coach wanted him to return the next season, but that would mean Sunday matches. The state tournament was also on Sunday. Michael had told his coach he could not play on Sundays already, and he was about to explain to him the importance of the Sabbath day. But before he could explain, one of his nonmember teammates, whom Michael had explained the Sabbath to before, jumped in and told the coach about the importance of the Sabbath day. “My coach understood better because he heard it from someone else,” Michael says. He was glad he had explained to his friend the sacredness of the Sabbath.
Michael has decided not to continue playing on the soccer team because of all the Sunday games. Keeping the Sabbath holy and having family time is more important to him, he says.

“We concluded the interview with some conversation about Elder Perry’s own family: “I have two grandchildren who live here in Salt Lake City and two who live in the eastern part of the U.S. We try to have family home evening together once a month with those who live here. One of our greatest family activities has been a garden that we planted in a vacant lot. We call it the Perry Family Welfare Farm. Both grandchildren have assignments. We plant, water, irrigate, harvest, and have a great time together! I hope I’m teaching them something about the Lord’s cycle of replenishment—that if we’re diligent, He will reward us abundantly. Each little seed brings forth a hundredfold.””

Oh, once there was a fiddler came
One late October night,
And the music from his fiddle
Was fancy-free and light.
But still about the twanging
Was a mysterious air,
As if he played of pensive thoughts
He wanted us to share.
He set his feet on Brunsy Lane
Where black oaks mark the way.
It’s there the shadows drown themselves
And eat the light away.
Then as he went his music grew,
A haunting melody.
He nodded as he moved along
At things we could not see.
We didn’t dare to follow,
For the moon was ashy dim,
And blackness like a solid wall
Reached out and swallowed him.
Then as we turned and fled toward home,
Rushing things brushed past our hair.
And breathlessness and silence hung
Upon the mystic air.
There never was another night
That fiddler came our way,
But still, sometimes in fancy,
I can hear his music play.

“Meaningful study and preparatory work experience were always at the top of my father’s recommended priorities. He appreciated that extracurricular activities like debate and student government might have a direct connection with some of my important goals. He was less certain about the extensive time I spent participating in football, basketball, baseball, and track. …
“… Our high school football coach informed me that the Stanford football coach wanted to have lunch with Merlin Olsen and me. Those of you who are younger may not know Merlin. He was an incredible all-American tackle on the Logan High School football team where I played quarterback and safety and returned kickoffs and punts. … Merlin was ultimately the third overall pick in the National Football League draft and played in an amazing 14 consecutive Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
“The lunch with the Stanford coach was at the Bluebird restaurant in Logan, Utah. After we shook hands, he never once made eye contact with me. He talked directly to Merlin but ignored me. At the end of the lunch, for the first time, he turned toward me, but he could not remember my name. He then informed Merlin, ‘If you choose Stanford and want to bring your friend with you, he has good enough grades and it could probably be arranged.’ This experience confirmed for me that I should follow my dad’s wise counsel. …
“My intent is not to discourage participation in sports. … When used wisely, they enrich our lives. …
“Our daily conduct and choices should be consistent with our goals.”

The hands were cool upon my fevered head;
I listened to the prayer my father said,
Making me well with his faith and love
And the power he holds from our Father above.

Self-denial is one of the grand and great character traits visible in the best men I know. It is a trait that many young men have acquired. Some years back the swimming team at Yale University was breaking many world records. Someone asked the coach how they were doing it. He said, “I have taught them to break the pain barrier.”

1 In April 1832 Joseph Smith went to Jackson County a second time. A general council of the Church was called, and Joseph was sustained as President of the High Priesthood.

Leroy Alip listened intently as he was set apart to serve on a stake high council on the Big Island of Hawaii. In the blessing Brother Alip was told he would be on the island when a temple was built there and that he would serve in that temple. This was in 1984, and the only temple in Hawaii was on the island of Oahu, many miles away by boat or plane.
In 1997 President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) announced a new direction for temple construction. Building smaller temples would enable more temples to be built. The faithfulness of the Saints on the Big Island was rewarded six months later when President Hinckley announced a temple for Kona. After the temple was dedicated in 2000, Brother Alip was called as second counselor in the temple presidency. Today, fully retired from his career but fully engaged in the work of the Lord, he supervises the workers who keep the grounds of the Kona Hawaii Temple beautiful.

I had bad epilepsy for most of my life, which in turn caused me to have depression, a skin graft on my arm, and two unsuccessful brain surgeries. Losing my memory and losing our family home were also among things that happened while my husband was Stake President.
Fasting and praying during these times comforted us.

Elderly sisters are important examples too. Kimm Frost from Utah recalls many women who have influenced her to stay strong in the gospel, including Ursula Squires. Kimm noted: “Sister Squires became my visiting teaching companion when she was well into her 90s. She didn’t see or hear well, but she was totally dedicated to the gospel. She never missed church and did her visiting teaching faithfully. … She was an inspiration to me.” Whether through example or by sharing testimony, sisters become united disciples of the Master.