Gospel Story Finder

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When my husband and I decided to start our own business, the first three years were difficult. We were failing to make a profit and falling into debt. We worked hard, but unimaginable problems made that time the most difficult of our lives.
It became worse when my mother-in-law passed away the day after Christmas and just a week later, on New Year’s Eve, I became extremely ill. At the time, we were broke, we had lost our car, and worst of all, we had lost our health insurance.
Eventually, I was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer that had been developing for at least five years. It was serious and required immediate surgery. I was running out of time, and we had no money for the expensive medical care I needed.
My husband and I met with our bishop and asked for help. We explained that this was literally a case of life or death. The bishop was concerned, but he told us that he felt prompted to wait a little longer before giving assistance to see if another way might be opened to us. He assured us that if our faith was sufficient, the Lord would provide a way for me to get the help I needed.
At first, the bishop’s response made me angry and resentful. I felt that both he and the Lord had forsaken me. But I had a testimony of the gospel, and I believed that our bishop was called of God. Despite my heartache, I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me continue to love, respect, and support my bishop. When I prayed for this, I was comforted and felt that the Lord would help me in some way.
My husband and I moved forward with faith, and I received needed medical tests and scheduled my surgery, despite our lack of money. The day before my surgery, we sold our business for a good price, which allowed us to pay all my medical bills.
It now became clear why my bishop had hesitated to help. He had acted on inspiration in order for me to have a valuable spiritual experience. That experience taught me to trust the Savior, even when the path seems frustrating and scary. I am grateful for the counsel I did not want to hear from my bishop. I know now that God is a God of miracles and that He never forsakes us.

It is Friday, at the end of the semester. All of the work for family relations and my other classes is done. Mom and Carianne were a brilliant team. Their presentation was terrific.
Pete LaFete and I were less than genius. “I’ve found in my experience,” Peter lectured during our presentation, “that a proper way of saying good night on a fourth or fifth date is to kiss a girl lightly on her forehead. Girls remember it.”
I bet they do, Pete.
Anyway, I’m just getting home and pushing my way through the back door. Something smells great in the kitchen. Mom is at the stove.
“Hello, dear.”
“Hi, Mom. Where’s Jan?”
“In the dining room with your dad. She registered at the community college today. Maybe she’s finally turning the corner. By the way, I invited some company over for dinner tonight. Hope you don’t mind.”
“No big deal, Mom,” I answered, since we often throw an extra plate on the table for guests. I peek into the dining room, and there, with her back toward me, chatting away with my dad and sister, is Carianne Meacham.
My mom smiles serenely.
“I got an A in family relations, remember? And I saw her name in your notebook the other night when we were studying. Now try to say something besides, ‘How ya’ doin’?’ Carianne is an intelligent girl, and I don’t think that will impress her at all.”
And that’s the way I got to know Carianne Meacham.

COVID-19 and lockdowns have prevented the youth of the Church in Aylesbury Ward from meeting in person. The ward’s youth council held an online meeting and prepared an online calendar of weekly events for the youth of the ward.
One such recent event was timed to coincide with the Church’s celebration, during the month of October, of ancestors.
Most of the youth had never tried indexing, so a member of the Young Women’s presidency, who had some experience, taught the youth how to index while meeting on Zoom. Each youth, and each leader, logged on to their FamilySearch account, opened a batch of indexing files and was instructed on how to convert handwritten pages into computer-readable form.
While each youth worked through their page of names, they would send a screenshot to their leaders whenever they encountered a problem, at the same time talking and encouraging each other, and helping solve each other’s problems via the Zoom call.
Within an hour, a dozen youth and leaders successfully indexed more than 200 names, while helping to plant the blessings of family history into the hearts of the next generation.

My younger sister Judith was an author, composer, and educator. She loved many things, including the gospel, music, and archaeology. Judith’s birthday was a few days before mine. Every year I would give her a crisp one-dollar bill as my birthday present to her. Three days later she would give me 50 cents as her birthday present to me.
Judith passed away a few years ago. I miss her and think of her often.

My sister—who would have been the age of many of you here today—together with Helga Fassmann, her teacher in Young Women, and some others took a train that passed briefly through West Germany. They paid a porter to unlock one of the doors for them, and after the train crossed the West German border, they jumped from the moving train to freedom. How I admired my sister for her courage.

Brother Broadbent related an experience of a man who attended the pageant the first year it was presented. “He had never had any association with the arts before. But at the conclusion of the show, he was weeping. It was a spiritual, emotional experience for him. That’s rewarding; that’s why we dedicate so much time to the pageant each year.”

Perhaps this is more easily illustrated than defined. Our pioneer forefathers are good examples. They sang, “Gird up your loins; fresh courage take” (“Come, Come, Ye Saints,” Hymns, 1985, no. 30). They feared no toil and no labor. Among them were Johan Andreas Jensen and his wife, Petra, who left their native Norway in 1863. Their family included six-week-old tiny twin daughters. As handcarts were pulled in their rugged journey, one of those little girls died along the way. The child who survived grew up to become my Grandmother Nelson!

The Prophet Joseph Smith exemplified kindness in his life to everyone, old and young. One child who benefited from the Prophet’s kindness remembered:
“My older brother and I were going to school, near to the building which was known as Joseph’s brick store. It had been raining the previous day, causing the ground to be very muddy, especially along that street. My brother Wallace and I both got [our feet] in the mud, and could not get out, and of course, child-like, we began to cry, for we thought we would have to stay there. But looking up, I beheld the loving friend of children, the Prophet Joseph, coming to us. He soon had us on higher and drier ground. Then he stooped down and cleaned the mud from our little, heavy-laden shoes, took his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped our tear-stained faces. He spoke kind and cheering words to us, and sent us on our way to school rejoicing.”

President Grant was always ready to give. After an energetic conference talk in San Diego, the President invited Joseph to play golf with him. “I had never played golf, … but I couldn’t very well turn him down,” Elder Anderson reminisced. The President arranged for a lesson and a pail of golf balls to practice with, and then they played a number of holes. The next day in Los Angeles President Grant suffered a debilitating heart attack. On the way to the hospital, he whispered, “‘Joseph, you made some very good strokes yesterday.’ I said, ‘Yes, President, I’m afraid you’ve converted me. I will have to get some clubs and get busy.’ ‘Don’t you worry about the clubs,’ he said, ‘I’ll take care of that. I’ll buy them.’”

The largest of the 2004 celebrations took place on February 21, prior to the rededication of the São Paulo Brazil Temple, when 8,000 Latter-day Saints and 1,200 missionaries sang and danced in a steady rain for 60,000 spectators in Pacaembú Stadium. Thousands more throughout São Paulo watched the celebration via satellite broadcast. After a thunderous rendition of the Brazilian national anthem by the nearly 70,000 present, emotions and spirits ran high as a huge Brazilian flag waved over the stadium.

The article “A Night to Remember” (Feb. 2007) helped me through an experience with standards. I was invited to a party by one of my nonmember friends. I was presented with a choice to either wear something inappropriate or dress in a way that a Latter-day Saint should. This article came to mind, and without hesitation I made the decision to wear what I knew was modest.
Roechelle S., Samoa

May 15, 1829 While Joseph and Oliver Cowdery were praying in the woods near Harmony, John the Baptist appeared to them and restored the Aaronic Priesthood. Joseph and Oliver baptized each other in the Susquehanna River. Later in May or in June, Peter, James, and John appeared to them and restored the Melchizedek Priesthood. Monuments commemorating these events in the Restoration can be found near the town of Oakland, Pennsylvania.

One morning our mom woke us up early and was excited to show us this gorgeous sunrise. We are so grateful Heavenly Father makes the most beautiful scenery just to make us happy!
Josie, Vivian, Mariel, and Natalie F., ages 9, 11, 11, and 6, California, USA

An effective communication can be short and sincere by simply expressing thank you to our Heavenly Father and asking his blessing. Our 11-year-old boy, Rich, has added his own, unprompted postscript to his blessing since he was eight: “And please bless the people who don’t have any food that they will have some.”

When the Young Women of the Merthyr Tydfil First Ward, Merthyr Tydfil Wales Stake, learned the chapel of another denomination nearby was in peril, they stepped in to help preserve it.
“The people who use it are mostly older, and they couldn’t afford to have it redone,” explained Natalie Davies, 17. “Unless we helped out, they would have to close it down, and it’s quite a piece of history in this area.”
So the LDS Young Women spent time scraping walls and painting the interior of the old stone building.
“We didn’t expect to enjoy the work,” Natalie said. “At first everyone groaned and said, ‘Oh, we’d rather be playing rounders’ (a British game similar to baseball). But when the older people started saying ’thank you for coming,’ we felt really good. They were so appreciative.”

As a teenager, after praying in the Sacred Grove for a confirmation of the truthfulness of the gospel and receiving no answer, he was filled with disappointment. When a powerful witness came a month later while he was reading the Book of Mormon, he realized, “We can’t dictate to God when, where, or how He will speak to us.”

I’m thankful for my friends and family. My testimony has been strengthened remarkably in the past few months. My best friend, Hailey, helps me keep my thoughts clean and directs me down the Savior’s path. She’s encouraged me to do what the Lord asks. I’ve been reading my scriptures every day and saying prayers whenever I need. Doctrine and Covenants 19:23 has given me strength. Maybe it will help you too.
I play quarterback and love football, basketball, and track.
Tristan K., 14, Arizona, USA

Some years ago when I was in Mexico City, checking on some Church buildings as part of my assignment with the Church Building Department, one of the missionaries there asked, “Would you like to see the ruins of a previous civilization that are close by?” We gladly accepted the invitation. As we were returning along the highway, we saw a family working together making rope for sale. Having been in the livestock business, I was interested in their product. This family made rope from cactus fibers. They stripped the fibers from a species of long-spear cactus prevalent in Mexico and braided them into excellent rope. All of the family members were working, and I was concerned as I saw two young people who were of elementary school age. Through an interpreter, I asked these children, “Do you go to school?” They replied, “No, sir.” I said, “Why not?” They answered, “We don’t have the chance. There are no schools.” Then I asked them, “Would you like to go to school if you had the opportunity?” They replied, “Oh yes, sir.” They were sincere young people. Many people do not have the privilege of obtaining an education.

A while ago, I challenged myself to pray for service opportunities. I thought of ways I could help others, but I did not receive what I believed was a prompting. I was getting discouraged, when my mom shared with me Alma 5:40: “Whatsoever is good cometh from God.” I realized that the quiet thoughts of service I had were actually promptings from the Holy Ghost. I know that our prayers are always answered; we just have to be patient, be observant, and trust in the Lord.
Lybee B., 16, Oregon, USA

As Jeremy and James were growing up, they developed strong testimonies of their own. “The faith of a child,” says James, “that’s where it started. We do family scripture study every morning at 5:45. I owe my parents everything. I’ve been blessed, and I’ve tried to do what I know is right. That has built my testimony. I’m taking my testimony to heart, applying it, understanding it, believing it.”

“You take seminary,” says Jeremy, “and really start studying the scriptures. The more I study, the more I learn and understand about the gospel. Every little thing makes sense. The things I’ve learned in seminary have been a huge boost to my testimony.”