Gospel Story Finder

Christmas has always been a special time for us as a family. Growing up in Brazil, I remember that my family would always get together with our aunts and uncles to exchange presents on Christmas Eve. My siblings and I, as kids, would act out the Nativity, sing some Christmas hymns and then, my father would always share a message about the Savior Jesus Christ.
As we grew older, we kept this tradition. For a long time, my wife and I had our own kids and their cousins acting out the Nativity story.
As I look back, I do not remember the presents I got, but I do remember the sweet spirit of watching the kids acting out and singing Christmas songs together, and either my father or my mother sharing a special message with us. Since my father’s passing, my mother is the one who shares a message with us every Christmas. I look forward to that moment and, even if we cannot be physically present, we connect through technology and enjoy those moments together as a family. I now know that those feelings that I had as a child were the Holy Ghost testifying to me of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. As I ponder about these experiences on Christmas Eve, the scripture that comes to my mind is found in Matthew 6:19–21: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Picture with me a little six-year-old orphan girl traveling across the plains of America. Her name is Elsie Ann. Her mother died when she was two. Her father remarried, and so for a time she had a stepmother. Then her father died at Winter Quarters when she was five. Her stepmother remarried and moved away, leaving this little orphan behind with Peter and Selina Robison, who were related to her stepmother. Elsie Ann left Winter Quarters with the Robisons in July of 1849 to come west. She no doubt ached for the love of her own mother. Sometimes she would even ask, “Where is my mother?” Elsie Ann was my great-grandmother.

Young single adults in the British Isles are standing a little taller after their largest-ever young single adult conference, held in Manchester, England. More than 540 young people from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and elsewhere came together for one special weekend.
The young single adults helped bring others hope through a humanitarian aid project—sorting and boxing donated clothing and painting 250 blackboards for school kits. The group also cleaned a local park in Wythenshawe.
The conference wasn’t all work though. The young adults had a dance, participated in a play, and listened to speakers, including Elder W. Craig Zwick of the Seventy, then First Counselor in the Europe West Area Presidency, who gave some advice on how to stand a little taller. “Here is the key,” he said. “Put on the whole armour of God” (see Eph. 6:11–17).

For many years the girls were too shy about their writing to share it even with each other. It took a small accident by Charlotte to get them to share their work and their dreams of someday having their work published.
Charlotte was moving Emily’s notebook one day to set the table. She had done this many times in the past and had never neglected Emily’s privacy by reading her work. This day, however, the notebook fell open accidently to some poems, and before Charlotte could close it her eyes caught a few lines.
Having studied the best poets at her boarding schools, Charlotte was capable of recognizing good poetry when she saw it. Emily’s poems were good, very good, and Charlotte couldn’t put the notebook down. She knew her sister’s work must be published.
“Charlotte! How dare you!” Emily cried as she came into the dining room.
“It was an accident, Emily; really it was.” Charlotte realized what her sister must think. “Your poems are so good, though, I couldn’t quit reading them.”
Emily’s anger lasted for three days during which she didn’t speak to Charlotte. After all was forgiven, the door was open for the sisters to discuss their work with each other and make plans to try to publish it.

I was visiting a patriarch a while ago. He told about a blessing he gave to a woman who came to him from one of the missions. Among other things he told her that her progenitors had made a great contribution to the bringing forth of the gospel in these latter days. And after the blessing was given she said, “I’m afraid you made a mistake this time. I am a convert to the Church; I am the first one in my family to join the Church.”
“Well,” the patriarch said, “I don’t know anything about it. All I know is that I felt prompted to say that to you.” And when he told me the story, she had just been in the genealogical library and had found that some of her relatives—her grandparents or her great-grandparents—had made great sacrifices in the early days of the Church. A part of the family had drifted up into the East and had been converted. She found that she was descended from some of the early pioneers. The patriarch did not know of it himself. He had spoken by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

I am 14 years old, and I recently read “A Small Light in the Darkness” by Jack Weyland in the September issue. I enjoy Jack Weyland’s stories. This one strengthened my testimony, and I learned so much from it.
The Sunday after I read the story, my Sunday School teacher shared it with the class. I could feel the Spirit in the room. I know that everyone in the class gained a lot.
After hearing the story and the teacher’s testimony, I am not afraid to stand up and do what I know is right. I’d like to thank you a million times for publishing that story. It strengthened many testimonies.
Connie MaughanAvon, Utah

I was late! I threw on a nice dress, grabbed a hair tie, drove to church, parked, and hurried inside. Whew! I found a seat on the stand just as the bishop got up to start sacrament meeting.
I was speaking that Sunday, so I quickly looked over my notes, making sure I didn’t forget anything. In no time at all, it seemed like the sacrament meeting was over, and I was going to Sunday School. Another sacrament success!
But was it?
Over the next week I began to wonder. Another Sunday rolled around, and as I sat in sacrament meeting, considering what the sacrament meant to me, a thought hit me: I recommit each week to always remember Jesus Christ, but how seriously was I doing that?
I wanted to change, so I decided to come up with a weekly plan.
During the week, I would spend time considering my behavior and asking forgiveness for my sins. I would also make sure to arrive early to church so I could listen to the prelude music and feel the Spirit.
During the sacrament, I would remember Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I’d prayerfully review what I did right and what I did wrong. I’d ask myself, “Lord, what lack I yet?” (see Matthew 19:20).
Every day after the sacrament, I would pray for help to improve and to remember Christ.
As I followed my plan, I grew to really love the sacrament! I loved praying to Heavenly Father and talking with Him about my life. Regardless of my behavior the past week, I was always grateful for Jesus Christ’s Atonement and the opportunity to change and become better. Now I’ve learned that the sacrament isn’t just for Sundays; it’s for every day.

My calico cat was out
Chasing grasshoppers in the clover,
Prancing giddily all about
Till the gray cat ambled over.
They stood there, toe to toe;
They glared there, eye to eye.
Then one of them growled very low
And one answered very high.
The first howled louder yet.
The other increased his wails.
Then they sang a sort of duet
Up, down, and between the scales.
Like squeaky doors they screeched.
Then stopping in mid-cry,
They went bouncing across the field
After one white butterfly.

Some jobs, of course, are traditional, but if you approach them from a new angle, they can be modified from mundane chores into exciting, or at least profitable, endeavors. Try specializing: One fellow was earning money repairing flat bicycle tires when he also discovered he could use the same kit to patch the elementary school’s punctured playground balls. Now he has a regular agreement with the school to maintain their playground equipment.

I’m grateful for the article “Double Duty” (Nov. 2002). It made me think, “Hey, I need to get going. This girl did it twice, and I’ve finished only one Personal Progress value.”Corinne SandersonAmerican Fork, Utah

Whenever there has been in the mind of the Lord a need for further revelation for the guidance of the Church, he has given it to the living prophet. For example, the Lord revealed to the prophet, President Heber J. Grant, the welfare program. President Grant’s first counselor, President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., one of the principal movers of the program, said:
“Now I say to you, that … revelation of the Holy Ghost, did come to President Grant. Not only in this case, but in others. And through that revelation, inspiration if you wish to call it, from the Holy Ghost, President Grant launched [the] great Welfare Plan.” (Address given by President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., at Central Utah Welfare Region, August 3, 1951.)

I don’t necessarily find it wrong to associate with nonmembers. You’ve just got to make sure that you keep doing what you believe and be an example to them, that you in no way let them influence you to lower your standards. My favorite scripture is Matthew 5:16 [Matt. 5:16]. It talks about being a light, an example. I used to go to a school where I was the only member. In one way it was really hard being the only Church member in school, because there was always the temptation to do what my classmates did. But in another way it was easy because I knew that everybody was watching every move I made to see what the Mormon girl would do, and I liked to be different and stand up for what I believed in. Some people made fun of me, but many people respected me. So I think it just depends on you, but you must use wisdom and uphold you standards.
Tracy Clark, 17

Truman was among the first group of Saints to enter the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Two years earlier he had been told in a patriarchal blessing that “thy calling is more particularly to labor in assisting the Saints to build cities and temples than traveling abroad to preach the gospel.” His abilities as an architect were recognized by President Brigham Young, and soon Truman was busy designing homes, schools, churches, a sugar factory, forts, stores, a penitentiary, a theater, a governor’s mansion, and most importantly, temples.

In January 1999 my father had a serious accident and was admitted to intensive care, where he was able to breathe only with the help of a respirator. He suffered hematomas, which caused swelling of the brain.
When the rest of the family learned of his condition, we immediately went to the hospital. As a physician, I knew the outlook was dim. Nevertheless, we fasted, prayed, and trusted in our Heavenly Father to restore my father so that soon, despite any aftereffects or the treatments he might need, he would come home again and be the wonderful guide and protector he had always been. As we fasted and prayed, I felt my faith grow stronger, and I anxiously waited for him to open his eyes and start to recover.
Visits from our inspired bishop were a constant strength during this trial. He gave my father a priesthood blessing, and we waited for a change.
Since my father did not improve, we began to wonder if our pleadings were really in accordance with Heavenly Father’s will. One night the bishop, after giving us blessings, talked to us about the plan of salvation and told us that when someone is blessed to recover, he or she will live if not appointed unto death (see D&C 42:48). He also gave us a copy of “Tragedy or Destiny” (see Improvement Era, Mar. 1966, 178–80, 210–17), a talk by President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985). The bishop urged us to ask God what plans He had. After we said good-bye to the bishop, I decided with much sorrow to follow his counsel. I was able to learn that my father’s time on earth had come to an end.
Complications arose, and my father’s condition deteriorated even more. His natural strength abated before our eyes, and we knew that this was a confirmation of what was going to happen. I worried that my pain at losing him would become so great I would lose my faith and vision and not be able to endure. But that isn’t what happened.
Never before had the wonderful plan of happiness had the meaning it now had in my life. I was able to feel a peace that tempered my emotions. It opened my eyes and mind and enabled me to understand to a limited extent the greatness, glory, and majesty of life and the importance of this brief time on earth.
The time came to tell my father, “Until we meet again.” Nine days after the accident, he died. I was with him as he reached the end of his earthly existence, but now I had a different understanding. I was able to feel how sweetly our Heavenly Father loves us and how He prepares the necessary opportunities for us to become as He is.
My confidence is complete that the day will come, if we endure to the end, when through the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will rise clothed in glory, immortality, and eternal life. Death is just a new beginning.

Recently I was in private conversation with one who, having committed a serious transgression, had also made intense effort to repent and receive forgiveness from those personally offended, from the Church, and from the Lord. When I asked, “Do you feel forgiven by your Heavenly Father?” he answered hesitantly with an affirmative but qualified response. “How do we obtain divine forgiveness?” I asked.
He spoke of how he had forsaken his transgressive behavior of the past, confessed to proper priesthood authorities, and attempted to make restitution to those offended. He further described his efforts to live according to gospel principles and Church standards.
The Savior and his atoning sacrifice were not mentioned. The underlying assumption seemed to be that divine forgiveness is obtained through those steps of repentance limited to changing one’s behavior. Despite the brother’s earnest efforts to repent, he appeared to be burdened still by remorse and regret and to feel that he must continue to pay for his sins.

Professional life is another area which provides opportunities for friendships. Once when I was working in California, I was offered a job in New York City. My employers told me people didn’t care about each other there.
I couldn’t believe people could live the way they described. It made me want to go to New York City just to prove them wrong. But after six months working there, I was ready to concede my California friends were right. Then I decided I hadn’t made much of an effort myself.
So I started a program to find out if New York City workers were really human. I lived in Scarsdale, about a 45-minute train ride from New York. The train ran exactly on schedule. I started noticing the habits of the commuters. They would leave home at exactly the same minute each morning, walk to the station, buy a New York Times, walk to a certain board on the platform, fold their paper, stand on that board until the train arrived, get on the same car, find the same seat, and read their newspaper all the way into Grand Central Station. They would never speak as they traveled their various routes.
I decided the only way to get to know them was to break the routine. I selected a man I thought I would like to get acquainted with, and after observing his routine for a few days, I planned a counter-routine.
I arrived at the station at about the same time he did. As soon as he started to walk down to his favorite board on the platform, I broke into a run and just beat him there, firmly planting my two feet on his favorite spot. This unnerved him so that he didn’t even unfold his newspaper.
When the train arrived, I jumped on and took his favorite seat. He rode all the way into the city visibly disturbed. I believe I ruined the entire day for him. The next morning I repeated the same process.
Then the most remarkable thing happened the third morning. When I arrived at the train platform, he was already there, firmly planted on his favorite board, reading his newspaper. I couldn’t help but laugh. He gave me a scowl, and then he couldn’t hold back either. I introduced myself as a new arrival determined to break the routine of a commuter. We had an enjoyable visit. We got on the train and talked all the way into New York.
From then on, breaking each other’s routine became a game. We would race each morning for that favorite spot. Soon others noticed what we were doing, and before we knew it, there were three, then four, then five, then ten, all racing for that particular board each morning.
The great friendships made then have endured many years. The cold New Yorker was just as friendly as anyone else. All you had to do was break through that city shell.

By the time my companion and I started teaching Corina Aguilar, she had already expressed a desire to come to church. After learning about the Restoration of the gospel and reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, she felt that the Church was true. There was just one thing holding her back: her husband, Manuel.
Corina would not attend church by herself—she was determined that her entire family learn about the gospel together. However, Manuel was busy working long hours, and when he came home, the last thing he wanted to do was listen to a couple of missionaries.
Corina began praying that Manuel would have a desire to meet with us, but weeks passed with no change in his attitude. Then, one day at the end of a lesson, Corina asked us about fasting. We were late for another appointment, so we briefly explained that when we fast, we go without food or drink for two consecutive meals. During that time we pray to Heavenly Father for help and guidance for ourselves or for others. With a promise that we would teach her more during our next visit, we hurriedly left.
A few days later we visited Corina again. During the lesson she surprised us when she said sadly, “I don’t think I can fast.” She explained that since our last visit, she had been fasting. She would go through the day without breakfast or lunch and would then eat dinner. Following that meal, she would start again, not eating anything until the next day’s dinner. This pattern continued for three days. “I tried really hard,” she told us, “but it was so difficult.”
Amazed at her faith, we quickly explained that normally a person fasts for only one day. Then, curious to know the motive for such sacrifice, we asked, “Corina, can we ask what you were fasting for?”
“For my husband,” she responded.
We were impressed by her desire to follow the commandments of the Lord and seek blessings for her family. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “Often when we fast, our righteous prayers and petitions have greater power.”1 So it was with Corina. The next week Manuel agreed to meet with us. Although skeptical, after learning about the plan of salvation, he too began to pray and even kept a copy of the Book of Mormon in his truck to read during his break at work. Eventually Corina, Manuel, and their three children began attending church together.

In the October 1936 semiannual conference of the Church, the First Presidency announced the Church security plan. The name was later changed to the Church welfare plan. Since that time, the Church Welfare Department has developed and assigned to the stakes of the Church an annual commodity budget, supervised the production and distribution of commodities, encouraged the establishment of local production projects and bishops storehouses, supervised Church employment centers, and established Deseret Industries. In the course of these activities, members of the General Church Welfare Committee traveled to stakes and regions teaching the basic principles of Church welfare. President Romney did this for many years.
During this period and even earlier, the Church continued to develop a variety of other services. In 1919, foster care and adoption were introduced under President Joseph F. Smith through the Relief Society. Indian student placement was introduced through President David O. McKay and Elder Spencer W. Kimball. It began in 1953. Services for those who had emotional and mental problems have been provided for many years and were formally organized in 1960. In 1969 these various programs were brought together under the direction of Elders Marion G. Romney and Marvin J. Ashton. In 1970, the Health Services Corporation was organized to administer a system of hospitals the Church had developed over many years. The Health Services Corporation was also given responsibility for the worldwide health needs of Church members. During these few years of consolidation, the Welfare Department continued basically unchanged.
In 1973 these three areas—Welfare Department, Social Services, and Health Services—were brought together in one organization. The First Presidency appointed the Presiding Bishopric to serve as chairmen of the General Welfare Services Committee. To more clearly describe the functions assigned to each of these departments, departmental names were modified. What was known as the Welfare Department is now called the Welfare Production-Distribution Department, headed by Brother R. Quinn Gardner. This department continues to be responsible for many of the economic aspects of Welfare Services.
Social Services is now part of Personal Welfare Services, with Brother Victor Brown, Jr., as director. This department is responsible essentially for the social-emotional aspects and for employment centers. Legally licensed agencies related to Personal Welfare Services continue to carry the name LDS Social Services.
Health Services is now absorbed by Developing Welfare Services. This department is directed by Brother James O. Mason. Now that the Church no longer owns or operates hospitals, this department focuses attention on health needs worldwide; however, its major responsibility is to help priesthood and Relief Society leaders in developing areas of the world understand and prepare for the full Welfare Services program of the Church.
These, then, are the three departments that comprise Welfare Services: Production-Distribution, Personal Welfare, and Developing Welfare. The Presiding Bishopric, these three department heads, and the General Presidency of the Relief Society constitute the General Welfare Services Committee of the Church. We serve under the direction of the First Presidency.

“You know, like the one about your scratching up Billy Snead’s face?”
She laughed and shook her head. “He was riding by me on his bike and calling me names. When he finally turned to look where he was going, it was too late—he crashed into a rosebush. I tried to help him, but he ran off screaming.”

In February 1846 during the mass departure of Saints from Nauvoo, the weather was extremely cold, allowing long caravans of wagons to stretch out across the Mississippi River over a solid flow of ice extending from bank to bank, a distance of one mile.