Gospel Story Finder

Coupon books with tickets good for personal services are our favorite gifts. Tickets read: “Good for one dressmaking session” or “Good for one lawn cut” or “Good for one dinner out.” We try to offer the kind of help the other person really would appreciate.—Susan Coburn, San Diego, California.

In cruel civil war, families and neighbors did unspeakable things to each other. Bitter tears are slowly giving way to hope. Her voice trembling, a woman in a small village says, “Neighbor, before I go to my grave, I want you to know where to find your missing family members.”

A minister recently read the parable of the prodigal son over the radio. He concluded with: “The younger brother stood justified before the Lord due to his repentance, and the older brother fell under the greater condemnation.” When I heard this, I wept and I thought, “Oh, you foolish man. You do not understand the Lord’s teachings.” The older son had been hurt and neglected and, true, had not exercised love and compassion to his wayward brother; but no thinking man could ever suppose that his transgression compared to the wasteful, extravagant, riotous living with harlots of the younger brother.

One day when I was in the playground at lunchtime, I saw another girl crying, as she didn’t have anyone to play with. I went over to her and asked her to come and play with me and my friends. She stopped crying and came to play with us.
Mia B., age 6, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

This is a picture of my great-great-great-grandma, Louisa Barnes Pratt, when she was on a mission in Tubuai, an island south of Tahiti. She was there from October 1850 to April 1852. She was a great pioneer because she was one of the first women in the Church to go on a mission. She and her children went to Tubuai with her husband, Addison Pratt, on one of his missions. During her whole life she was very courageous. She had to cross the plains with the Saints all by herself because Addison was on a mission then. During that time, she got scurvy and lost her two front teeth.
Illustrated by J. Jefferson Hunt

Following Thanksgiving time some years ago, I received a letter from a widow whom I had known in the stake where I served in the presidency. She had just returned from a dinner sponsored by her bishopric. Her words reflect the peace she felt and the gratitude which filled her heart:

“Dear President Monson,

“I am living in Bountiful now. I miss the people of our old stake, but let me tell you of a wonderful experience I have had. In early November all the widows and older people received an invitation to come to a lovely dinner. We were told not to worry about transportation since this would be provided by the older youth in the ward.

“At the appointed hour, a very nice young man rang the bell and took me and another sister to the stake center. He stopped the car, and two other young men walked with us to the chapel where the young ladies took us to where we removed our wraps—then into the cultural hall, where we sat and visited for a few minutes. Then they took us to the tables, where we were seated on each side by either a young woman or a young man. Then we were served a lovely Thanksgiving dinner and afterward provided a choice program.

“After the program we were given our dessert—either apple or pumpkin pie. Then we left, and on the way out we were given a plastic bag with sliced turkey and two rolls. Then the young men took us home. It was such a nice, lovely evening. Most of us shed a tear or two for the love and respect we were shown.

“President Monson, when you see young people treat others like these young people did, I feel the Church is in good hands.”

When severe storms and typhoons devastated southern India in October 2009, young men and young adults from the Hyderabad and Bangalore India Districts sprang into action to help relieve the suffering of those affected by the floods.
According to President Prasada Gudey of the Hyderabad India District, “Our young men did a wonderful work in delivering food and water to those in need. The goods had been donated and had arrived in the province, but the government was not able to deliver them to the thousands of victims in more than 200 refugee camps. Our members stood out with their Mormon Helping Hands vests as they carried out their efficient work in getting the food and water to everyone.”

I recently learned another significant lesson from my father about his love for me. A few weeks ago the state 3-A basketball championship was being played on a Saturday night in Ogden. I was on Provo High’s team, which was to play Mountain View High School for the championship. After the first quarter the team met for a huddle. As I got up off the nice soft chair I had become accustomed to, my eye caught sight of my mom and dad sitting on the front row. This might seem insignificant to you, but I was thrilled because in Provo that same night was one of the most important events of the year. It wasn’t my father’s inauguration or the annual commencement exercises. It was the BYU-University of Utah basketball game. But Dad left that game, as well as several General Authorities and other dignitaries he was hosting, to come to my game. That demonstration of love meant so much to me, not because my game was more important, but because I was more important. Is it any wonder I want to show that love in return? We do have a bond, not just as father to son—but friend to friend as well.

Early in the Restoration, by translation and revelation, numerous plain and precious truths appeared in fairly rapid succession. This occurred through Joseph Smith, the “choice seer.” (2 Ne. 3:6.) As when dinner guests arrive nearly all at once, Joseph, as host, received, welcomed, and duly noted each truth. Only later was there time and matured perceptivity to see their relationships and the antiquity of their credentials.
Among these plain and precious truths was the doctrine of the premortal existence of mankind. (See 1 Ne. 13:39, 40.) Early on, Joseph received much concerning this truth, but just as the revelations concerning it came incrementally, so did Joseph’s understanding.
So far as we know, brothers and sisters, the restoration of this responsive doctrine began with the translation by Joseph Smith of a few verses in the Book of Alma, late 1829 or early 1830. (See Alma 13:3–5.) By themselves, however, these verses would not have been adequate. Elder Orson Pratt said: “This same doctrine [premortal existence] is inculcated in some small degree in the Book of Mormon. However, I do not think that I should have ever discerned it in that book had it not been for the new translation of the Scriptures [Bible].” (Journal of Discourses, 15:249.)
In June of 1830, while rewording some of Genesis under inspiration, the “choice seer” received revelation now included in the Book of Moses. Of that special revelatory moment Joseph wrote, “I will say … that amid all the trials and tribulations we had to wade through, the Lord, who well knew our infantile and delicate situation, vouchsafed for us a supply of strength, and granted us ‘line upon line of knowledge—here a little and there a little,’ of which the following was a precious morsel.” (History of the Church, 1:98.)
Included in that “precious morsel” were words of Moses, further enlarging Joseph’s view, about how God’s work involves other planets: “But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power.” (Moses 1:35.)
The plans and purposes of God were also made more plain: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39.) Thus, the vastness of space reflects the vastness of God’s love for all of His children.
Other expanding revelations soon followed. In May 1833, the stunning communication, now known as section 93, declared: “Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. …
“For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy.” (D&C 93:29, 33.)
Several years passed, years of apparent ripening and readying, before the record indicates the Prophet began to communicate this precious doctrine publicly. In 1839, pondering and contemplating in Liberty Jail, Joseph, by epistle, urged Church members to better behavior, behavior befitting Church members who had been “called … from before the foundation of the world.” (The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Dean C. Jessee, comp., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984, p. 397.)
Joseph also received revelation about what was ordained in “the midst of the Council of the Eternal God … before this world was.” (D&C 121:32.) Imprisoned, Joseph was reassuringly told his own days were known, and his years would “not be numbered less.” (D&C 122:9.)
Joseph’s first recorded public speech on this powerful doctrine occurred shortly after his release from soul-stretching bondage in Missouri. (See The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 9.) Other speeches followed, capped finally by the soaring sermon at King Follett’s funeral in the spring of 1844.
This declaration to Jeremiah: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jer. 1:5) was paralleled in the 1842 Book of Abraham:
“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
“And God … said: These I will make my rulers; … and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.” (Abr. 3:22–23.)
The Book of Abraham, in corroborating section 93, used words whose full measure you and I have scarcely begun to take: “if there be two spirits, … notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, [they] have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end … for they are … eternal.” (Abr. 3:18.)

Christmas is just around the corner, and there are exactly 27 cents in the entire world that belong to you. You have a list of people you love and want to remember in some personal way this holiday season, but your mom helped you make zucchini bread and sugar cookies to give them last year when you found yourself in this same fix.
The situation clearly calls for a great deal of creativity. If there is enough snow available on Christmas Eve, you could build an igloo for your younger brothers. It’s not exactly a lasting gift—you may be called on at any time after the sun warms the day to help unbury Herbie—but at least your budget could handle it.

I invited one school friend to come to my baptism, and she did! I’m glad I got to share that experience with her.

Probably all of us have experienced when we really needed someone to help us. I remember once as a small boy I surely did. While playing on a mountainside near our home, I fell into the middle of a huge, prickly cactus plant. It really hurt! The prickly spines of the cactus went through my canvas shoes, through my stockings, through my trousers, through my shirt—they went through everything! I felt like a human dart board.
Immediately I let out a cry that was loud enough to shake the mountains. I couldn’t move up, down, in, or out. Every movement I made seemed to send those needles deeper and deeper into my skin. I just stayed there and howled.
I was five years old at the time and my older brother, who immediately rushed to my rescue, was eight. He was overwhelmed at the sight of me and the complexity of my plight. Nevertheless, he began to pull out some of the spines, but they seemed to hurt more coming out than going in and I howled even louder. Furthermore, the pin-sized wounds bled so much when the spines were removed that after a few minutes I looked like an advertisement for Red Cross blood donations.
Finally my brother saw that his feeble plucking was hopeless. There were dozens of spines yet to pull, and I was still screaming as loud as I could. He did the only thing an eight-year-old brother could do. He ran down the mountain, got his small red wagon, and labored painfully to get it up the side of the hill to where I was awaiting death—I thought. With some tugging and hauling and lifting—and plenty of noise from me—he got me out of the cactus and into the wagon. Then in some miraculous way, known only to children and Providence, he brought me down off that steep mountain in his wagon.
The rest of the story is blurred in my memory. As I recall, my mother got me out of my clothes and the rest of the prickly spines out of me. What I do remember clearly and will never forget is the sight of my brother tugging that wagon and determinedly making his way toward me. He was so concerned that he worked wonderfully hard to get to me. If I live to be one hundred, I suppose no memory of my brother will be more vivid than the view I had of him that day. I needed him desperately. And there he was, coming to help!

It had been fifty-two years since the Lord had commanded the Saints to build a temple in Nauvoo and warned that if they did not complete it within the allotted time, “your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.”

The Saints built the temple, but they were driven away and it was destroyed by the mobs.

Colonel Thomas L. Kane wrote: “They succeeded in parrying the last sword-thrust” of the mobs until “as a closing work, they placed on the entablature of the front …

“The House of the Lord:
“Built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Holiness to the Lord!
“… It was this day,” he wrote, that “saw the departure of the last elders, and the largest band that moved in one company together. The people of Iowa have told me, that from morning to night they passed westward like an endless procession. They did not seem greatly out of heart, they said; but, at the top of every hill before they disappeared, were to be seen looking back … on their abandoned homes, and the far-seen Temple and its glittering spire.”

The Saints disappeared beyond the western horizon, beyond Far West, where the cornerstones set seven years earlier were still in place—led by prophets and Apostles who held the keys of the priesthood and who carried in their minds the ordinances of the temple and the authority to administer the new and everlasting covenant.

Going to school has always been one of my big trials. But I made a goal last year that I would try and be as happy as possible at school. At first, it was very hard. But as I read the Book of Mormon, as I kept going to seminary, I was able to be happier and a better person.

The busiest day of the week at the Mackey house is “Terrible Tuesday.” That’s when Julia and Valerie help fold and bag the newspapers their brothers deliver. It’s also when they take piano lessons, along with Jill (14), Joseph (14), Orrin (12), and Trevor (11). The two girls have been playing for nearly two years, and they like it.
“They practice every morning and don’t ever complain,” their mom says. Another thing they do each morning is read scriptures at 5:30 with the rest of the family—at least, with all those who can read.

“My father’s family was driven from Mexico when he was fourteen years old. The men sent their women and children ahead by train, and they came later by horseback. On the way out of Mexico, Dad was nearly shot. He says he will never know why the man pointing the gun at him didn’t pull the trigger.
“When they arrived in Oakley, Idaho, the family had few material possessions; they didn’t have shoes or coats. A family meeting was held to see whether they should pay their tithing. They decided to do so. His family was always faithful to the Lord and my father has always been faithful too.”

“We’ll be having a special guest tonight at family home evening,” Dad announced at breakfast.
Daniel looked up in surprise. “Who’s coming over?” he asked.
“Someone you know a lot about,” Mom said. “A person you’ll be excited to meet!”
All day Daniel wondered who was coming to family home evening. Christmas was only a few days away. Maybe the special guest had something to do with Christmas.
Finally, the family gathered in the evening. Dad said, “Tonight Joseph Smith is going to be our special guest. His birthday is on December 23. As a family we’re going to role-play the story of Joseph Smith’s First Vision.”
Everyone collected props and costumes for their assigned roles. Daniel rehearsed his part with Dad while the others practiced with Mom. Soon they were ready.
Little Matthew was excited to play the role of Joseph Smith. Daniel and Elizabeth played Joseph’s family. Mom and Dad pretended to be preachers from different churches.
“Join our church and be saved!”
“No, come with us! We’re right!”
“The Bible says this!”
“But that’s not what it means!”
“Now, how do you think Joseph Smith felt?” Dad asked. “Do you think he might have wondered why the preachers all said different things and who was right?”
Daniel, Matthew, and Elizabeth all agreed that Joseph must have wondered about that.
Then Dad lit a candle. Daniel felt as if he were right there with Joseph Smith as Dad read from James 1:5 by candlelight, “‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.’” Then Dad started reading the story of the First Vision.
Matthew knelt down as if he were praying. Suddenly the light of a flashlight shone brightly on him, and Daniel reverently recited the lines Dad had helped him to memorize: “‘This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!’” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17).
Dad explained how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and told him that he should not join any of the churches then on the earth.
“The Lord chose Joseph Smith to be His prophet to restore the true Church of Jesus Christ to the earth,” Dad said. “Joseph faithfully carried out that mission.”
A few days later Daniel’s neighbor Andy came over to play. Daniel was still thinking about family home evening with Joseph Smith.
He turned to Andy and said, “I know a prophet who lived a long time ago—Joseph Smith. Do you know who he is?”

Some time ago I stood in Trafalgar Square in London and looked up at the statue of Lord Nelson. At the base of the column are his words uttered on the morning of the Battle of Trafalgar: “England expects every man to do his duty.” Lord Nelson was killed on that historic day in 1805, as were many others; but England was saved as a nation, and Britain became an empire.

Fifty-three years later, the New Era name was again revived. This time it was used on a product that achieved wider circulation and traveled many more miles than the previous New Eras’ combined production ever did.
Today the New Era is your magazine, produced under the direction of the First Presidency for the youth and young adults of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The New Era currently travels to more than 150,000 subscribers in some 75 countries.

Photograph courtesy of Libby M.
I was really inspired by Elder Dale G. Renlund’s talk, especially when he said, “Our absolute distance from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is important, but the direction we are heading is even more crucial.” Often I feel overwhelmed by all the things I need to change in my life, and Elder Renlund’s words reminded me that having the desire to come closer to God and working toward becoming who He wants me to be matters more than how far I am in that journey.
Libby M., 15, Maine, USA