Gospel Story Finder

“A person who is born in Israel is also called a sabra,” Hannah continued, “and is like this sabra—prickly, sometimes hard on the outside, but inside tender and sweet. You were not born in Israel and neither was I. I came here from England when I was eighteen. I married here, but my husband was killed in the fighting. I was lonely and homesick for the pleasant green of England, but I wanted to serve Israel just as your parents want to, so I stayed here and learned to be a sabra. You must learn this too.

Following service in the Portugal Lisbon Mission, Elder Teixeira joined the Portuguese Air Force and was stationed in Oeiras as part of a NATO international unit. While there, he was called as the Church’s public affairs director for the country. At a training meeting, he met the Lisbon stake’s public affairs coordinator, Filomena Lopes Teles Grilo, who also lived in Oeiras. They were married in the Bern Switzerland Temple on June 5, 1984, and are the parents of two sons and one daughter.

“Wow!” Ana said. “Look at all the stars.” Everyone in Ana’s family looked up from the campfire. It seemed like there were millions of stars in the dark sky.
“Just think,” Mom said, “each of those stars is one of Heavenly Father’s creations.”
“Let’s each name one of our favorite things that Heavenly Father has created for us,” Dad suggested.
“I know,” Daniel said quickly. “I like those huge waves we saw at the ocean last year.”
Ana didn’t know what to choose. She thought about the warm sun, the bright moon, and sweet-smelling flowers. Then she remembered how much she loved all kinds of soft, furry animals. “Animals!” she said.
Ana started to shiver, so Dad wrapped a blanket around her. “After Heavenly Father created all these beautiful things for His children, He saw that they were good,” Dad said.
Ana had a warm, happy feeling inside. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and looked back up at the stars. “Thank you, Heavenly Father,” she whispered.

Victor was born three months premature. As a result, he has several disabilities and was unable to walk until he was seven years old.
I was born three months premature Doctors were saying that I probably could not do anything, but my mother was always trying to find different sources to help me. For years, I received different treatments, but I still couldn’t walk.
Finally, my mother found a treatment that could possibly help me start walking. She decided before doing that to ask the missionaries to give me a blessing. After I received the blessing, we went to the doctor. The treatment was just different physical exercises. Eventually, after doing those exercises, I started walking.

Most of you have never heard of Old Folks Day. It was a unique Utah Mormon institution. It began in 1875, when Charles R. Savage, the pioneer photographer, persuaded Presiding Bishop Edward Hunter to declare a day for honoring what we now call senior citizens. The first Old Folks Day transported guests by rail to an outing at Saltair, west of Salt Lake City. A monument honoring that celebration and its founder stands on the southeast corner of Temple Square.
The annual Old Folks Day celebrations were held in nearly every community in Utah. Travel, refreshments, and entertainment were given to all citizens seventy years of age and older. Although this holiday was conducted by the leaders and members of this Church, it was stipulated that “there are none to be excluded because of their religion, and the oldest guest present is the special guest of the occasion whether they be white or black or whatever the complexion of their religious belief” (quoted in Joseph Heinerman, “The Old Folks Day: A Unique Utah Tradition,” Utah Historical Quarterly, Spring 1985, p. 158).
The committee directing these celebrations was dissolved in 1970, and the responsibility for honoring those who had come to be called senior citizens was passed to the stake presidents of the Church. Since that time we have had further increases in the number of senior citizens in our midst, but perhaps not significant increases in the amount of honor accorded them. Fortunately, the advances in medical science that have produced increased longevity have also increased our senior citizens’ effective participation in church, community, business, and social events. But the need for honor, especially for our fathers and our mothers, is undiminished.

Since the original discovery of magnetotactic bacteria at Woods Hole, several different species from both fresh water and marine environments have been found, all of which swim toward the north. At the latitudes where these bacteria have been discovered, however, the magnetic field lines of the earth also point downward, as well as north. Scientists thus speculate that one purpose of bacterial compasses is to help their owners locate their favorite mud sediments, since a bacterium in water is too small to tell up from down on the basis of gravity alone. So there is further speculation that if magnetotactic bacteria exist in the southern hemisphere, they may have a reversed polarity and swim in a southerly direction that would also take them down to the mud sediments in that hemisphere. This may well prove to be the case, for Dr. Blakemore and his colleagues have recently subjected north-seeking bacteria to a strong magnectic field oriented opposite to their swimming direction and actually produced south-seeking bacteria.

Age 60
Mayor
First counselor in bishopric
The tsunami that struck Samoa in September 2009 took my grandson. It took my sister’s son. I lost my home, two cars, and almost everything I owned. Nearly our entire village is moving into the hills so that this doesn’t happen again.
I know God loves those who survived because, through the Church, He has given us new homes, food, and water. I know He loves those who did not survive because, through His power, we can be together again. We have been blessed.

Many of us regularly “go, and do … likewise” when we dispatch our surplus clothing to Deseret Industries. In 1996, over 8.5 million pounds of clothing were sorted and distributed to those in great need. Much clothing has been sent to needy populations in Russia—coats to provide warmth in freezing weather; gloves to prevent frostbite; dresses, shirts, and sweaters. A Russian official wrote, “We do thank God and each one of you for the great help you have been to our people.”

As the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is now being embraced around the world, we are all pioneers in our own sphere and circumstance. It was in the turmoil of post–World War II Germany when my family first learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. George Albert Smith (1870–1951) was the President then. I was only a young child, and we had lost all material belongings twice within only seven years. We were refugees with an uncertain future. However, during those same seven years, we gained more than any amount of money could ever buy. We found a supernal refuge, a place of defense from despair: the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church, led by a true and living prophet.
The good news that Jesus Christ has made the perfect Atonement for mankind, redeeming all from the grave and rewarding each individual according to his or her works, was the healing power which brought hope and peace back into my life.

A teacher in the Kalispell Third Ward, Kalispell Montana Stake, was honored as the outstanding eighth grade boy at the Kalispell Junior High School awards assembly last spring. Mark Conrad received the Bob Daley Award from Mrs. Garland Daley in recognition of his scholarship, participation in school activities, and ability to inspire others. He is a straight A student; has excelled in baseball, basketball, and track; and plays trumpet in the stage and concert bands. The award is given each year in memory of Bob Daley, a former KJHS student who died in 1972 of a brain tumor.

In Chile, in order to go to college, you have to take a university placement test. I wanted to study engineering at a university that was far from where I lived. It would be very expensive, so my goal was to get the highest score possible on the placement test so I could earn a scholarship for outstanding exam scores.
I knew where and what I wanted to study, and I knew what I would have to do to make it happen. I started preparing for the test. I studied, read, and reviewed the material, but on the practice tests, I still wasn’t getting the score I needed. I turned to my Heavenly Father in prayer and asked Him for greater intelligence and to enlighten my understanding so I could reach my goal. I prayed for this daily for an entire year. I went to special preparation classes at my school, and I enrolled in classes at an institution that was geared toward preparing for the exam.
I kept up my daily scripture study, and I never missed a day of seminary. I fulfilled all my Aaronic Priesthood assignments and never studied on Sundays, no matter how desperate the situation was. I knew Sunday is the Lord’s day, and I wanted to respect it in the way my parents had taught me. I knew I couldn’t afford to deprive myself of the blessings Heavenly Father had for me, especially when I most needed them. Despite all this, I wasn’t getting the score I needed on my practice tests.
My family and I prayed and fasted, and my dad gave me a blessing. With this spiritual preparation and my other preparation, I took the test. Not only did I end up with the score I needed, but I exceeded my goal, scoring one of the highest percentages possible in the math section. I received the scholarships and benefits I needed, and I was able to study at the university I chose.
From the time I was young, I learned that if I did everything I could and took care of my spiritual responsibilities first, then Heavenly Father would bless me. Things might not always work out the way we expect them to, but God will take care of us. I know it’s only with His help that all things are possible.
The author lives in Cautín Province, Chile.

One powerful way to study them is by searching the scriptures to learn about the blessings that come from obedience, as this young adult did:
“When I study about a commandment, I like to read all the scriptures I can find about it and make a list of the blessings Heavenly Father promises for my obedience. Learning more about promised blessings has strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father loves me and wants to bless me.”

After college, I taught at Brigham Young University for a few years. Then I started my own business. In my business, it was important for me to know what was going on in the world, so I got in the habit of reading several newspapers. And I always started my day by reading them. Of course, I read my scriptures during the day too.
Recently, however, I began to read the scriptures before I read anything else. What joy and satisfaction has come from reading the scriptures first! It not only begins the day right, but throughout the day I’ll find myself using a scripture or scripture story I read that morning, especially as I talk about the gospel.

“This painting is about a group of sailors who find themselves lost and confused after a storm, but the lighthouse shines to help guide them. It shows that as we ‘arise and shine forth’ by following our Savior’s example, then we can be guiding lights like the lighthouse.

“The storm and rough waters symbolize the challenges and trials we go through in life, and the sailors represent those we journey through life with. Through the red of the coat worn by the sailor on the right, I wanted to symbolize that Christ is with us and that, if we let Him, He can be the captain of our boat to guide us throughout our lives.”

Thirteen-year-old Henry Sanderson, on his way from Connecticut to Nauvoo, was not sure if he was riding a railroad train or a boat on wheels.
This was September of 1842, and Pennsylvania’s forests were becoming dotted with the reds and golds of autumn. To cross the Allegheny Mountains, Henry boarded a train with his parents and two younger sisters. It had a steam engine like a normal train, but the passenger cars were boats on train wheels. Near the mountain summit, trainmen unhooked the engine and snapped a cable to the cars. A motor at the top wound the cable and pulled the train cars up. At the summit men released the cars and let them coast down the other side of the mountains for miles without any engine at all. Then, for Henry’s final train-boat adventure, trainmen removed the wheels and put the boat-cars into a canal. Horses on a tow path beside the canal pulled Henry’s boat-car to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Henry knew his stay in Pittsburgh would be short, only for one winter. His parents, James and Mary Jane Sanderson, had converted to Mormonism a few months before the train trip and had decided to move to Nauvoo. Henry felt glad to move because boys in his neighborhood in Norwalk, Connecticut, had made fun of him after his parents became Mormons. At Pittsburgh, Henry helped his father do shoemaker’s work, a skill Henry had learned from him.

(107) After receiving treatment for a minor injury, David A. Bednar’s son offers similar treatment to his friends.

I just want to say that the Mormonad “Just Looking” (Feb. 2009) is fantastic—a startling comparison to the dangers of pornography and other traps. I wish you could make that image into a T-shirt. I avoid pornography like the plague, but now I want to avoid it even more. This poster reminds me of President Boyd K. Packer’s talk “Spiritual Crocodiles” (Oct. 2001).
Robert A., Utah

Bitsy poked her head through the hole in the side of the old shed and sniffed. It smelled like spring, yet snow was falling. Giant snowflakes dissolved as they hit the ground. She knew by the smell and feel of the air that it would snow all night. At the same time she could hear the melting snow dripping from the roof.
Her four kittens mewed and squirmed. They were getting hungry, but Bitsy was too worried about the water seeping into the shed to be concerned about their empty tummies. The kittens were too small to follow her out into the snow to find a safer home.
Pulling her head back inside the shed, Bitsy pushed her kittens with her nose into the highest corner of the nest she had made in some old hay. Then she darted out into the stormy night. She ran up the hill to the farmhouse. The girl would help her.
Bitsy jumped onto the kitchen windowsill. She batted against the window again and again with her paw, yowling loudly. When she heard the girl’s footsteps, she meowed happily and jumped down.
“Bitsy, you hush!” the girl whispered angrily as she opened the door. Relenting, she stooped and patted the cat’s silky head. “Dad thinks I spoil you,” the girl added in a kindlier voice. “He says you can’t come in the house because only spoiled, fancy cats are house cats—and a barn cat like you belongs outside.” She patted Bitsy once more, then closed the door.
Bitsy crept back down the hill. The girl wouldn’t help her. She would have to find a way to save her kittens herself.
The kittens were crying loudly when Bitsy crawled back inside the old shed. Now the water was covering most of the floor! One of her babies had fallen into it already. She had to act now!
Bitsy carefully picked up the wet, shivering kitten. She went back out into the snowstorm and headed for the barn. They would be warm and safe there. But when Bitsy reached the barn, she found the door securely latched.
The mother cat struggled on past the barn and the woodpile to the old chicken coop. She remembered a hole in one end large enough for a cat to enter.
When Bitsy reached the chicken coop, she saw a new, pine-scented board nailed over the hole.
The small mother was nearly covered with snow. She was wet clear to her belly from wading through the cold slush. So many snowflakes were on her eyebrows that it was hard for her to see. The kitten hanging from her jaws was a sorry, wet, furry lump. His mewing was but a tiny sound now.
Bitsy retraced her footprints past the woodpile and the barn. She started back up the hill to the farmhouse. Gently she set the soaked kitten on the back doorstep, then raced back down the hill to the shed. She made three more trips up and down the slush-covered hill, carrying her crying babies to the farmhouse. Then she jumped to the windowsill and clawed the window again and again.
When the girl opened the door, Bitsy stood over her babies, yowling pitifully.
The girl couldn’t believe her eyes. “Why did you bring your kittens out in this storm, Bitsy? You should be ashamed!”
She quickly reached for her jacket and a flashlight hanging on the wall inside. Then she found an old towel and pulled on her boots. Closing the door, the girl knelt down on the porch and filled the towel with the wet, crying kittens. “I guess Dad was right—I have spoiled you. But you can’t come into the house. You have to learn.” Bitsy watched as the girl gathered the towel by its corners and started down the hill with the kittens. Bitsy yowled furiously and tangled herself around the girl’s feet.
“Bitsy, look out! You’ll trip me!” The girl stopped and glared at her, then continued down the hill.
Desperately the mother cat ran ahead to the hole under the shed. She hissed and arched her back, lashing her tail back and forth in warning.
The girl wasn’t afraid of the cat. She brushed the cat aside and opened the door. Stepping inside she heard the water splash against her boots. The girl quickly shined the flashlight around the room.
“Oh, Bitsy!” she cried. “You aren’t spoiled—you needed my help.”
Back outside she shifted the towel full of kittens and the flashlight to one hand, and then closed the door. Stooping down the girl picked up Bitsy and hugged her. “Next time I’ll listen to you.”
Bitsy purred softly as the girl carried them all back to the warm, dry farmhouse.

Hans let his light shine brightly, even through hard times.

When he was six years old, he fell and broke his arm. That accident became a great blessing. His mom was planning to move to the United States and leave Hans in Ecuador with her sister for a time. “But when he broke his arm,” she says, “I realized Heavenly Father was telling me not to leave my son. If I did, he wouldn’t be able to go to church.”

That’s when Hans’s mother, Antonia Yolanda Nieto, was baptized. Since that time, her testimony has continued to grow. She has received her endowment in the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple. Hans was the missionary who brought his mother to the light of the gospel.

Before I started kindergarten, I made a goal to learn how to tie my shoes. I practiced every day. Whenever I notice a classmate with untied laces, I offer to help them. I am thankful that I can use my talents to help my friends, like Jesus did.
Creighton D., age 5, Indiana, USA