Gospel Story Finder

Recently I returned home from a mission presidents’ interim seminar. We held meetings all day, and then I caught a plane home. By the time I arrived home I had been up about 17 hours. I changed into my sleep wear and climbed in bed beside my wife. We talked for a few moments; then the phone rang.
A boyhood friend, one I had known since first grade, was on the other end. “Brother Vaughn,” he said in a trembling voice, “my daughter is back in the hospital. She has had several major seizures. She has stopped breathing twice. She is on oxygen but seems to be failing fast.”
I asked if she had been administered to.
“No, we were hoping you could come and bless her.”
The physical body was tired. I felt I had earned the rest. I also felt my wife needed me, and the flesh wavered. However, the spirit knew precisely what was to be done. I said, “Joe, I will be there in about 30 minutes.” We live about a half an hour from the University of Utah Hospital.
I turned to my wife and asked her if she would like to go. This noble woman said yes. We both got up, dressed, and drove to the hospital.
I embraced this sweet friend that I had known for over 46 years. We found a little room, and along with family members we joined in a prayer of great faith.
Then Joe and I went to the intensive care room and gave his daughter a blessing. We pleaded with the Lord and had a sweet, peaceful assurance come over us that she was in his care. At the time, I wondered whether or not she would live through the blessing.
My sweet wife waited in the car. We drove home, and we were not tired or exhausted any more. We were deeply grateful to be worthy enough to be called upon. At the time of the writing of this article, Joe’s daughter is alive. She is a miracle.

But what of an existence beyond death? Is death the end of all? Robert Blatchford, in his book God and My Neighbor, attacked with vigor accepted Christian beliefs such as God, Christ, prayer, and particularly immortality. He boldly asserted that death was the end of our existence and that no one could prove otherwise. Then a surprising thing happened. His wall of skepticism suddenly crumbled to dust. He was left exposed and undefended. Slowly he began to feel his way back to the faith he had ridiculed and abandoned. What had caused this profound change in his outlook? His wife died. With a broken heart he went into the room where lay all that was mortal of her. He looked again at the face he loved so well. Coming out, he said to a friend: “It is she, and yet it is not she. Everything is changed. Something that was there before is taken away. She is not the same. What can be gone if it be not the soul?”

Later he wrote: “Death is not what some people imagine. It is only like going into another room. In that other room we shall find … the dear women and men and the sweet children we have loved and lost.”12

Del Norte Ward
The Primary children of the Del Norte Ward, Poway California Stake, were encouraged to do extra chores to earn money to purchase 100 copies of the Book of Mormon. Each child wrote or dictated his or her testimony to be pasted in a Book of Mormon. They also collected placemats and ribbons, which the girls sewed into scripture bags during an activity day. They put each Book of Mormon in a scripture bag, and the Primary president gave them to Primary children in Daveytown and Johannesburg, South Africa.

On the night of July 4, 2002, my friend and I attended our Book of Mormon institute class. We stayed after class talking until we noticed that it had gotten late. We began walking home around 10:15, and when we got to the place where we were to split up, we stopped and continued to talk.
Two men passed by and asked us what time it was, but we were so involved in our conversation that we barely heard them. Suddenly they came back. One of them threw his arms around me, putting a knife to my neck. Then he let me go and threatened my friend. The other man asked us for money, and when we said we didn’t have any, they were furious. They demanded our jackets and backpacks.
I had wanted this jacket for a long time and had finally been able to buy it a month before. And I loved my backpack, which my older brother had given me. My friend had homework assignments in her backpack that she needed to turn in. I was really scared—almost frozen in place. It was the first time I had ever been robbed.
Without hesitation we gave them our things. But suddenly I said, “Wait! Please let me take out my Book of Mormon! It’s the only thing of value I have.” The thief gave me a strange look and let me take it out. Then they fled.
I hugged the book and didn’t care about anything else. I felt peace because I had rescued this precious book from two criminals.

Thank you so much for “When Dad Doesn’t Believe” in the January 1995 issue. I really enjoyed that story because my mother and I are members of the Church, and my dad, brother, and sister aren’t. When I read that segment, I thought of my family and how I could make our life a little better. I love the New Era because it always seems to lift my spirits when I’m down.
Angela ChaseCrown Point, Indiana

“Some senior missionaries work in the mission office or with BYU–Pathway or humanitarian initiatives that have a well-defined structure,” a senior missionary noted. “We’ve served several of those types of missions ourselves. So we were a little uncertain when we were called to an MLS (member and leader support) mission. Once we got started, we really liked the flexibility and creativity that type of mission gave us to visit members and strengthen local branches.”

As soon as I was baptized, my mom helped me log on to FamilySearch, and we discovered that I am related to the first president of the Philippines! During sharing time at school, I shared this discovery. My teacher was amazed how I was able to know that.
Sharmaine S., age 8, Cavite, Philippines

The Relief Society General Presidency asked President Nelson what he would have them tell the sisters. He said please tell them that they are loved, that they are necessary to this work, and that they are precious.

In 1990, President Howard W. Hunter, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, delivered a message about the indispensable contributions of countless Church members who serve diligently and faithfully and who receive little or no public acknowledgment or acclaim.
President Hunter explained:
“It was said [about the young and valiant Captain Moroni]:
“‘If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men’ (Alma 48:17).
“What a compliment to a famous and powerful man. … Two verses later is a statement about Helaman and his brethren, who played a less conspicuous role than Moroni, that reads:
“‘Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni’ (Alma 48:19).”
President Hunter continued, “In other words, even though Helaman was not as noticeable or conspicuous as Moroni, he was as serviceable; that is, he was as helpful or useful as Moroni.”
President Hunter then counseled all of us to be no less serviceable. He said: “If you feel that much of what you do this year or in the years to come does not make you very famous, take heart. Most of the best people who ever lived weren’t very famous either. Serve and grow, faithfully and quietly.”

Eventually Elder Haleck’s whole family found the gospel. Elder Haleck had the privilege of baptizing his 80-year-old father and seeing his mother return to Church activity after 50 years of marriage.

I had an experience recently which further illustrates these principles. A father who was very wealthy asked if I could talk to his family. His daughter had recently been through a divorce. I went to see her and her children. Her father could have provided for all of their needs and cares, but he said it was time for them to live more modestly and to help support themselves, to be more self-sufficient, to be able to stand on their own. This experience is similar to the Lord’s asking His Father, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” for the family’s reaction was, “Why would Father do this now when we need him the most?” But you see, he was preparing them that they might be strengthened by providing for their own needs, so that when they did gain their inheritance, they would be able to endure to the end and remain self-sufficient.

There are times that we, as parents, must be able to cut our own children loose in order that they may learn to make decisions for themselves and have the strength to stand on their own.

A sister in New Mexico described trying to gain an understanding of a conference message: “I read and reread the talk, prayed often, and pondered upon its meaning. … The results were astonishing to me. I had always believed I was a child of God, but somewhere in this study process I gained a spiritual confirmation that this was true.”

There was a new boy on our bus getting teased. I asked him to come sit by us, and soon we were laughing and having fun together. Later that day, I realized it was a day of service for #LightTheWorld.
Daxton J., age 9, Utah, USA

Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants clarifies important aspects of the plan of salvation that were lost from the earth during the Apostasy. For many people, learning these restored truths for the first time is a memorable experience. This was the case for Connie, a convert from Richmond, Virginia, USA.
She recalls: “I had always seen God’s love when reading the Bible, but I could never find any church that taught it the way I understood it. When I had the missionary lesson on the plan of salvation, I felt so vindicated and a peace like I had never felt before. I thought to myself, ‘That is the Heavenly Father I know.’ Learning about the degrees of glory opened my mind so wide I could hardly contain my excitement to learn more.”

As soon as I was assigned to Gaeta, I sought out my relatives. When I showed my father’s older brother the portrait, he wept. He hadn’t seen his brother for years and had no pictures of him.
I taught my uncle that one day he would see his brother again—not in a portrait but in person. I taught him that through the gospel, he could live with his brother again in love and peace with the Savior.
I saw great miracles in Gaeta as I shared with family members the good news that because Jesus Christ overcame death, loss of loved ones is only temporary (see Mosiah 16:8). I testify that through His atoning sacrifice, the Savior has made it possible for our families to be gathered eternally.

A dear family friend passed away a few years ago. He and his wife enjoyed hiking together in the mountains. One fall afternoon, they hiked several miles up a steep mountainside to a beautiful waterfall. While descending the trail, several hikers making the climb upward asked the question, “Is it worth it?” Our friends’ reply was always in the affirmative. Later, they observed that the effort was worth it only if you enjoyed the fresh air, alpine beauty, exercise, and loving companionship.

In my growing-up years in Germany, I attended church in many different locations and circumstances—in humble back rooms, in impressive villas, and in very functional, modern chapels. All of these buildings had one important factor in common: the Spirit of God was present; the love of the Savior could be felt as we assembled as a branch or ward family.
The Zwickau chapel had an old air-driven organ. Every Sunday a young man was assigned to push up and down the sturdy lever that operated the bellows to make the organ work. Even before I was an Aaronic Priesthood bearer, I sometimes had the great privilege to assist in this important task.
While the congregation sang our beloved hymns of the Restoration, I pumped with all my strength so the organ would not run out of wind. The eyes of the organist unmistakably indicated whether I was doing fine or needed to increase my efforts quickly. I always felt honored by the importance of this duty and the trust that the organist had placed in me. It was a wonderful feeling of accomplishment to have a responsibility and to be part of this great work.
There was an additional benefit that came from this assignment: the bellows operator sat in a seat that offered a great view of a stained-glass window that beautified the front part of the chapel. The stained glass portrayed the First Vision, with Joseph Smith kneeling in the Sacred Grove, looking up toward heaven and into a pillar of light.
During the hymns of the congregation and even during talks and testimonies given by our members, I often looked at this depiction of a most sacred moment in world history. In my mind’s eye I saw Joseph receiving knowledge, witness, and divine instructions as he became a blessed instrument in the hand of our Heavenly Father.
I felt a special spirit while looking at the beautiful scene in this window picture of a believing young boy in a sacred grove who made a courageous decision to earnestly pray to our Heavenly Father, who listened and responded lovingly to him.
Here I was, a young boy in post–World War II Germany, living in a city in ruins, thousands of miles away from Palmyra in North America and more than a hundred years after the event actually took place. By the universal power of the Holy Ghost, I felt in my heart and in my mind that it was true, that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and heard Their voices. The Spirit of God comforted my soul at this young age with an assurance of the reality of this sacred moment that resulted in the beginning of a worldwide movement destined to “roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth” (D&C 65:2). I believed Joseph Smith’s testimony of that glorious experience in the Sacred Grove then, and I know it now. God has spoken to mankind again!

“I had been given the assignment to give a family home evening lesson, and as I was thumbing through the manual looking for a lesson, I noticed that there was one special lesson for husbands and wives only. I decided that next Monday would be a special family night for Mom and Dad. My sister and I fixed them a candlelight dinner, and then we quietly went downstairs for our own family night while leaving the manual with Mom and Dad with a bookmark in the appropriate spot.”

BRIGHAM H. ROBERTS (Born 1857, Warrington, England; died 1933, Salt Lake City; member, First Council of the Seventy.) Mother and younger sister emigrated 1865; he and older sister came following year. Worked as farm hand, in mining camps, as blacksmith before graduating from Deseret University at 21. Taught school; drifted into journalism. Served two missions to Southern States. Went to Britain as assistant editor Millennial Star. Served as President of Eastern States Mission. Elected to Congress but denied seat due to plural marriage. Extremely prolific Church writer. Was famed orator and brilliant analyst of Church doctrine. Regarded as one of the great minds of the Church.

Michael Auras from Germany learned important lessons about gospel priorities after he strayed as a youth. “So many good things and relationships exist in the gospel, but only faith in Jesus Christ will sustain our testimonies,” he explains. “My father and I both faltered in our faith for a season with various questions but returned when we based our faith in Jesus Christ above everything else.”