Gospel Story Finder

They don’t get chased by dogs or have companions. They don’t write letters home on preparation days because they still live at home, in Pleasant Grove, Utah. But the Willeys—Anthony, 18, Elizabeth, 16, and Kristina, 14—are still missionaries, music missionaries, actually. They were set apart in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.
“When I was set apart,” Elizabeth says grinning, “I was told, ‘Now you’re the youngest sister missionary.’ It made me feel special.” And she enjoyed being the youngest sister missionary until a year or so later when her little sister Kristina was set apart and took over as the youngest.
As music missionaries, Anthony, Elizabeth, and Kristina can share the gospel without ever opening their mouths. Anthony says music missionaries can reach people that regular missionaries might not be able to.
“Music reaches people who wouldn’t hear about the Church any other way. It isn’t like knocking on a door and going into someone’s house; it’s more subtle,” he says.
Elizabeth says, “People listening to good music will feel the Spirit, and when they feel the Spirit, they’re willing to learn more.”
So do the Willeys lug their violins, violas, and basses from door to door playing inspirational music for people? Not exactly. If you’ve ever seen a Church music broadcast or attended one on Temple Square, you’ve probably seen how Anthony, Elizabeth, and Kristina share the gospel through music. They are some of the youngest members of the Orchestra at Temple Square.
Being so young compared to the other members of the orchestra doesn’t bother these teens a bit. They actually love it. Elizabeth says, “Even though there are only a few members under 20 in the orchestra, I feel like I fit in. I think it’s great because there isn’t any goofing off. Everyone had to work so hard to get here.”
How did they get to be in such a prestigious orchestra at such a young age? “Lots and lots of practice,” Anthony says.
To be in the Orchestra at Temple Square you have to be one of the top musicians in the Church, able to play whatever difficult piece might be put in front of you. And it’s a huge time commitment.
Kristina says, “Being a part of the Orchestra at Temple Square is my favorite thing I’ve ever done, but it’s been a sacrifice. It’s hard to find time for homework and friends because we have to practice every day and rehearse several times a week.”
But Anthony, Elizabeth, and Kristina all say the hard work is worth it.
“It’s neat to be able to see the audience’s reaction when we perform,” Elizabeth says. “The Spirit is always there. It makes me feel like all my hard work has paid off.”
The teens’ mom and dad go to their concerts and sit up in the balcony where they can see all their children. Their mother, Denise, says, “When the music gets going, the Spirit sweeps over me and over the whole audience.”
The beautiful music the orchestra plays on Temple Square helps many people feel the Spirit. After the concerts are over, members of the audience can learn more about the Church from the full-time and Church service missionaries standing at the doors.
Anthony loves the missionary opportunities that being a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square has given him. “Being a member of the orchestra has made me want to be a better person,” he says, “and it has prepared me to be a better full-time missionary.”
Anthony, Elizabeth, and Kristina are not the only members of their family involved in music. Their younger siblings Alexander, Catherine, and Rebekah (also pictured above) have also been playing instruments nearly as long as they’ve been able to walk. The Willeys agree that music helps bind their family together. They also say that good music can bless everyone’s life, whether they play an instrument or not. Elizabeth says, “Anyone can enjoy music on some level. You don’t have to be a professional musician.”
Anthony says, “There are lots of opportunities for teens to learn music. You can sing in a ward youth choir or join your school band, choir, or orchestra.”
Alexander, 13, says listening to good music helps him with his schoolwork. He says, “Listening to Mozart before a test can help you perform well. Good music can clear your mind so you can learn or remember things better.”
Kristina listens to uplifting music when she’s sad because it makes her feel better. She says, “Good music can invite the Spirit. It’s like a prayer” (see D&C 25:12).

Despite our best efforts to raise children who love the Lord, follow His commandments, and live happy, productive, and healthy lives, our sons and daughters sometimes go astray. Straying can mean involvement in drug abuse, criminal activity, immorality, and even abuse of parents and others. Other forms of drifting, perhaps less serious but nevertheless troubling, include underachieving, dropping out of school, and finding little purpose or happiness in life.
Typical parental reactions include sorrow, despair, desperation, depression, feelings of guilt and unworthiness, and a sense of failure. In such circumstances, parents may also experience anger and withdrawal and may feel like simply giving up. These reactions usually make matters worse, deepening the problems they face.
My wife and I have friends who, because of their son’s behavior, have suffered almost every emotion identified above. The past five or six years have been a hideous nightmare for them. They have tried every possible approach, even placing their son in expensive rehabilitation programs in which he typically lasts only a week, despite his good intentions.
The father shared his lament and his hope in these words: “There is no how-to book for parents with young people like our son. You pray to the Lord that He will guide your thoughts and your actions, and you hope you will make wise decisions.” He and his wife, firm in their faith, declare: “We have the ultimate hope that because he has been sealed to us in the temple, the bonds of eternal covenants will be stronger than the bonds of the adversary that now seem to grip his life. We live with hope that the day will come when he will return to his eternal family and repent of his way of life.”
Our friends represent thousands of others in similar circumstances who are meeting challenges almost beyond their capacity to endure. Trials of parenthood are most often associated with children’s growing-up years, but these challenges can arise with children of any age. As parents, we don’t cease our concerns when our children reach adulthood.

When the Fayette Branch of the Church moved to Kirtland, Ohio, Porter went with them. However, his stay there was short. Porter was sent with the first group of Saints to Jackson County, Missouri, the intended central gathering place for members of the Church. The elders often met at Porter’s home to discuss ways of protecting the Saints from the lawless Missouri mobs who were persecuting them.
While he was in Missouri, Porter became a crack marksman with a gun. And he made several trips to Liberty Jail to take food and comfort to Joseph Smith and his counselors when they had been illegally jailed.

I remember how I felt forty-one years ago when I was taken from a train in Europe at 2:00 a.m. by two soldiers of a hostile nation and held against my will. I was verbally and physically abused. I felt I would never see my family or my country again. I assure you that while I was held captive, the blood coursed through my veins like adrenaline. Though the captivity lasted less than a day, it seemed like an eternity. And when I was put on another train and sent back to safety, my gratitude to the Lord knew no bounds. I was free! As I talked to the train conductor, I learned that hundreds had not been so lucky.

Another time I was in a distant city. After a conference we were ordaining and setting apart leaders. As we concluded, the stake president asked, “Can we ordain a young man to be an elder who is leaving for the mission field?” The answer, of course, was yes.

As the young man came forward, he motioned for three brethren to follow and stand in for his ordination.

I noticed on the back row a carbon copy of this boy, and I asked, “Is that your father?”

The young man said, “Yes.”

I said, “Your father will ordain you.”

And he protested, “But I’ve already asked another brother to ordain me.”

And I said, “Young man, your father will ordain you, and you’ll live to thank the Lord for this day.”

Then the father came forward.

Thank goodness he was an elder. Had he not been, he soon could have been! In the military they would call that a battlefield commission. Sometimes such things are done in the Church.

The father did not know how to ordain his son. I put my arm around him and coached him through the ordinance. When he was finished, the young man was an elder. Then something wonderful happened. Completely changed, the father and son embraced. It was obvious that had never happened before.

The father, through his tears, said, “I didn’t get to ordain my other boys.”

Think how much more was accomplished than if another had ordained him, even an Apostle.

I am a professional ballet teacher. I teach talented young dancers in my studio. Before I was a ballet teacher, I was a professional dancer. I even danced for presidents and leaders from all over the world.
I love helping my students improve their ballet skills. I enjoy taking them to the ballet to watch others perform. I love to choreograph dances. I also like traveling around the country to teach.
First I had to learn how to dance. I practiced many hours a day. I learned the basic techniques and the history of ballet. I also learned the right posture and positions for each dance step. Soon I started helping my teachers. Then I became a teacher myself. Sometimes I even let my students make mistakes so they can learn from them.
Teaching ballet is the best job in the world. I use the talents Heavenly Father has given me to help other dancers discover their gifts. Then I encourage my students to share their talents with others. Heavenly Father wants us to find our talents, use them, and share them with as many people as we can.

I am the deacons quorum president in my ward. I stayed after church with two friends to tidy up, emptying trash and putting up chairs. After we were done, we started to walk home.
It was a hot, sunny day. As we were walking home, a woman called to us from her doorway. She asked if we were missionaries. We said we were not. She said, “But you are Mormons, aren’t you?” We told her that we were and asked what we could do for her. She told us that her husband was very ill and they were heading to California the next day for surgery on some blood clots in his lungs. She asked us to come in and wondered if we could give a prayer. One of the other deacons said that if she meant a priesthood blessing, then we were not able to do that. The lady asked if we could at least give a prayer. I said that would be fine and that we would. I felt nervous about saying a prayer in a stranger’s home, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. I then offered a prayer. I prayed for this man’s safety and comfort and that he would feel better after his operation. The family thanked us, and we went home.
I really felt like the Holy Ghost was with us and helped us know what to do. Even though we don’t yet have the Melchizedek Priesthood and cannot give priesthood blessings, we were still able to help this family. When I got home I told my parents what had happened. We decided that the family probably did want and need a priesthood blessing.
I called the bishop and told him the story. He thanked me for what we had done. The bishop called the high priests group leader and sent him to check on the family. The sick man was given a priesthood blessing, and the family was very grateful.
One of the high priests called me later and asked if I could please organize the deacons to mow the family’s lawn. Since they were leaving town for the operation, they needed our help with their lawn. I would check on the lawn to see if it needed to be mowed and get the deacons together when it did.
This was one of the neatest and most spiritual experiences I have ever had. Our bishop said he thinks the Lord placed us in the right place at the right time for someone to show her faith and for the young men to respond as the Lord has designed (see D&C 84:111). He said this is an awesome example of the Aaronic Priesthood in action.
I will remember this experience for a long time. It helps me remember that I need to be an example of Christ at all times and in all places (see Mosiah 18:9). I could be called upon at any time to help or serve others, whether they are members of the Church or not. I don’t know if this family will ask more about the Church. I do know that they will remember that when they asked us to help them, we were able to give comfort and hope. It feels good to help others in any way I can!

The Gándolas feel blessed to live near places where important events in Church history happened. They especially love the Hill Cumorah Pageant. “We almost didn’t go this year,” Shawn’s mom says, “because we were leaving on vacation the next morning and we had so much to do.” But the children couldn’t stand to miss the pageant! They pitched in, hurrying with their chores, and when the pageant started that night, they were there.

Shawn has a testimony that Jesus Christ lives, because he has felt the Spirit calming his fears. When he was much younger and taking swimming lessons, he knew that soon he’d have to jump off the diving board. It scared him, so the day before swimming lessons he prayed about it. After jumping off the diving board, he told his mom, “Prayer works!”

Shawn’s testimony of prayer has continued to grow. When he was in the hospital, ready to have surgery to remove his appendix, he was nervous. He wanted a priesthood blessing, but his dad was out of town. Members from the ward came to give him a blessing, and afterward he felt peace.

Shawn has what it takes to feel peace all the time: a strong testimony. Whether he’s making his own toys, building a fort out of leaves, or creating happiness in a disappointing situation, he’s bound to share what he has with everyone around him.

On an evening in November 1999, when our family home evening was finished and we were going to bed, my mother said, “Don’t forget that next Sunday is fast Sunday, OK?”
I asked her if we were going to fast as a family for a specific purpose.
“I don’t know yet,” she replied.
Suddenly, I felt impressed to fast and pray to prepare to receive my patriarchal blessing.
At 10:00 P.M. I had not been able to go to sleep, so I went to my parents’ room. I felt there was something I had to do that night. My mother told me to read for a while and she would turn out my light later. I went back to my room, picked up a school textbook, and started to read. I found some information I needed for a school assignment that was due the next day, information I had not found in my other books.
When I finished the assignment, it was about 11:00 P.M. I placed the book and the assignment on the desk and went to bed. But even though my body and mind were tired, my spirit was uneasy. I lifted my head a little and noticed that the very wrinkled first page of a First Presidency Message was sticking out from a pile of books. I retrieved the November 1995 A Liahona (Portuguese) and started reading “Serving the Lord and Resisting the Devil” by President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. The last section of the message was entitled “Fasting and Prayer.”
After finishing the article, I promised myself I would pray and fast about my patriarchal blessing. Then I placed the magazine on the desk and again tried to sleep—but to no avail. So I picked up A Liahona again and turned the page. “My Miracle” was the title of the very next article. I was touched when I realized this article was a young woman’s experience of receiving her patriarchal blessing. She said it is necessary to pray and fast in order to prepare ourselves spiritually for a patriarchal blessing.
I had spoken to my bishop before about receiving my blessing, and he felt I should wait. After I read the young woman’s message, I understood the reason for his reply. I had not fasted or even prayed about this matter. After finishing the article, I knelt and prayed fervently to my Heavenly Father. For the first time in my life, I felt the presence of the Holy Ghost. After this prayer, I put the magazine away and was able to sleep.
I prayed and waited anxiously all week. On Sunday I fasted, and I went to see the bishop. After hearing about my experience, he said, “I think you’re ready for your patriarchal blessing.” It made me very happy to know that the Lord wanted me to learn about fasting and prayer—and to prepare spiritually for my blessing.
I know the Lord loves us. He gives us patriarchal blessings to guide us.

In the early years of our marriage, my wife and I traveled as often as possible from our small northern Arizona community to the temple in Mesa. These temple trips always uplifted us spiritually and provided a needed diversion—an opportunity to forget about the difficulties of living on my meager income in our tiny, cramped home with three children.
Occasionally after attending temple sessions, we entertained ourselves by going on what we jokingly called “coveting expeditions,” driving around in wealthy neighborhoods, fascinated by the large, beautiful homes. We imagined what it would be like to live in that kind of luxury, knowing we would never be able to afford such extravagance.
Although they began as enjoyable fantasies, these trips sometimes left us with a vague feeling of frustration and restlessness. At the time, we didn’t think we were coveting, since we were not so consumed with desire for one of these homes that we would steal or commit a major sin to get it. Yet we discovered that we were vulnerable to the spirit of covetousness. Although what we were doing was really quite harmless, what we were feeling was rather uncomfortable. The words of the Lord from Mount Sinai came to mind: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s” (Ex. 20:17; emphasis added).
Obviously, covetousness can be more than looking greedily upon the material possessions of others and desiring to have them for ourselves. It also may be an excessive desire for things that will satisfy our egos: physical attractiveness, power and influence, even the reputation for wisdom and goodness. It may also be too firm an attachment to things that are already ours. The Lord commanded Martin Harris, “Thou shalt not covet thine own property.” Instead, he was to “impart it freely” to further the work of the Lord, who had blessed him with it (D&C 19:26).
It may be that this commandment has even greater relevance in today’s materialistic world than it did in Moses’ day or even in the early years of the Restoration. In our modern society, which urges people to satisfy their every desire, obedience to the 10th commandment affords us spiritual and temporal protection from the effects of a host of other evils. For example, when we faithfully abstain from covetousness, we will not fall into the traps of adultery or theft, for we will be free of the unrighteous desires that precede those sins. Thus, the commandment “Thou shalt not covet” is intrinsically related to many other commandments.
The Lord’s condemnation of covetousness is perhaps most closely related to the commandment “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). In coveting, we are judging something to be more important and dear to us than God or obedience to his counsel. In this sense, covetousness is a form of idolatry (see Col. 3:5). It may not involve pagan worship or graven images in the religious sense, but it certainly includes having our “hearts … set so much upon the things of this world” and “the honors of men” (D&C 121:35) that we are in danger of forgetting about eternal, celestial objectives. Unrighteous covetousness creates divided loyalties that prevent complete consecration and total devotion to God and his kingdom.
With his eternal perspective, the Savior taught:
“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” (Matt. 6:19–20).
He added, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other” (Matt. 6:24). When we wish to be among the Savior’s own, yet cling covetously to the things of the world, we let those worldly things become our masters and we soon become blinded to their impact on our lives.
As with all of God’s commandments, “Thou shalt not covet” is evidence of the Lord’s love and mercy and his desire to protect us from the painful consequences of sin. Even though it may seem comparatively innocent at first and free from the obvious dangers associated with other types of wickedness, coveting can become a monumental problem. President Ezra Taft Benson said materialism—one version of covetousness—is “one of the real plagues of our generation” (“To the Single Adult Brethren of the Church,” Ensign, May 1988, 53).
This plague distracts us from that which alone brings fulfillment and peace—obtaining and keeping in our lives the influence of the Holy Ghost. “Obsession with riches … cankers and destroys,” President Gordon B. Hinckley declared (“Thou Shalt Not Covet,” Tambuli, February 1991, 6). Often the cankering of the soul and the destruction of our spiritual powers that stem from materialism, greed, jealousy, and envy are so slow that we may not even recognize them in ourselves until other, more serious problems appear.
Furthermore, obtaining whatever worldly thing we covet never brings an end to our desires. The spirit of coveting always drives us to want more. Covetousness, envy, jealousy, and greed always escalate into a vicious spiral, as we seek greater and greater gratification but find less and less contentment.
My wife and I learned a valuable lesson about this several years ago when we had the opportunity to build a new home. During the months of planning and building, an interesting phenomenon occurred. Even though we were blessed to have a nicer home with more comforts than we had ever had before, rather than being content, we began looking for ways to acquire more. We had to have new furniture for the room in which we entertained guests so we could put the old furniture in a room they would not visit as often. But our old TV didn’t go well with the new furniture, so we had to have a new TV. Our “needs” began to escalate.
We finally came to our senses and realized we had succumbed to temptations we had thought would never afflict us. First, we allowed Satan to help us rationalize our desire for worldly gain so that it appeared justifiable, even noble; and second, we sacrificed our happiness and peace of mind in an attempt to acquire the things of the world. We found that when “all we’ve ever wanted” is fundamentally the temporal trappings of this world, we always want more than we have.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin cautioned:
“Satan knows our weaknesses. He puts attractive snares on our paths at just those moments when we are most vulnerable. … Sin may result from activities that begin innocently or that are perfectly legitimate in moderation, but in excess, they can cause us to veer from the straight and narrow path to our destruction. …
“[One] temptation [that may] detour us is placing improper emphasis on the obtaining of material possessions. For example, we may build a beautiful, spacious home that is far larger than we need. We may spend far too much to decorate, furnish, and landscape it. And even if we are blessed enough to afford such luxury, we may be misdirecting resources that could be better used to build the kingdom of God or to feed and clothe our needy brothers and sisters” (“The Straight and Narrow Way,” Ensign, November 1990, 65; emphasis added).
In addition to protecting us from sin, obedience to the 10th commandment can offer us blessings that come from increasing our charity, making our service more productive, and developing greater compassion. These traits—all opposites of covetousness—can blossom in our lives when we do as the Lord has commanded in this dispensation: “See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires” (D&C 88:123; emphasis added).
This command to lay aside our covetous desires for worldly things directs us onto the path of true discipleship. A heart filled with covetousness has no room for the all-consuming love of God required for exaltation.
An episode in the life of the Master demonstrates this principle. When a young man asked the Savior what he might do to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded by briefly reviewing all the commandments. The young man replied that he had kept those from his youth.
“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
“And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:21–22).
This rich young man, despite his obedience to the other commandments, was so attached to his temporal assets that they blocked his path to discipleship. It was not his riches that precluded him from the blessings and rewards of following the Savior but the honor and stature with which he regarded the things of the world. Jesus commented to his disciples, “How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:24). His disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” (Mark 10:26). Jesus then declared that for people who trust in riches, salvation is impossible, but it is not impossible for those who trust in God and leave all for his sake; for such people, all things are possible (see Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 10:26).
The scriptures speak of a righteous striving that can be as intense as any unrighteous desire to obtain the things we covet. This righteous effort occurs when we in wisdom and balance diligently seek that which leads to eternal life. “Do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy,” the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob admonished. “Come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness” (2 Ne. 9:51; see also Isa. 55:1–3).
After covetousness is rooted out of our lives, we can replace the old longings for earthly goods and passions with dedicated strivings for the treasures of heaven. Jacob characterized this as seeking first the kingdom of God. He also taught the best use of the worldly riches so many people seek:
“Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
“But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
“And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:17–19).
There is a great need today to supplement God’s ancient command from Sinai—“Thou shalt not covet”—with the commandment given to Latter-day Saints: “Keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion;
“Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall ye be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich” (D&C 6:6–7).
Purging from our hearts the covetousness of the world and replacing worldly desires with a strong, fully motivating love of God (see Deut. 6:5) can prepare us to receive the blessings promised by the Lord when he gave the Ten Commandments to Moses:
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
“And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:5–6).

I knew a wonderful gentleman not too many years ago who helps to illustrate this universal principle of cultural myopia. I first met him in Singapore when I was assigned to be his family’s home teacher. A distinguished professor of Sanskrit and Tamil, he hailed from the south of India. His wonderful wife and two sons were members of the Church, but he had never joined nor listened much to the teachings of the gospel. He was happy with the way his wife and sons were developing and supported them fully in their undertakings and Church responsibilities.

When I offered to teach him the principles of the gospel and share our beliefs with him, he initially balked. It took me a while to figure out why: he felt that by so doing, he would become a traitor to his past, his people, and his history! To his way of thinking, he would be denying everything he was, everything his family had taught him to be, his very Indian heritage. Over the next few months, we were able to talk about these issues. I was awed (though not surprised!) by how the gospel of Jesus Christ was able to open his eyes to a different viewpoint.

So what happened to my friend? Well, he was taught the lessons and joined the Church. His family has since been sealed for time and all eternity in the Sydney Australia Temple. He has given up little—and gained the potential for everything. He discovered that he can still celebrate his history, still be proud of his ancestry, his music and dance and literature, his food, his land and its people. He has found that there is no problem incorporating the best of his local culture into the greatest of all cultures. He discovered that bringing that which is consistent with truth and righteousness from his old life into his new one serves only to enhance his fellowship with the Saints and to assist in uniting all as one in the society of heaven.

Pablo knows the importance of missionary work. He tries to be a missionary at school by being a good example to his friends. He has told them what it’s like to be a Church member. He has shared the Articles of Faith with one particular friend, given him several pamphlets, and invited him to church. Pablo has a testimony of the Word of Wisdom and has told his schoolteachers that coffee and smoking are not good for them.
Also a good example to his friends, Hugo tries to “live the way Jesus would want me to by being kind to others.” In school, Hugo enjoys reading and mathematics, especially multiplication. Language classes in Dutch, French, and English are an important part of the school’s curriculum. Pablo is also studying Latin. Spanish is important in their lives, too, because their father is from a small village in northern Spain. Their mother is of Belgian and Italian descent.
The boys help with the household chores. They try their best to keep their rooms clean. Setting the table, cleaning the bathtub, and taking the silverware out of the dishwasher keep Hugo busy. Pablo cleans the bathroom sink, vacuums, and feeds the family cat, Mustache.
The boys have fun playing rugby, riding bikes, roller-skating, watching TV, and playing board games together. They also have their own interests. Hugo is involved in fencing. Pablo has already earned his orange belt in judo and is now learning techniques for the green belt.
Music is an important part of Pablo’s life. His talent was quickly recognized by his family when he began playing the Church hymns on the violin by ear! He enjoys playing “Come, Come, Ye Saints” and “I Am a Child of God.” He has performed violin solos in sacrament meeting.
The Varela family attends the Louise Ward, Brussels Belgium Stake, where Sister Varela teaches the Gospel Doctrine class, Brother Varela teaches a weekly religion class for the youth, Pedro teaches a youth Sunday School class, and Diego works in the meetinghouse library. Pablo greets the children at the door in Primary and keeps his Valiant classroom in order by putting materials away. Hugo is preparing for his baptism by learning the Articles of Faith, studying about Jesus Christ, and being reverent in his CTR class. “I Am a Child of God” is his favorite song.
Pablo enjoys family home evening because “we are all together.” He likes it when everyone sits around the table with their scriptures and has a turn reading. Hugo also likes to read the scriptures with the family, especially when his parents ask questions afterward. If someone answers a question correctly, he or she is rewarded with sweets.
At family night the Varelas often read about members of the Church in the Church magazines, then locate where those members live on a world map. Hugo likes to help find the locations, mark them, and then link them with pieces of yarn. Those locations may be far from the Varelas’ Belgian town, but the Varelas know the Church and the gospel connect them to those members in faraway places.
So what do these two young brothers do to build the Church and the gospel in their part of the world? Hugo brings joy to others because he is happy, full of smiles, and eager to help. Pablo enriches others’ lives with his spirituality, sensitivity to the scriptures, musical talents, and awareness of people’s feelings.

President Heber J. Grant tells of a different type of reward that comes from trusting in the Lord. When he was a young man, he heard his bishop in a fast meeting, which was then held on Thursdays (in the early days, we held our fast meetings on Thursdays), make a strong appeal for donations. At that time President Grant had $50 in his pocket which he intended to deposit in the bank. But he was so impressed by his bishop’s appeal that he tendered the whole $50 to the bishop. The bishop took $5 and handed him back $45, stating that $5 was his full share. Then President Grant replied, “Bishop Wooley, by what right do you rob me of putting the Lord in my debt? Didn’t you preach here today that the Lord rewards fourfold? My mother is a widow and she needs two hundred dollars.”

“My boy,” queried the bishop, “do you believe that if I take this other forty-five dollars you will get your two hundred dollars quicker?”

“Certainly,” replied President Grant.

Now here was an expression of trust in the Lord which the bishop could not withstand. He took the remaining $45.

President Grant testified that on his way back to work, “an idea popped” into his head, acting upon which he made $218.50. Speaking on this incident years later, he said, “Someone will say that it would have happened anyway.

“I do not think it would have happened. I do not think I would have got the idea.

“I am a firm believer that the Lord opens up the windows of heaven when we do our duty financially and pours out blessings upon us of a spiritual nature, which are of far greater value than temporal things. But I believe He also gives us blessings of a temporal nature.” (Improvement Era 42:457.)

Allow me to share some of these miraculous blessings from letters and accounts I have received over the past four years. A humble couple from Idaho met fear with faith when the Lord called them to Russia. They wrote the following acceptance letter: “No one would have imagined we would be called to this assignment. We have no idea how we will learn the language or manage to be of service, and although we accept with much trepidation, going completely on faith, we know that the Lord and His prophet know more than we do where we should serve.” Ten months later the Stockholm Sweden Temple welcomed 30 Saints from a small branch in Russia led by this couple from Idaho who had barely begun to learn the Russian language. The scriptures tell us, “God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles.” Thus, God’s work is carried out by His children: “That faith also might increase in the earth. … That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.”

These events seemed quite unimportant to us then. Even today few attach any significance to them. I, like others, just acknowledged them as part of my adviser’s experience and merely shared them with my family. I realized how important they are, however, when my wife and I later attended the American Fork High School graduation ceremonies. They were held in the community tabernacle, and an estimated 1,200 people attended.
During the program Scott Squires, an articulate senior class president, began to address the audience. He described the graduating class as a group who dreamed important dreams and cared about important things. As an example of their character he described the events of the tournament game in which Scott participated, telling that members of the graduating class were those who cared unselfishly. He was not from our ward and was a witness because his ward’s team was to play a later game. He obviously was impressed because he retold the story weeks after it happened. Unwittingly he made Scott’s gift available to more people because of his telling. Now, many others were to be uplifted.
I tried to gauge the reaction of the audience to this story, but found I could not get a clear indication of what they thought. Afterwards, though, standing on the lawn talking with friends, more than once I heard comments about “that nice story.” Scott’s gifts to us were carried beyond our quorum and ward to our community. As I rode home that night, I reviewed all that has happened this last year and knew how great his gifts have been.

Young members like Ferrán Silvestre are representative of the up-and-coming generation of Barcelona Saints. Ferrán finally joined the Church at age twenty, although his parents had been baptized when he was twelve. When two missionaries gained Ferrán’s trust, he listened to the discussions. Those sessions, along with his study of the Book of Mormon, brought him an undeniable spiritual confirmation of the truth of the gospel.

After spending a year in compulsory military service, Ferrán still wanted to go on a mission, although by then he was in his mid-twenties. He has now returned from a mission to Washington, D.C., which he describes as “the greatest experience of my life.”

In the Gospel of John, the Savior taught, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”1 When I was 19, I met two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on my way home one evening. After three months of meeting with them, they invited me to enter the waters of baptism. Since then, my life has changed forever! Today, we have more than 67,000 full-time missionaries around the world working day in and day out to invite people to come unto Christ by accepting the baptismal covenant. Though there were over 230,000 convert baptisms in 2018,2 compared to the world population, this is a very small flock!3

An early lesson in honesty was taught a boy many years ago by his father. When he was just a young lad, he went to the store owned by his father and two business partners and, wanting a pocketknife, proceeded to take one from the display case. Word got to the boy’s father. The father took the lad back to the case and had him replace the knife. Then he pointed out that he had two other partners in the business, and two-thirds of the pocketknife belonged to them. It was not the boy’s privilege, as his son, to take anything from the company because it was not all his. This father was honest and upright in his dealings; he was a man of integrity. When he made a bargain or a deal, he kept it regardless of what the cost to him might be. His reputation was for fairness with people. To him this attribute was more important than money.

Trials can motivate us to grow and progress, as the life of Florence Chukwurah of Lagos, Nigeria, illustrates. In her youth, Sister Chukwurah worked tirelessly to overcome the financial distress in which her family lived. “I determined to break from poverty by seeking God earnestly,” she recalls. “I decided to be obedient to my parents and to older people. I decided to be serious with my schoolwork. And I made up my mind to work hard with my hands.” Through great effort and determination, she was able to help care for her family and to pursue an education, eventually earning nursing and midwifery degrees. Even greater than her desire for material success was her longing to have a family anchored to the Savior and his teachings. She and her husband, who shared her spiritual hunger, prayed diligently to find the truth. When they were finally introduced to the Church, they knew their prayers had been answered.
Today, Sister Chukwurah is grateful for the blessings that came as she struggled with her difficulties. “The Lord heard my prayers,” she testifies. “He understood my struggles and my search for a bright and happy future. He crowned my efforts with blessings too many for me to express. Since I have joined the Church, I wake up with peace in my heart. I sing in my heart all the time” (“Florence Chukwurah: The Miracle of Change,” Liahona, June 1996, 12).

Emmanuel introduced his younger brother, Stephen Abu (their last names differ because of Ghanaian traditions in naming children), to the gospel while Stephen was visiting in Accra. After his baptism, Stephen returned to Abomosu, their isolated home village, and began to “organize” his own family, as he says, teaching them the gospel. His teaching extended to friends, and when missionaries were finally sent to the village, there was a group of people waiting to be baptized.
From that beginning came the Abomosu Ghana District, which now has more than 600 members. With two branches in the village, Latter-day Saints are a significant portion of the population. Two miles up the road, a new meetinghouse is under construction for the branch in Sankobenase.