Gospel Story Finder

Twenty-two years after our wedding and sealing, we had the blessing of returning to the same temple, but this time with our beautiful daughter, and we were sealed as a family for time and for all eternity.

Brother and Sister Harvey’s years of service haven’t come without challenges. They had to overcome some of the same obstacles that face all soon-to-be missionaries such as financial considerations, fear, finding the right opportunities, and family concerns.
Fear: In his journals (they have both kept journals since their first mission to Minneapolis) Brother Harvey wrote that he felt inadequate to preach the word, and Sister Harvey at times shared that sentiment. Their concern was, “Do I know enough?” she said. “We weren’t educated … and yet here we were stepping out in the world, trying to convert people. … It’s a big responsibility to represent the Lord.” Through their experiences, they have found that the Lord takes care of those who serve Him.

I’ve found that I allow more time for my family if I remind myself that playing with the children is church work. While I was mission president, I would often go to a beautiful amusement park with my family. I would just walk around the park with a smile on my face, holding hands with my children, eating candy.
Once in a while, the thought would enter my mind. “You’re the mission president. You’d better get back to the office.” But then I’d smile again and say to myself, “Well, I’m doing my church work here. I’m with my children and my wife. We’re having a fun day, and tonight I’ll be able to write in my journal that I did six hours of glorious church work today.” I’d eat a little more candy and let the children lead me wherever they wanted to go.

Oertli turned and looked back at the rapids. Another raft, the last of seven, was moving toward the head of the rapids. Oertli rowed to the slow water on the inside of a bend. He waved his arms at the other raft.
“Left, left,” he shouted.
His arms were wet, shining in the bright sunlight.
“He’s rowed here before a couple of times, but that’s a tricky spot. I told him about the two rocks. I hope he remembers.”
He wiped his hands on his legs.
“We’ll watch in case they run into trouble,” he said.
The other raft rose and dropped suddenly, vanishing below waves and then rising up again.
“He’s missed the first rock.”
Oertli stood on the supply box in the middle of the raft waving.
“Right, right,” he shouted. He stopped and stood silent. “He can’t hear me. He’s not rowing.”
A wave suddenly sprayed up in front of the other raft. Jerking back, it stopped, pinned against the rock. Water foamed around it in a wild swirl, tipping it forward. The current caught it, turned it, and pulled It from the rock and down the river, safe.
“Someone’s in the water,” Oertli yelled.
A small orange figure bobbed in front of the raft in white water.
“Row toward her,” Oertli yelled.
Small forms on the raft moved frantically. Out of control in the turbulence, the raft came sideways down the rapids, and the distance between it and the girl in the water grew as the river swept her downstream.
Oertli grabbed the oars again and rowed toward the shore.
“We’ll stop and pick her up when she comes by. If we pick her up now, she’ll be fine. She has her life jacket on, but the water’s cold.”
The shore came up fast.
“Doug, jump out and brake the raft with the rope when we get to the shore. The current’s strong here.”
Doug jumped into the water next to the shore, holding the rope, and fell. He braced himself. The rope grew taut and jerked him down into the water. He stood, getting his footing on slick rocks, then fell again.
The raft slowed and swung in against the shore. Doug stood and brought the raft to a stop.
“Get ready to push off when I say,” Oertli said. “This is why I make sure right at the first that everyone has a life jacket on and buckled. This is a good river. It’s safe, but you can never be too careful.”
He looked up the river. The girl was coming down fast.
“Get ready,” Oertli shouted.
The girl drifted closer.
“Now!” he yelled, grabbing the oars.
Doug pushed the raft into the current and jumped in. Pumping the oars in a rhythmic motion, Oertli brought the raft to the middle of the river. The girl drifted even with the raft about ten feet away. Someone threw her a rope. Oertli hit the water hard with the oars. The raft moved next to the girl and several hands pulled her from the water.
“Are you all right?” Oertli asked.
The girl nodded.
She was clenching her fists tight to her body, shivering. Water dripped from her hair down her face.
“Cold?” Oertli asked.
She nodded again.
“We’ll fix that,” he said.
“Doug, we’re going to pull in and stop.”
He pulled out a pile of waterproof bags and undid the straps on one. He unpacked a heavy wool sweater, a pair of pants, and a thick, down jacket.
“When we get to the shore, go back in the trees and put these on,” he said.
A few minutes later the girl returned.
“Are you okay now?”
She nodded.
“Warm enough?” Oertli asked smiling.
She managed a smile and nodded.
“I keep several sets of warm clothes just for this.”
He rowed to the fast current and leaned back, tipping his head up toward the sun. It was bright and hung low in the sky.
“We’ll be in camp in about an hour,” he said.

Like most mothers, I find myself continually stretching to meet the needs of my children. Watching them grow is an immeasurable joy, yet their need for love, affection, play, stories, teaching, bathing, feeding, and consoling is as constant as the ticking of the clock. In my busiest moments, I seem to have little time for self-renewal and personal peace.
Recently, while feeling consumed by constant demands, I sought relief in reading the New Testament account of Christ’s feeding of the 5,000. As the story unfolded, I saw how these scriptures related to mothering, and I was consoled in my moment of need.
At one point during His selfless ministry, the Lord learned of the brutal death of His servant John the Baptist. Jesus traveled shortly thereafter to “a desert place apart” (Matt. 14:13). But instead of finding solitude, He was met by a multitude seeking His healing and care.
Moved with compassion, Jesus postponed His moment of renewal and responded to their needs. Not only did He heal the sick, but He made sure all present were fed. Then after the multitude and His Apostles had departed, Jesus took His own leave “up into a mountain apart” (Matt. 14:23).
As I read these verses, I felt by the Spirit how much the Savior understands my trying moments. He knows the feeling of being surrounded by people in need, of having people follow Him from “out of the cities” all day and even into the night (Matt. 14:13; see also Mark 1:32–37). He experienced feeling physically spent during His earthly ministry. Surely, then, the Lord empathizes with my demanding role as a mother and is keenly aware of how my children’s outstretched arms and tearful eyes often delay my own restful intermissions.
As I basked in the impact of these verses, I pondered how Jesus, disregarding weariness and the late hour, lovingly provided a meal for His followers, putting their need for refreshment above His own. I found myself recalling times when, exhausted from caring for sick children and keeping up with a busy household, I nevertheless shuffled into the kitchen and lovingly prepared dinner for my husband. I was suddenly filled with the feeling that the Savior knew of my simple yet sometimes uneven expressions of love, and He approved of my efforts.
And then it occurred to me that Jesus was likely the last to leave the desert place. I thought to myself, He even knows what it feels like to be the last one out of the kitchen!
In retrospect, I have wondered what I was grasping for that busy day when I collapsed on the couch with my scriptures. I didn’t need physical help as much as I needed to know that the Savior understands my challenges. In poring over the scriptures, I not only reveled in the Savior’s empathy and love for the multitude, and thus for me, but I also increased my own love for Him and my empathy for His sacrifices in serving others.
My intermission had finally come, as it did for Christ when He “went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone” (Matt. 14:23). I was renewed both in my work as a mother and in my desire to become more like my Savior.

Have you noticed how our surroundings can influence our actions and affect our behavior? I recall, as a young college student, participating in a discussion with an instructor who made reference to research concerning the effects of environment on productivity in the workplace. He reported that some environments encouraged employees to work with greater energy and industry while other environments had an adverse effect. The thought that these seemingly simple things could have such an influence was of great interest to me.
He also spoke of an experiment conducted with a group of people sitting at a table ready to enjoy the meal that had been placed before them. Though each of the participants was hungry and expressed a desire to eat the food, their appetites were affected dramatically by changing the lighting in the room. Following a change in the lighting, many did not eat at all, others ate very little, and, surprisingly, none of the participants enjoyed the meal.
To think that appetizing food would lose its appeal simply because the room lighting had changed indicates the possible impact and influence of the environment on our behavior.

When a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy is called to be the president of a quorum and is left alone by his adult leaders, he might well flounder and fail. It is critically important that his adviser and others teach him how to be an effective president. To do this, the adviser, who has a major role to play, will not take over his responsibility but rather will coach him in order to help him grow in the office. One deacons quorum president must have been taught well by his adviser to have had the following experience:
A stake Aaronic Priesthood committee member attended one of the quorum meetings for several weeks in a row. One Sunday morning, he noticed a boy in attendance who had not been there before. To his dismay, this inactive boy was called on to offer one of the prayers. Anyone would know that the first time an inactive boy comes to priesthood meeting he should not be embarrassed by being asked to pray.
After the meeting, this high councilor asked the adviser why the president of the quorum would do such a foolish thing. The adviser said, “Why don’t you ask him?” When asked, the quorum president replied, “I just spent three days this week teaching him how to pray.” Sometimes these young people have a special touch which only peers seem to have. However, they do need to be taught well how to lead.

June 21: Dad rewarded me for each grasshopper I took out of the garden because he doesn’t want to hurt them. He says all of God’s creatures have feelings.
June 27: I let my grasshoppers go. I think they were homesick.

Getting sealed in the temple is very special. My family was sealed in the temple when I was nine years old. While we were in the temple, we were taught that we had to continue to live worthy if we wanted to be together forever. That teaching has stayed with me and motivated me to try my best to do what is right. I want to be with my family forever.
Betphina Mathipa, 15Potgietersrus, South Africa

“I remember observing one elderly sister learning how to read. I watched her wrinkled face and beautiful black eyes light up like the sun as she read the first words she had ever read in Spanish: eso, mesa, mama. This came only after a solid week and a half of learning to recognize and distinguish sounds. Now, finally, she was able to put them together into words, the most difficult task of all. Nothing in the world could equal the joy that radiated from her face and eyes as she slowly read those words. Nor could anything take away the joy I felt upon realizing that we were actually helping this woman. Someday, perhaps, she will be able to sit down and read and study the scriptures.
“I never realized before how lucky I really am to be who I am. How much I take for granted the gifts and talents I have. I had never considered that being able to read is a blessing, a gift, and a talent. It is all three! Why is it that we never realize this until the day we meet someone who is without? I know now that I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for this experience and awakening.”
Michelle SmithNovato, California

One young couple acknowledged that they should go to the temple, but they weren’t yet willing to attend the temple preparation seminars. They did allow their home teachers to come by weekly to teach them, however. Now the young man says, “I wasn’t rebellious. But I didn’t quite understand the gospel.” At one point he commented to his home teachers: “I know you have families and are busy. We appreciate your coming. We need your teaching.”

The young men and women of the Cannon Seventh Ward in Salt Lake City enjoyed a unique service project last October when they cleaned house for some ghosts. It started with a deserted, trash-cluttered barn and workshop on the one hand and a desire for a Halloween spook alley on the other. The young people decided that a family of spooks and their Halloween guests could be quite comfortable in the barn if it were cleaned out first, so they got together one day at noon and made the dust fly. The refuse, including, believe it or not, an old discarded Halloween mask, was dumped into burlap sacks and hauled away. The spook alley turned out to be as clean as any moderately tidy ghost could wish. The cobwebs, of course, were left where they were, except when occupied by spiders.

The youths watched with folded hands but unbowed heads as one of their members gave the opening prayer. They had to, or they’d miss what he was saying. No one could hear a word, partly because he wasn’t speaking and partly because they were all participants in the annual deaf youth workshop at Brigham Young University.

Communicate. A great way to prepare for marriage is to learn how to communicate with people. Don’t spend your life in front of the TV and video games. Learn how to carry on a conversation that lasts longer than a commercial break. Julie Rose says, “When Marc and I first got together and I would bring up a concern or problem, he would immediately try to rush in and fix everything. I know he was just trying to help, but I finally told him that what I really wanted was for him to listen and try to understand what I was feeling.”

He is not shy about sharing his love of temples with his friends from other religions. They like to watch him build, and as he works he quizzes them about temple facts. By now they know all the answers.

It was the first time I’d been able to drive my family’s car to work in weeks. When I pulled into the parking lot, I failed to notice how inappropriately fast I was driving. I thought a one-handed parking job would be rather impressive.
Crunch!
I was wrong.
The car next to me jolted from the impact.
“You just hit that car!” I yelled at myself.
My forehead sunk to the dashboard in despair. I felt like such an idiot.
Had anyone seen? I looked around but didn’t spot anybody. My heart was thumping in my chest. I threw open the door and ran around the front of my car to survey the damage. I examined the front bumper and right panel carefully but saw no sign anything had happened.
Then I turned and looked at the new Toyota Camry I had hit. On the left, back panel there was a small dent where some of the shiny green paint had come off.
I scanned the parking lot again. No one was around. I’d heard kids at school talking about dinging cars and just taking off. It happens to everyone.
“I could just leave, and no one would ever know,” I thought. “If it ends up costing very much I won’t have enough money to take my vacation to Europe in a couple of months. These people probably have tons of money anyway, and I’ve been waiting my whole life for this trip.”
I clutched my wad of keys and gave my predicament a little more thought. I could see my forehead wrinkled with indecision in the reflection of the car window. I took a deep breath and knew it didn’t matter that no one would know. I would know. I could take off and avoid having to pay for the damage I had caused, but I wouldn’t be able to escape denting my soul.
I took out my planner and a pen and wrote a note to stick on the car’s windshield.
“I’m sorry I hit your car. Here’s my name, number, and e-mail address. Please contact me so I can pay for the damage.”
I walked into work feeling sick to my stomach. If I’d done the right thing, why did I feel so awful?
The owners of the car called me that night. I felt embarrassed and angry at myself and almost choked when they told me it was going to cost $800 to get the panel replaced. How was that possible? It took me months to make that much money at my part-time job. I knew I could kiss my vacation plans good-bye.
Even though I felt horrible about what had happened, I never regretted my decision. It felt good to know my integrity was worth more to me than $800 and a little embarrassment.
I learned that honesty is sometimes just between Heavenly Father and me. Honesty is about doing the right thing when nobody is watching and then facing the uncomfortable consequences afterward. I could have escaped the monetary consequences of my mistake but not without cheapening my integrity. I know Heavenly Father is proud of me for keeping my soul dent-free.
By Allyson Taylor

Joël Topka, a 19-year-old member of the Akéikoi 1st Ward in the Abobo Cote d’Ivoire East Stake, has been admitted to the Nandjui Abrogoua University of Abobo, Abidjan to study natural sciences. Being accepted at the university and studying to become a teacher has always been Brother Joël’s dream. But the path to achieving this goal has been full of obstacles. “There have been many paths to travel and many rivers to cross,” he said.
Joël lost his mother at the age of 8 when he lived in Yopougon Sicobois, a sub-district of Abidjan with homes built with precarious materials. His mother had been a street sweeper and she raised him alone. They had been very poor, but happy. Upon the death of his mother, Joël’s father decided to withdraw any financial support for his son and Joël was taken in by his maternal grandfather, who was also destitute. He soon found himself alone without support, tossed from home to home. He eventually ended up living with a hospitable relative in Abobo, Cote d’Ivoire, but this relative also had very limited means.
Determined to continue his studies, he decided to work as a child wheelbarrow from the 5th grade until the 12th grade to ensure that he would have the funds necessary to further his education at the local private college in Abobo. Wheelbarrow children, wheelbarrow tanties or baggage tanties, are young children or teenagers who transport vendors goods within the traditional markets of Abidjan for small sums of money.
Joël worked during his off-hours from classes, public holidays, and vacations to earn as much money as possible. He worked very hard and was able to save enough money to cover his school expenses, and after having received his high school diploma, he was able to pay his initial entrance fees to the university.
The hard work was not the only sacrifice that he had to make. To save the necessary funds he often went without meals. “During recess at school, my friends went out to buy food, I didn’t. I told them that I had already eaten in the morning before coming to school. In reality, I couldn’t afford these meals,” he says with a little smile today.
There are still challenges ahead. Although his entry fees and initial tuition have been paid, he still must maintain his employment to assure that he can continue to meet his educational costs. He also has a desire to serve a mission.
“Paying my tithes and honoring the Sabbath has given me great strength. I do not lose hope and dream of being a teacher one day after my mission,” he said.
Joël’s resilience and determination has provided him with ability to overcome significant challenges at a very young age. His story teaches us some important things: that sacrifice and hope can overcome obstacles that stand before us in our lives.

In 1969, while working in a bookstore in Bayonne, France, Evelyne Pérez noticed two young men, well-dressed and polite, who came into the store occasionally. “One day they asked if I would put up a notice about the English course they were teaching,” she remembers. “They said they were missionaries. When they later came to my house for a discussion, I learned that they represented The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Most of what I had heard about Mormons wasn’t good. But a friend who had lived in South America told me, ‘The Mormons are the only church that respects Latin American culture. They don’t impose their own way of life.’ That impressed me.”
Evelyne began reading everything she could find about the Church. She learned of the plan of salvation and was much impressed with the Church’s welfare plan, which encourages a respect for personal dignity while helping recipients become independent.
But her first reading of the Book of Mormon was a disappointment. She had always been interested in pre-Columbian America, but what she read in the Book of Mormon “did not correspond with what I had previously learned. On the other hand, I found the teachings very worthwhile. Something led me to continue my research.”
The missionaries gave her some copies of L’Etoile (French). In its pages she met simple people leading clean lives. “Just to know that such people existed somewhere did me a lot of good. I was very much concerned about the world’s attacks on the family,” she remembers. Through general conference reports, she became acquainted with Church leaders and felt their teachings could have their source only in Jesus Christ. “That,” she says, “was a turning point in my conversion. I decided to follow the commandments, even though I was not ready to accept Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon.”
Her concerns and remaining questions were resolved as she read Jesus the Christ, The Articles of Faith, and the Doctrine and Covenants. Reading the New Testament with a new perspective, she found a phrase that applied directly to the people and the teachings she was studying: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (see Matt. 7:15–20).
As she prayed, her testimony and her love of Heavenly Father grew. With budding faith, she decided to read the Book of Mormon again—this time not as a history book but as a means of finding Jesus Christ. Her reading led to a desire to take upon herself the name of Christ through baptism.
Because Evelyne’s husband distrusted all churches, he refused to grant permission for her to be baptized. Her reaction was consistent with the gospel she had accepted: “I decided I shouldn’t try to change him, but to change myself and become a better Christian.
“Unfortunately we moved to Antibes, 700 kilometers away, and I lost contact with the Church for a while. But I felt a need to associate with people with the same faith I had, and eventually I located the mission office. I was able to attend some meetings, where I learned more about God’s love for all his children and the need for us to be tolerant and to forgive.”
Evelyne was delighted to become part of the branch: “I was received with much warmth and was impressed that while attending Relief Society meetings I never heard anyone criticize another sister.”
The year 1991 finally brought to harvest Evelyne’s growth toward Church membership. Her 20-year-old granddaughter, Vanessa, was at her home when the missionaries called. The young woman was invited to a social and soon began attending church. When Vanessa decided to be baptized and married, Evelyne obtained clearance from the mission president to be baptized. She was baptized in June 1991. Vanessa followed in July.
A few years ago Sister Pérez’s husband passed away. Not long before his death, he had expressed an interest in joining the Church.
Sister Pérez’s patience has been rewarded following her 22-year wait, but, as she explains, her harvest of Church service is far from over: “A conversion is never completely finished. There is always something to improve. But now I am sure of being on the right path. I am ready to accept whatever the Lord asks of me.”
In the years following her baptism and then the death of her husband, Sister Pérez has lived up to her commitment to serve by sharing her harvest of joy with others. She recently returned from serving full time in the England Bristol Mission.

One of my favorite troop meetings was visiting an airplane hangar. We even got to go into the cockpit of a real airplane!

Elder Stone served in the Spanish American Mission and after graduation from BYU went to work in Cincinnati, Ohio. On a visit home, he met Rosalie Erekson. After their first date, both felt good about each other. Nine days later they became engaged by telephone when he called Rosalie from Chicago between flights. They were married in February 1966 in the Salt Lake Temple.