Gospel Story Finder

Among those many thousands of pioneers were the great-great-grandparents of my wife, Paula. Hans and Maren Rasmussen were prosperous farmers when they accepted the restored gospel in Denmark. They responded eagerly and obediently to the call to come to Zion. After selling their farm, they paid their tithing, made a substantial contribution to the Perpetual Emigration Fund, and then equipped and funded themselves and about 30 other Danish Saints for the journey to Salt Lake City. With a covered wagon, they joined one of the two wagon trains accompanying the ill-fated Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. But they had started their journey too late in the summer of 1856. Among their several children were two-year-old twin girls. Soon after they got started, one of these little girls, named Christina—and known as Stina—came down with a simple childhood infection. She was unable to be treated on the trail and died in June 1856. As if this tragedy were not enough, three months later they were caught in the early and ferocious snow- and windstorms that caused so much terrible suffering for all in the Willie and Martin Companies. They also lost almost all of their goods.

Shortly after arriving in Salt Lake City, the Rasmussens were called to go south and help settle the pioneer community of Ephraim. Soon thereafter they were sent further south to help settle the community of Richfield, where they lived in a dugout. A year later they were sent back to Ephraim.

Here Hans and Maren Rasmussen established their home by digging a dugout to which was added a two-room adobe house later and which was the home where this onetime rich young Danish convert couple spent the remainder of their lives. Here they raised their family, and though they never enjoyed even the luxury of a cookstove, they often gave expression to their joy of having been found worthy to make these sacrifices and to live among the Saints of latter days. They often said they would gladly do it all over again if necessary to enjoy the blessings of their deep testimony of the gospel.

I have to admit, summer came as a much-anticipated relief for me this year. I don’t hate school. In fact, I usually love school. But my sophomore year of high school was harder than I’d ever imagined.
The homework load grew and grew all year. The classes were hard, and all of the extra activities that come with high school were making it difficult for me to find time for everything. It stressed me out, and I was always busy. I felt like I never had time to have fun anymore or to see my friends. I felt lonely and depressed.
One night, I got home from babysitting, and I felt overwhelmed. I couldn’t stop crying. I pulled out my patriarchal blessing. As I read through it, a phrase caught my eye over and over. My blessing promised me that I would be blessed with peace in my heart as I went through hard times.
Before I could stop myself, the thought entered my mind, “Then how come I don’t feel peace right now?” Immediately the answer came: “Why haven’t you asked for it?”
I knelt down and prayed, pouring my heart out like I’d never done before. As I knelt there before my Father in Heaven, I felt the peace that He had promised swell in my heart. I felt love and peace and hope, and I knew that I could never be alone because He would always be there. He understands perfectly, and I can always turn to Him.
Even though the problems didn’t just go away, my life did get better. I felt more in control and never without help or misunderstood.

KAYLENE: When I was younger, I went through some experiences that will affect me the rest of my life. There was a moment in the temple last semester when I was really caught up in my thoughts. I was prompted to turn to a scripture in Matthew 9:22 that states, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” All those feelings of guilt, shame, and heartache faded away and I knew that I had received His mercy and He would remember them no more. That moment helped me to realize how important temples are and it renewed my faith in the future. His mercy is full of love and hope.

The temple is a place that I can truly talk one-on-one with my Savior. A few years ago, my uncle passed away and my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I was angry with God even though I didn't know it. After a few months, I went to the temple and talked with God about my struggles. The Lord whispered sweet words of comfort to me and that he has a plan for me and for all of His children.

In these experiences, I felt God’s mercy and love when I needed Him the most.

For my father, some of his clearest heavenly communication comes in the middle of the night when something stirs his soul awake and over the next hour, he receives ideas about what he should do or, at times, counsel he should share with his family. For me, my prayers are often best when I address my Father in Heaven while doing the dishes at the end of the day. Because I am standing, I am not likely to fall asleep, and this time at the kitchen sink has become a holy time when others are doing homework or getting ready for bed. It is a time when I can reflect on the day that is coming to a close and think about how my family and I have been blessed and what things we need tomorrow.

For you, doing dishes may not be a prime time for conversing with the Lord. So, when do you hear the Lord most clearly? In the morning? In the evening? When you take a break from a particularly vexing homework assignment? When you are out for a walk or run? Or, as Sister Brenda Summers shared in last week’s devotional, you might hear the Lord when you record in your journal how you have seen the hand of the Lord in your life.

Not long ago we invited two sister missionaries over for lunch. After we finished eating, we asked them to leave a spiritual thought with us. They were well prepared and introduced a scripture reading and marking exercise to us. They had brought a fresh copy of the Book of Mormon and a set of colored pencils. We accepted the invitation of the missionaries. Since then, our daily Book of Mormon family scripture reading has changed. In every chapter we mark with different colors the passages related to Jesus Christ as we discover them. Every time, this little exercise reminds us of our missionaries.
When the missionaries presented this, we immediately recognized it as a scripture study exercise suggested in Preach My Gospel. As a family, we are so thankful for this great and powerful missionary tool.

Her brother Carlton Collins, from the Junction Branch, one of the few youth who went on the trip, explained that a week before he knew that he was attending, he faced a lot of discouragement from friends. Carlton explained that he realized that the devil wanted to rob him of the experience he would have at the temple. He said that at the end of the trip, his testimony and resolve to serve the Lord had been strengthened.

Often our family counseled together in family home evening. On one occasion, we were concerned about some of the music our children were playing. We opened the scriptures and also read the words from our prophet from conference. We wrote down on paper some of the words in their songs and asked how they felt about them. One said he had not heard the words. Another said the words felt really bad. We then asked what we should do? Without any help from us, they decided to throw the music away. But one said, "We paid a lot of money for these tapes." However they quickly came together deciding this music should not be in our home.

Some time ago I watched a soccer game in which the favored team, the Lions, was expected to beat the Pumas, a team that hadn’t done very well during the season. The two teams had played against each other earlier in the year, and the Pumas had been badly beaten. Everyone expected this particular game to be the same, although fan support was about evenly divided between the two teams. But then an incident on the field involving two players seemed to turn the crowd against the Lions. From that point on, more than 15,000 fans excitedly cheered the Pumas to a winning score.
A cheering section can make a difference in life.

After losing her husband, Elder Bruce D. Porter, a General Authority Seventy, to a pulmonary infection in December 2016, Sister Susan Porter found herself alone at their home in Bountiful, Utah, USA.
For the nearly two years prior to his passing, she traveled and served alongside him as he served as president of the Europe East Area.
As a new widow, she prayed for guidance. One day she saw a painting of the Savior talking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (see John 4:6–26). She felt the Spirit’s prompting to likewise “sit at the feet of the Savior and learn, and He will teach you.”
Sister Porter strived to draw closer to the Savior, and the Holy Ghost comforted her and led her forward.
“I know I was carried,” she said. “I had strength and peace beyond my own.”

In a Sunday School class once, we discussed Moses’ reported failure to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in providing water for the children of Israel. Our teacher, a former stake president, tried to explain to the class that we sometimes put our leaders in a “difficult” position when we give them undue praise for their performance. Many class members were puzzled: how could that be a problem? But I knew. So I shared with them a recent humbling experience.
I had been asked to speak at our stake Laurel standards night. As I began thinking and praying about this assignment, I felt inspiration come to me several times through the day, and in the still of the night, I began putting it all together. When I thought the talk was complete—all I needed for the time allotted me—I suddenly seemed to recall a great flood of information from talks and articles on the subject. Speaking quietly to the Lord, I said, “Heavenly Father, I believe you are giving me too much material, I have only thirty minutes to talk.”
Then came the clear instruction to my mind, “Write it all down, then read it aloud and time yourself.”
“That’s a good idea,” I thought. I did it, and to my great surprise, the talk came to thirty minutes. I had such a good feeling that I could have leaped around the room—I was prepared!
But the day before the Laurel standards night, I felt that I should prepare myself spiritually to give the message, and that evening, I began to fast. The next afternoon, I went to my room and began going over the talk. To my surprise, I just couldn’t put it together mentally. “What should I do?” I said in panic to the Lord. “I’m afraid I’ll be reading most of this, and if I do, everyone’s attention will be on me instead of the message you want me to give them.”
Then, very strongly, the thought came into my mind, “Leave it home.”
I resisted this. “I just can’t do that. You know what a terrible memory I have.”
Again came the thought, “Leave it home.”
Frightened, I pleaded, “Remember when I was a Primary president and stood up to give a talk and no words came? That was a terrible experience. Don’t let me go through that again.”
But again, I felt impressed by the Spirit to “leave it home,” so I relented saying, “If I do this, I will have to rely completely on thy help.” And again came the calm assurance of the Spirit that I should leave my talk at home.
That evening as I went out the door, I carried only a handkerchief. And as I glanced up at my bedroom window, I felt literally faint. Once in the chapel, waiting for the meeting to begin, I again tried putting the talk together. I just didn’t have it. I began to panic and then to pray, and immediately felt the comforting assurance that the Lord was there.
When the time came, I walked to the podium with complete assurance and gave all thirty minutes of that talk. I could hardly believe it. This was a marvelous spiritual experience.
When the meeting was over, several people came up to me and paid me glowing compliments. I literally couldn’t force myself to say thank you, and after I stammered through an awkward acknowledgement a few times, I looked around for an exit. I wanted to go home. I could not take credit for what had happened.
Looking back on the experience, the thought has come to me that perhaps the kindest thing any of us can say to someone whose words have impressed us is, “Thanks for that inspired message” or “I felt the Spirit of the Lord in your address tonight”—otherwise we lead them into temptation.

When I reached marriageable age, I got to know my future husband was from Mumbai. Since Mumbai is a large city, I imagined that my life there might include a comfortable home with a garden, flowers, and a balcony. As it was an arranged marriage, I accepted God’s will and married him. Soon afterward, I had to say goodbye to my family, which was exceedingly difficult for me. Many emotions and thoughts filled my heart as I left my home.
After arriving in Mumbai, I was surprised to find that my husband and I lived in a slum in an exceedingly small and overcrowded house where even fresh air could barely pass through. Married life began with many challenges. I did not know the local language, Hindi, which made communication exceedingly difficult. Every day, I had to walk two hundred meters to fetch water and carry it home in vessels. My husband left for work early in the morning at 7:00 a.m. and returned late at night around 9:00 p.m. every day. I spent my days doing household chores from morning until night. During this difficult period, I gradually stopped praying and studying the scriptures. Life became increasingly challenging, and my husband did not follow the Word of Wisdom or attend church regularly. Many trials and afflictions arose, and I began to feel abandoned and wondered why God had brought me there.
One Sunday during a Bible study at church, I turned the pages of the Bible and read Proverbs 3:1–2, which teaches that obedience brings peace and long life. As I studied these verses, my heart was filled with the Spirit, and I felt a burning feeling within me that brought tears to my eyes. I began to reflect on the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Though He suffered many trials and was falsely accused, He never forgot God. Even in His last moments, He obeyed Heavenly Father. Though He lived a sinless life, He fulfilled the Father’s will by sacrificing His life so that we might return to our Heavenly Father.
Through His Atonement, we are given the opportunity to repent and strive to obey Him. I understood that obedience truly brings peace and happiness. From that time onward, I began praying again, studying the scriptures, and living the gospel through obedience. Gradually, I helped my husband through the gospel to keep the Word of Wisdom, participate in family prayer, and live Christ’s teachings. Later, I was blessed with two children, which brought great peace and joy into my life. My husband lovingly cared for me during and after my pregnancies. As our children grew, we taught them the importance of obeying the gospel.

Looking back, I see that my life in the ghetto was difficult and that a person could make it harder by making wrong choices. There was little opportunity for progression. But I wanted something worth living for. When the opportunity came to leave the ghetto with part of my family, I decided this was my chance.
Many of the girls I grew up with never left the ghetto. I could not have made it without following the desires of my heart and trusting in my Father above to lead me. I was blessed with the chance to leave the ghetto, be baptized a member of this church, gain an education, and fulfill a mission. I know Heavenly Father loves us all and is mindful of our circumstances, no matter where we are. He desires above all things that we find true happiness.

The light shining in your faces comes from the Lord. This same light led the way for 15-year-old Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her 13-year-old sister, Caroline, on a dark day in Independence, Missouri.
It was 1833, and an angry mob roared through the streets of Independence, wreaking havoc. In their path was the home of Brother William W. Phelps, where the printing press was kept. He had been printing revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith. The mob demolished the printing press and threw the wreckage into the street. However, they stacked up the printed pages in the yard so they could burn them later.
Mary Elizabeth and Caroline had been hiding by the fence, frightened spectators to all this destruction. Even though Mary Elizabeth was terrified, her eye was fixed on those precious pages. She and her sister ran out from their hiding place, gathered up the scriptures, and bolted. Some members of the mob saw them and ordered them to stop. But the brave girls ran into a large cornfield, where they dropped breathlessly to the ground. They carefully laid the pages of revelations between the tall rows of corn and then covered the pages by lying on them. The mobsters looked and looked for the girls, coming quite close at times, but never did find them. Eventually they gave up their search.
I believe the light of the Lord directed Mary Elizabeth and Caroline as to what to do and where to go for safety. That light shines for you, and it will guide you as it did the Rollins girls. It will keep you safe even when danger lurks.

Stories from Church magazines are inspiring, but inspiring stories of hope are all around us. Recently, I talked with my colleague, Erin Frederick who last Spring shattered her tibia, the bone just below the knee. Always active, Erin suddenly couldn’t walk. True to her determined spirit, she came to work as soon as she was able, teaching in a wheelchair. During the days of final exams, she suffered an embolism, or blood clot that nearly killed her. After recovering from that, she was determined to do all in her power to help herself heal. She yearns for the day when she will again hike in the mountains. With her determination, fed by hope, I am confident she will.

But this isn’t even half of Erin’s story of hope. About nine years ago, her husband Matt suffered a massive stroke at age 47. Before his stroke, Matt was intelligent, successful, engaging and healthy. After the stroke, doctors doubted he would live. When he survived, they predicted he would never be able to read. Erin and her family were devastated, but neither they nor Matt lost hope. Recovery was painfully slow, yet largely through the help and love of others, small miracles helped Matt progress. To show his love and support, Clayton Hubner, former faculty member at BYU-Hawaii, and a long-time friend of the Fredericks, called Matt about every two weeks, carrying on a somewhat one-way conversation since Matt couldn’t respond. Sometime during their first two years in Hawaii, Matt’s brother-in-law came to visit. While here, he read a simple novel and offered to read it out loud to Matt. He left the book with Matt and challenged him to read it. This small act of love sparked a ray of hope in Matt, who had been a voracious reader before his stroke. For two months, Matt read the first two pages over and over again. Gradually, he could read more. Eight months later he proudly pronounced that he had finished the book. Since then, Matt has made remarkable progress. He recently traveled alone to the mainland, navigating two separate flight changes and finding and checking himself into a hotel. He is now a frequent guest speaker at the University of Hawaii Medical School, where he tells his story of recovery, using a Powerpoint presentation he prepared himself, and fields questions from the audience. After years of depending on Erin and others to fulfill his hopes, he now provides hope to Erin, who hopes to join him on his hikes in the mountains near their home. Erin admitted that Matt will never be everything he was before the stroke, but in many ways, he is much more. What they have gone through has not been easy. There have been times when all they had to cling to was hope. But Erin treasures how she and Matt have grown in ways they never could have experienced if it weren’t for the stroke.

Both boys eagerly participate in the Scouting program. In New Brunswick, boys seven years old and younger are Beavers. As a Beaver, Stephen is learning to share, be a good sport, and work with others. In Cub Scouts, Jason has earned his sports badge by jumping over a rope. He was the only one who didn’t knock it down! He also earned his artist badge by drawing a picture, and his pet-care badge by caring for and feeding the family cat and one of the dogs.

Women who received the gospel became pillars of strength in Sweden. One example is Britta Olsdotter Persson, the first person to embrace the gospel in Vingåker. In 1877, to help support her family, she traveled to Stockholm to sell her weaving. There she met the missionaries and realized that they were teaching the truth and was baptized, at age 50.
Her conversion and valiant labor to promote the Lord’s work eventually led to more baptisms, and a branch was established in Vingåker. Her descendants are still active in the Church. Sister Persson’s great-great-granddaughter Laila Krylborn remarked, “It is wonderful to see what has happened in our children’s and grandchildren’s generations. Now our families have several priesthood holders and missionaries.”

President Hunter has always been a man of great resolution. On 7 February 1993, he was on the Brigham Young University campus to speak at a nineteen-stake fireside and Church Educational System broadcast. As President Hunter rose to address the nearly twenty thousand young adults assembled in the Marriott Center, an assailant threatened him, shouting, “Stop right there!” The man claimed to have a bomb and a detonator and ordered everyone to leave the stand except President Hunter. Many people did leave, yet President Hunter resolutely stayed at the pulpit, with two security guards. Although threatened by what looked like a gun, President Hunter firmly declined to read the written statement the man handed to him. When students spontaneously began to sing “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet,” the assailant was momentarily distracted. A security guard rushed him and took him into custody. Other security guards lowered President Hunter to the floor for safety.

There was, of course, a considerable commotion in the audience, but soon a reasonable calm returned. After a few moments to collect himself, President Hunter made a second approach to the microphone and read the opening line of his prepared text: “Life has a fair number of challenges in it.” He stopped, looked over the audience, and added, “As demonstrated.” Then he went on with his message as though nothing had happened.

Near my home was a hotel we often went to that had an arcade, a bowling alley, and a good restaurant. I spent many fun times bowling with my brothers and our friends. To get to the bowling alley, we had to go through the hotel’s casino. There is a distinct image in my mind to this day of the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke and the dropping of coins into the metal basins from the slot machines. The image of countless people sitting in the same place for hours playing cards or pulling levers on slot machines seems to be a constant reminder to me of the shallow habit of gambling.
One day a friend of mine, while leaving the bowling alley, tried his luck at a game of chance they called “Megabucks.” The winnings were well over a million dollars. You had to play several dollars at a time to have a chance at winning. Of course, he lost, and he kept on losing. Within five minutes he lost $60, and the only thing he had to show for it was his contribution to the grand total that would eventually go to someone else. My friend lost $60, yet I gained a greater distaste for the gambling habit and a greater resolve to keep the Lord’s commandments. Like other occasions in my life, this became a defining moment that strengthened my resolve to put my occasional past blemishes behind me and turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart.

After 18 months of preparation, including writing, choreography, and making costumes for 3,500 youth from 31 stakes around Ogden, Utah, the production Arise: Youth Spectacular was performed for over 45,000 people on three different evenings at a football stadium.
Aleisha Keller, 14, of the Ogden Utah Weber Heights Stake explains, “Three councils, each including 10 stakes, presented a 20-minute dance and musical program. Our stake represented youth from Scotland dancing to live bagpipe music, and the whole group also sang three songs, including ‘Called to Serve,’ when each of us held up our own copy of the Book of Mormon.
“But my favorite part of the youth spectacular,” she says, “was the last song, ‘Arise!’ Some of the words are: ‘Arise, shine forth! Be a light unto the world!’ It made me feel wonderful inside that we can all work together to be a standard to everyone we associate with.”
In addition to being an evening of uplifting music, the dance festival changed the lives of those involved. Matt Sakurada, 18, of the Roy Utah North Stake says: “There were lots of missionaries participating. That meant a lot to me because my brother is serving, and it felt as if he were there. This ‘Arise’ program helped me to realize that I should go on a mission, too.”
The pageant also touched the hearts of those who saw the production. Jolette Neeley, 20, of the Ogden Utah YSA First Stake says, “When I went to work on Monday following the performance, I ended up talking to one of my coworkers. She had been invited to the performance and pointed out that she had seen me singing and told me how much she had enjoyed it. We continued talking, and I learned that she had not been to church for some time. I was grateful for the opportunity I had to share my testimony with her and gave her the Book of Mormon that I had from the performance. I can testify that our program really did touch lives and planted seeds.”

“The Apostle Paul taught, ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1). When we believe without any evidence, we open ourselves to endless possibilities. To me, faith is evidence of the strength of our conversion, and that knowledge increases my ability to think celestial.
“In June 2023, I fell and seriously broke my elbow while my husband was away on an ecclesiastical duty in Uganda. I had lots of help from my family and friends. But when I realized how much help I needed to do simple things, I almost drifted into self-pity. My daughter reminded me that God is mindful of us and that I needed to trust in the Lord.
“Trusting God during that difficult time gave me hope, allowing me to believe that He wouldn’t give me more than I could handle. Knowing that His Spirit is always with me kept me hopeful and peaceful during challenging times. Now, after more than seven months, the injury is hardly noticeable.”