Gospel Story Finder

President Thomas S. Monson lives this principle better than anyone I know. There is ever present in his heart a prayer that God will reveal needs and means for him to assist those around him in any given day or moment of the day. One example from his time as a bishop illustrates the fact that sometimes even a little effort may, with the workings of the Spirit, yield remarkable fruit. I quote from Heidi Swinton’s biography of President Monson, To the Rescue:

One to whom [President Monson] reached out was Harold Gallacher. His wife and children were active in the Church, but not Harold. His daughter Sharon had asked Bishop Monson if he would “do something” to bring her father back into activity. As a bishop, he felt prompted one day to call on Harold. It was a hot summer’s day when he knocked on Harold’s screen door. The bishop could see Harold sitting in his chair, smoking a cigarette and reading the newspaper. “Who is it?” Harold asked sullenly, without looking up.
“Your bishop,” Tom replied. “I’ve come to get acquainted and to urge your attendance with your family at our meetings.”
“No, I’m too busy,” came the disdainful response. He never looked up. Tom thanked him for listening and departed the doorstep. The family moved without Harold ever attending services.

Years later, a Brother Gallacher phoned the office of Elder Thomas S. Monson and asked to make an appointment to see him.
“Ask him if his name is Harold G. Gallacher,” Elder Monson told his secretary, “and if he lived at 55 Vissing Place and had a daughter named Sharon.” When the secretary did, Harold was startled that Elder Monson remembered such details. When the two met some time later, they embraced. Harold said, “I’ve come to apologize for not getting out of my chair and letting you in the door that summer day long years ago.” Elder Monson asked him if he were active in the Church. With a wry smile, Harold replied: “I’m now second counselor in my ward bishopric. Your invitation to come out to church, and my negative response, so haunted me that I determined to do something about it.”

I still remember how anxious I was as I prepared to see my bishop about serving a mission. I wondered if I was good enough. Like the Prophet Joseph Smith, I wasn’t “guilty of any great or malignant sins” (Joseph Smith—History 1:28), but I was nervous just the same.
As I went to see my bishop for my first mission interview, I was grateful I had made good choices. A few months later I was serving the Lord in Guatemala—teaching others the plan of salvation and the vital role moral agency plays in that plan.

Consider, for example, the “Parable of the Impatient Expectant.”

The woman learned she was going to have her first baby. She and her husband were overjoyed with the prospects of becoming parents.

With each passing day, the young wife became more anxious for the baby’s arrival. During the day she would imagine and during the night she would dream of how it would be to hold and love and nurture her little one.

Two months into the pregnancy she went to see her doctor. She explained that she simply could not stand the waiting any longer, and insisted that he deliver the baby that very day. The doctor kindly refused explaining that were he to do so, it would be abortion, not delivery. The woman understood, continued to wait, to learn, to grow, and in due time her baby was born.

Your delivery from trial is important to Heavenly Father but so too is the growth you make while awaiting that relief. If all deliveries came immediately upon demand, the process of developing first-person faith would be aborted.

On a warm Northern California summer afternoon several years ago, my wife and I were on our way to speak at a youth conference when we had a most interesting experience. With the day being warm and the drive being long we decided to stop for gas and something to drink. Walking in to the convenience store to pay for our purchases we noticed two well-dressed women talking to the store clerk. They were clearly upset and were asking for driving directions – something a man, of course, would never do! We learned they were late for a wedding, and at this point, had no idea how to get to their desired location. They had a map and they were showing it to the clerk. He clearly did not know how to help them, and the women were obviously frustrated at not getting the information they were looking for. I decided to offer my help. I took one look at their map and immediately knew what the problem was. The map had been drawn upside down, with “south” at the top and “north” at the bottom. Let me describe just how lost they were…I will use cities you might be a bit more familiar with. Assume they had left from Rexburg, with Pocatello as their desired destination. They finally stopped to ask for directions when they saw a sign that read, “Welcome to the City of West Yellowstone.” After turning the map right-side-up, pointing them in the correct direction and getting them back on the freeway, our hope has continued to be that they finally got to the wedding. We have also wondered how many other people, using the same map, are still driving around the freeways of Northern California looking for the same wedding!

I have reflected on this experience many times and the predicament these women found themselves in. They followed the directions they had been given with exactness. I assume they had observed posted speed limits. They carefully avoided accidents, and anxiously read the exit signs desperately hoping to find something familiar. But in the end they were hopelessly lost and had they not stopped to get true and correct directions, they never would have arrived at their intended destination.

I think also of Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz during World War II. Upon his arrival at the camp in May 1941, Father Kolbe was informed by an SS officer that the life expectancy of priests there was about a month. He was assigned to the timber detail, required to carry felled tree trunks from one place to another. When he collapsed from overwork and starvation, he was kicked, beaten, given fifty lashes with a whip, then shoved into a ditch, covered with branches, and left for dead. Miraculously, Father Kolbe survived. But a greater horror awaited him. A prisoner from Barracks 14, where Father Kolbe was housed, managed to escape. The prisoners from that barracks were paraded before the commandant. After a day standing in the sun, during which many fainted and were shot, the commandant, a monster named Fritsch, levied sentence. “Ten of you will die in the starvation bunker.” The starvation bunker was the horror of horrors: both food and water were denied; many prisoners spent their dying days howling, attacking each other, clawing the walls in a frenzy of fear. After a couple of days in the bunker, the inhabitants frightened even the guards.

Fritsch walked down the lines of prisoners, selecting his victims. One poor wretch, whose number—5659—was on the list, groaned and cried out: “My poor wife, my poor children, what will they do?”

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the ranks. A prisoner had broken out of line, calling for the commandant. That alone was enough to ensure his death. Though Fritsch had his hand on his revolver, he did not shoot.

“Halt!” he called. “What does this Polish pig want of me?”

The prisoners gasped. It was Father Kolbe who had spoken. He was much loved; he shared his last crust and comforted the dying. Surely, he would not have to die.

The frail priest spoke softly to the Nazi butcher. “I would like to die in place of one of the men you condemned.”

“Why?” shouted the commandant.

Father Kolbe sensed that he must not seem to be asking Fritsch to reverse his order. The priest bowed his head: “I am an old man, sir, and good for nothing.”

“In whose place do you want to die?”

“For that one,” Kolbe responded, pointing to the weeping prisoner—number 5659—who had cried for his wife and children.

“Who are you?” asked Fritsch, as though he saw Kolbe for the first time. The prisoner looked back at him, a strange fire in his dark eyes. “I am a priest.”

“Ein Pfaffe!” the commandant snorted. He nodded to his assistant. Number 5659 was crossed out, and number 16670—Kolbe’s number—replaced it.

Father Kolbe died as he had lived, serving and loving others. From the death cell came not the sounds of frenzied despair but the faint sounds of singing. This time, the prisoners had a shepherd to lead them through the shadows of the valley of death. (Story adapted from Chuck Colson, “The Volunteer at Auschwitz,” in The Book of Virtues, William J. Bennett, ed. [New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993], pp. 803–8.)

In April 2021, while serving as a stake president, a call was extended to me to serve as an Area Seventy. This call coincided with a significant event in our family’s life. Our second son, William, was diagnosed with a medical condition that doctors said was incurable, a disease known as ocular myasthenia which is an autoimmune disease that can only be managed by carefully administered steroids.
We were devastated as a family and experienced many traumatic moments in our lives because of his health condition. In the midst of this challenging situation, I focused on counsel from President Russell M. Nelson: “To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort. …
“Become an engaged learner. Immerse yourself in the scriptures to understand better Christ’s mission and ministry. Know the doctrine of Christ so that you understand its power for your life.”
This inspired me to learn more about our son’s condition and to study the gospel for comfort during those challenging times. As a result of my study, I discovered many valuable truths about being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
First, the power of faith in the Saviour Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation.
I have come to understand that challenges are part of our mortal lives. In fact, before our coming to this mortality, we fully understood that trials would be part of our lives and would be for our good and would help us to recognize the blessings that are so abundantly available to everyone. These trials reassure us that all will be well despite the magnitude of what our challenges might be.
President Nelson declared: “Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power. …
“Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. True repentance begins with faith that Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse, heal, and strengthen us.”
Second, a better understanding of who God is and our relationship to Him and His priesthood. I have come to understand that we literally come from God, and we are eternally tied to Him, never to be separated. Within us is the potential of godhood. Even though it may look impossible to compare us to God at present moment, we have all the makings of God. He has put within us, in every cell, every membrane, the power to bless and to heal. The scriptures teach us that we are gods, children of the most High. After Adam and Eve had partaken of the fruits, in fulfillment of the plan of happiness, the scriptures declared, “Behold, the man is become as one of us.”
This relationship to God and His love qualifies us to receive the priesthood and power of God. For bearers of the holy priesthood this knowledge and privilege is even more significant. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: “We all know that the priesthood is much more than just a name or title. The Prophet Joseph taught that ‘the Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity … to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years.’ It holds ‘even the key of the knowledge of God.’ In fact, through the priesthood the very ‘power of godliness is manifest.’
Third, adversities can lead to experiencing charity, the pure love of Christ. During that challenging time in our family life, the love we had for our son, the rest of our children, for each other and for every one of Heavenly Father’s children grew exponentially. We learned to see each of Heavenly Father’s children as He would see them — eternal beings with limitless potential. Our desire to forgive all was enhanced, and an eye of faith and eternal perspective was developed. Love for God and all His children is perhaps, the most potent of all the forces in the universe.
Elder Gene R. Cook of the Seventy tells the story of his friend Betty who suffered many tribulations. He narrates: “Betty … encountered many … difficulties … , but because she felt God’s love, she suffered tribulation in the Savior’s name, partook of His divine nature, and thus gained a deeper faith in and a love for God, along with the strength to handle whatever might come.
“Her love for others increased. She seemed to even forgive others in advance.”
To me to forgive in advance is to understand that all Heavenly Father’s children are free to choose. When the consequences of their choices bring us unwanted effects, it’s no longer about them. It’s about us, and how we will respond. Will we love or otherwise? When we give people the benefit of the doubt, we are the ones who receive the benefit.
Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915–1994) beautifully observed: “Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt. … Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped.”
Fourth, act by inspiration. Another important truth, I have come to learn is that, yes, the Lord expects us to act and to work for many things in our lives. However, when our actions are based on inspiration, what we achieve is exponentially greater than what we can achieve on our own.
President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) taught “Each of us must stay in condition to respond to inspiration and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The Lord has a way of pouring pure intelligence into our minds to prompt us, to guide us, to teach us, and to warn us. Each son or daughter of God can know the things they need to know instantly. Learn to receive and act on inspiration and revelation.”
Fifth, live in joy. Lehi teaches that we came into this world that we might experience joy. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it.” It became very apparent to me that challenges will be a regular feature in our lives and if one is waiting to die to experience joy or happiness, life will not be joyful. We have come to learn to identify and celebrate small moments of joy. Loving and appreciating small moments of joy adds up to long periods of joy. President Nelson describes, “Clearly, Lehi knew opposition, anxiety, heartache, pain, disappointment, and sorrow. Yet he declared boldly and without reservation a principle as revealed by the Lord: ‘Men are, that they might have joy.’”
We have come to learn that there are more good things happening around us than bad. If we pay attention, we will find many reasons to glory in it. One hymn states, “Count your many blessings; name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
I know that this life was created for the purpose of helping us become more by what we experience. We have learned never to regret any moments. They are all designed for our growth, learning, and becoming.

Helen gazed through the window as the snow swirled outside, and shivered. “Brrr, Mama, it’s cold!” she said. She thought about Daddy, who was out working at whatever job he could find on this cold, windy day. “I hope Daddy is all right.”
“I’m sure he will be fine,” Mama said. “Come help me finish kneading this bread before your sister wakes from her nap.”
Helen climbed on a chair and watched Mama push, pound, and roll the ball of dough. She looked over at the beans that had been boiling on the stove all morning, and frowned.
Mama saw her frown and said, “Helen, we are lucky Daddy has work so we have food. And I have a secret,” she whispered. Helen moved closer.
“I have raisins, walnuts, and a little honey for our leftover dough. Let’s make cinnamon rolls!”
“A Christmas gift for Daddy!” Helen said, clapping her hands. Together they rolled the dough and spread the honey. Helen carefully placed each raisin and walnut as Mama sprinkled cinnamon.
Then Mama said, “Let’s go to the barn while we’re waiting for the rolls to rise and see if the chickens laid any eggs.”
The wind whistled around them as they ran to the barn. When Mama finished placing the last egg into a basket, Helen counted each one. “Nine eggs, Mama!”
When they got inside, Helen checked the cinnamon rolls. “Look! They’re perfect,” she said as Mama placed them in the oven.
Then they heard a knock at the door.
“Who could that be?” Mama asked.
Helen followed Mama and hid behind her skirt as Mama opened the door. Behind it stood a tired-looking woman holding a couple of red wooden chairs. Helen peeked out from behind Mama.
The woman stepped forward. “I’m selling these little red chairs for one dollar each,” she said.
Helen let go of Mama’s skirt and touched one of the chairs. She thought how she and her sister would love those chairs. Something behind the woman caught Helen’s eye. A daddy and little children were waiting in an old truck.
Mama wiped her hands on her apron and invited the woman inside. “With these hard times, I don’t have any money to give you,” Mama said. “But I will make you a Christmas trade.”
Mama picked up the basket of eggs and added potatoes to it. Then she took out a clean bucket and filled it with the cooked beans. Helen’s heart felt warm as Mama took out a hot loaf of bread and put it in the basket.
“Thank you,” the woman said softly.
Helen smiled at the woman. The woman put down the red chairs as Mama put a finger over her lips, “This is our Christmas secret, Helen.”
Tears rolled down the woman’s face as she walked with Mama to the door and they wished each other “Merry Christmas.”
On Christmas morning Helen and her sister each unwrapped a little red chair. One leg on Helen’s was a little shorter than the other three. “Look, my very own rocking chair!” This had been the very best Christmas.

I loved my mission. But when I came back home to the Philippines, I faced lot of anxiety because of something I call “spiritual burnout.”
To me, spiritual burnout means feeling completely drained after giving all you can. This affected my life to the point where I would stay in my room all day because I was so exhausted.
As a returned missionary, I felt pressure from my family, friends, and community regarding my life decisions. I felt like the people around me had a lot of thoughts about the choices I was making and what I should be doing—it was overwhelming. I hid how I was feeling from everyone because I didn’t want to disappoint them.
Over time, the pressure became too much for me to bear.
Even though I felt this way, I was able to find peace as I turned to Heavenly Father for guidance. Here are three ways I did it:
The expectations of others made it hard for me to find the peace I needed to transition back to life at home as a returned missionary.
So I prayed about what direction I should take for my future and told Heavenly Father about the pressure I was feeling. As I worked to invite the Spirit into my life, I felt prompted to take a leap of faith and move to the United Arab Emirates to work. This inspiration was super unexpected, and a lot of people in my community were shocked when I followed this prompting.
I suddenly felt so much hope! I felt that through the Spirit, God was leading me in a direction that would bring me the healing I needed.
Learning to let go of expectations other people had for me and focusing on Heavenly Father’s guidance allowed me to move forward with hope and faith.
Moving to Dubai taught me the importance of being proactive. Whatever our circumstances, we can be proactive about making changes and seeking Christ wherever we may be.

The Book of Mormon has lots of uses. I hope you use it properly. I gave a speech one night in a home in our ward where there were some inactive people who wanted to ask questions. As we sat in a circle, I said to the lady of the house, “By any chance do you have a Book of Mormon?” She said, “Oh yes, we have a big one.” And she went over to the bookcase and among all the books there was a nice Book of Mormon. She handed it to me. It was brand new and looked to me like it had never been opened. When I opened it (we were sitting in a circle), out of the Book of Mormon fell 20 or 25, $20 bills. Four or five hundred dollars fell on the floor. Her husband almost fainted. He jumped straight up, and she fainted. She didn’t faint, but she got pale. Everybody looked, and there was not a sound. She finally said, “I knew no one would ever read that book so I've been hiding money in it, holding out on my husband.” Well, she had used it as a bank. She had used it because she knew it was never going to be touched in her home. I don’t want any of you to use your Book of Mormon that way, it is not a bank.

About the time Tani and I were married, President Monson made his first trip to East Germany. Over the next several years a number of things happened to lift the spirits of the Saints. But one thing was being withheld from the members: the blessings of the temple. Entire families could not travel outside of East Germany to attend the Swiss Temple because of the government in East Germany. As President Monson said:

The work moved forward. Now the paramount blessing needed was the privilege of our worthy members to receive their endowments and their sealings. In a private meeting on an upper floor of the Salt Lake Temple, President Spencer W. Kimball and his counselors . . . addressed the subject and said, “We know and appreciate the need of our members in Eastern Europe to receive their temple blessings. We know you love them. Find a way.” When the Prophet of the Lord says, “Find a way,” you must find a way.

We explored every possibility. . . . Then, through the fasting and the prayers of many members, and in a most natural manner, government leaders proposed: Rather than having your people go to Switzerland to visit a temple, why don’t you build a temple here in the German Democratic Republic? [Thomas S. Monson, The Church in a Changing World, Fifth Annual BYU Management Society Dinner, Washington, D.C., 25 February 1989, p. 9]

This gave rise to the temple in Freiberg, which was dedicated in 1985.

Nikki and Breck Fullmer quarreled constantly. Most of their fights were about Nikki borrowing Breck’s T-shirts, and Nikki enduring Breck’s music. Nikki and Breck were both looking for a way out of their conflicts when they decided to participate in their stake’s “Time Alone” experiment.

Nikki knew her brother gulped gallons of soda pop every week, so she invited him to go get a drink with her. He thought it was a fine arrangement, since she was buying. After the soda they talked and drove around for an hour. After just one rendezvous Nikki said, “He’s at a stage where he’ll do just about anything to be cool. And now he thinks it’s cool to be with me.”

Following the concert in Prague, Czechoslovakia, a choir member went outside Smetana Hall and walked up to greet a father and mother and their teenager, but they were unable to communicate. Very shortly a young man stepped up to translate. As he talked, he said that the couple were his parents, that he had gone to the United States as an exchange student, had found the Church, and had been baptized. But he said that his parents were very much against his decision and that he had practically forced them to come to the concert that evening. He explained, however, that during the concert, “they come on fire.” “We talked for a few more minutes, then I turned to the parents and said to the English-speaking son, ‘Tell your parents that if they want to be truly happy, they will join the Church. Tell them the gospel is true. Tell them that I love them.’ The Spirit was overpowering! They hugged me. They kissed me. They held my hand. And they said they would see the missionaries.”

Let me demonstrate this principle by using a brief clip from the film The Other Side of Heaven. When I served there was no MTC, hence no preparation in language or culture. We went straight to the mission field and did our best. At that time, only the scriptures were available in that language. After several months and lots of effort, I was still struggling greatly.

The word for missionary and outhouse are similar.

As you view this clip I ask each of you to think of something you may be struggling with – something that others may laugh at or make fun of you about. Then try to relate to how the Lord helped me and how He can help you.

People often ask: Did you really learn the language in four days? Yes and No.

‘No,’ in that I still made mistakes and only knew a few additional words and phrases. ‘Yes’ in this all-important sense: Before that odyssey I was not sure I would ever speak the language. After the odyssey, I absolutely knew I would. I had perfect confidence, for the Lord had promised me. It would take lots of hard work, but with His help I knew it would happen – and it did. What a difference confidence makes!

Over fifty years later I still feel comfortable with that language.

My dear young friends. Please remember that basic lesson. When you seem unable to do what you know you ought to do, call on the Lord in humble faith and He will help you and give you confidence.

When she was 21, she married Marcus in the Salt Lake Temple. Soon after their marriage they traveled east to Chicago where he entered school to become a dentist. He was in school during the Great Depression, and in order to help him achieve his goal, Ruth decided to find a job. There was a typing job open, but she couldn’t type.

She could, however, make her fingers fly over those piano keys, and she felt she could make her fingers learn anything. So for two solid weeks she riveted her fingertips to the keyboard of a manual typewriter and taught herself to type. Out of the 81 applicants for the job, she was selected!

Then World War II began and Marc was sent to sea. Ruth decided to wait in her parents’ home, and it proved to be a long, frightening vigil. But Marc was preserved to see his and Ruth’s family expand to three daughters and a son. And as Nancy, Allyson, Judd, and Jennie Jo each entered the Funk home and the family began sinking deeper roots in Salt Lake City, Ruth was given responsible callings in addition to being a good mother and supportive wife.

Alba Lucia Fonseca, a Church member from the United States, saw material online that raised concerns about her religious beliefs, and she went through a rapid loss of faith. At first, she cast out the seed of faith with her doubts, but then she began talking with a caring and knowledgeable member and realized that her unbelief also raised questions.

“My understanding of gospel concepts and of Church history wasn’t nearly as comprehensive as I had assumed,” she explains. “That humbled me and helped me realize that I still had so much to learn and that faith isn’t arriving at having all questions answered.” Alba realized that other “worthwhile things in life—such as family, education, career—involve risk, sacrifice, uncertainty, and lifelong effort. I came back to the Church and can affirm that maintaining faith is also very much worth this kind of effort.”

“Oh no, not again,” I thought, as I saw the familiar face walking toward me in the hallway of my college dorm. “What this time?”
Angela [names have been changed] had accosted me in the hallway before, and each time I talked to her she left my stomach tied up in knots. I had been investigating The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a month, and Angela had taken it upon herself to prove that I was making a big mistake.
Angela invited me to her dorm room for a talk, and I accepted warily, knowing from past experience that she would not leave me alone until I’d heard what she had to say.
“How are you feeling about the Mormons at this point?” she asked me, as I sat on her bed, folding my arms defensively.
“Fine. Actually I think what they believe is quite beautiful. I haven’t decided if I believe it yet …”
“Beautiful?” Angela choked on the word, her face turning red. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go on. Not after what I’ve found out about the Mormon religion.”
She handed me a pamphlet filled with lies and twisted truths about the Church. “Read this,” she confided, “and you’ll never want to talk to those missionaries again.”
I read it and the other things well-meaning people gave me to try to show me “the truth” about the Church. I always ended up feeling confused and sick to my stomach. How could I ever know what was right? The missionaries seemed so peaceful about what they believed. Yet Angela was convinced they were wrong. How could I find my own testimony of what was true? And why did there seem to be silence from the heavens when I prayed about my questions?
I believed the missionaries instead of the clever words of those who opposed the Church. Then I acted upon that belief. I was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When I rose up out of the waters of baptism, a warm feeling of peace enveloped me. I knew the Holy Ghost was telling me that what I was doing was good. I had found the truth. Even though I faced much opposition from my parents and friends, I was able to stand strong because of the testimony I had received from obeying the commandments of God.

Should you become discouraged in your efforts, remember that sometimes the Lord’s timetable does not coincide with ours. When I was a bishop many years ago, one of the leaders of the young women, Jessie Cox, came to me and said, “Bishop, I am a failure!” When I asked why she felt this way, she said, “I haven’t been able to get any of my Mutual girls married in the temple, as a good teacher would have. I’ve tried my very best, but my best apparently wasn’t good enough.”

I tried to console Jessie by telling her that I, as her bishop, knew that she had done all she could. And as I followed those girls through the years, I found that each one was eventually sealed in the temple. If the lesson is engraved on the heart, it is not lost.

Some years ago, a friend of mine was doing some work one morning on his garage roof. He looked down and saw a load of cement being delivered to his nonmember neighbor. He could see that the neighbor could use some help. My friend came down from his roof and, without being asked, carried his own cement finishing tools across the street and began helping with the job. Because he had experience doing cement work, his help turned out to be most welcome. Although the neighbor had expressed a dislike for members of the Church, he showed genuine appreciation for this one by the end of the day. This was the beginning of a long and lasting friendship.

Several years ago while my husband, Ed, and I were serving in the England London South Mission, there was an unexpected storm. All night the winds raged. When morning came we ventured from the mission home to see the damage. It was devastating. Many trees throughout our garden, the neighborhood, and all of southern England had been uprooted. It was amazing to see the fallen trees with their gigantic root systems, still intact, jutting into the air. I came to the conclusion that because of the “easiness of the way” (Alma 37:46)—rain is plentiful in England—the trees had no need to sink their roots deep into the earth to get the nourishment they needed. Their roots were not strong enough or deep enough to withstand the hurricane-force winds.
On the other hand, the giant redwood trees that grow in northern California also have a very shallow root system. But when they are surrounded by other redwood trees, the strongest, fiercest wind cannot blow them over. The roots of the giant redwood trees intertwine and strengthen each other. When a storm comes, they actually hold each other up.
May I share with you some personal examples and thank those people who have been as the giant redwoods in my life, those who have been an example of caring and teaching, those who have intertwined their roots in mine and helped me stand firm as they taught me through their words and their lives.
I feel deep gratitude to my mother, who allowed me to be responsible and didn’t always fix my mistakes. To my father, who is soon to be eighty-nine years old and is living with us, thank you, Dad. Thank you for teaching me as the scriptures counsel, “only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; … reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love” (D&C 121:41, 43).
The strongest intertwining roots in my life are those of my companion and sweetheart, Ed, who is supernally righteous. He has taught and encouraged me, exemplifying President Hunter’s prayer “that we might treat each other with more kindness, more courtesy, more humility and patience and forgiveness” (quoted in Ensign, July 1994, p. 4).
To my children, who are a part of my roots, who are a brightness of hope in my life—thank you for helping me stand tall with gladness because you are trying.
I am a happy grandmother. Thirteen of our seventeen grandchildren are Primary and pre-Primary age. They will help teach me about Primary and children. They can be my hands-on training. Could there be a better calling for a grandmother than to love and strengthen children?
May I offer a sincere expression of gratitude to you, my brothers and sisters, who have strengthened me by forgiving me when I have disappointed you.
There are many others in my life who have encouraged me and allowed me to connect with their strengths. My deep gratitude to President Janette C. Hales, the Young Women presidency, board, and staff who have shared their wisdom and insights, who have more than loved and supported me these last two years. To Michaelene Grassli, Betty Jo Jepsen, Ruth Wright, and the Primary board, thank you for your devotion and untiring efforts to encourage all members of the Church to focus on what is best for the children.
When I was ten or eleven years old, I became the Primary organist in the ward in Hawaii where I grew up. That is one of my most vivid Primary memories. I remember being very nervous. I remember making many mistakes. But I remember even more clearly that the Primary leaders cared more about me than about the mistakes I made.
I thank the community of Saints, the ward family of Saints, who, throughout my life, have provided “safe places”—places where I was able to be taught, to have experiences, to practice, and to eventually better understand and live the principles of the gospel.
One day as Ed and I were maneuvering the streets of England, he turned to me with tears in his eyes, and he said, “Look.” I turned and saw a child on the side of the road. And then he said, “Who will teach the children?” That thought will not leave my mind or my heart. Who will teach the children? Who will teach the child who asks, “Will Heavenly Father really answer my prayer?” Who will teach Kate when at five years of age she asks, “Why do we need Jesus?” Who will teach the children? Please, will you? Will you? Will you help teach the children?
Since my call I’ve knelt and asked, “Father, what do you want the children to be taught?”
Teach and show the children that Heavenly Father loves them and has confidence in them because they are his children.
Teach and show them that they do need Jesus, our Savior, our guide. Help them understand and accept his love and trust him and follow him. Teach them that our prophet, President Howard W. Hunter, has said, “We should at every opportunity ask ourselves, ‘What would Jesus do?’ and then be more courageous to act upon the answer.” He also said, “We must know Christ better than we know him; we must remember him more often than we remember him; we must serve him more valiantly than we serve him” (“He Invites Us to Follow Him,” Ensign, Sept. 1994, p. 5).
Teach the children that at eight years of age, when they are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, they will be responsible for their choices. Teach them that they will be tempted, but as they listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost, he will help them with their choices.
We can teach the children these gospel truths and all of the truths of the plan of happiness that Heavenly Father wants his children to understand and live. Family home evening can be one of those safe and loving places where the Spirit is felt. With eight children in our home, I also have vivid memories that family home evening wasn’t always easy. Remember other opportunities for teaching: family prayer, family scripture study (don’t give up!), in the classroom, in the hall, in the neighborhood.
And please, will each one of you be as the stalwart and dependable redwood trees, connecting and intertwining your roots of testimony, of faith, of love, of kindness and patience with every child? Their roots are not deep enough for them to stand alone in the storms of life. They need us—every one of us—parents, teachers, leaders, youth, brothers, sisters. They need you.
And now I look to the future. How grateful I am for the principle of presidency, and for Sister Anne Wirthlin and Sister Susan Warner. “In the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14). We will stand together in unity as we support our priesthood leaders and help parents teach and strengthen children.
To the Primary children of the world, I want you to know that there are many people you don’t even know who love you and care about you, who want you to be safe, be happy, and feel peace. I love you and would want you to feel “encircled about … in the arms of his love” (2 Ne. 1:15) and my love. Listen carefully to every good thing you hear about Heavenly Father and Jesus our Savior and then try your very best to follow him by doing what he wants you to do.
All of us can be like the giant redwood trees and support and strengthen each other, especially the children, that when storms arise we can actually hold each other up. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Another pioneer game was last couple out. Caroline was chosen to be the leader, and the other children each chose a partner. They lined up side by side behind Caroline. Henry and Charles were partners, and they were the last couple lined up behind Caroline. When Caroline yelled, “Last couple out!” Henry and Charles separated. Henry ran forward along the right side of the line, and Charles along the left side. The two boys tried to clasp hands before Caroline tagged either of them. But Caroline touched Charles, thus becoming his partner. They took their place at the front of the line behind Henry, the new leader.