Gospel Story Finder

Service requires unselfishness, sharing, and giving. My wife and I learned a valuable lesson during our time of service in Africa. We were assigned to a district conference in Jinja, Uganda. Early Saturday morning before our meetings began, we took the opportunity to tour a new chapel in the area. As we arrived at the building, we were greeted by a young boy of three to four years of age. He had come to the Church grounds to see what was going on. Struck by his broad smile, Sister Snow reached in her purse and handed him a wrapped piece of hard butterscotch candy. He was delighted.
We spent a few minutes touring the chapel before returning outside. We were met by more than a dozen smiling children who each wanted to meet the new neighborhood candy lady.
Phyllis was heartbroken, as she had given the boy her last piece of candy. She disappointedly gestured to the children there was no more. The small boy who initially greeted us then handed the candy back to Sister Snow, gesturing for her to unwrap it. With a heavy heart, Phyllis did so, fully expecting the boy to pop the butterscotch candy into his mouth in full view of his envious friends.
Instead, to our great surprise, he went to each of his friends, who stuck out their tongues and received one delicious lick of the butterscotch candy. The young boy continued around the circle, occasionally taking his own lick, until the candy was gone.
Now, one can argue the lack of sanitation with this gesture of sharing, but no one can dispute the example set by this young boy. Unselfishness, sharing, and giving are essential to service. This child learned that lesson well.

“A lot of times you don’t want to try something because you’re not very good,” Tracey says. “I was the last person picked on my eighth grade basketball team. But eventually I got the ‘most improved’ award. I learned that the most important competition is with yourself.”

Daniel Harbuck had a spark of inspiration one day. He had caught a ride home with one of the older members of his ward. And she was telling him some great stories about her life. He asked Sister Marba Zabriskie why he had never heard these stories before. She told him that the young people weren’t interested.
“Not interested!” Daniel thought to himself. “Here I was hanging on her every word, and she thought no one was interested.”
That’s when Daniel had the inspiration. Why not get the teens in his ward to spend an evening with the older members of the ward, over refreshments, and listen to their stories?
He talked with his friends and priesthood leaders, and they all liked the idea. Soon invitations were sent to 11 older members of the Monument Park 11th Ward of the Salt Lake Monument Park Stake. They all met at the meetinghouse during Mutual activity time. Two or three youth were paired with each individual. Someone was assigned to take notes. The visits turned out to be a lot of fun—for the teens and the older members. They talked about all sorts of things. And best of all, they ended up finding some new friends.

A few years later Elder Hales was busy working as president of a company when he was asked to serve as bishop of his ward. Ten years after that, in 1975, while working as corporate vice president of a large corporation, he was called to be an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He had no difficulty accepting these callings.
“It was easy,” he says. “I had made that decision when I was younger.”

I want to express my gratitude for the Liahona (Spanish) magazine. My family and I are the only ones who speak Spanish in our Canadian ward, and we eagerly await this Spanish edition of the Church magazines, just as thirsty plants await rainstorms.
Because my English is so poor, my participation in the ward has not always been as good as it could be. But when I read the Liahona, the messages in it strengthen me a great deal. The counsel of the Brethren, as well as the testimonies of brothers and sisters from around the world, renew my spirit. I wish every member of the Church could have a copy of the Church magazines every month.
J. Ernesto MerinoTrenton Ward, Oshawa Ontario StakeCanada

“We built this lemonade stand to use in the summer, but Christmastime is a perfect opportunity to use it to give people cookies and hot chocolate! I feel closer to my Savior when I find creative ways to serve others.”
Brooklyn H., Alberta, Canada

Illustrated by Sal Velluto and Eugenio Mattozzi
When Wilford Woodruff became the prophet, many Church members did not have enough money. Wilford especially worried about some of the farmers.
President Woodruff: What can the Church do to help the people?
After hearing a report on sugar, President Woodruff felt the Church should begin growing sugar beets. He appointed a committee to learn more.
President Woodruff: The Church needs to know if sugar beets would be a good business.
Committee member: We will find out for you, President.
When the committee decided that growing sugar would not be a good idea, President Woodruff asked a second group to look into it again.
Committee member: This group agrees with the first. We do not think sugar beet manufacturing would be a good business for the Church.
President Woodruff: Never mind this report. I feel inspired to start the sugar beet industry.
Just as the new company began planning to build a factory, Utah began to have serious money trouble. It was not a good time to begin a business.
Committee member: President Woodruff, it is just as we feared. The Utah Sugar Company will never survive!
Committee member: We recommend that you get out of the business while you still can.
President Woodruff would not agree.
President Woodruff: The Lord has inspired me to have us work with sugar beets, and we will. Every time I think of abandoning it, there is darkness; and every time I think of building it, there is light.We will build the factory even if it busts the Church!
As the prophet, President Woodruff always tried to lead the Church through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The sugar company eventually helped many struggling farmers.

Drew Nichols (8) said, “I liked it because I felt like Jesus was really there.” It was a special year for Drew because he got to be in the pageant and he was baptized too. He said that he liked the scene in which John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ because it made him think about his own baptism.

After the ship landed in New York on June 6, Henry and Mary still had a long way to go. They travelled to Nebraska by boat and train, often riding in cattle cars. The bedding and equipment sent by their mother were not waiting for them in Nebraska, so on July 13 they set off in a Church wagon train with only the clothes on their backs.
To make matters worse, Henry lost his wooden clogs when he crossed the Platte River. Not wanting to wait for the rest of the wagon train to reach the river, Henry got up early and left by himself—something he knew he was not supposed to do. When he reached the river about noon, he was tired and fell asleep. When he woke up, he saw the last of the wagons pulling up on the other side of it.
He shouted, and William Henry Chipman, the captain of the company, told him to swim across the river. Taking off his heavy coat and wooden clogs so he could swim, Henry plunged into the water. When the current carried him downstream, Captain Chipman rode his horse into the water. Henry grabbed a stirrup and held on while the horse swam across.
He was safe, but he had to walk across the remaining plains barefoot. His feet became black, hard, and cracked from the journey; blood often oozed from the cracks. Sometimes at night Mary cried in sympathy as she pulled spines of prickly pear cactus from his feet.

One night in 1970 fifteen-year-old Dan Ecklund rang the doorbell of the mission home in Zurich, Switzerland. When President M. Elmer Christensen opened the door, Dan said he wanted to talk with someone who could tell him about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Dan and his family had been living in the Congo and were on their way back to the United States. For eighteen years his father and mother had been serving as Protestant missionaries in the Congo, where all seven of their children had been born. They had not been happy when Dan became interested in another church while on a vacation in South Africa and asked their permission to be baptized. However, Dan was so convinced that the new Church was true that finally his parents consented and Dan was baptized.
Since the mission president in Zurich had supervision over any members in the Congo, Dan had written to ask President Christensen to send him some books to study. He had persuaded his father to stop in Zurich on their way to the United States so he could ask President Christensen to explain some things he did not understand.
While the rest of the Ecklund family visited with Sister Christensen, Dan went into President Christensen’s office, where they sat down and quietly discussed some of his questions.
Before Dan stood up to leave, he opened his wallet and took out a five-dollar bill in American money. He said that since he had become a member of the Church, he had earned forty-five dollars. This meant he owed four dollars and fifty cents tithing. The boy wanted to make a fifty-cent donation with the balance of the bill.
President Christensen explained about fast offerings, and Dan quickly agreed that this was a good place for his fifty cents to go. So the mission president wrote out a receipt and handed it to the boy, who read it thoughtfully and then tucked it into his wallet.
With shining eyes, he left the mission office and joined the rest of his family. Dan felt that at last he was truly a member of the Church he had learned to love.

I carved a valentine of snow.
The sun came out and made it glow.
The moon came out and made it shine
Like a silver valentine.
The light made shadows on the words
Where I’d thrown the bread for birds.
The sparrows pecked a new design,
Dining on their valentine.

Illustration by Elizabeth Thayer
The young women were excited. In fact, the entire ward in southern France was excited. To encourage greater unity, leaders were planning a ward social, with dinner and entertainment. Knowing that the Beehives, Mia Maids, and Laurels had already been learning songs and dances during some of their activities, the leaders invited them to provide the evening’s entertainment.
And so the ward’s young women began practicing in earnest—all of them but one. Manon would not be able to perform. She had been undergoing cancer treatments for more than two years.
Manon C., age 16, still came to meetings and activities as often as she could, and she always shared a bright smile despite what she was going through. But during chemotherapy she was sometimes too weak to do much more than rest. Ward members had fasted and prayed several times on her behalf. No one expected her to practice or to dance.
But she could attend the dinner. So why not dedicate the evening to Manon?
The idea quickly caught on.
“We wanted Manon to feel the ward’s love and support for her,” explains Emma S., 16. “If our ward wanted to become more unified, what better way to do it than by working together to show our love for Manon?”
The entire ward became involved in the preparations. Families received assignments to bring food for the dinner; the Relief Society helped make costumes for the young women; the young adults provided technical support (lighting, sound, and background videos) for rehearsals and the final performance; and priesthood brethren helped set up tables and chairs.
All of this work was done by ward members spread out over a large area. “The youth in the ward are very close in spirit, but we live far apart,” says Aiolah V., 16. “We don’t see each other in school because we live in different parts of town, so we make an extra effort to ensure that no one gets left off to the side.”
“We also stay in touch all the time, thanks to cell phones,” says Inka S., 15. “We teach each other by sharing our different experiences. We know we can count on each other, and we try to set good examples for each other.” The young women, who love being together whenever they can, found that rehearsals for the dinner show provided additional opportunities to deepen friendships.
“Before we started rehearsing, I was quite shy,” Inka explains. “I was afraid of making a mistake. But when we danced as a group, I put my shyness aside. I knew it was time to show the ward how hard we had worked.”
Manon, for her part, was both humble and gracious. “When they told me about the dinner and show and that I’d be the guest of honor, I thought I’d be bothered that they were making a fuss,” she recalls. “On the other hand, I was excited to be there!”
Soon the evening arrived, and it was a perfect occasion to offer love and support for Manon. “The food, of course, was excellent,” Aiolah says. “This is France, after all!”
And then the entertainment—called a spectacle in French—lived up to its name. Games, vocal presentations, and dances delighted the audience. Then the young women, as a combined choir, provided the highlight of the show. They dedicated a song to Manon, a song Emma wrote and composed herself. The lyrics in the chorus sum up the love and support everyone wanted Manon to feel:
Please don’t give up,
’Cause we believe in you,
And don’t forget who you are,
’Cause we believe in you.
As the young women performed the song, it was as if everyone in the ward were singing along, at least in their hearts. It felt like Emma’s simple song was transformed into an unsung chorus that resonates in the hearts of Latter-day Saints wherever they are—an anthem of courage and compassion; family and friends; unity, faith, and hope; a never-ending prayer that is heard in heaven.
The leaders’ intent in organizing the social was to unify the ward. Dedicating the evening to Manon not only helped to accomplish that goal but also generated an enduring sense of support for Manon and her family and an understanding that every child of God is important. “It is the goal of the Church to help us be closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ,” Aiolah says. “We know that They love us and that we are never alone.”

When Australian Latter-day Saints Bob Love and Maggie Henry were married in 1929, they had the ceremony performed by the local Presbyterian minister in his church. Then the bridal party traveled to the Enmore Latter-day Saint branch chapel, where Mission President Clarence H. Tingey held what was called, in the mission’s year-end report, a “confirmation service” to bless their marriage.
Brother and Sister Love did what circumstances forced many young Latter-day Saints to do. The nearest temple was almost 10,000 kilometers away in Hawaii, and the round trip passage for two was the equivalent of several years’ wages. The state government of New South Wales would not license Latter-day Saints to officiate at marriages, so the Loves and others like them had to have a civil marriage, in another church or at a government registry office. It was not until 1952 that the Loves were able to take their five children to the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed.

A year ago I went with President Kimball back to his home in Arizona. And we visited the home where he grew up as a little boy. We climbed the winding stairs up to a bare room. And there the little boy, before he was a deacon, read the Bible by lamplight. We looked out the window from that upstairs room, and we saw the barns out in back where the cows had been. He used to milk nine cows every morning and night, the old-fashioned way. And as he milked the cows he learned the Articles of Faith, he learned the hymns, and he learned the Ten Commandments. He wrote them down on a little card and put them on the ground where he could look as he milked the cows.

And as he did these things, he decided to make up his mind. He was growing up, and he knew there were a lot of things that were good and a lot that were bad. He decided that when someone offered him a cigarette, he would say no. If someone offered him tea or coffee, he would say no. If they suggested that he be immoral, he would say no; to lie or to cheat, he would say no. He made up his mind when he was a little boy, before he was a deacon. He would do as his mother had taught him. He would keep the commandments.

And so as he grew older and the boys all came around and said, “Spencer, will you have a cigarette? Will you have a drink of whiskey? Will you have some coffee?” he didn’t have to stop to think. He didn’t worry about hurting their feelings. He had made up his mind just once to say no, and after that it was easy always to say no to the bad things. And that is how he has lived his life all these years.

“As soon as I heard President Nelson’s talk, I loved it. I especially love that he says, ‘Of all the words he could have used to describe the nature and purpose of our lives here in mortality, he chose the word joy!’ It changed the way that I thought about and focused on life—I focused a lot more on the joys of life rather than the hardships.

“There were multiple things that happened this month that I could’ve easily been upset about, and it’s easy a lot of the time to focus on those things. But because I chose to focus on Christ and joy, it was easier to make it through those trials. It was also a great month because in seminary we’ve been focusing a lot on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it can make us joyful. I’ve been thinking a lot about how our Savior truly did do more for us than we realize, and I’m so thankful for Him. That makes me joyful.”

Aurora D., 14, Alaska, USA

I appreciate the sacrifices made by the pioneers in our behalf. My great-grandfather, James Jack, became converted to the Church while he lived in Scotland. He sailed to the United States and made the trek across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley, where he became the personal secretary to Brigham Young. After President Young’s death, James Jack served as secretary to other prophets as well. I have a great deal of respect for my great-grandfather. He left a comfortable life in Scotland to travel all the way to Utah, and he lived in difficult times. I appreciate his courage, his faith, and especially his willingness to do whatever he was asked to do in service to the Lord.

“I’ve warned you kids for the last time,” the guard shouted. “You’re not getting in to see Buck Thomas. We’re trying to make a movie here, and if you come around again, I’ll call the sheriff!”
“Yes, sir,” Miguel and Maria gulped together as they raced away.
“It’s not fair,” Maria grumbled when they reached the old logging trail. “They’re using Grandfather’s land to film their river scenes, so why can’t we see Buck Thomas just once?”
“I guess big movie stars have lots of trouble with fans,” Miguel said, trying to be fair. “They probably think we’d ruin a scene by rushing up to ask him for his autograph.”
“Well, he’s not my favorite actor anymore,” Maria snapped. “He probably doesn’t even know how to ride a horse!”
Miguel shook his head, but then suddenly his eyes brightened. “I know what we can do,” he said. “Our swimming hole is just up the river and around the bend. Let’s get our inner tubes, and maybe we can watch Buck from the trees on the other side.”
Almost as soon as Maria and Miguel were well hidden behind the trees, they saw Buck Thomas and a man dressed like an Indian come down the river in a long birch canoe.
“They’re going to hit that boulder and turn over!” Miguel whispered to Maria. “Can’t they see that the current swings to this side?”
“Well, you have to admire Buck’s courage,” Maria admitted. “I always thought he had a stunt man do all the dangerous parts.”
“They may be experts at making movies, but they sure don’t know much about rivers,” Miguel said in disgust. “Why don’t they ask someone who lives around here how to cross the river safely?”
Miguel and Maria had grown up swimming in the river, and they both knew how dangerous it could be if someone didn’t understand the current. They held their breath as the canoe raced down through the white angry water in front of the big cameras on the opposite bank. The two men were paddling furiously.
Just when Miguel and Maria thought the men might make it, the canoe suddenly turned broadside. It split open like an egg against a large boulder, throwing the men free.
“Buck’s hurt!” Miguel shouted. “He keeps going under!”
Racing from their hiding place, he dove into the rolling water as Buck’s head surfaced again.
Miguel could see that the actor had a gash across his forehead and was blinded by the blood.
“This way, Mr. Thomas,” Miguel cried, carefully staying out of reach of the powerful flailing arms.
Following Miguel’s voice, the man soon hit shallow water and waded up the clay bank.
“Thanks, son,” he gasped as he sat down.
Miguel quickly took off his wet shirt and pressed it over Buck’s wound. By the time the frantic director and crew reached them, Miguel had explained to Buck that their approach to shooting the rapids was all wrong.
Later when Buck had been treated and makeup was applied to hide the wound, he refused to attempt the same shot again.
“This boy says he can show me a safe way through those rapids, and I’m tired of risking my life and never making it past the cameras.”
The director was hesitant, but finally he agreed to listen to Miguel.
They all followed Miguel to the inner tubes. Miguel pointed out how the canoe could be launched from there and swung slightly toward the left bank just before reaching the first large boulders, safely bypassing the jutting rocks and shallow water.
“I think he’s right,” Buck said thoughtfully. “The cameras will be shooting across the rapids, so it will look as dangerous as if we were going down the center. That water is deep but still plenty wild, so the boat will be bucking like a wild horse without smashing into a boulder!”
“It still seems too dangerous,” the director insisted. “I don’t think we can risk it again.”
“I’ll have to show them it can be done,” Miguel whispered to Maria, tossing the inner tube into the water and diving in after it. He and Maria had shot the rapids on their tubes many times before.
Timing himself, Miguel paid no attention to the frantic shouts of the men racing along the shore. The wild current was like a path through a forest—safe and easy if you just followed it. The only tricky part was bearing left at the first mass of rocks.
The men soon fell silent, watching Miguel on top of the plunging tube. They sighed with relief as the rubber float swung into the boulder-free channel. They cheered wildly as he hit the large pool of still water, paddled his inner tube to the bank, and waved triumphantly.
Later Maria and Miguel had ringside seats behind the cameras as the canoe was released again from the spot where Miguel had earlier begun. The canoe swung to the left at just the right moment, and the frail craft looked as if it would go under as it plunged up and down.
But Buck and his companion finally landed safely near the point. The weary movie people shouted, jumped up and down, laughed, and slapped each other on the back.
When they had finished for the day, Buck autographed pictures for Maria and Miguel. As they turned to leave, Buck invited them to come back often. “In fact,” he said smiling, “we just might need some more of your special advice. I’m mighty glad you were around today!”

I was baptized on April 6, 2019. Four years later, in 2023, I received a call to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Jamaica Kingston Mission. Before I left my beloved Guyana, my journey took several troubling turns.
How did it begin? I completed my mission recommendation forms and received my call. Everything went smoothly until my parents heard I’d be going to Jamaica. It was so far away! My parents, mostly my mother, decided I shouldn’t go. “No, you’re not going!” she said. “You have to start school and work, and it’s too far away! It could be dangerous. A lot of things can happen.”
I was sad to hear this. I tried explaining that I would be safe and that when I got back, I could continue school. My mother still disagreed and gave me two options: “One, you stay here at home, work, and go to school, or two, you choose to serve this mission and forget you have a family. What’s your pick?”
I was shocked upon hearing this, and the conversation ended that night. I continued to prepare for my mission with the help of my stake president and district members. I was concerned that I would break the commandment to “honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12) if I went. I was told to trust God and ask what He would have me do. I remember calling my stake president twice, telling him I don’t want to serve. I wasn’t just troubled by my mother’s words but also by other personal conflicts of feeling inadequate and leaving behind people I loved and things I wanted to do.
Several weeks later, my stake president called and asked if I still wanted to serve. He invited me to pray and ask God if a mission was right for me. After three days of pondering, I decided not to serve, but I hadn’t called the stake president yet. The next day, he called again and asked, “So what’s your answer—do you want to serve?” Without hesitation, I said, “Yes, I want to serve a mission!” Though I had decided not to serve, the Spirit led me to say yes.
I could not fully understand what happened to me in that moment until I was in the mission field. When I left, my mother stopped trying to tell me not to serve and said, “You’re old enough to choose, so go ahead and do as you want.” My father said, “Good luck.”
One week later, I was on a plane to the missionary training center. While I was in the MTC, my mother wouldn’t speak to me on my preparation days, but on the last day, before I left the MTC, my mother called. From then on to the end of my mission, we talked, maybe not every week, but I was grateful that my parents could finally allow and support me in choosing to serve God.
In Doctrine and Covenants 84:88, the Lord Jesus Christ promised to all his faithful servants, “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
I learned so much on my mission and saw so many miracles. It helped develop my testimony and helped me grow into who I am today, a covenant daughter of God, willing to surrender to Him. The Lord has blessed my relationships and given me wisdom. I know He qualifies those whom He calls to serve. I know that the Lord takes care of those who choose Him over the things of the world. Because of Him, we are blessed to have families that love us. I know this to be true.

One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 39:11. In this verse Alma says to his son Corianton, who has not been very faithful or obedient, “For when [the Zoramites] saw your conduct they would not believe in my words.” The scripture was pointed out to me on the day that my father was called to be a stake president. It helped me understand that although Dad was the one who held that important calling, I carried part of the responsibility, because the way I lived could affect how people in the stake would respond to him. People often say, “It’s nobody else’s business what I decide to do.” But every choice we make affects someone else, too, whether it be family or friends or even people we don’t know who may be watching us.

I gave Christmas bread to my Primary teachers. (Everett)
Around Christmas, I got to go to a nursing home to do family home evening. I liked seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces. (Elijah)
Elijah and Everett K., ages 9 and 6, Utah, USA