Gospel Story Finder

Pumping gas and farm work supported Elder Rudolph in the Texas Houston Mission. “When I was 12 my bishop challenged me to set aside 50 percent of all I earned for a mission fund. I gulped and promised. At age 14 my parents told me I was responsible for buying all my clothes. I gave 10 percent to the Lord, 50 percent to the mission fund, clothed and entertained myself with the remaining 40 percent. I earned all my money and wasn’t worried at the last minute about how I would eat.”

A beautiful painting shows President Hinckley looking forward to the future, a set of architectural drawings before him. In the background is a portrait of Brigham Young, making it appear that President Young looks over President Hinckley’s shoulder.
The portrait of Brigham Young shown in this painting actually hangs in President Hinckley’s office, and he has often spoken of it. In a recent general conference, he said:
“At the close of one particularly difficult day, I looked up at a portrait of Brigham Young that hangs on my wall. I asked, ‘Brother Brigham, what should we do?’ I thought I saw him smile a little, and then he seemed to say: ‘In my day, I had problems enough of my own. Don’t ask me what to do. This is your watch. Ask the Lord, whose work this really is.’”

I checked out seven books today.
I really wanted more.
But Grandma said, “Why take all those?
You can’t read more than four.”
I laughed and said, “Why, Grandma,
It’s a banquet, don’t you see?
A taste of this and some of that—
And best of all—it’s free!
“I’ll polish off a mystery
And sample some suspense.
I’ll gobble down some history—
All at no expense.
“I’ll gorge myself on poetry.
The nature books are great!
I like to nibble here and there;
No need to clean my plate.”
My grandma understands now
That my appetite’s increased.
“We’ll go back anytime,” she said,
“For another reading feast!”

Nelson and Dora Coila live on an island—not a typical island made of solid rock jutting up from an ocean or lake—but a tiny island they made themselves of nothing more than floating reeds on Lake Titicaca in Peru.
Building an island and making it your home takes faith. Only about four feet (1.2 m) of layered reeds suspends their family and the dozen or so huts on their island above the 50-degree (10°C) water, and the elements continually threaten to literally disintegrate their island home.
But for Nelson and Dora, their island represents physically what they are trying to build spiritually for their family: an island of faith that will hold together against the world.
What they have learned in the process is that the faith to build must always be followed by the diligence to maintain.
For the Uros people, who have built and lived on these islands for generations, the totora reed is an essential part of daily living. The reed, which grows in the shallows of Lake Titicaca, can be used as fuel for cooking fires. Its root can be eaten. Its husk can be used for medicinal purposes. And, of course, almost everything is made with the reed: their dwellings, their traditional boats, their watchtowers, the islands themselves, even their trash baskets.
The Uros build the islands by laying down layer upon layer of reeds. But as building materials go, totora reeds don’t last long. The sun dries them out during the dry season. Moisture during the rainy season hastens their decay. And the submersed bottom layers gradually decompose. The continual erosion of the Coilas’ island means that Nelson has to put down a new layer of reeds every 10 to 15 days.
“Building the island was just the start,” he says. “If I stop adding reeds, the island will slowly fall apart. But the more layers I put on, the stronger the island gets over time.”
Adding a layer of reeds is not complex or difficult, but it is work. Delaying it would be easy.
Procrastination, however, increases the risk of a family member putting a foot through a weak spot and ending up in cold water. That can be little more than a nuisance for adults, but it’s potentially deadly for little children such as the Coilas’ two-year-old son, Emerson.
So Nelson adds a layer of reeds today, knowing that the safety of each family member depends on it tomorrow.
It’s a lesson about diligence that has made a difference in the Coilas’ lives.
Through the Coilas’ experiences in maintaining their island of faith both literally and figuratively, they have found the rewards of diligence to be real. “Sometimes we get suffocated by the daily routine of working, cooking, and so forth,” says Nelson. “When we forget God, things get complicated. There are more problems, and things begin to fall apart.”
Nelson pauses to gesture toward a new layer of reeds he put down that morning. “If we are constant,” he says, “if we pray, study, fast, and hold family home evening regularly, we are going to become stronger.”

Fear of such criticism kept Letitia Rule, a member in England, away from the gospel for 20 years. She often wanted to return, but she “was afraid of just walking through the door, feeling judged and like I hadn’t been living right.” Only a life-threatening diagnosis gave her the courage to make that difficult step. Members met her with warmth and love, helping her want to participate in the gospel again.

The Message “Your Heart Will Tell You So” in the May New Era was just spot on. (“Spot on” is Australian for great.) I really needed some help to lift me up and get me going again after a hard week. Like most missionaries, we have our bad times when no one wants to listen to the important and eternal message we carry. I looked to the scriptures and to my latest issue of the New Era, and there was my help. The Message by Elder Jack H. Goaslind, Jr., really gave me a lift and helped me to remember the importance and responsibility of this great calling of a missionary. I know, and bear testimony, of the importance of missionary work and the growth that a mission can bring into every young man’s life. The rewards, blessings, trials, commitments, love, and understanding that result from a mission are priceless.
Elder Jed W. PorterAustralia Perth Mission

Modesty is very important and can send a strong message about who you are. I am involved in ballet and dance, and when I’ve talked to my coach about my modesty standards, the costumes have been modified for me. I don’t wear costumes and other clothing where my belly would show, and this is very important to me and my dancing. Certain clothing is required for each sport, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have standards.
Meghan Z., 16, California, USA

As I was walking out of the doctor’s office with my family, I saw an elderly woman drop her things on the sidewalk. I went over to her and helped her pick up her things. She said, “Thank you, young man.” I felt good because I helped her.
Jacob S., age 8, Wisconsin

Sherman and Austin are two of many chimpanzees living at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Georgia. They, too, have learned to communicate with humans by means of sign language. Taking it one step further, however, they have now begun to converse with each other by this means. Located in separate rooms with a small opening between them, Sherman will use his computer keyboard to ask Austin for a certain food. Austin will read his request and then proceed to fill his order, choosing from among as many as fifteen different delicacies, such as orange drink, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and candies. These chimpanzees are now at the point where they are asking each other for specific tools to help them reach food in hard-to-get-at places.

The older I get, the more I realize how much I rely on relationships—relationships with friends, family, and even the delivery people who never fail to bring me my latest online order (bless them).
And for years, I knew that the frequent counsel from our Church leaders to build relationships with Heavenly Father and the Savior was true and important.1
But I just couldn’t figure out how to actually do that.
Earthly relationships with my friends and family involve having conversations, sharing inside jokes, and spending time together. So the thought of having a personal relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, who aren’t physically present, always seemed so abstract to me.
However, as I was pondering, I realized that everyone’s relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is personal and unique. So what if I applied some practical approaches that have helped me develop strong relationships with my loved ones here on earth to my relationship with Them?
That idea was the spark I needed.
I decided to put this idea to the test and to reevaluate my relationship with Them after 10 days.
As I was pondering ways to come closer to Heavenly Father and the Savior, I researched 10 basic relationship tips that are often given by professionals and combined them with prophetic counsel to give them a spiritual focus.
Here are the 10 tips:
Communicate honestly, out loud, and with real intent through prayer.2
Be a good listener.3
Show Them appreciation.4
Make sacrifices for Them.5
Learn about Them.6
Spend quality time with Them.7
Serve together.8
Show Them trust and commitment.9
Admit when you’re wrong.10
Learn how They show you love.11
To start out, I chose to learn about my Heavenly Father and the Savior (#5), to spend quality time with Them (#6), and to learn how They offered me love (#10).
To learn more about Them, I focused on studying Their character traits. I studied “The Living Christ,” stories of miracles in the Book of Mormon, and general conference talks. I also watched the Church’s Bible and Book of Mormon videos to get a visual of the Savior’s attributes and how He taught and interacted with others.
One attribute of the Savior I studied was His willingness to do the will of the Father (see 3 Nephi 11:11). I can’t fathom someone being willing to suffer and die for all the mistakes, sorrow, sins, and pain that everyone will ever face when this individual did no wrong. And yet, someone was willing.
He was.
I have always had faith in Him, but pondering His love and willingness to give up His life for me deepened my faith, my gratitude, and my own willingness to follow Him. And His courage inspired me to move forward with faith and hope, even while sometimes facing anxiety and fear of the unknown.
And then I turned to Heavenly Father’s character.
I’ve dealt with perfectionism for most of my life, and I used to imagine Him as an angry figure when I disappointed Him with my weaknesses and mistakes.
But as I have studied more of His nature, I’ve learned that He is not a merciless being (see Alma 32:22). He is patient and kind and loving (see 2 Peter 3:9). He is always willing to forgive me (see Mosiah 26:29–31). He is my biggest supporter (see 2 Nephi 26:24).
And I realized that He really is my Father and I am His divine child. He loves me completely (see John 3:16–17) and simply wants me to return.
Learning about the nature of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ changed my whole perception of how They feel about me and how present They actually are in my life. And I realized that They are not strangers to me—I’ve known Them since the beginning, and They have always known me too.
Just as I might set aside time to visit a friend, I made time to spend with Heavenly Father and the Savior every day. I said heartfelt prayers out loud and took time to listen. I played and pondered my favorite hymns. I meditated. And because temples were closed (due to COVID-19), I would go on peaceful walks.
I usually have a podcast or audiobook sounding in my ear when I go walking. But during these walks, I disconnected from the world. I chose to listen for Them. Doing this helped me connect with the Spirit and recognize and ponder the intricate details of the world and my purpose.
I realized how much thought Heavenly Father and the Savior put into Their creations—including me.
I felt a lot of spiritual power come from that quality quiet time with my Heavenly Father and Savior. I recognized more of my blessings, I found greater gratitude for life overall, I received more assurance in my decisions, and I could feel Their quiet strength sustaining me.
Just as with any other relationship, prioritizing quality time brought us much closer.
We all best receive love in certain ways.12 I thought about how other people have shown me love and what has affected me the most over the years, and I realized that I’ve always felt most loved through the meaningful words of others.
And when I realized this, I also realized that for me, the most profound answers to prayer or the greatest comfort from Heavenly Father or the Savior has always been through words, whether those words came from someone who was prompted to talk to me, through truths in the scriptures, through books, or through beautiful quotes from prophets and apostles. Words have always filled my soul and given me comfort more than anything else.
I also thought of how They offer me love through other means, like through my loved ones, through strangers, and even through pleasant “coincidences” and mercies. I was moved to tears when I recognized just how They show me love in so many ways, but especially in the way I receive it best. They truly know us and how to reach us personally and effectively.
We too can show Them love in the best ways we know how—by sharing the gospel, following Them, and serving others.
If you need help figuring out how They show you love, ask Heavenly Father for help in recognizing it. He will show you.13
This experience gave me a glimpse at how much spiritual strength I can gain by prioritizing my relationship with Heavenly Father and the Savior.
And I plan to keep on utilizing these relationship tips. I now truly see my relationship with Them as real, powerful, precious, and eternal. They aren’t intangible, as I once thought.
They are with us. They are in the details. They stand ready to shower us with strength, comfort, wisdom, guidance, and peace, especially when we make time and room for Them in our lives.
Try out your own methods to grow closer to Them and see what happens! I can testify that as we prioritize these vital relationships and follow Them, we will be able to access the Savior’s healing influence, move forward with faith (see Philippians 4:13), and find greater confidence and joy.
I know I have.

In the 1959 April general conference, President David O. McKay taught this principle, as have the prophets since his day, including President Thomas S. Monson. President McKay related in his closing comments that in 1923 in the British Mission, there was a general instruction sent out to the members of the Church. They were told not to spend money on advertising to combat the bad feelings of the people against the Church. President McKay said the decision was: “Throw the responsibility upon every member of the Church that in the coming year of 1923 every member will be a missionary. Every member a missionary! You may bring your mother into the Church, or it may be your father; perhaps your fellow companion in the workshop. Somebody will hear the good message of the truth through you.”

And President McKay continued: “And that is the message today. Every member—a million and a half—a missionary!”2

The Big Deal Since his dog, Wally, is flunking obedience school and is growing twice as fast as he is, Sam has to figure out now how to control his large friend on their walks. If he can’t, Wally will have to go back to the farm!Alison Cragin Herzig6–9 years

And their wisdom goes a lot further than business tips shared during board games.
One valuable lesson Ark’s parents have taught him is to not allow bad influences around him to trip him up. “Here at my school, a lot of kids want me to try coffee, tea, cigarettes, and so forth.”
This is a regular conversation topic at home. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with my parents about this. They repeat themselves a lot,” he jokes.
Still, all that repetition has paid off. Each time he’s asked to do something against his beliefs, Ark draws strength from what his parents have taught him.

In the Republic of Ireland, 18-year-old Andrea Stapleton of Barnhown, Araglen, County Cork, is the only LDS student at a Christian Brothers School. She’s also one of only two girls attending school there.

“It was awful at first,” Andrea recalls. “The boys would fire paper pellets and make fun if I got anything wrong, but things are easier now. There are no girls’ sports taught here and not much opportunity for church discussion. However, I do aim to be a good example of a true Latter-day Saint at all times. My parents and seminary have taught me how to behave.”

I had always wanted a horse, and I shared that desire with my father as we worked together on the farm. One day, Dad took me to a horse auction with him to buy a pony. We sat and watched as different horses were brought into the arena. Before long, four foals were shown. Dad started to bid and eventually was the highest bidder for a sum of eleven dollars. As highest bidder, he had first choice to buy any one of the foals.

He turned to me and said, “OK, Son, which one do you want?” I was so excited! My dream had come true. There were three healthy foals and one that was scrawny and thin. I picked the scrawny one. I felt sorry for her and told my dad, “She needs me.”

We didn’t have any way to get my new foal home, so we took the backseat out of the car, and my father sat in the back of the car, holding the colt while my uncle drove us home.

I named my new friend Lady. She was very tiny and young; I had to feed her from a bottle three times a day. She followed me around and was almost like a member of the family! She mimicked everything I did. If I squealed, she squealed. When I ran, she ran right behind me. I enjoyed graham crackers, and that was her favorite treat as well. She grew into one of the most beautiful, award-winning, and well-mannered riding horses I have ever seen.

My beloved wife, Jeanene, loved doing family history research. When our children were young, she would trade babysitting time with friends so she could have a few hours every few weeks to work on researching our family lines. After our youngest child left home, she recorded in her personal journal: “I have just made a decision and I want to stand up and shout about it. Mike’s old bedroom has become my genealogy workroom. It is well equipped to organize the records and work in. My life will now focus on vital family research and temple name submissions. I am so excited and anxious to get going.”8
Another journal entry reads: “The … miracle for me occurred in the Family History office of Mel Olsen who presented me with a printout of all my known ancestral pedigrees taken from the update of the Ancestral File computerized records sent into the genealogical society. They came mostly from the records of the four generation’s program the Church called for many years ago. I had been overwhelmed with the thought of the huge task ahead of me to gather all my ancestors’ research records from family organizations to get them all in the computer for the first computerized distribution of the Ancestral File. And there they all were, beautiful, organized and laser printed and sitting there on the desk before me. I was so thrilled and so overwhelmed I just sat there stunned and then began to cry I was so happy. … For one who has doggedly, painstakingly researched for thirty years, the computerization of all these records is truly exciting. And when I think of the hundreds of thousands of people who are now or soon will be computerizing huge blocks of censuses and private research disks … I am so excited. It is truly the Lord’s work and He is directing it.”9

Sabrina, 18, remembers the sister missionaries coming to home evening when she was 10. “They taught me simply but firmly that God reveals truth through prayer. They said I needed to kneel down and ask Heavenly Father in humility to give me a testimony. ‘Me kneel down?’ I thought to myself. A few days later, Mom wanted to go for a walk with my sisters and me. Even though the sun was shining and I wanted to go with them, something stopped me. I knew it was the perfect time. I knelt down in the dining room. I pleaded with Heavenly Father to let me know if the Book of Mormon was true. I asked Him if the principles I was taught in church were true. Five minutes went by. After I ended my prayer I remained on my knees. Suddenly, a ray of light illuminated my face. I could not understand this, because the house was dark. But there was a small window in the kitchen without a curtain, and the light was coming from there.
“I felt so happy. I realized that my Father had answered my prayer in this way. Now I have a testimony of all these things, and I know they are true. I know that prayer has tremendous power.”

Once while camping in the beautiful canyons of southern Utah, the group I was with hiked the rock formations and learned how water had worked away at the stones for thousands of years to form their current design. At night, we stared at the thousands of stars in awe. At times like these, I’ve had friends who have commented, “With such numerous creations, I don’t think God knows me or cares about my life.”

Six-year-old Catherine sang as she followed Joseph and his plow down the long brown furrows, dropping yellow kernels of corn into the newly turned soil.
Joseph called over his shoulder, “If Alvin doesn’t get back with some money, all that corn will go to the land agents. And from what I hear, they won’t share it with a cutworm or a crow or anything else.”
Catherine had heard her father talk about land agents, but she wasn’t sure just what they were. “What are land agents, Joseph?” she asked.
Her brother pulled the ox to a halt and explained, “They’re men who sell property. If there is a drought or your crops don’t sell and you can’t pay the mortgage money, they come and take the farm back.” Then he paused for a moment, remembering his father’s dawn-to-dark labor when they’d first cleared the land of trees to plant crops.
The whole family had helped tap the thousand sugar maple trees in the spring. Joseph also remembered the split-wood chairs and baskets and the straw brooms his father had made to sell to help pay for the farm. His father had even worked for other farmers to earn money. But still there wasn’t enough.
Catherine brought her brother back from his recollecting. “Are they going to take our farm, Joseph?”
“It looks like it, unless we can raise some more money. We’ve all helped. But it hasn’t been enough.” Joseph sighed as he slapped the reins against the rump of the ox. “I wish I could do something more.”
“You’ve been helping to clear trees and plowing and planting the corn and pumpkins. That’s a big help.
“Sure. But we need money. And we need it right away.”
Catherine let out a deep breath and sat down on the broken black earth. “Will we have to let the land agents take our farm?” she asked.
“ If we can’t pay all the mortgage money, we will. And the law supports them. But it just doesn’t seem right after we’ve spent two years clearing trees from 24 hectares of land and planting crops and building a four-room log house besides. They’d only turn around and sell it again for a lot of money, and we wouldn’t get anything for all the improvements we’ve made.”
Catherine understood now why some folks said the land agents were really land robbers.
Young Joseph looked into the open window of the house. His mother was just lifting the lid on the cooking pot in the fireplace. She left the stew sputtering against the pot lid as she called to her family, “Supper’s ready!”
Later after supper, Joseph’s father, as always, felt for his spectacles. When his hand found the lower right-hand pocket of his vest, that was the signal for a reading from the Bible and for family prayer.
That night the family had an extra long prayer. Father Smith thanked Heavenly Father for his “mercy which endureth forever.” Then he pleaded for help in somehow obtaining the money that was needed. When all members of the family had added their amen, they sang the usual hymn:
The song was interrupted by a loud knock. Mr. Smith opened the door and invited a neighbor from down the road to come in.
“Thank you, Joseph. I came to ask if you’d let me hire one of your boys for a few days. I need to dig a well.”
Alvin was away working and young Joseph knew his father needed Hyrum to help cut trees. “I could do it, sir,” he said eagerly.
His father smiled. “Joseph’s able. He’ll give you a good day’s work for a day’s pay.”
“I know your boys are good workers. They’ve worked alongside their father until they’re better than most men. That’s why I’m here. Young Joseph will be fine.”
Joseph was so happy that he had to take a big breath to keep from shouting out loud: “The Lord is surely opening up the way. We will get the money we need. I’m sure of it.” He was so sure that he wasn’t a bit surprised when Alvin arrived home a few days later with the money he had earned. Just the same, it was a tense moment when the whole family gathered to count their savings. Is it enough? they wondered.
Joseph held his breath as the money was counted. It was enough; they had enough. Tears and laughter mingled as they realized that Alvin’s earnings added to what Joseph and the others had been able to raise would save their farm!

Amy made the choices every parent desires for a son or daughter. She was sealed in the temple after receiving a strong spiritual impression to marry her husband.
Prior to their wedding, her husband-to-be made a courageous choice as well, admitting to her that he had used pornography.
A short year later, Amy realized that his struggle with pornography was not in the past. Three years into their marriage—when they had an eight-month-old baby—Amy suffered the unimaginable pain of her husband’s having an affair and being subsequently excommunicated from the Church.
How did Amy survive the heartbreak? How do the many other women and men with similar circumstances survive their pain?
When Amy faced her husband’s excommunication, she knew that the Savior could provide the answer to the crushing weight she felt. However, she says, she wasn’t sure how “to bridge that gulf between where I was and the healing power of Jesus Christ.” How, she wondered, could she possibly find—or build—a bridge?
At first she tried to lessen her pain by vigilantly watching her husband and pleading with the Lord to heal him. But one day a spiritual prompting changed everything: Amy realized that controlling someone else’s behavior isn’t part of Heavenly Father’s plan and wasn’t helping her come closer to the Savior. So, she says, the biggest thing she had to do was begin her own journey of healing—and turn her husband’s journey over to him. She came to understand, through inspiration from the Spirit, that she needed to stop living her life as a reaction to pornography and trust in the enabling power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement to strengthen and bless her.
As she looks back, Amy says that at no point did any of her searching or investigating of her husband produce a feeling of peace. Life “was continual turmoil,” she says. “And the only peace I found was when I recognized that Heavenly Father had a plan” for her husband and for her. When she used her own agency to turn to God and seek His help, “the help came” and the gulf between her pain and the Savior’s help didn’t feel quite so wide or the pain so weighty.
Amy and her husband are still married—although he continues to relapse. Amy, however, testifies that peace comes when she watches general conference thinking, “How can I heal my pain?” not, “I hope my husband hears this.” She knows that Jesus Christ’s healing power and her faith in the infinite nature of the Atonement provide hope—not only for her husband but also for her.