Gospel Story Finder

As a pilot, Elder Robert D. Hales learned that you should never fly into a thunderstorm on purpose. Instead, you should fly around it, take another route, or wait for the storm to clear before landing. He taught that young people can “fly right” and survive hard times by choosing the right. Heavenly Father wants to guide us. He can speak to us through prayer, scriptures, prophets, patriarchal blessings, parents and leaders, and the Holy Ghost.

Reader 1: A small child, put to bed, looks about his room yet cannot see. All is dark—dark as a beetle’s back, a raven’s wing, or the bottom of a well.
Reader A: Dark as a fairy-tale forest or the inside of Jonah’s whale.
Reader 1: Dark as a chimney; dark as coal, shadows, thunder, silence; dark as fear.
Reader A: The child cries out. In a moment, he hears the parent’s voice:
Reader 1: “Everything is all right. Don’t be afraid of the dark. I am here.”
Reader A: As the child grows older, he reads the holy words, “Fear not; for I am with thee.” Now the child understands the words.

I was in my fifth semester of studying systems engineering when I turned 19. My parents told me if I went on a mission, they weren’t going to help me with my schooling when I returned.
During that difficult time of decision, the stake mission president shared a scripture with me I will never forget: “He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:38). Another verse also touched my heart and helped me make my choice: “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s stake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matt. 19:29). I decided to obey the will of God and serve Him full time for two years.
My mission wasn’t just the most enriching experience of my life—it was a commandment from my Heavenly Father. Despite the difficulties that always seem to arise, I know that when the Lord gives us a commandment, He prepares a way (see 1 Ne. 3:7).
I served in the Colombia Cali Mission. Teaching in my homeland, the land of my ancestors and my relatives, was not only one of the greatest blessings of my service, it made me—in my small way—a fulfillment of prophecy: “For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true” (Alma 29:8). How grateful I am to have heard and to have shared His wise counsel.

A few days after his wife’s death in September 1832 Brigham left his two little daughters in the care of Vilate Kimball, Heber’s wife, and traveled to Kirtland to meet Joseph Smith. He later wrote, “Here my joy was full at the privilege of shaking the hand of the Prophet of God, and received the sure testimony, by the spirit of prophecy that he was … a true Prophet.”

Second: I had another dream when I traveled home again. I was coming out from my father’s compound, and somebody called my name. I looked on my right side, and I saw Emeka’s stepmother, Virginia, and our uncle’s wife, Regina, and also Emeka’s senior sister, Victoria. All are dead. Emeka’s stepmother was the one who called me. As I was going towards them, Emeka’s sister backed me away, telling them something. Then I heard Emeka’s stepmother saying, “No, no. She is the one helping us.” Our Uncle’s wife was supporting her, saying, “She is the one helping us.”
These experiences taught me how close we are to our dead and help me understand that it is I helping them.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough” (Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, New York: Bantam Books, 1981, p. 46).

I like to run, and I would participate in running groups where we would train and run together. Many times people would ask me why I would not train with them on Sundays or participate in races that took place on Sundays. I would always answer by saying that Sunday was the day that I went to Church with my family. This answer often triggered a follow up question: Which church do you go to? As I answered the second question, a third question would almost always follow that would allow me to share our basic beliefs.

I cut out the picture of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple and drew my family inside (Dec. 2019). I want my family to be together forever!
Lane S., age 10, Iowa, USA

Mark Bennett from Camarillo, California, is not only into Russian, but has been into Russia as well. As a priest from the Camarillo First Ward, Camarillo California Stake, Mark was one of three high school students who participated with several college students in a four-week travel study program in Moscow and Kiev in the summer of 1977.
“We studied the language three hours each morning, and spent the afternoons visiting places of interest in Russia,” explained Mark. Because he was the only LDS participant, he conducted his own personal worship services on Sunday.
Mark’s firsthand experiences in the Soviet Union helped him earn the title of champion of the Southern California Regional Olympiad of Spoken Russian last February. A panel of teachers and professors asked contestants questions on everyday life in Russia, literature, culture, geography, and history. Participants were then given a half hour to prepare an oral summary of a story in Russian. After winning the Southern California title, Mark went on to place third in the Olympiad’s Pacific Coast regional competition in Seattle, Washington.
Mark, a 1978 graduate of Camarillo High School, is a freshman at Brigham Young University.

Sister Barbara B. Smith, speaking as Relief Society General President in the April 1978 general conference, told of a man who retired at age 63 and was uncertain what he could offer without a full-time job. At that point, she said, “he had no occupation, no hobbies, no special interests, and no plans for the future.” She continued, “He was left to try to find a new life for himself or to vegetate and die. Sadly I add that within a brief time he did die.”1

We found Athens hot and humid when our group arrived there. Without air conditioning, the bus trip left us tired and bedraggled. But it didn’t take long before the light-hearted quips and personal concern of the young people had the rest of us forgetting our discomfort. It was Carolyn who decided we needed some singing, and Virnell, Shelley, Bonnie, and Diane soon joined in.
As usual, Melvin was the first to help with the luggage when we reached our hotel, checking the number of pieces and helping the ladies with their heavier bags.

What Nicholas, Alibert, and Angelo experienced with the Book of Mormon is reminiscent of Parley P. Pratt’s experience:
“I opened [the book] with eagerness. … I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when … night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.
“As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists. My joy was now full, as it were, and I rejoiced sufficiently to more than pay me for all the sorrows, sacrifices and toils of my life.”5

Once, at the close of a sacrament service, a sister came up to me and asked me what counsel I could give her. She said she was losing her faith in the law of tithing. She explained that for some time she had been seeking a promotion at work. Even though she had been paying her tithing faithfully and had asked God to bless her with this promotion, she had not received this greatly desired blessing. My counsel for this sister was the same that I share now with you.
I have learned that when the Lord promises us so many blessings that there will not be room enough to receive them, sometimes we think that means we will immediately receive material riches, such as a raise or a promotion at work. However, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that “as we live the law of tithing, we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not always what we expect and easily can be overlooked.”1

“How do you know when the Holy Ghost is talking to you?” Carver looked up from his scriptures.
Dad smiled and put down his Come, Follow Me book. “The Holy Ghost can talk to you in lots of ways. Sometimes it’s a feeling, or an idea that pops into your head.”
Carver frowned. “But how do you know it’s the Holy Ghost?”
“Maybe we can say a prayer to help us find the answer,” Mom said.
One of Carver’s sisters said the prayer. Then they headed off to school. Carver thought about his question all day.
When he got home, the house smelled delicious. “Bread!” Carver shouted.
“That’s right,” Mom said. “I made some bread for us to share with others.”
Carver looked at his sisters. Eva scrunched up her nose. Jane raised her eyebrows. “You mean we don’t get to eat it?” Jane asked.
“We wanted to practice listening to the Holy Ghost,” Dad said. “So Mom came up with an idea.”
They would each pray to ask Heavenly Father who might need to feel loved today. Then they would give that person some bread.
Carver knelt by his bed. He wanted to hear the Holy Ghost, but what did the Holy Ghost sound like? He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
“Heavenly Father, who needs bread today?”
Carver tried to listen for the Holy Ghost, but he didn’t hear anything. Then he remembered passing Sister Smith’s house on the way home from school. She always waved at him. Maybe she liked bread. Perfect!
Mom handed out cards to write notes for the people they were going to visit. Carver wrote, “Dear Sister Smith, I said a prayer to see which person I should give this bread to. I waited for a prompting, and POP! you came into my head. Love, Carver.”
When Mom drove up to Sister Smith’s house, Carver grabbed his loaf and walked to the front door. He felt nervous. What if Sister Smith didn’t like bread? What if visiting her was just his brain’s idea and not the Holy Ghost?
Then Carver remembered something else Mom had said. She said that if it’s a good or kind idea, you don’t need to worry about whether it’s just your own thought. Nice things are always good to do! Carver took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
Sister Smith opened the door. “Hello, Carver! What brings you here?”
Carver handed her his loaf. He looked at his shoes, then back at Sister Smith. “Do you like homemade bread?”
“It’s my favorite!” She smiled. “Thank you very much.”
Carver smiled too. “You’re welcome!” Then more words popped into his head. He followed the prompting right away. “Heavenly Father knows it’s your favorite. He loves you a lot!”
Sister Smith’s eyes started to look shiny. “I’m glad He can count on you to hear Him.”
Carver felt as light as a balloon. He waved to Sister Smith and walked back to the car. Now he knew that giving Sister Smith the bread was a prompting from the Holy Ghost. He was excited to listen to the Holy Ghost again!

Born in Midvale, Utah, on June 8, 1951, Sister Cook learned to trust in the Lord from the examples of her parents, Kenneth N. and Fern S. Nielsen. Her father suffered severe health problems resulting from a mining accident when Sister Cook was a toddler. For a time, her mother was the family’s sole provider. It was a trying time.

The Thomas family of the Third Ward also made family history a family project. Says Tristan, “We started helping our mom find names for relatives that she was having trouble finding. The Elijah Project helped us learn and get interested in it, especially when we started going to the family history center again and again.”

Tyler Thomas adds, “Our sister is nine years old and was too young to go to the temple. She’s been really great about going to the family history center and spending hours there. She wants to do it, too.”

My favorite flower is the sunflower. When I go for walks in the morning, I notice how the sunflower turns its face toward the sun. By evening, it has turned so that it faces the setting sun. I enjoy gathering my grandchildren around me and telling them how we can be like the sunflower: We need to turn our faces to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and follow Him. He is our light, and if we follow Him, we will be happy.

Recently I participated in a pioneer trek with young men and young women in our ward. Each morning I asked myself, “What is my sacrifice? How do I come after them?”
On the second day of the trek we had pulled our handcarts eight miles (13 km) when we came to a place on the trail called “the women’s pull.” Men and women were separated, and the men were sent ahead up a hill. As we started to pull our handcarts, I looked up to see our priesthood brethren, young and old, lining both sides of the trail, hats off in respect for the women.
The path was easy at first, but soon we were in deep sand, and the hill grew steep. I had my head down and was pushing with all my might when I felt a tug on the cart and looked up to see Lexi, one of our young women and my neighbor. She had pulled her handcart to the top and, seeing our need for help, ran back. When we reached the top, I wanted so much to run back to help those following me, but I was breathing heavily and my heart was pounding so hard, the words heart attack entered my mind more than once! I watched with gratitude as other young women dropped their handcarts and ran to help.
When everyone reached the top, we took some time to record feelings in our journals. I wrote: “I didn’t prepare well enough physically so didn’t have the strength to help those following me. I may never need to pull a handcart again, but I never want to let my sisters down spiritually, never!”
It was a sacred experience that awakened me spiritually to my duties to my family and others. Throughout our journey I reflected on what I had learned.
Lining both sides of the trail were faithful, obedient, covenant-keeping men. Their priesthood power—the power God uses to bless all His children—lifted, strengthened, and supported us. They were a reminder that we are never alone. We can have this power with us always as we keep our covenants.

The youth of the Tallahassee Third Ward, Tallahassee Florida Stake, organized a special Walk-a-Thon in an effort to raise money for the Cameron Paige leukemia fund. Little four-year-old Cameron and his family are members of the Tallahassee Second Ward.
The youth made arrangements for a safe route. The group made an early start to avoid the heat and set a brisk pace to avoid any early-morning traffic. At the end of the route, reporters were waiting to record their efforts.
The youth concluded their walk with a dip in a local spring and a picnic. As the group compared blisters or more serious reactions to the exercise, they were more sympathetic to the pain and discomfort that little Cameron experiences.

Let me tell you of how He did it for one boy who now holds the office of priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. He is 16 years old. He lives in a country where the missionaries first arrived just a year ago. They were assigned to two cities but not to the city where the boy lives.

When he was very young, his parents brought him to Utah for safety. The family was taught and baptized by the missionaries. He was not baptized into the Church because he was not yet eight years of age.

His parents were killed in an accident. So his grandmother had him return to his home, across the ocean, back to the city where he had been born.

He was walking on the street in March just a year ago when he felt that he should speak to a woman he did not know. He spoke with her in the English he still remembered. She was a nurse sent by the mission president to his city to look for housing and medical care for the missionaries who would be assigned there soon. He and she became friends as they talked. When she got back to the mission headquarters, she told the missionaries about him.

The first two elders arrived in September of 2012. The orphan boy was their first baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By March of this year he had been a member for four months. He had been ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood and so could baptize the second convert to the Church. He was the first priesthood pioneer to gather other children of Heavenly Father with him to establish the Church in a city of approximately 130,000 people.

On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013, the Church membership there had grown to the huge number of six members in that city. He was the only local member who attended the meeting that Sunday. His knee had been injured the day before, but he was determined to be there. He had prayed that he would be able to walk to church. And so he was there. He shared the sacrament with four young elders and a missionary couple—the total congregation.