Gospel Story Finder

Cook Islands Cyclone Relief an Ongoing Challenge
Five cyclones in as many weeks provided members of the Church in the Cook Islands with almost unlimited opportunities for service to other members and the wider community as well. There was a great deal of damage to housing and crops on both the main island of Rarotonga and neighboring islands, but the members swung into action to help restore order.
The Church supplied food and water to Pukapuka. Building materials and members’ labor helped in reroofing one house and completely rebuilding two others on Aitutaki. Many houses on Rarotonga were repaired using Church-supplied materials and priesthood labor.
In addition, the Church is funding the installation of a large concrete pad at Te Uki Ou School on Rarotonga so that students using wheelchairs and walkers can mingle with friends more easily.

At 1995’s track-and-field venue in Connecticut, the LDS youths gathered near where the athletes entered the track and shook hands, gave pats on the back, and offered encouragement. The athletes’ smiles got even bigger when their LDS helpers asked for their autographs.
“They are really happy when you smile or say congratulations to them. As soon as you start talking to them, they become cheerful and talkative,” says Stephanie Perry.
That attitude rubbed off on the LDS volunteers, too.
“At other youth conferences I’ve been to, we do service, and then one of our leaders gets a letter of thanks. Half the people who worked on the project don’t even realize what we did was appreciated. It’s so much better being interactive,” says Merilee Hales. “You could see the excitement these kids had when we would shake their hands and give high-fives.”
Says Ben Stratford, “The best thing about it was the time we spent with the Special Olympians and the example they provided for me.”

After Halloween, people’s attitudes toward me changed, and questions about my faith evolved into peers asking me for advice about their own lives. To my surprise, friends and acquaintances who had gotten over the initial shock of learning that I do not drink, smoke, or do drugs and that I am waiting to have sex until I’m married turned to me for guidance specifically on those topics.

I found myself reassuring friends who were feeling pressured into having sex that they had the power to choose, encouraging some to go to the school counselor to talk about mental health and addiction concerns, and even consoling someone who made a mistake that would likely lead to expulsion. I was baffled by the way many of my peers could transition from mocking me to seeking my advice.

Exemplifying the growth of the Church from within is the family of Wolfgang and Karin Pilz. President Pilz, who now serves as first counselor in the Mannheim Germany Stake in south-central Germany, is a physician and fourth-generation member whose great-grandfather joined the Church in 1894. President and Sister Pilz—both returned missionaries—have five children, and their oldest daughter was recently married in the Frankfurt temple.
President and Sister Pilz, members of the Darmstadt Ward, tell of their daughter’s temple marriage. “We invited many people to a wedding party in the meetinghouse cultural hall,” says Sister Pilz, “and we had about 300 come. Many of them were nonmember visitors.” President Pilz adds, “Even teachers and classmates attended. In my day, they would never have done that; they wouldn’t have entered an LDS Church.” The guests were impressed with the Church, says Sister Pilz. “The teachers that came told other teachers. This is the kind of missionary work we can do now to let our friends and neighbors see what a wonderful community we have within the Church.”

“I knew if anyone could save us, it would be the Mormons!” says Janine Petryliak, an administrator at the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Just weeks before the CDA’s annual donations drive, its records were destroyed, which put the fund-raiser in danger of being canceled. Although she is not a member of the Church, Janine knew she could count on the Latter-day Saints for help. She wasn’t disappointed.
“It seemed like a project that would be enjoyable,” says Tauni Schmirler, a 17-year-old Laurel in the Okotoks (Alberta, Canada) Ward, who organized the project. “I could do it with my friends and get them involved, and it gave them all service opportunities.”
Youth in other wards surrounding Calgary were quick to help the association as well. They were out on the streets collecting money just days after they were called on to help in the communities of Airdrie, Strathmore, Olds, High River, Vulcan, Morrin, Hanna, and Drumheller. Donning coats, mittens, hats, and scarves, they hit the streets in the early winter’s below-zero temperatures.
The winter cold, it seems, turned out to be an advantage.
“The colder it was, the nicer the people were,” says Shawn Matthews of Okotoks.

“My wife and I started talking each night about the tender mercies we had each day while serving our mission,” one senior missionary said. “Not only did it help us focus more on what happened and less on ourselves, but it also gave us a chance to see goodness all around us even when parts of the day hadn’t gone well.”
“And because it was the last thing we did each night,” his wife added, “we went to bed less stressed and more content than we had for years. It even helped me sleep better!”

Two years later, Martha received a call to serve a temple mission in the Atlanta Temple, where she enjoys bearing her testimony of “having found the Spirit of God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ. He is alive,” she says, “and is blessing those who will open up their hearts and let him come in.”

“Happiness is found if we do God’s way,” Brother Wilcox declared to the youth and Young Single Adults (YSA) attending a devotional on November 21 at Urdaneta Stake in Pangasinan. “Brother Wilcox’s words reminded me how foolish I was back then when I always relied on my own ways rather than His,” intimated Hans Sagabaen, an Aaronic Priesthood holder from Urdaneta 2nd Ward. “Following His ways has shown me that genuine happiness can only be found through Him.”

Loving those around us includes being sensitive to feelings of others. As is often done, a conducting officer announced that when the deacons were through passing the sacrament, they were invited to go and sit with their families. One father noticed a boy walk out and sit in the foyer. The next week he invited that deacon to sit with his family rather than go through the embarrassment and loneliness caused by not having his own family in attendance. This parent responded to the need of the boy rather than criticizing the leaders for the policy. The actions of this father can be enlarged on and put into practice by every member.

On the scheduled, frosty Saturday morning, 16 carloads of LDS youths from the Brigham Young University 36th Branch met at 8:00 A.M. dressed in uniforms of bib overalls and work gloves. Their project?—six homes of senior citizens in surrounding towns that had yard cleanup and painting jobs to be done.

“We are hoeing, daily hoeing” and “Put your shoulder to the wheel, push along,” rang through the air as the service project got underway.

Window frames took on a new coat of paint, garden plots were cleared for spring planting, and apples and walnuts were gathered from trees while the homeowners smiled and offered encouragement and thanks.

A quarter-acre field of tall weeds looked a little awesome to another group, but three hours later, when bare soil could be seen, one proud worker pointed to the pile of weeds and exclaimed, “Isn’t it lovely? Our own personal haystack.”

One widow invited her young workers in for hot chocolate, popcorn, and homemade rolls when they finished their job. “This is what I miss,” she said. “We had a family of seven children.”

“This type of activity really unites us in the true spirit of helping each other,” commented a worker. “Working side by side with people helps you to get to know them a lot better than you could through a social activity.”

When the jobs were completed, the dusty work crews went picnicking in the canyon.

“These priesthood activities act as lab periods to teach individuals what they ought to do on their own,” explained the head of the planning committee. “They are even more meaningful when the participants go home and, on their own, quietly help their neighbors.”

Ezra Taft Benson did many chores on his family farm. Because he loved farming, he earned an advanced degree in agricultural economics and eventually served as secretary of agriculture for the United States in Washington, D.C. President Benson loved the Book of Mormon and encouraged Church members to study it as families and as individuals.

We’ve landed
on a planet
where no one’s
stepped before.
The ground is sparkling
in the sun
like a silver shore.
We leave a trail
of footprints,
two strangers
from afar,
who’ll soon explore
the brand-new world
gleaming like a star.

Daniel C., age 8, Hawaii, USA
I felt Heavenly Father and Jesus were right beside me at my baptism. My baptism was special because I shared the day with two of my cousins who are the same age.

Ana M., 17, a Laurel: I’ve had times at school where a friend will say, “Oh, this happened over the weekend,” and I’m like, “Oh, I would never do that.” And I’ll explain. Or if someone has found out that I’m a Mormon, they’ll come and ask me questions about what I believe in, what my attitude is toward sexual purity. Most of them are like, “That’s pretty cool, but I’d never be able to do it.” They respect me for it. If I’m talking to someone who is “sexually active,” they’re like, “Whoa, how can you wait that long?” But then you have the other side of it where they’re like, “Oh, cool. There aren’t many people who do that anymore.” Sometimes it’s both—like, “That’s a bit weird, but that’s kind of cool.”

I live in the Philippines, and general conference takes place very far from my home. But with the help of the Liahona (English), I can read all the messages given by our General Authorities. I love all the conference messages.
Elder Russell M. Nelson’s talk, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” in the July 2001 issue was especially helpful to me. I love to go to the Manila Philippines Temple, and I am preparing to receive my endowment. I know that if we receive all the temple ordinances and keep our covenants, we can live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
John Mark A. Cabrera,Liozon Branch, Iba Philippines District

It was a dark and stormy night.
Well, okay, maybe it was a sunny afternoon.
Whenever it was, somebody sneaked up outside the window of James B. Young’s dormitory room on the Ricks College campus. They pulled out a roll of masking tape. Then cautiously, they formed letters—backwards—on the window, so that when Jamie opened the curtains in the morning, he would read the words the right way. This was their message:
“We Love U.”
All of which brings us back to the masked message taped on Jamie’s window one dark and stormy night.
“We Love U,” it said.
If James Brigham Young has anything to say about it, that may well become the official nickname for Ricks College.

In February 2016, the full-time missionaries began visiting us. At first Pat thought they were coming over to help on the farm. When we accepted an invitation for them to teach us, he thought the lessons were just for the children.
As the missionaries were preparing to teach us their first lesson, Pat went out to work on the tractor. After about 20 minutes, I could see that they—two sisters and two elders—were deflated. At that moment, I felt that I should get Pat and ask him to come listen for a couple of minutes.
Later the missionaries told me that they had been praying that that’s what I would do. They knew that Pat needed to hear what they were teaching.
After the missionaries had taught us for several weeks, Jesse, Bo, and Frank wanted to be baptized. Pat thought that was great, but he felt that he was “beyond salvation.” That was before he met Von and Glenda Memory and heard Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak during general conference.
When we saw Brother Memory at church, I recognized him from when I was a child. He was now serving as the ward mission leader. Pat introduced himself, telling Brother Memory that he really wanted the Church for our children.
“That sounds good,” Brother Memory said with a twinkle in his eye. “We’ll do it for the children.”
A few weeks later, after a lesson from the missionaries on the plan of salvation, Brother Memory said, “Boys, we’re going to talk about your baptism.” Then he added, “And then we’re going to talk about your dad’s baptism.”
Pat said OK, but his doubts about his readiness and worthiness persisted until general conference that April.
“You may be afraid, angry, grieving, or tortured by doubt,” Elder Uchtdorf said in his talk. “But just as the Good Shepherd finds His lost sheep, if you will only lift up your heart to the Savior of the world, He will find you.”1
Pat said: “Before then, it hadn’t occurred to me that I really could be a part of this, that I was worthy of salvation. But after listening to Elder Uchtdorf, it hit me that it wasn’t too late for me. I actually have a shot to get to heaven. I had never felt anything like that. From then on I knew. This is the Savior’s Church. We found it. I got baptized and received the priesthood. A week later I baptized my boys. When our girls were old enough, I baptized them.”
A year later, we were sealed in the Birmingham Alabama Temple.

Three young women now serving missions in Australia all have something in common. They originally grew up on islands in the Indian Ocean and were converted to the Church by friends.
Maria Rogatienne Augusoa Houareau was born on the Seychelles Islands. She was introduced to the gospel by a friend, and she and two sisters were baptized. Maria is now serving a full-time mission in Melbourne, Australia.

Have you ever used a campfire to inspire a boy to go on a mission? This is a most important experience in the life of a boy. The opportunity I missed to do this is one of my most intense regrets. I have organized and conducted about 1,150 campfires during the time I was professionally in the Boy Scout movement and organized the programs presented during those exciting hours. With other leaders, I have told stories to 15,000 boys.

Firelight producing flickering shadows through the darkening trees, or reproducing itself endlessly in the lapping waters of a quiet lake, the moon making a delicate filigree through the canopy of leaves, the mysterious stars winking their eternal signals of distant worlds—all have put a boy in a receptive mood to hear my message. I have achieved some fame as a storyteller. The one I am most famous for is called “The Wendigo”—Algernon Blackwood’s thriller about the New Brunswick woods. That story never sent a single boy on a mission. It was a thrilling story, but the motivation was not of the kind which sends a boy on a mission—rather, it tended to pull the covers over his head.

I have often wondered what would have happened if I had relived with these boys in those high moments of mystery while the magic worked, the adventures of Samuel H. Smith as he slogged along through those wet spring woods, stopping at primitive cabins or at village homes, telling people of the book his brother Joseph brought forth.

Or of the dangerous walks of Wilford Woodruff through the wilds of Missouri, where there lurked men more dangerous to him than the bears and wolves he saw en route.

Or of the 400-mile trip 125 years ago on skis of my wife Hulda’s father in Norway to distribute tracts and proclaim what he had just learned as a new member. Were his frozen feet and the danger of complete freezing any less of an adventure than those of an American missionary?

I could have influenced every boy to thirst to find his relationship to God our Father, and his Son, and then to go forth to be saved from grave danger by the miracle of the intervention of heavenly aid. Today the danger may be more moral than physical—but the whispering still will save him if he can learn to hear it.

I also believe the Church can provide scaffolding for our professional lives. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we represent the Savior and His Church. For us, being as good as someone else from another church is not good enough. President George Albert Smith (1870–1951) taught this lesson when he said:
“Within the last year, I have had the privilege of meeting and conversing on the gospel with some men who live in this community [Salt Lake City], not members of our Church. One man had resided here for twenty years, a man whose life is above reproach, a good citizen, a splendid businessman, one who has kindly feelings towards our people. He told me that he had … come to the conclusion that we were just as good as our neighbors who are members of other churches; he could not see any difference in us.
“I want to say to you, my brethren and sisters, that is no compliment to me. If the gospel of Jesus Christ does not make me a better man, then I have not developed as I should, and if our neighbors not in this Church can live among us from year to year and see no evidence of the benefits that come from keeping the commandments of God in our lives, then there is need for reform in Israel.”5