Gospel Story Finder

As a visiting teacher, Sister Fidencia completed forty consecutive years of 100-percent visiting teaching. In February 1978, she received commendation for this accomplishment from Relief Society and mission leaders, who expressed appreciation for her service and compassion.

We receive light from the Lord. This can happen to us when we study the scriptures and “our eyes [are] opened and our understandings [are] enlightened” (D&C 76:12). Daily scripture study turns on the light of our spiritual perception and opens our understandings to further knowledge. I try to read from the scriptures at the close of the day. It brings a remarkable peace. I sleep better by doing this.

On Monday, Mommy washed the clothes.
I helped her fold the socks.
On Tuesday, Daddy dug a hole.
I helped him carry rocks!
Wednesday night I helped my sister
Put away the dishes.
On Thursday, brother had a chore.
I helped him feed his fishes!
Friday after school was out,
We raked up all the leaves.
On Saturday, Dad washed the car.
I helped him find his keys!
Sunday is the Sabbath day.
We rest from all our chores.
But I’ll be ready Monday,
So I can help some more!

On Monday I woke up for school and said my prayers. Because of the Restoration, I knew I was praying to a loving Heavenly Father and that I am His daughter, created in His image. I also read from the Book of Mormon. Because of the Restoration, I have another witness that Jesus Christ really lived. That night we had family home evening. Because of the Restoration, I am blessed with loving parents who teach me the truth.

Everything was going well on my mission. I had incredible experiences that will stay in my heart forever. However, after eight months, I started having health problems. After much fasting and prayer, I was sent home. I was devastated. I thought everything was my fault. I stopped reading my scriptures and praying as often. I wondered if I hadn’t done everything that I could have to stay.
But I realized I was being tested to see if I would remain loyal to the Lord. It was difficult, but I put my trust in Him, and I returned to the mission field, where I once again had amazing experiences.
Then, my health problems returned. But this time I was more willing to follow Heavenly Father’s will. So I returned home a second time. It was difficult, but I know that I can learn from everything I went through.
Even though I didn’t serve for 24 months, I know that I served an honorable mission. I know that the time I served the Lord was worth it for me and for the people I helped. I’m grateful to my Savior for His infinite Atonement. He knows each of our challenges. And if we rely on Him with all certainty, we will never be alone.
Fillipe Hoffman, Goiás, Brazil

My daughters, ages 8 and 10, seemed to be growing farther and farther apart. As their mother, I ached inside to see the bickering between them and the mean looks they often directed at each other.
During this time I was praying earnestly to the Lord to help me with my own weaknesses. I prayed that He would help me learn what I needed to learn about charity, and I was led to some beautiful passages of scripture.
One night things came to a head with my daughters. I lost my temper and, after ranting and raving at them, stormed outside to cool down and think. After a few minutes, the Spirit began to soften my heart, prompting me to go inside and apologize to my eldest daughter, who had caught the worst of my temper.
As I entered her bedroom, I saw my 10-year-old daughter kneeling beside her bed, weeping. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, “I don’t know what to do.” She told me she wanted to pray and read her scriptures so she would feel better, but she couldn’t because she felt so bad.
When she told me how sorry she felt for her part in our quarrel and then said I was not to blame, oh, what shame I felt. We talked a while and then turned to the scriptures, where I read to her about charity, “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47), and shared some of the things I had learned. At that point her younger sister looked in the room, and we invited her to join us. I then explained, in words an eight-year-old could understand, what we had read about charity.
After I had finished, both girls turned to me with big eyes and expressed a desire to be filled with this great love spoken of in the scriptures. We then knelt and, as Mormon counseled, humbly asked the Father to fill us with this love (see Moroni 7:48).
Touched by the Spirit, we could not help but weep. We rose from our knees, embraced, and expressed our love for each other. At that moment I saw an eternal sisterhood and friendship begin to bloom between my daughters, and I was comforted.
Their relationship has continued to grow since then. They have a greater desire to work out their differences, show more patience, and share their belongings. I am grateful for their righteous desires and efforts.
I will always treasure that experience, and I pray that there will be more like it as we continue to strengthen the bonds of charity and love in our home.

Sitting on the set of a local TV talk show, Elise Jenkins thought she was going to lose it. Being on television wasn’t getting any easier for the shy 18-year-old, even though she’d already been on other TV and radio talk shows and appeared twice on the evening news.
“I really didn’t want to be on TV,” Elise says, “but in order to make my cause well known, it had to happen.”
What started out as a Laurel project for this small-town girl from Valley Springs, Arkansas, has turned into a worldwide effort that has thrust her into the public eye. The project? Show Hollywood producers that there is a market for G-rated versions of today’s popular movies. “Since they’re already making edited versions of movies for airlines, why not make them available to the public?” Elise says.
Elise’s novel idea is slowly spreading, and people from around the world are taking notice and lining up behind this otherwise bashful teenager. On her petition to Hollywood, Elise has so far gathered some 75,000 names—more than 370 times the number of people living in her hometown. She’s received at least one signature from every state in the union, as well as signatures and letters of support from as far away as China, Australia, Austria, Belgium, and England. “I even got a letter from Pago Pago,” says Elise. “Where on earth is that?”
Elise’s story started four years ago as she was thinking of an idea for her Laurel project. “All the language, violence, and immorality in movies has always bothered me, so I thought trying to change things would be a good idea,” she says.
Elise mailed postcards to family and friends to see if they’d be interested in petitioning Hollywood. Few responded. Undaunted, Elise tried a high-tech road more traveled: cyber-space. “That’s how it started to spread,” she says.
In an e-mail message, Elise asked recipients to make copies of her petition, gather signatures to mail in, and then pass on her e-mail to others. Encouraged by the responses that started trickling in, Elise set an optimistic goal for the number of signatures she wanted: one million. “I know that’s a really big number, but I wanted something that could actually convince movie producers to change,” she says.
Despite her efforts, after five months Elise had only managed to get about 2,000 signatures. Just as her goal of one million names was beginning to seem utterly unattainable, Elise received a phone call that would drastically change the course of her campaign.
David Longhurst, a Church member from Port Angeles, Washington, had been impressed with Elise’s story after reading a Church News article about her. A professional Web site manager, David offered to create a Web page for Elise’s petition and to add it to his own nonprofit “Good Works” Internet site, at www.goodworks.net. The response was overwhelming.
“It took five months to get 2,000 names by mail; then it took five days to get 2,000 more through the Internet,” says Elise. “I remember one day David called, and he said he was getting signatures on the Web site something like one every five seconds.”
The publicity from the Internet also brought in more written responses: a stack of 821 signatures gathered by a young woman in Layton, Utah; 642 names from another girl in Ontario, Canada; 611 names from the Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission. Nearly every day, Elise found herself carrying home a huge stack of mail from the post office.
Today, Elise loves to look through the scrapbook she’s compiled of all the letters she’s received from around the world. The messages inspire her:
“You have touched many people’s lives and may have made the difference in our society. Many people feel the way you do.”
“Hooray for you! It’s wonderful to see someone do something I’ve been thinking needs to be done for a long time.”
“A few people may not make much of a difference except to themselves, but if everyone who feels this way will act upon their convictions, it will make a difference.”
Elise says she’s been amazed at the enthusiasm and numbers of the responses she’s received. As she continues her crusade, she doesn’t know whether she’ll make her goal of a million names, but she does know she’s provided an avenue for many people to take a stand for what they believe in. “I’ve been trying to stand as a witness of Christ and encourage others to do the same.”
And no matter what happens when her petition reaches Hollywood, Elise says she’s learned a powerful lesson: “One person really can make a difference.”

For someone called “the Lion of the Lord,” President Brigham Young (1801–77) was a remarkably humble man. One time the Prophet Joseph Smith severely rebuked Brigham Young. After the Prophet’s chastisement, everyone in the room waited for Brigham’s response. He could have defended himself or been offended, but his reply was sincerely and simply, “Joseph, what do you want me to do?”

Working in my father’s blacksmith shop as a young boy, I was given a small steel bar drilled with three holes to use as a pattern. Carefully I began drilling the three holes in several blank bars. Anxious to please my father, I drilled each hole with exactness. He came over to inspect my work, measuring the holes. Looking at me a bit puzzled, he said, “Son, these holes are not as accurate as they should be. Show me what you are doing.” Picking up a blank bar of steel, I placed it under another bar in which I had already drilled three holes, matching the edges precisely. At that moment my father said, “Son, I know where the problem is. You must always drill through the original pattern I gave you.”
Even being as careful as possible, unless I used the original pattern given to me by my father, the holes became a little more distorted each time a different pattern was used.

A convert from less-active parents, he was baptized at age 16 with the rest of his siblings. His parents later returned to activity.

When serving as a bishop, the best personal relationship I had with the youth came when we trusted each other and had open communication. For example, I developed an approach which required the participation of the young men in determining their worthiness to participate in the administration of the sacrament. We discussed the sacrament as a holy ordinance and the obligation Aaronic Priesthood holders have to be worthy in order to administer it. Instead of leaving the burden of who was worthy to participate on the bishop’s shoulders, I asked each deacon, teacher, or priest to come to me and let me know when they were not worthy. Then we worked together to solve their problem before it grew bigger. We had a good relationship, built on trust.

On Friday afternoon registration took place, and a cry went up from the registrar’s office: “We’re out of beds, and we have 23 more kids to house!”

“There already seems to be more of them to find!” chuckled one chaperon.

But the problem was quickly solved. The young people gladly doubled up where possible and rolled out their bedrolls on the floor where not, and once gear was stowed and friendly introductions made, companies of ten were formed and captains elected.

I started kindergarten at age four, which was a little bit early. I wanted to go because my friends were starting. I had one friend who was 11 months older than I was, and I had other friends who had birthdays throughout the year before me. My parents didn’t know if I should start that young or not, but I wanted to.
The people at the school didn’t know if I should start that early, either. At that time, I couldn’t even say my name correctly. I was pronouncing it “Wynn Gwant Wobbins.” When my mother took me to school, they said, “Well, he can’t even say his name correctly.” Then I said, “Lynn Grant Robbins,” as clearly as I should have, and they let me in.

Lynae loves sports and competes in cross-country track and basketball at school. Last year she finished in first place in her school and third place in the district in cross-country. In basketball she is so quick that she often steals the ball from larger players. After one theft, a flustered opponent asked, “Where did that little blonde come from?”

Our excitement over the building of temples is not shared by all. The adversary in particular is having a major temper tantrum as he sees his power threatened.
Over the last two years I have witnessed his wrath firsthand in West Africa. He has been very active, trying to prevent the building of a temple in that part of the world. Two years ago President Hinckley announced that there would be a temple in West Africa located in Accra, Ghana. Since then the adversary has been relentless in trying to prevent that from happening. Why is Lucifer so concerned?
We have 85,000 members in West Africa, and the Church is growing very rapidly. Sacrament meeting attendance is over 50 percent, but currently only 400 members have been endowed because of the prohibitive expense of traveling thousands of miles to Johannesburg or London. We have over 700 full-time African missionaries serving in the mission field, and very few of them have been endowed.
The African people have waited for centuries to receive the fulness of the gospel and have been through much pain and suffering. Now, at last, they can receive every blessing available to God’s children. Worthy members can receive the temple endowment and be able to have their families sealed together for time and for all eternity.
Faithfulness to temple covenants brings an acceleration of spiritual progress. As Elder John A. Widtsoe explained, “They will attain more readily to their place in the presence of the Lord; they will increase more rapidly in every divine power; they will approach more nearly to the likeness of God; they will more completely realize their divine destiny” (Evidences and Reconciliations [1960], 300).
That is why Lucifer is so concerned. In addition, he is aware of the large number of Africans who have accepted the gospel on the other side of the veil and are anxiously awaiting their proxy baptism and temple endowment as well as being sealed to their families. When a temple is dedicated, the dam in the spirit world will break and there will be a flood of humanity who have lived on the African continent flow into the temple of the Lord as their descendants do their work for them. We should not be surprised that Lucifer is using every means at his disposal to keep a temple from these people.
Through centuries of suffering, the people in general have not become bitter. They are humble, teachable, and God-fearing. They know the scriptures, and they recognize the Shepherd’s voice.
I have faith in their faith. I know the Savior loves the African people. Therefore, to paraphrase verse 33 of the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants, “As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the [Congo] river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from [building a temple for the African Latter-day Saints].”
As the Savior has said, “I will not suffer that [the enemy] shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil” (D&C 10:43).
It has been inspiring to see the Lord’s hand in bringing the forces together which will lead to an inevitable victory. There will be a temple in West Africa.

As a young boy growing up in Cameroon, Vicky Levannresky Kamlemo loved playing football. He found himself frequently on the football pitch and the game was a major part of his life—even when he was studying in school.
He played for the Galaxy Football Club at the age of 14, and by 16 he was playing at a professional level. Upon receiving his baccalaureate, he was presented with an opportunity to travel and play professionally in Saudi Arabia, North Sudan, and Iran.
But football is a difficult profession—especially for young men who do not have financial means. Playing abroad is also not very easy, and Vicky’s living conditions were not what he wanted, so he decided to return home.
It was then that he became acquainted with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ through his Aunt, Hortense Dajeu, who was visiting from Virginia, USA and through his close friend, Yannick Njampou. Later, Vicky saw his return to Cameroon and baptism into the Church as a way through a great trial; and he believes all this happened by the grace of the Lord.
Today, he has found a greater and more wonderful passion than football as he serves a full-time mission in Cote d’Ivoire.

Following Thanksgiving time a year or so ago, I received a letter from a widow whom I had known in the stake where I served in the presidency. She had just returned from a dinner sponsored by her bishopric. Her words reflect the peace she felt and the gratitude which filled her heart:

“Dear President Monson,
“I am living in Bountiful now. I miss the people of our old stake, but let me tell you of a wonderful experience I have had. In early November all the widows and older people received an invitation to come to a lovely dinner. We were told not to worry about transportation since this would be provided by the older youth in the ward.
“At the appointed hour, a very nice young man rang the bell and took me and another sister to the stake center. He stopped the car, and two other young men walked with us to the chapel where the young ladies took us to where we removed our wraps—then into the cultural hall, where we sat and visited for a few minutes. Then they took us to the tables, where we were seated on each side by either a young woman or a young man. Then we were served a lovely Thanksgiving dinner and afterward provided a choice program.
“After the program we were given our dessert—either apple or pumpkin pie. Then we left, and on the way out we were given a plastic bag with sliced turkey and two rolls. Then the young men took us home. It was such a nice, lovely evening. Most of us shed a tear or two for the love and respect we were shown.
“President Monson, when you see young people treat others like these young people did, I feel the Church is in good hands.”

I reflected on my association with this lovely widow, now grown old but ever serving the Lord. There came to mind the words from the Epistle of James: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27.)

I add my own commendation: God bless the leaders, the young men, and the young women who so unselfishly brought such joy to the lonely and such peace to their souls. Through their experience they learned the meaning of service and felt the nearness of the Lord.

And President Spencer W. Kimball shared the following in a conference talk to the priesthood of the Church:
“I remember when I was a deacon. (It has been a long time ago, however.) I thought it was a great honor to be a deacon. My father was always considerate of my responsibilities and always permitted me to take the buggy and horse to gather fast offerings. My responsibility included that part of the town in which I lived, but it was quite a long walk to the homes, and a sack of flour or a bottle of fruit or vegetables or bread became quite heavy as it accumulated. So the buggy was very comfortable and functional. We have changed to cash in later days, but it was commodities in my day. It was a very great honor to do this service for my Heavenly Father; and though times have changed, when money is given generally instead of commodities, it is still a great honor to perform this service.

There is more than one way to help the Lord lift them to that standard. One is to express or show our displeasure. I’ve been the beneficiary of another way, the better way. I’ve sensed when I was not doing very well when I was speaking or teaching or leading in a meeting. Most people can tell when they are failing. I have been able to tell when I have been not doing well, and I’ve looked out and seen someone in the audience apparently not paying attention to me, with eyes closed. I’ve learned not to be irritated. And then they’ve opened their eyes and smiled at me, with a look of encouragement that was unmistakable. It was a look that said as clearly as if they had spoken to me: “I know the Lord will help you and lift you up. I’m praying for you.” I’ve been in settings where many people listening to me were doing that. And I was lifted beyond what I knew were my abilities, or at least what I had thought my abilities were. You could serve that way when you see people struggling in their service. It will take a lot of praying, but you could watch and you could strengthen, even when your only call in the Church at that moment is to be a follower of Jesus Christ and your only tools are to pray and smile and encourage.

The fourth is to respect yourself as a son of God. Those of us who have served missions have seen the miracle in the lives of some we have taught as they have come to realize that they are sons and daughters of God. Many years ago an elder who served a mission in the British Isles said at the end of his labors, “I think my mission has been a failure. I have labored all my days as a missionary here and I have only baptized one dirty little Irish kid. That is all I baptized.”

Years later, after his return to his home in Montana, he had a visitor come to his home who asked, “Are you the elder who served a mission in the British Isles in 1873?”

“Yes.”

Then the man went on, “And do you remember having said that you thought your mission was a failure because you had only baptized one dirty little Irish kid?”

He said, “Yes.”

The visitor put out his hand and said, “I would like to shake hands with you. My name is Charles A. Callis, of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am that dirty little Irish kid that you baptized on your mission.”

That little Irish boy came to a knowledge of his potential as a son of God. Elder Callis left a lasting legacy for his large family. Serving as a mission president for 25 years and in his apostolic ministry for 13 years, he blessed the lives of literally thousands. I feel privileged to have known this great Apostle of the Lord when I was a young man.