Gospel Story Finder

Mia Maids in the Layton 31st Ward, Layton Utah South Stake, made white hair “scrunchies” to be worn by young women in the new Hong Kong Temple. They crocheted and sewed the fancy ponytail holders and sent them in time for the temple dedication.

As a newly called Apostle, Elder Neil L. Andersen explained that although he felt inadequate and humbled, he took comfort in that the Lord had blessed him with at least one qualification: “I do know with perfect and certain clarity through the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, the Beloved Son of God.”

Cody knew he was in trouble when Mrs. Miller assigned the homework. “You are to write a short essay about a trip that you took during summer vacation,” she announced, “and read it to the class tomorrow.”
Cody knew that Jim Green would be delighted. He had been all the way to Florida.
When class let out, Jim was waiting for Cody at the door. “Hold on,” he said, smirking and blocking Cody’s way. “What are you going to write about?”
Cody didn’t say anything. He just did a neat sidestep around Jim, resisting an urge to push him aside.
“Hey, Cody! Tell us about your trip to Grover’s store,” Jim yelled after Cody as Cody ran to catch his bus, his ears blazing almost as red as his hair.
Grover’s store was a small country store near Cody’s home. Cody wasn’t ashamed of it, and Jim’s poking fun at it—and him—really made him burn.
As he rode home on the bus, Cody wondered why Mrs. Miller would do this to him. She knew that since his dad had died two years ago, he and his mother were hard-pressed to run the farm and had no money for trips. He had always thought that Mrs. Miller was OK—sort of strict sometimes, but always fair. He’d thought Mrs. Miller was his friend.
The days after his dad died had been hard on Cody. At first he’d had something to hold onto: Besides being a good student, he was the best athlete for his age in the neighborhood, and he took pride in leading his community league track team and in being quarterback on the league football team.
Then Jim had moved into town when his father bought the hardware store, and everything had changed. Jim was in his class at school, and being tops was a lot harder to come by.
Cody remembered his first meeting with Jim. Cody was practicing for the 100-yard dash, getting ready for the field meet. He was breezing along, confident that nobody could catch him, when suddenly this black-haired kid was matching him stride for stride.
So the competition between the two boys had begun. And it was so keen that Cody found himself having to stretch to stay even with Jim. But stay even he had managed to do, although sports ceased to be as pleasant. After tomorrow and the essay reading, school would be unbearable too.
That night at supper Mom asked, “Did something happen at school today, Cody? You seem down.”
“Yeah, I guess I am.” Cody pushed his food around on his plate. “I have to write an essay for tomorrow’s English class. It’s supposed to be about a trip I took during summer vacation.”
“And, of course, you didn’t take a trip.”
“You’ve got it, Mom. And tomorrow everybody will know it. Jim Green will never let me live it down.”
“So it’s Jim Green again.” Mom’s brows knitted over dark blue eyes. “I wish you boys would at least try to be friends. You might like each other.”
“Fat chance!” Cody snorted. “The only thing I have that Jim wants is my position on the football team.”
“You never can tell, Cody. You might have a lot in common if you gave each other a chance.”
“Ha!” Cody pushed his chair back, got up, and started clearing the table.
“What are you going to do about the essay, Cody?” Mom wanted to know.
“Make up something, I guess.”
“You know that won’t do, Cody. It wouldn’t be right.” Mom was thoughtful for a moment, then asked, “Can’t you think of a special place around here to use for a subject?”
Cody remembered Jim’s taunt about Grover’s store. Even though it really was a special place, he decided against using it for a subject. There’s a shortcut to the creek that nobody knows about but me, he thought. It isn’t a trip, but it’s all I have. I’ll probably be laughed right out of school.
The next day Cody listened as the others read their essays. A few of the kids had been to Disneyland, and a couple of them had gone to the Smokies—wonderful places that Cody could only dream about. When Jim read about his trip to Florida, Cody could almost see the white sand and feel himself swimming in the warm water.
The closer the time came for him to read his essay, the farther Cody scrunched down in his seat. Maybe Mrs. Miller wouldn’t notice him, wouldn’t call on him to read his silly paper. Or maybe they would run out of time, and he could hand his paper in unread. But just as he checked his watch to see how much class time was left, Mrs. Miller called, “Cody, it’s your turn.”
Cody rose on legs he hoped nobody saw were trembling. Then he got the same feeling he got when he crouched at the starting line of the 100-yard dash. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. I’ll give it my best shot, he thought.
He read: “I didn’t take a regular trip on my vacation, so I’ll tell you about a special place I visited almost every day. It’s a shortcut through the woods to my secret swimming hole. If you go by the main road, the creek is two miles away, but by taking the shortcut behind my house, it’s only about a half mile.
“One day last summer I left the house just as the sun rose over the pasture cedars. I walked across the pasture, looking at the many tiny spiderwebs decorating the grass to where the path enters the woods. Deep in the woods the trees are tall, and everything was still. Arrows of sunshine came down through the trees. As I walked along the hill, I was on the lookout for squirrels and birds.
“Across the hollow I could see the cave where some folks claim Indians once held powwows and where I’ve found a few arrowheads and bits of flint. It’s also been said that an old man dug enough gold out of that cave to make a ring. I’ve looked, but so far I haven’t found any gold. Anyway, that day the entrance to the cave was occupied by a mother skunk and her three kittens. Soon I reached a mossy ledge above the creek. The water is deep at this spot, so the ledge is a perfect place for diving into the creek—”
The bell rang. Cody handed his paper to Mrs. Miller, who was smiling broadly. “Good work, Cody,” she said. “I knew you’d come up with something.”
As Cody ran for his bus, somebody pounded along beside him. He knew without looking that it was Jim. Cody pulled up short, spun around, and looked Jim square in the eye. Instead of the challenging grin he hated, he saw a friendly, smiling face.
“Hey, Cody,” Jim said, “those woods of yours sound pretty neat.”
“So?” Cody was distrustful.
“So maybe sometime you’d let me go exploring with you.”
“When?” Cody asked, still hesitant.
“How about Saturday morning?”
“OK,” Cody said over his shoulder as he boarded his bus.
Cody spent the whole trip home wondering how a simple thing like a shortcut to the creek could make a friend out of Jim Green. Maybe Mom was right, he finally decided. If we give each other a chance, we might have a lot in common.

Elder Renlund has sought that direction many times—as a General Authority Seventy, as a cardiologist, and as a husband and father. While he worked as a medical resident in training in Maryland, USA, for example, his wife developed ovarian cancer. Their daughter, Ashley, was just 16 months old. During those difficult days, Elder Renlund’s feeling of closeness to the Lord was restored when Ruth thanked the Lord in prayer for their temple sealing.

I can still remember how I awaited my own baptism and the joy I experienced being able to be baptized and confirmed. The Lord’s desire for us to experience a life of joy here on earth, with the promise of eternal life with God, took on a special meaning for me.

I often feel that I have too many demands placed on me also. My piano practicing falls behind and my schoolwork doesn’t get done because I feel overwhelmed. The Church is demanding, as are my friends and parents.
I have now realized I must set my priorities. I know that I can only do the best I can and that I cannot do everything all of the time.

Now contrast the translation of the Book of Mormon by young Joseph Smith. Joseph was raised on a farm in upstate New York and was only 24 years of age at the time he completed his translation of this sacred record from reformed Egyptian to English.
He had little financially and was busy supporting his wife and family. Of necessity, he planted and harvested crops, chopped wood, hauled water, and cared for animals.
The conditions under which Joseph translated were less than ideal. His life was threatened. Mobs tried to steal the plates, requiring him to hide the ancient records and often move them from place to place (see JS—H 1:60). Joseph had no telephone, no dictating equipment, fax, word processor, or copy machine—not even electric light.
Joseph had little formal education, perhaps no more than three years of elementary school. There were no literary magazines or academic periodicals delivered to his doorstep. He never visited South America or the Middle East. He belonged to no professional societies, had performed no extensive research projects, nor did he have learned colleagues with whom to discuss the ancient text. He may have studied basic reading, writing, and arithmetic and perhaps a little American history. We know he read the Bible in English, but by the standards of the world, Joseph was neither a scholar nor a theologian, much less a professional translator of holy scriptures.
What skills did Joseph possess to aid in his translation? Oliver Cowdery, the principal scribe for the Book of Mormon, said that “the Prophet Joseph Smith … translated [the Book of Mormon] by the gift and power of God, by the [assistance or] means of the Urim and Thummim” (“Last Days of Oliver Cowdery,” Deseret News, 13 Apr. 1859, p. 48).
On Joseph’s shoulders rested not only the translation of the Book of Mormon but also the restoration and reestablishment of the Church of Jesus Christ. Even as Joseph translated, he received many revelations and visitations from heavenly messengers who gave him additional important assignments, such as the restoration of the priesthood and the revelation on baptism (see JS—H 1:68–75). Joseph’s many responsibilities often interrupted the translation process, sometimes for several months. Yet, once Joseph was free to dedicate his entire effort to translation, the work surged forward and he translated eight to ten pages a day, completing the preponderance of the Book of Mormon translation in approximately 63 working days.
Oliver, reflecting on this miraculous event, testified, “Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated … the history, or record, called ‘The Book of Mormon’” (Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, Oct. 1834, pp. 14–16).
Joseph Smith was the first person in over fourteen hundred years to read the words of the Savior as written by Nephi, Alma, Mormon, Moroni, and the other prophets of the Book of Mormon. His ability to translate was nothing short of a “marvelous work and a wonder” (2 Ne. 25:17).
The Prophet’s original English translation, except for a few minor grammatical and textual corrections, remains the text we use today and is the standard for all other language translations of the Book of Mormon.

Thanks so much for the article “Picture This” (Sept. 1994). I decided to put a picture of Christ in my locker too. It took me a few days to actually put it up, but when I did I noticed an instant change in myself, in the way I thought about and treated other people. Now every day at school I look at myself in my mirror, then at the picture of Christ, and it reminds me to be as Christlike as possible. Being one of only four members of the Church at my school, I feel like it’s an example, not only to my member friends, but to other people as well.
Cari RickabaughSturtevant, Wisconsin

Teach them to love others by serving others. That brings the Spirit. The Prophet Joseph taught that, and he lived it. Of the many examples recorded of his loving nature, the one which most touches me occurred in Carthage Jail the night before his death. One of the men who went there with him was Dan Jones. The Prophet sensed the danger from the mob. He had reason to turn inward, to think of himself and his own peril. Instead his heart turned outward to comfort someone else.
“When all were apparently fast asleep, Joseph whispered to Dan Jones, ‘are you afraid to die?’ Dan [answered], ‘Has that time come, think you? Engaged in such a cause I do not think that death would have many terrors.’ Joseph replied, ‘You will yet see Wales, and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die.’”
Dan Jones survived to serve missions in Wales. Thousands of Welsh converts came to Zion. Some were gifted singers. They were among the first members of what became the Tabernacle Choir. When we hear the choir sing, I hope we remember Dan Jones, the faithful friend of the Prophet Joseph. Teach those you love to remember Joseph’s comfort given when he needed comfort. When we comfort others, out of our faith in the Lord, He sends the Comforter to us. And the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, gave Joseph the power to give prophetic and loving encouragement.

Is that you, Mandy?
Yeah.
Something wrong?
At school so many kids eat alone. Or stand by the playground alone. People aren’t very friendly.
What can you do about it?
Me? I try to include everyone, but I’m just one person. The student council should be doing something!
JJ says her old school had a friendliness campaign that made a difference. I wish …
Aren’t student elections coming up?
That night …
The next morning …
To be continued …

At the turn of this new century, goal setting is still at the heart of the Young Women program, but the goals look a lot different. Michelle Evans, a Laurel from Sunnyvale, California, for instance, doesn’t know much about bees. But working toward her Young Womanhood medallion has taught her several useful skills she will use for the rest of her life. She recently organized an all-day activity for the priests and Laurels in her stake and the neighboring stake. There were countless details to remember: things like food, games, speakers and music. But the centerpiece of the day was a service project to clean up a small church (of another denomination) which had suffered massive damage in a tornado.
“It was a lot of work to get the whole day organized,” says Michelle, “but I’m so glad I did it. I learned to delegate responsibilities and plan ahead.”

“She can’t see! The fever has left Sister Stratton completely blind!” The news swept rapidly through the little pioneer town of Virgin, Utah. Sister Emily Amanda Gardner Stratton, beloved Primary president in the Virgin Ward, had lost her sight following a sudden illness. She had lovingly and faithfully served the children in the southern Utah town for fifteen years, and she had helped many of the ward members in times of trouble. Now it was she who needed help. But how could they help her?
The local doctor had done everything he could for her and had advised her family to take her to the nearest hospital, which was in St. George, Utah. It was her only hope if she was to see again.
For weeks, the doctors in St. George tried every treatment that they knew, but nothing seemed to work. When their last treatment failed, Sister Stratton sent word that she wanted to come home.
The children and Primary workers in Virgin had prayed diligently for her recovery. When they heard that the doctors had given up, they were even more determined to do whatever they could to help their dedicated Primary president.
Someone suggested that they hold a special fast for her. They knew that if they had faith and fasted and prayed, Heavenly Father would help her in ways they could not.
It was difficult to go without food all day, but even the youngest Primary children fasted and prayed for their beloved leader.
That evening, they all met at the tiny meetinghouse to close their fast with prayer. Afterward, they felt great peace and joy and knew that Heavenly Father had heard their prayers. The sunset was glorious, casting rays of red and gold throughout the western sky as they went to their homes.
A few days later, Sister Stratton’s wagon creaked as it rolled along the dusty road toward Virgin. The children and Primary leaders hurried to greet her and tell her of their special fast.
“What time was your fast meeting, children?” Sister Stratton asked.
“It was at sunset!” one child exclaimed.
Sister Stratton sat back. Her eyes filled with tears as she spoke. “At sunset on that day, I was sitting in a chair by the west window of my hospital room. As I looked up, I saw the sunset for the first time since the fever stole my sight. Yes, children, I can see!”
The loving prayers and faith-filled fasting of the Virgin Ward Primary had been answered with a miracle. For the rest of Sister Stratton’s life, she was blessed with perfect eyesight.

Robert Keddington worked in emergency medicine in Utah and retired several years ago. In 2020 he got a call from a senior Church leader in Salt Lake City asking him if had ever thought about serving a medical mission.

“My wife, Sue, and I prayed sincerely to know if this was something we should do and got a lovely answer from our Father in Heaven that we should go.”

“I wasn’t too sure about getting back into practice after being away for so long,” Dr. Keddington says. “I was also concerned about seeing patients with conditions related to the tropics, something I had never seen in my practice in Utah. But before I left, my local church leader gave me a blessing and told me that I would be blessed with recall to help the people here. I found again and again that as I was examining a patient, I could recall something I learned in medical school more than 40 years ago that was just what this patient needed. Truly a blessing from the Lord.”

In July 2022, the Keddingtons completed two years of service in Pago Pago. They loved every minute of their time there.

In his final remarks, Dr. Keddington said, “I have seen the hand of the Lord in my service to the people here,” he says.

“It’s been a humbling, gratifying experience.”

Our garden’s hen and chickens
Are the oddest ones I’ve seen—
The chicks, instead of balls of fluff,
Are little balls of green.
They stay close to Mother Hen
And never run about,
Nor have they any little house
To keep the weather out.
And when fall comes and nights grow cold,
For winter they’ll prepare
By putting on brown overcoats
Against the frosty air.

“Class, I have a surprise for you,” Mrs. Taylor said as she walked to the front of the room.
Evelyn looked up from her test, grinning. There was a big “A+” at the top.
“You all did so well on your tests that tomorrow we’ll watch a movie as a reward,” Mrs. Taylor said, writing three movie titles on the board. “Here are the options we can vote on,” she said over everyone’s cheers.
Evelyn bounced in her seat, trying to see what the titles were. The first two movies were some of her favorites. She leaned over to her friend Katy. “Which one are you going to vote for?”
“Definitely number three,” Katy said. “My parents wouldn’t let us watch it at home, so I never got to see it.”
Evelyn looked at the board again and saw the name of the third movie. Her heart started to pound. Evelyn had heard of this movie, and she knew it was one she wouldn’t feel right about watching. What if her class voted for it?
“Who would like to vote for option one?” Mrs. Taylor asked.
Evelyn stretched her hand high and looked around. She bit her lip nervously. Only two other people were voting.
Mrs. Taylor made tally marks on the board. “Option two?”
Evelyn’s heart sank. Only three hands went up.
“And option three?”
Fifteen hands shot up. Evelyn slumped down in her seat, a sick feeling settling in her stomach. How could she get out of watching that movie if everyone else wanted to?
When she got home, Evelyn went straight to her room and let her backpack fall to the floor with a heavy thunk. The sick feeling had stuck with her the entire day. “I wish I actually could be sick,” she thought. “Then I wouldn’t have to go to school tomorrow.”
Evelyn pulled her test out of her backpack and stared at it, clutching it in her hands. “The movie was supposed to be a reward, not a punishment!” she thought, angrily crumpling the test up and stuffing it under her bed. Tears welled up in her eyes. She knelt by her bed and started to cry. Then she started to pray. She choked out a few tangled sentences, asking Heavenly Father to take the problem away, but after a while her prayer changed. “Please help me to make this better. I don’t want to see a movie that will make me feel bad, and I hope that my friends and teacher will understand.”
Evelyn finished her prayer. The trembling, sick feeling had disappeared. She didn’t even feel afraid anymore.
Jumping to her feet, Evelyn raced out of her room to find Mom. She had an idea.
The next day, Evelyn walked into class. In one hand she held a note from Mom explaining how watching the movie would make Evelyn feel uncomfortable. In the other hand she carried three of her favorite movies. Evelyn handed the note to Mrs. Taylor and watched her read it.
“Thank you for letting me know how you feel,” Mrs. Taylor said.
“My mom says it is OK for me to go sit in with another class while the movie is playing,” Evelyn said. “But I also brought some other movies in case everyone would like to watch one of them instead.”
Mrs. Taylor smiled and reached for the stack of movies. “A movie is not much of a reward if we can’t all enjoy it,” she said.
Mrs. Taylor wrote the new titles on the board. “Class, I’d like to vote again on the movie for today. I have some new options for you.”
Evelyn went and sat at her desk, happy she wouldn’t have to miss out on the class reward. But the best reward of all was knowing that Heavenly Father had taken away her fear and given her courage to do what was right.

For instance, in AD 90 the city of Aphrodisias sent a delegation to Ephesus to erect a statue in honor of the Roman emperors. The inscription on that statue reads: “The People of Aphrodisias, loyal to Caesar, being free and autonomous from the beginning by the grace of the Augusti, set up [this statue] by a private [act of] grace.”4 This inscription uses grace in two ways: first to describe the gift of the Augusti—that the city of Aphrodisias would be free and autonomous—and second to describe the smaller gift of a statue to profess the people’s loyalty and show their gratitude.

Hi! My name is Hannah. I do theatre and play soccer! I do lots of plays and musicals and get to help out in my school’s drama department. I also LOVE the temple, and for my birthday I got to go to my favorite temple, the Manti Temple! I have a lot of rehearsals, and I know when I go to the temple it keeps me calm, makes me happy, and helps me through tough times—and long rehearsals!

Alex looked around the fabric store. There were tons of colors and cool patterns. He saw a few that would be perfect.
“Hey, Mom,” said Alex, pointing to some fabric with colorful geckos on it. “Do you like these geckos?”
“I like cute, fluffy bunnies better,” Mom said.
Alex laughed. “You know what I mean! Would this be good for the scarves?”
“I think your friends will like it.”
Alex was going to make scarves for his friends. He would use the soccer-ball print for Josh, the rocket-ship print for José, and the gecko print for Mike.
Soon they were heading home with the fabric. As they left the parking lot, Alex saw a man holding up a cardboard sign to ask for help. He knew the man probably didn’t have a job or a home. And he looked really cold! He only had a thin jacket. Alex had a thick winter coat, but he still got cold walking to school in the mornings.
When they got home, Alex’s mom showed him how to lay the fabric out straight and measure how much he needed to make one scarf. He carefully cut the fabric with his scissors. Then he cut slits along the ends to make a fringe. Before long, Alex had six brightly colored scarves. There was also a big pile of extra fabric.
“Can you think of anyone else you want to make presents for?” Mom asked.
“Not really,” Alex said. Then he thought of the man holding the sign. He had an idea.
That week for home evening, Alex taught his whole family how to make scarves. His mom measured them out. His dad cut the fabric. Alex and his sister made the fuzzy fringe. He liked making scarves with the gecko fabric. The geckos seemed to smile at him as he worked.
“Wow,” Alex said when they finished. “We made 14 scarves to share!”
“What do we do now?” his sister asked.
“I think we should put them in the car,” Alex said. “Then when we see someone who looks cold, we can give them one.”
“That’s a great idea,” Dad said.
Mom took a bag out of the closet, and they stacked the cozy scarves inside. “Maybe we can go on a family drive sometime to look for people who need scarves,” she said.
“Can we go right now?” Alex asked.
Mom looked out the window. “I don’t know. It’s kind of cold outside.”
“Isn’t that the point?”
His parents smiled. “I guess you’re right,” Mom said. “Just make sure to bundle up.”
Alex threw on his coat, but he hardly noticed the cold air. He knew his scarves might help someone, and that made him feel warm inside.

The priesthood has always been very important in his family. Janick was born eight weeks early and was a very small and sickly baby. He needed blood transfusions frequently to keep him alive. Then, after receiving a father’s blessing, the hospital told his parents that he was finally getting better and would no longer need any transfusions.

How well I can recall a sweet, young patient whom I first saw years ago for a premarital examination. She had been born with one arm missing. Noticing that she had identified herself as a stenographer on her medical history record, I asked, “You’re a secretary?”
“Are you surprised?” she chuckled in return. “I can type with one hand as fast as many girls can with two. As early as I could comprehend, my mother told me that I have been given a deformity so that it might strengthen me, and that I was to learn to do things as well with one hand as everyone else did with two. I have never found my limitation to be a real handicap.” I have watched this young patient. She has since had a heart operation and a child of her own for whom she cares with tender love. A beautiful response to affliction, and God is pleased, I am sure.