Gospel Story Finder

Our Sunday services were over, and I was looking forward to enjoying a beautiful, picture-perfect summer day with my family. After a morning of meetings and lessons, I began to focus on home and the menu I had planned for dinner.
As I approached my house, the thought came to me forcefully that I needed to visit Jennie,* an older widow. I felt a surge of guilt as I remembered that I hadn’t seen her at church for several weeks, and I wondered if there was something keeping her from the meetings. I quickly dismissed the idea, though, turning my thoughts to the fun of a Sunday meal with my husband and children.
After dinner, I had another nudge of conscience about Jennie. I tried to dismiss it once again, telling myself that since I had already spent many hours at church meetings, I deserved to spend the afternoon with my family. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my mind off Jennie. Once again, the still, small voice whispered to me that I had to visit my neighbor.
I finally walked the short distance to Jennie’s home and rang the doorbell. A distraught Jennie answered the door. She burst into tears as she saw me. Then she softly said, “I’ve been praying that you would come.”
For the next hour I listened to Jennie as she sifted through several serious problems. Members of her family were undergoing some severe trials, and she had just learned of a divorce within the family. With the news of this latest family crisis, Jennie was finding it difficult to cope. She had been praying desperately for a listening ear, and the Spirit had been trying to get me to her.
My visit with Jennie taught me some valuable lessons. I saw that no time or day is off-limits for serving the Lord or his children. He expects us to follow the urgings of the still, small voice of the Spirit, for it is often through us that the Lord answers our neighbors’ prayers.

The car kicked up dust as it rolled along the rough country road. Twelve-year-old Brian could see the Westover farm out the open window. Sister Westover was a widow who had a hard time getting around. Brian and his dad were taking her into town for the afternoon so she could do some shopping.
As Dad pulled into the driveway, Sister Westover came out onto the porch. “I guess I can’t go,” she said. “My son was supposed to unload some hay bales, but he never came. I’ll have to do it so the sheep have something to eat.”
“What if I do it for you?” Brian asked.
Sister Westover smiled. “That would be a big help!”
“That’s a great idea, Brian,” Dad said. “You can walk home when you finish.”
Sister Westover gave Brian a hug. “Thank you so much! Just pull the bales out of the truck so the sheep can get to them.”
Dad helped Sister Westover get into the car, and they drove off. Brian started off across the field.
The truck was parked inside a fenced area where some sheep were grazing. The biggest of the sheep looked up when Brian climbed the fence, but none of the others moved.
Brian opened the truck’s tailgate and started pulling the heavy bales onto the ground. His arms started to ache after a while, but he didn’t stop. He was almost done when—Wham!
Something rammed into his legs so hard it almost knocked him over. Brian spun around and saw the biggest sheep standing behind him, tossing its head angrily.
Before he had time to move, the sheep charged again. Brian grabbed the tailgate to keep from falling over and jumped aside. The sheep kicked at him, and Brian barely dodged out of the way.
The sheep was big, and Brian knew if it knocked him over he could be hurt. As the sheep charged again, Brian leaped up into the bed of the truck. The sheep rammed its head into the bumper, but it couldn’t climb up after him. Brian breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down on a bale.
The sheep kept pacing around the truck like it was waiting for him to come down so it could run at him again. Brian was getting nervous. Dad and Sister Westover wouldn’t be back for hours. How long would he be stuck out here until the sheep went away?
Then he remembered that his Primary teacher had said that if you are ever in trouble, you can pray and ask Heavenly Father for help.
Brian closed his eyes and folded his arms. “Heavenly Father,” he prayed, “please bless me and make the sheep go away so I can get home safely.”
As soon as he had finished, Brian opened his eyes. The sheep stared at him, then suddenly trotted back to the herd. It was leaving! Brian hopped down from the truck and ran. He looked over his shoulder as he scrambled over the fence, but the big sheep didn’t seem interested anymore.
Brian went back to the farmhouse and sat down on the porch steps. He knew his prayer had been answered and Heavenly Father had protected him.
He closed his eyes and folded his arms again. “Thank you, Heavenly Father,” he prayed, “for keeping me safe.”

Once while I was visiting a class of young women, the teacher asked the class to write their top-10 goals in life. Then she asked them to share what they had written. Abby, who had recently turned 12, was sitting next to me. This was Abby’s list:
Go to college.
Become an interior designer.
Go on a mission to India.
Get married in the temple to a returned missionary.
Have five kids and a home.
Send my kids on missions and to college.
Become a “cookie-giving” grandma.
Spoil the grandchildren.
Learn more about the gospel and enjoy life.
Return to live with Heavenly Father.
Abby had a vision of the plan Heavenly Father has for all of us. When your path is focused on that most important goal of returning to Heavenly Father, you will get there!

Recently, my daughter Kimberly called to ask me about buying a car. The one she has is several decades old, and she wondered if it was time to look for a replacement. She was concerned that her car might not last; it might cost more to repair than buying a newer car. I encouraged her to avoid a car payment, to save her money and then purchase a car with savings. She wrote her script; she decided to not buy a new car but to continue a savings plan to replace the vehicle in the future. Some months later, the car is running as good as ever, and she is focused on a savings plan for the future. She is a good example of how we harvest the blessings we choose. It doesn’t always work out just as we would like, but as we follow God’s plan and apply sound counsel, we make room in our lives for Heavenly Father’s blessings to shower down upon us. At times, the blessings will pour out until there shall not be room enough to receive them.

During their years in Rexburg, Eyring family members grew closer to each other. By then Hal and Kathleen had four sons: Henry J., Stuart, Matthew, and John. Later they would be blessed with two daughters: Elizabeth and Mary Kathleen. But even in a small, rural farm town, Hal and Kathleen had to be vigilant. One of their concerns was the amount and quality of television programming that their sons watched. Henry J., the oldest son, recalls an experience that made a significant difference in the spirit of the Eyring home.
“My brother and I were in front of the TV one Saturday night around midnight,” says Henry J. “A tawdry comedy show that we shouldn’t have been watching was on. The basement room was dark except for the light from the television. Without warning, Mother walked in. She was wearing a white, flowing nightgown and carrying a pair of shears. Making no sound, she reached behind the set, grabbed the cord, and gathered it into a loop. She then inserted the shears and cut the cord with a single stroke. Sparks flew and the set went dead, but not before Mother had turned and glided out of the room.”
Unnerved, Henry J. headed to bed. His innovative brother, however, cut a cord from a broken vacuum and connected it to the television. Soon the boys had plopped back down in front of the television, hardly missing any of their show.
“Mother, however, got the last laugh,” Henry J. says. “When we came home from school the next Monday, we found the television set in the middle of the floor with a huge crack through the thick glass screen. We immediately suspected Mother. When confronted, she responded with a perfectly straight face: ‘I was dusting under the TV, and it slipped.’ ”
President Eyring honored his wife’s wishes, the children honored their mother’s desires, and that was the end of television in the Eyring home. “For the most part, Mother leads through quiet example,” Henry J. observes. “However, she is also inspired and fearless. Mother’s assertiveness has been a great blessing to her children and grandchildren. Both in pivotal moments and in daily routines, she has forever changed the course of our lives.”

Building on the Rock Through Consistent and More Meaningful Scripture Study
During my mission I resolved to live the gospel, to be obedient, to keep sacred covenants, to remain active and serve in the Church, and to always be worthy of and have a current temple recommend. Two specific commitments were to never let a day go by without daily personal prayer and daily scripture study. Since coming home from my mission more than 45 years ago, I have not faltered in keeping these commitments.

Studying and searching scriptures are not ends in themselves; rather, they are means to the higher ends of building our faith and testimony on the rock of our Redeemer so we can “pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, . . . sweet, . . . and pure” (Alma 32:42).

I have identified six suggestions. Some of them come from the apostles. These suggestions have constantly helped me to make daily scripture study more meaningful and ensure that I am building upon the rock of our Redeemer. I testify they will help you.
1. Pray. Make prayer a part of scripture study. Pause to ask God for His Spirit to teach you. I had a chastening experience by the Spirit one day for failing to pray and reverence the scriptures. I had boarded an airplane, and while waiting to take off I thumbed through an in-flight magazine and a newspaper. I then took my scriptures from my briefcase and began to thumb through them, treating them like the magazine and newspaper. Suddenly this thought came into my mind: “You are treating my holy words like ordinary magazines. The scriptures are sacred. Pause to pray. Treat them with reverence and respect.”

Let me tell you how one of our sons learned obedience. When he was about deacon-age, we went to his grandfather’s ranch in Wyoming. He wanted to start breaking a horse he had been given. It had been running wild in the hills.
It took nearly all day to get the herd to the corral and to tie his horse up with a heavy halter and a rope.
I told him that his horse must stay tied there until it settled down; he could talk to it, carefully touch it, but he must not, under any circumstance, untie it.
We finally went in for our supper. He quickly ate and rushed back out to see his horse. Presently I heard him cry out. I knew what had happened. He had untied his horse. He was going to train it to lead. As the horse pulled away from him he instinctively did something I had told him never, never to do. He looped the rope around his wrist to get a better grip.
As I ran from the house, I saw the horse go by. Our boy could not release the rope; he was being pulled with great leaping steps. And then he went down! If the horse had turned to the right, he would have been dragged out the gate and into the hills and would certainly have lost his life. It turned to the left, and for a moment was hung up in a fence corner—just long enough for me to loop the rope around a post and to free my son.
Then came a father-to-son chat! “Son, if you are ever going to control that horse, you will have to use something besides your muscles. The horse is bigger than you are, it is stronger than you are, and it always will be. Someday you may ride your horse if you train it to be obedient, a lesson that you must learn yourself first.” He had learned a very valuable lesson.
Two summers later we went again to the ranch to look for his horse. It had been running all winter with the wild herd. We found them in a meadow down by the river. I watched from a hillside as he and his sister moved carefully to the edge of the meadow. The horses moved nervously away. Then he whistled. His horse hesitated, then left the herd and trotted up to them.
He had learned that there is great power in things that are not seen, such unseen things as obedience.
Just as obedience to principle gave him power to train his horse, obedience to the priesthood has taught him to control himself.

“Brother Ng,” the man’s voice began. Being addressed as “brother” by a gwailouh (foreigner) caught Ng Kat Hing’s attention. A group of clean-cut Americans wearing dark suits had wandered into the furniture store where he was employed, and their unusual appearance fascinated the 25-year-old Hong Kong native. But he was even more intrigued by being called “brother.”
When Ng Kat Hing questioned them about the title, one of the Americans, who wore a name tag identifying him as President Heaton, asked, “Do you believe there is one Father in Heaven?”
When he nodded, the man continued, “Then we are brothers, and I will call you that.”
Forty-three years later, Brother Ng still recalls his response. “I was touched, and in that moment, a little bit of the restored gospel was manifest to me. I wondered about it all that day and through the night. Four days later when the man called back to confirm the furniture order, I knew I wanted to know more.”
Although Grant Heaton, president of the newly opened Southern Far East Mission, was merely looking for advice about teakwood furniture that August day in 1955, he found much more than that in Ng Kat Hing. He found a language teacher, a convert, a missionary, a Church leader—a true pioneer.
“Brother Ng and his family are real pioneers of the Church in the Hong Kong area,” remarks Elder Jacob de Jager an emeritus member of the Seventy, who, while President of the Asia Area, worked closely with Brother Ng. In fact, Brother Ng was Elder de Jager’s Cantonese teacher. “He has great experience and wisdom and reaches out to people in a natural way. This was especially evident when Brother and Sister Ng were serving as temple missionaries in the Taipei Taiwan Temple, where they were of great help to the Cantonese-speaking members.”
Reaching out to people has always been one of Brother Ng’s talents. In fact, it was his willingness to serve others that put him in even closer contact with the missionaries. After ordering furniture for the mission home, Brother Ng agreed to help President Heaton find someone to teach Cantonese to the missionaries. He talked to several friends, but none of them could help. So he quit his job at the furniture store and taught the missionaries himself. Married and the father of four young children, Brother Ng took a cut in salary with the job change. But he believes it was well worth it.
“I learned the truth,” Brother Ng states simply. “That was a good deal, right? Nothing is more important than that.”
The men took turns learning and teaching. Brother Ng presented basic language lessons, and the missionaries taught gospel discussions. At that time, investigators were taught a total of 18 discussions, so Brother Ng went through several sets of missionaries before hearing all the lessons.
“It took quite a while,” he acknowledges, “but by the time I was baptized, all my questions were answered. I had a strong foundation and a strong testimony.”
Brother Ng was baptized on 31 May 1956. He was one of the first converts after missionary work resumed in Hong Kong following the Korean War.
But Brother Ng’s search for truth had started years earlier. His grandmother, a Buddhist, had begun attending Christian churches shortly before her death, and Brother Ng often accompanied her. “I was looking for a god who was different than the one I’d been taught about while growing up,” he remembers. “But the pastors and preachers at those meetings were difficult to approach, and they were more concerned with donations than with answering my questions.”
Brother Ng’s questions went unanswered until he met the missionaries. “From the beginning, I learned about our Father in Heaven and his son, Jesus Christ. The missionaries taught of our relationship to these beings. And they continually talked of being children of God,” he remembers.
The gospel changed Brother Ng’s life. “My wife tells me I was entirely different after joining the Church,” he says, laughing. “My temper became smooth. My finances were better because I paid tithing. I didn’t worry about food or shelter because I kept the commandments. A happy life followed.”
After seeing the difference the gospel made in her husband’s life, Sister Ng Pang Lai Har also investigated the gospel. Missionaries often visited their home, teaching her husband one of the new member lessons, then teaching her one of the 18 discussions.
Ten months after her husband’s baptism, Sister Ng was baptized. Brother Ng had the privilege of baptizing their seven children as they reached age eight.
Brother Ng’s family is important to him. His dark eyes sparkle as he speaks of the joys of being a husband, father, and grandfather. Highlights of Brother Ng’s life include the temple marriages of all seven children as well as the sealings of each of the children to him and his wife.
“We were not sealed to all our children at once,” he explains. “Traveling to the temple, either in Tokyo or in the United States, was very expensive.” After saving for years, Brother and Sister Ng were sealed in the Provo Temple in 1974. Subsequent temple trips have strengthened the couple’s dedication and commitment to temple work. From 1986 to 1987, they served as missionaries in the Taipei Taiwan Temple.
The high point of their temple service is their most recent calling—president and matron of the Hong Kong Temple, dedicated in May 1996.
“My wife and I were thrilled with the announcement of the temple. We were planning on becoming temple workers, maybe even working three or four times a week,” President Ng says. “We’ll work more than that now!
“I was frightened with the calling at first and very humbled. I had feelings of unworthiness. But after praying, I felt confident that Heavenly Father would give us the spiritual strength and guidance we need to fulfill this calling. We are so grateful for this opportunity.”
President Ng’s service in the Church actually began before his baptism. In addition to teaching the missionaries, he helped translate Church materials, and he was serving as an assistant in the branch Sunday School superintendency when he was baptized. Since his baptism, he has served at various times as branch president, district president, stake president, stake patriarch, counselor to the mission president, and regional representative.
To each calling, President Ng has brought a lively wit and loving warmth. Individuals matter to this leader, who hopes to see the Church grow in Hong Kong.
“There is much pressure and stress in life,” observes President Ng. Concerns about the future, coupled with materialism, which often exists in a growing economy, are challenges that members deal with daily. “Everyone is working so hard for money. We often spend so much time worrying about temporal things. The gospel brings a balance,” President Ng explains.
President and Sister Ng worked together to establish balance in their home. They worked out a plan and followed it closely. They emphasized wise use of financial resources, family unity, and Church activity. “We made time for our children, for each other, and for Church callings,” he continues. “People say they have no time, but that is just an excuse. They have the time for the things that are important in their lives.”
Another thing President Ng has always made time for is missionary work and watching the gospel affect others’ lives the way it has his own. He knows the impact of our knowledge of a loving Father and a worldwide family.
“We are all brothers and sisters,” testifies President Ng. “We need to share that knowledge with others so they can join our family and we can welcome them home.”

Picture with me a little six-year-old orphan girl traveling across the plains of America. Her name is Elsie Ann. Her mother died when she was two. Her father remarried, and so for a time she had a stepmother. Then her father died at Winter Quarters when she was five. Her stepmother remarried and moved away, leaving this little orphan behind with Peter and Selina Robison, who were related to her stepmother. Elsie Ann left Winter Quarters with the Robisons in July of 1849 to come west. She no doubt ached for the love of her own mother. Sometimes she would even ask, “Where is my mother?” Elsie Ann was my great-grandmother.

Some years ago I was invited to speak to a group of faculty and students at Harvard University. I, of course, hoped that the gospel message would be accepted and that our meeting would end in a harmony of views. As I prayed that this might result, there came to me a strong impression that this petition would not be granted.

I determined that, however preposterous the talk about angels and golden plates and restoration might be to my audience, I would teach the truth with quiet confidence, for I have a testimony of the truth. If some must come from the meeting unsettled and disturbed, it would not be me. Let them be disturbed, if they would.

It was as the Spirit foretold. Some in the group shook their heads in amazement that anyone could believe such things. But I was at peace. I had taught the truth, and they could accept it or reject it as they pleased.

On the last evening of camp, everyone gets together for a testimony meeting. It’s the night that most girls look forward to. One young girl who had just moved to the area stood and with tears in her eyes said she had been very lonely because she was the only one in her family that went to church. Before coming to camp, she worried about being accepted, but she found people who comforted her and understood. Another girl told of her struggle to know for herself if the Church was true. The warmth and caring expressed to her at camp helped her in her search. Many were touched by the concern shown them by a leader or friend. It was a time for sharing feelings of love.

“Who knows the parable of the Good Samaritan?” Sister Stewart asked her CTR class.
“I do!” exclaimed Erin, raising her hand. “It’s the story about the man who was hurt by robbers and two different men passed him by and the Good Samaritan stopped and helped.”
“Very good, Erin. Thank you. Not only did the Good Samaritan stop and help, but he took the man to an inn. Let’s read about it in Luke 10:30–35. Who brought scriptures today?”
The children took turns reading the verses. Then Sister Stewart asked, “Dan, what did the Good Samaritan do at the inn?”
“He gave the innkeeper money and asked him to take care of the injured man.”
“That’s right. Not only did the Good Samaritan help the injured man, but he went the extra mile and made sure that he would be cared for after they were at the inn. I challenge each of you to perform a service for someone this week and to go the extra mile. We’ll talk about some of your experiences next Sunday in class.”
On the way home from church, Erin tried to think of something she could do. It must be something for someone who really needs my help, she decided. But she couldn’t think of anything. That night as she knelt by her bed, she asked Heavenly Father to help her find someone who really needed her help.
Days went by and nothing happened. Erin did a lot of good service. She helped with the dishes and made refreshments for family home evening, for instance. But they were all things she always did. Mother and Father were always grateful for Erin’s helpfulness and often told her so. But now Erin wanted to do something special.
Finally Sunday came again. A whole week had gone by, and no one other than her own family had needed Erin’s help. She sat in the car for a while watching people walk by on their way into the church. What will I tell Sister Stewart and my class? she wondered as she got out of the car to go in for Sunday School opening exercises.
Just then the Armstrong family’s green van rumbled loudly into the parking lot. There were five children in the family, all under six years old. Sister Armstrong obviously had been in a hurry all morning, because her hair was still wet and one of the children was still eating a piece of toast. Brother Armstrong, a member of the bishopric, had come to church for early morning meetings, so Sister Armstrong was left alone to get herself and her five children dressed in their Sunday clothes and be to church on time.
As Erin watched, Sister Armstrong searched for two-year-old Lizzy’s shoes, which had been kicked under the seat.
Sister Perkins rushed by with her arms full of books, flowers, and papers, calling, “Good morning, Sister Armstrong!”
As Sister Armstrong struggled to put Lizzy’s shoes back on her, baby Mark spit up all over his clothes. Three-year-old Crystal had given gum to everyone while her mother wasn’t looking, and now four-year-old Ashley had gum stuck in her pretty braid. The only one who wasn’t causing a problem was five-year-old Marilyn, who had been sent into church by her mom to find her father. In the midst of all the confusion, Sister Armstrong sat down and cried.
Suddenly Erin realized that the Armstrong family was the answer to her prayers. She set her scriptures down and rushed over to the van. Erin said earnestly, “Let me help you, Sister Armstrong. What can I do first?”
“Erin, you’re a lifesaver!” exclaimed Sister Armstrong as she dried her eyes.
Together they put Lizzy’s shoes back on, cleaned up Mark, and got the gum out of Ashley’s hair. Then Erin grabbed her scriptures before carrying Mark and the diaper bag into church. Partway up the hall they met Brother Armstrong.
“I see you’ve found yourself a Good Samaritan,” he said as he scooped up Mark and led the way into the chapel.
Erin sat with the Armstrongs during opening exercises, then offered to take Lizzy and Crystal to their Primary classes.
“You’ve been a great help this morning, Erin. Thank you very much,” said Sister Armstrong.
“I’d like to help every Sunday, if that’s all right. I can wait outside for you and then sit with you during Sunday School opening exercises.”
Sister Armstrong was very glad to accept Erin’s help. As she walked down the hall to her own class, Erin thought about the smile on Sister Armstrong’s face. A warm tingle flowed from Erin’s head to her toes. She had met the challenge to serve and go the extra mile.
That night as Erin knelt by her bed, she thanked Heavenly Father for guiding her to the Armstrong family and helping her learn how wonderful it felt to serve others and go the extra mile.

Of all the titles God can rightfully claim, He invites His children to address Him as Father. As a young parent, I came to know my Heavenly Father better. Our first child was two or three and just beginning to learn right from wrong. One day he had done something wrong, and I felt myself getting a little upset.

Then he ran to me for a hug while saying, “Daddy, I’m sorry.”

In an instant my disappointment melted away. In that moment I came to understand in a way I had not previously the great love Heavenly Father has for His children and how quickly He forgives and forgets. Marriage and children offer an opportunity to feel what our heavenly parents feel.

I testify of the spiritual growth and true joy that come from receiving and being faithful to the crowning covenant in the house of the Lord—being sealed to your eternal companion—and then, if so blessed, from being able to “raise up [children] unto the Lord.”53

At an elementary school in Tokorozawa, Church members presented a seminar on food storage to 50 parents and educators. Because of the March 2011 earthquake, community members were eager to learn how to prepare for natural disasters, especially how to put together a long-term food supply.
“Even though the great east Japan earthquake occurred, I hadn’t done anything to prepare,” said one participant. “I was glad I was able to learn this. I want to find a place to store food, and I want to do this to protect my dear family.”
Musashino Japan Stake member Akihito Suda observed that the Light of Christ touched the community as members showed the preparations they had made in case of a crisis. “Christ is the Light of the World,” he said. “His teachings illuminate the community.”

Here’s an experience I had in my first year as bishop. I needed to call a new Relief Society president, and I didn’t have much time to do it – I don’t remember why. My student ward had over 200 members, the vast majority sisters; thus there wasn’t enough time to interview each sister. What would you do if you were in my situation? Pray! I prayed a lot about this. I knew I could not do this by myself, but I had confidence that I would receive divine help.
Within a day or two, one of the sisters in the ward came to my school office just to say hi – that’s what she said, anyway. We chatted for a short time, and it became crystal clear to me that I was talking to my new Relief Society president. So I extended the call. She was pretty shocked, but I knew she was the one Heavenly Father had chosen to be the new Relief Society president.
What’s the lesson here? Heavenly Father was aware of Mike Weber – an inexperienced newly called bishop who needed help. And I testify that if He is aware of me, He is aware of you as well. I know that is true.

Christianity celebrates the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God the Eternal Father. Christian churches with great variations of doctrine dot the land the world over. When 14-year-old Cortnee, a daughter of a mission president, entered a new high school as a freshman, she was asked by classmates if she was a Christian. They scoffed at her response that she was a Mormon, a common reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon arriving home she asked her mother, “Mom, are we Christians?”
Growing up in my family, we lived as devout members of another Christian faith. I was baptized a member of that church shortly after my birth. Our family went to church each week. For many years my brothers and I assisted the pastors who conducted our Sunday services. I was taught the importance of family prayer as our family prayed together each day. I thought that someday I would enter the full-time ministry in my church. There was no question in our minds that we could define ourselves as devout Christians.
When I was a university student, however, I became acquainted with the members and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Christian faith centered on the Savior. I began to learn about the doctrine of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days. I learned truths that I had not known before that changed my life and how I viewed the gospel. After much studying, prayer, and faith, I chose to embrace beautiful restored truths found only in this Church.
The first restored truth that I learned was the nature of the Godhead. The true Christian doctrine that the Godhead consists of three separate beings was known in biblical times. God bore witness of Jesus, His Only Begotten Son, on several occasions. He spoke at Jesus’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”1 Jesus Himself testified of God, His Father, when He said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”2 After Jesus’s death and Resurrection, we learn that Stephen, “he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”3 What a dramatic testimony of the Godhead from that disciple of Christ.
The knowledge of God and His physical separateness from His Son and the Holy Ghost was lost after the death of Christ and His Apostles. Confusion and false doctrines about the Godhead were fashioned out of the Nicene Creed and Constantinople councils, where men declared that instead of three separate beings, the Godhead was three persons in one God, or the Trinity. Just as Christian Protestant reformers struggled with these creeds of men, I did as well. The teachings about the Trinity that I learned in my youth were incomprehensible to me.
However, when I was introduced to the glorious truths of the First Vision experienced by the Prophet Joseph Smith, it was a stunning awakening for me to finally understand the truth about the nature of God the Eternal Father and His Only Begotten Son. Joseph declared: “I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”4 This heavenly vision restored the wondrous yet plain and precious knowledge of God and His Son to the earth again, dispelling at once the teachings I had learned about the Trinity.
I know that heaven-sent revelations have replaced the gross errors of man-made doctrines concerning the Godhead. I know that God is our Heavenly Father. His Son, Jesus Christ, is my Savior. The Holy Ghost testifies of the Father and the Son. I express my profound gratitude to God for introducing the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ to mankind in these last days. The Savior lives; He has been seen; He has spoken; He directs the work of His Church through apostles and prophets today. What magnificent truths He has taught as the Good Shepherd who continues to look after His sheep.
The second restored truth I learned as an investigator of this Church was the reality of additional scripture and revelation. The prophet Isaiah saw in vision a book that he proclaimed was part of “a marvellous work and a wonder.”5 I testify that the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is that book. It is a sacred record written by prophets of God to persuade all people to come unto Christ, and it helps to reveal the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness. The Book of Mormon tells of prophets and other faithful members of the Church who took upon themselves the name of Christ, even before the Savior’s birth.6 This book tells of the resurrected Christ teaching men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the world to come. What could be more Christian than seeking to take His name upon ourselves and follow His counsel to become like Him?
President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, “I cannot understand why the Christian world does not accept this book.”7 I first read the Book of Mormon at the age of 21. I then asked God if it was true. The truth of it was manifested unto me by the comforting power of the Holy Ghost.8 I know that the Book of Mormon is a second testament of Jesus Christ. I join my testimony with the prophets of this sacred book to declare that “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ.”9 I am deeply grateful for every word that He has spoken and for every word He continues to speak as He quenches our thirst with living water.
Another restored truth of the gospel I became acquainted with was the restoration of priesthood authority, or the power to act in God’s name. Former prophets and apostles, such as Elijah, Moses, John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John, have been sent by God and Christ in our day to restore the holy priesthood of God. Every priesthood holder in this Church can trace his priesthood authority directly to Jesus Christ. Men now possess the keys to establish the Church so that we can come unto Christ and partake of His eternal ordinances of salvation.10 I testify that this is the Church of Jesus Christ—the only church authorized with true priesthood authority to exercise the keys of salvation through sacred ordinances.
Cortnee asked, “Mom, are we Christians?” As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are a Christian, and I am too. I am a devout Christian who is exceedingly fortunate to have greater knowledge of the true “doctrine of Christ”11 since my conversion to the restored Church. These truths define this Church as having the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like other members of the Church, I now understand the true nature of the Godhead, I have access to additional scripture and revelation, and I can partake of the blessings of priesthood authority. Yes, Cortnee, we are Christians, and I testify of these truths in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

In the Lord’s inspired pattern, the bishop has responsibility for everyone in the ward. He blesses the parents of youth as well as the youth. One bishop found that as he counseled with a young man struggling with pornography, he could help the young man in his repentance only as he helped the parents react with love and understanding. The young man’s healing was a healing for his family and was possible through the bishop working in behalf of the entire family. The young man has now become a worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holder and full-time missionary.

In our own dispensation, specifically on July 30, 1837, the efforts to establish the Church in Preston, England, were met with vociferous opposition by Satan. Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde (both members of the Quorum of the Twelve), along with Elders Willard Richards and Isaac Russell, had arrived in Preston as missionaries, but eight days earlier. They had already prepared nine souls for baptism on that Sunday morning, July 30, 1837.

Prior to the baptisms, Elder Russell became ill and sought a blessing under the hands of the two Apostles, Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde. Elder Kimball was acting as voice. He later described the event as follows:

While thus engaged, I was struck with great force by some invisible power, and fell senseless to the floor. … Elder Hyde and Richards then assisted me to get on the bed. … I … sat up on the bed, when a vision was opened to our minds, and we could distinctly see the evil spirits, who foamed and gnashed their teeth at us. We gazed upon them about an hour and a half. … we saw the devils coming in legions, with their leaders, who came within a few feet of us. … They appeared to be men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I shall never forget the vindictive malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye. … I cannot even look back on the scene without feelings of horror; yet by it I learned of the power of the adversary, his enmity against the servants of God, and got some understanding of the invisible world. We distinctly heard those spirits talk and express their wrath and hellish designs against us. However, the Lord delivered us from them, and blessed us exceedingly that day.[7]

Despite the opposition of Satan, the nine baptisms did occur as planned on that Sunday morning some 170 years ago. When Heber C. Kimball returned to America, he narrated the experience with Satan’s legions to the Prophet Joseph. Heber asked what it meant and whether there was something wrong with Heber that he should have such a manifestation. Joseph’s reply was:

No, Brother Heber, at that time you were nigh unto the Lord; there was only a veil between you and [Christ], but you could not see Him. When I heard of it, it gave me great joy, for I then knew that the work of God had taken root in that land. It was this that caused the devil to make a struggle to kill you.[8]

There is a story that was written about 350 years ago entitled The Pilgrim’s Progress. It is an extended allegory in which a man named Christian has a great burden on his back, and, try as he might, he cannot shed it. Then a man named Evangelist tells Christian he must get on the path to the Celestial City. As Christian enters the path, he sees the Cross and his heavy burden falls off. He takes up the burden of the path and has many adventures on his way to the Celestial City.

At one point Christian comes to a fork in the path. Both ways look just the same. He sits confused, not knowing which is the way to the Celestial City. Then a person in bright, shining clothes greets him and tells him he knows the way, and Christian follows. All of sudden this person captures Christian in a net and leaves him for dead. But someone from the Celestial City happens upon Christian and frees him.

Christian wonders what he did wrong. He had followed someone who seemed to know the way. The person from the Celestial City says that Christian had followed the Flatterer and reminds Christian that he had been given a note that would have directed him at the fork in the road. Christian was given everything he needed, but he had forgotten.

The other story that I would like to tell you in conclusion came out of Arabia many years ago. A horseman was riding across the desert at night, and as he went through a dried-up riverbed a voice out of the darkness commanded him to halt and dismount, which he did. Then the voice commanded him to fill his pockets with the pebbles at his feet, which he did. And then the voice commanded him remount and ride on, which he did. And as he rode out through the darkness the voice said to him, “At sunrise you will be both sad and glad.” At sunrise he looked in his pockets and found that the pebbles he had picked up were diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls. He was very glad and very sad. He was very glad that he had taken as many as he had, and he was very sad that he had not taken a lot more.

I would suggest that to all of us there will someday come a time when we will be delighted. We are going to be so pleased that we have lived in this magnificent latter day when the gospel has been restored, a time when there is no question about what the Lord wants us to do and what would make our lives successful. And when we have a great university like Brigham Young University, we can have as much education as we desire in any field.

We associate with some of the greatest men that ever lived upon the earth. I read a newspaper item the other day that said that eighty percent of all the scientists who have ever lived upon the earth are alive now. And certainly the Lord did not save his greatest scientists to come forth in this magnificent day only to bring forth religious leaders that were second-rate. Those who lead us in the Church are among the greatest spirits who have ever lived upon this earth. I am sure of this, for as the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was” (Joseph Fielding Smith, comp., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 365).

That means that Spencer W. Kimball was presented by the Lord in the council of heaven and was voted upon by all of us to come here to be the prophet of this last dispensation and this particular period, to increase the missionary work and the effectiveness of the Church in other areas. I am sure that all of us were there and that all of us voted for him; and then we ourselves were voted upon and approved to come here and be assistants to him, because he is only one man. After all, he is the head, the director, but he needs a lot of hands and feet and minds and spirits to go and do the missionary work, do the genealogical work, run the financial affairs of Church and government and nation, and do all the other work. The Lord has said that to him everything is spiritual, and I am sure that it is true.

We have come here in this great day, and someday we are going to be tickled to pieces—simply delighted that we have had the opportunity of living in this great period. Yet probably all of us are going to be awfully sad as well—sad that we did not take greater advantage of our opportunities to live up at the top of our condition and be the kind of people that the Lord would be proud of.