Gospel Story Finder

I once saw a sign in a store window that said, “Happiness, $15.00.” I was so curious to know how much happiness I could buy for $15 that I went inside to see. What I found was a lot of cheap trinkets and souvenirs—not one thing I saw could possibly bring me the type of happiness that the sign implied! Over the years, I’ve thought many times about that sign and how easy it can be to look for happiness in items that are cheap or temporary. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are blessed to know how and where true happiness is found. It is found in carefully living the gospel established by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and in striving to become more like Him.

When I first entered Young Women, I felt alone because I had left my friends in the Valiant class. However, I tried to support the young women, and they also supported me, and I was able to make new friends and interact with them. I no longer felt alone, and that made me happy. Now I am the president of the Beehives, and if I see a new sister who feels uncomfortable being with us, I talk with her, explain what we do in class, and make her feel that she is part of us.
Gredy G., age 14, Lima, Peru

Do you know what it means to minister? Think about this question while I tell you about a girl named Chy Johnson.

When Chy started high school last year, she became the victim of cruel and thoughtless bullying. She was mistreated, shoved, and taunted as she walked to class—some students even threw garbage at her. You have probably seen people mistreated like this in your school too.

For too many people, the teenage years are a time of loneliness and fear. It doesn’t have to be this way. Fortunately for Chy, there were young men at her school who understood what it means to minister.

Chy’s mother had asked teachers at the school to help stop the bullying, but it continued. She then contacted Carson Jones, an Aaronic Priesthood holder and the starting quarterback of the football team. She asked him to help her find out who was doing the bullying.

Carson agreed to help, but in his heart he felt that he could do much more than just identify the bullies. The Spirit whispered to him that he needed to help Chy feel loved.

Carson asked some of his teammates to join him in ministering to Chy. They invited her to sit with them during lunch. They walked her to class to make sure she was safe. Not surprisingly, with football players as her close friends, no one bullied Chy anymore.

This was an exciting season for the football team. But even with the thrill of an undefeated season, these young men did not forget about Chy. They invited her to join the team on the field after games. Chy felt loved and appreciated. She felt safe. She was happy.

The football team went on to win the state title. But something more important than a football championship happened at their school. The example of these young men has motivated other students to be more accepting, more friendly. They now treat each other with more kindness and respect.

National news media found out what these young men had done and shared their story across the country. What began as an effort to minister to one is inspiring thousands of others to do the same.

Chy’s mother calls these young men “angels in disguise.” Carson and his friends are quick to say that Chy has blessed their lives much more than they blessed hers. That’s what happens when you lose yourself in serving others—you find yourself. You change and grow in ways that would not be possible otherwise. These young men have experienced the joy of ministering and continue to seek opportunities to bless others. They are anxious to extend their ministering in the coming months when they serve as full-time missionaries.

My wife and I were married in the temple. We began to read the Book of Mormon together while we were dating. We now have three children. We feel that the Book of Mormon has changed our lives completely, for, as it is written, “The preaching of the word [has] a great tendency to lead the people to do that which [is] just—yea, it [has] more powerful effect upon the minds of people than the sword, or anything else. …” (Alma 31:5.)

It was here that young cadets clutched the Mexican flag and lept to their deaths rather than surrender during the Mexican-American war. The six niños heroes, as they are known, are now pictured on a ceiling mural in the castle.
Another young person found the visit to Chapultepec castle to be the most moving experience. “It brought great honor to our nation when the six niños heroes gave their lives rather than let their country’s flag be dishonored,” she said.

In my case the Book of Mormon became the keystone of my testimony over a period of years and through a number of experiences. One powerful experience in forming my testimony occurred while I was a young missionary serving in my first area: Kumamoto, Japan. My companion and I were house-to-house proselyting. I met a grandmother who kindly invited us into the entry of her home, which is called a genkan in Japanese. She offered us a cold drink on a hot day. I had not been in Japan very long, and I had recently completed reading the Book of Mormon and had been praying to know with certainty that it was true.
Because of my newness to Japan, I didn’t speak Japanese very well. In fact, I don’t think this woman understood much of what I was saying. I began teaching her about the Book of Mormon, describing how Joseph Smith received from an angel an ancient record engraved on plates and how he translated them by the power of God.
As I offered her my testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and another testament of Jesus Christ, I received the strongest impression, accompanied by a warm feeling of comfort and serenity inside my chest, which the scriptures describe as “your bosom [burning] within you.”4 This feeling reaffirmed to me in a powerful way that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God. At that time my feelings were so strong that tears came to my eyes as I talked to this Japanese grandmother. I have never forgotten the special feeling of that day.

An anteater began to feast upon a group of thirty ants. After he had eaten six of them, along came a buddy and asked him to share. They split the remaining ants between them evenly and began eating. They had each eaten three of their ants, when another friend happened by. It would be rude not to share with him, they thought, so they divided the remaining ants equally among themselves. How many ants did each anteater eat?

Neill F. Marriott receives nurturing from her fiancé’s step-grandmother.

“Friendship and respect can literally be lifesaving.

“I was among those who worked to develop an artificial heart-lung machine, which in turn helped in the pioneering of open-heart surgery. There was a great spirit of cooperation and respect among the few of us working in that new area of medical research. We knew that our real competition was against disease and death. Our cooperation in the race to pioneer new medical procedures literally saved lives.

“It is possible to disagree with others without violating the Savior’s injunction to ‘love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12). It is possible to have a different opinion than your neighbor while still loving that neighbor. It is even possible to ‘compete’ in a spirit of mutual respect that brings out the best in everyone.

“May we reflect personally on what we can do to eliminate contention from our own lives as we embrace … excellence, friendship, and respect.”
President Russell M. Nelson, Facebook, July 23, 2021, facebook.com/russell.m.nelson.

Unless you won’t be swimming in anything larger than a bathtub, a swimsuit must allow you to move freely, without the worry of ripping a seam or slipping a strap. I recall the pure panic on the face of one fellow when he was informed by another that he had split the back seam of his suit. His 100-yard dash for the nearest towel set new records on the sands of Long Beach!

Official Declaration 2. June 1, 1978 President Spencer W. Kimball desired to know the will of the Lord concerning extending the blessings of the priesthood to all worthy male members.

Well, I finally did it! I read a New Era from cover to cover. Usually I thumb through the pages, reading only what catches my eye and leaving the longer, “deeper” articles for later. After that I don’t usually pick it up again because I never seem to have time. So when I received the March issue, I was determined to read every word. Not allowing myself to look ahead, I took one article at a time. I never rushed my reading, but put my best concentration into it. I am happy to report that I enjoyed the entire magazine. Better yet, I intend to make this a habit in the future and also read the New Eras I already have stacked up.
Shannon SavilleGovenlock, Saskatchewan, Canada

Thomas S. Monson
(78) A Church member who has kept the Word of Wisdom prays for and receives strength to climb a rope onto the deck of a ship.

A-Pui’s face was bruised and swollen. He had three teeth missing and a bandage on his chin. Four days before Fast Sunday, he fell off a bicycle. But during the meeting he stood and bore his testimony that he knew that God lives and answers prayers. His beautiful spirit touched the hearts of many others that day.
Even before A-Pui joined the Church, he was always eager to help the missionaries in Hong Kong. His older brother and two older sisters were baptized first and then A-Pui became a member.
Now A-Pui and his brother and sisters have accepted the challenge of helping their parents learn more about the gospel so that they too might become members of the Church. The missionaries in Hong Kong feel sure they will be successful!

An outstanding example of perseverance is Madame Marie Curie, who worked together with her French physicist husband, Pierre Curie, “in an old abandoned leaky shed without funds and without outside encouragement or help, trying to isolate radium from a low-grade uranium ore called pitchblende. And after their 487th experiment had failed, Pierre threw up his hands in despair and said, ‘It will never be done. Maybe in a hundred years, but never in my day.’ Marie confronted him with a resolute face and said, ‘If it takes a hundred years, it will be a pity, but I will not cease to work for it as long as I live.’” She was eventually successful, and cancer patients have benefited greatly from her perseverance.

Every time I get a treat,
I have to share with little Pete.
Whenever I go out to play,
Mom says, “Take Pete along, OK?”
When I play race cars in my room,
Pete grabs my cars and yells, “Vroom! Vroom!”
The last two years on my birthday,
Pete blew out my candles, cheered, “Hurray!”
When I come home each day from school,
Pete’s by the window on a stool.
And if there is a storm outside,
Pete grabs my legs and tries to hide.
Every time Pete goes to bed,
He asks for a story I’ve already read.
And every time I think of Pete,
I smile and think, He’s pretty neat!

One day when President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was skiing with his grandson, he hit an icy spot and crashed on the slope. He kept trying to stand up, but he couldn’t. Finally his grandson came over, took him by the hand, and said firmly, “Opa, you can do it now!”
Thanks to his grandson’s confidence and encouragement, President Uchtdorf was able to stand up right away. President Uchtdorf said that sometimes when we make mistakes, we feel sad or frustrated. But we should always have hope. We are stronger than we realize. We can always get back up and choose to follow the Savior. (See “You Can Do It Now!” from the priesthood session.)

I have a really busy life, running to school or ballet classes or other errands. During all of that, I don’t get alone time or feel peace. When I read my scriptures or say a prayer, I do feel peace. It’s nice to feel that way and have a break from the craziness. In those moments of peace, I grow closer to the Savior and grow in the gospel.
Zoe B., 17, Utah, USA

Cantonments Athlete Serves on and off the Court
Martin Aggrey, a standout athlete from the Cantonments Ward in the Accra Ghana Christiansborg Stake, has turned his passion for sports into preparation for missionary service. In high school, he excelled as a sports leader, especially in volleyball. But it was at the stake center where he discovered a new love—pickleball.
Introduced to the game by senior missionaries, Martin quickly became hooked. “The spiking reminded me of volleyball, and the quick hand movements were like table tennis,” he said. Though unfamiliar at first, he embraced the challenge under the guidance of mentors like Elder Halladay, Elder Sackley, and Elder Galland—missionaries whose faith and example inspired him both spiritually and athletically.
That dedication recently paid off. Martin and his 15-year-old partner clinched second place in the men’s doubles at the 2025 Battle of the Paddle tournament. Now preparing to serve a full-time mission, Martin draws a clear parallel between rising in sport and progressing in discipleship: “If you expect the best from yourself, you will always improve.”
He looks forward to serving the Lord and plans to continue his athletic pursuits upon his return.

When I eventually moved to a new neighborhood with my daughters, life took an unexpected turn. I had a brain accident and suffered a stroke. I was in a very dark place. During this difficult time, a bishop named Noel Sosa from my new ward reached out to me. He had dedicated himself to finding members of the Church in his neighborhood who were not coming to meetings. Upon discovering my situation, he mobilized the ward’s efforts to help me. With the support of our new Church family, led by the capable Relief Society president, Raquel, they cared for my daughters and me, not only attending to our physical needs but also nurturing our spiritual needs.
Initially, I hesitated to re-engage with the Church, but I overcame my doubts with my ward’s genuine love and support. I especially appreciated my brothers and sisters in the gospel who ministered to me with love. Their teachings awakened a testimony within me that I now share with others.