Gospel Story Finder

In a gospel-sharing home, our personal missionary effort is a topic of family councils and discussions. One faithful family counseled together on the need for each family member to be an example. Later, the son’s high school coach, who was not a member, sent a donation to the Church. Why? Because this young man had impressed him with his courage in speaking up and telling his teammates to clean up their language. There are thousands of experiences that could be shared where people have joined the Church because of the spirit and attitude they observe in the lives of those who come from gospel-sharing homes.

I was given the chore of cleaning up our large playroom by myself. I looked at the mess all over the floor and felt sad because I knew I would be cleaning for a long time. My mom teaches me to pray when I feel sad, so I knelt down and asked Heavenly Father to help me clean the playroom and not feel sad. I stood up and had the idea of singing Primary songs as I cleaned. As I sang, I felt much better and was able to clean the whole playroom very quickly. I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers sometimes by giving us ideas in our minds.

When Raimundo Carvalho was 18, his father died. His father had earned a living washing clothes for other families. Now that meager income was gone.
“I was the oldest child, the only son, with four younger sisters. So, I needed to help my mother provide for the family,” he remembers. “We faced a lot of challenges and we were really poor.”
Raimundo learned to make shoes. Soon, however, it became apparent that he couldn’t keep up on his studies and work enough to provide the help his mother needed. “Taking care of the family came first,” he says. “I was able to finish my classes that year and that was it.”
In his heart, he knew he would come back to school again. But when and how?
He continued to work, and the family survived.
“Then I met and married this beautiful woman,” he says, smiling at his wife, Eréroythe. “And we built a family of our own. Today we have three children and three grandchildren.”
Eró, as his wife is known, encouraged Raimundo to go back to school. “But because of my responsibilities as a husband and a father,” Raimundo says, “I knew I couldn’t pursue the education I wanted at that time. I didn’t abandon my dream—I just put it on pause. It became something I would do in the future.”
What he could do, he found, was to encourage his wife and children in their education.
“The scriptures teach us that the glory of God is intelligence,1” he says. “They also say we should bring up our children in light and truth2 and that we should seek learning by study and faith.3 These principles became standards for our family.”
Today, Raimundo is 62. And that dream he put on pause? It’s finally coming true. He recently graduated from high school. What’s more, he’s preparing to enter college. “I have to take a challenging test to get in,” he says. “But I want people, old and young, to see that they can set a goal and achieve it.”

I Don’t Want to Go Back to School by Marisabina Russo Ben had liked first grade, but what if his friends didn’t remember him now? What if his teacher was mean? What if he didn’t know any answers to the teacher’s questions? It didn’t help that his older sister teased him. …

Brigham Young’s formal schooling consisted of eleven days of instruction under a traveling schoolmaster. However, his mother taught him to read, and he was a natural student and a keen observer of events and of the world around him. When Brigham was fourteen years old, his mother, Nabby Howe Young, died of tuberculosis. Brigham then hired himself out as an apprentice to learn the trade of a carpenter, cabinet maker, painter and glass worker—skills that were to come in handy in his later years when he would build cities.

This was an incredibly difficult experience, but it came with unexpected blessings. I truly believe that it’s because of my son’s parents that I was able to find my husband. Seeing their love and connection helped me realize what I wanted in a marriage, so when the right man came into my life, I was able to recognize the happiness we could have together and that we’ve since established.

Thomas and Tiffany Turtle
Wanted to go to the beach.
They brought two pairs of sunglasses,
Two pineapples, and a peach.
They brought straw hats to shade their heads,
And pails and shovels and boats;
They brought soft towels to lie upon,
But they should have brought their coats.
For Thomas and Tiffany Turtle
Were terribly, terribly slow—
They took till November to get to the beach,
And by then it had started to snow!

Most of us probably think family togetherness is a good idea, and the Fa’oa family, from Ulladulla, New South Wales, is no exception. And it’s a good thing. The Fa’oas live in an area where the Church is exceedingly small. At one time they traveled about an hour each way to get to the nearest branch. Now the branch has been divided, and they go to church closer to home but with a much smaller group.
“The branch is pretty much our family and one other family with a few other people,” says 18-year-old Sunny.
Their dad, Paul, is in the branch presidency. Mom, Michelle, is the Young Women president. Add to that the fact the Fa’oas have regular family home evening on Mondays and seminary is held in 15-year-old Troy’s bedroom every morning, and that equals a lot of family togetherness.
“We see each other so much we have to get along,” says Sunny. “Sometimes you feel a little like everything—church, seminary, Young Women—is with just your family. We have to keep a sense of humor so we don’t fight.”
Sunny and Troy meet every morning at about 5:30 with their mother to study the day’s seminary lesson. That’s early, and the fact that seminary is held at home would probably make sleeping in a real temptation. But Sunny and Troy both say their mother’s determination to make seminary a good experience helps keep them going, even if it’s been a short night’s sleep.
“Finishing a year in seminary is a real accomplishment,” says Troy. “I feel so good knowing I’ve read the scriptures and understand them. I would never have made it through the year without my mom to keep me going.”

When fast Sunday came again, Mark was prepared. His family sat close to the front of the chapel so that he could be first to the podium when it was time for bearing testimonies. During the meeting, he offered a prayer in his heart that he would know what to say.
When it was time, he stood and walked up to the microphone. At first, he was nervous at seeing all the people looking back at him, but most of them were smiling, and he knew that they were his friends.
“I have a testimony of the law of tithing,” he began, “and of the Word of Wisdom. I know we have a living prophet today, and I know Heavenly Father answers our prayers.” Mark ended his testimony and sat down. His mom patted him on the knee.
He still felt a bit shaky, but mostly he had a really good feeling, like he was glowing from head to toe. He was glad that he had a testimony and that he could bear it every single day.

I have a very good friend who was the chief executive officer and manager of a very large corporation. The call came to him to preside over a mission, and like so many of our wonderful men who have great skills and capabilities and responsibilities, when the call came from the Lord, there was no question. He had thought enough through his life that it was instantaneous in his thought process to accept the call. What was to happen to the business? What was to happen to this great enterprise? Well, situations were worked out, and management was worked out to the best degree. But in three years lots of things can happen to a business when the guiding light is not there to lead on a day to day basis. Ultimately, some of the assets of the company were sold. But toward the end of the mission of this great man, an opportunity arose. Within days after his release, he was back in business with a program far bigger than anything he had before he was called to be a mission president and is presently managing and, I believe, bringing about one of the major corporations to be based in the state of Utah.

Now how did he do that? Well, I suppose by the mistakes he had learned through his life, but most importantly he had learned to think straight so when this second opportunity came up it was easier for him to define, to determine, to make decisions, and to move forward.

President Spencer W. Kimball once spoke of a man who prided himself on his vast acreage and remarkable holdings—groves and vineyards, herds and fields, ponds and homes and possessions of every kind. He prided himself on these, but to the end of his life was unwilling to tithe on them or even acknowledge that they were gifts from God. President Kimball then spoke at the man’s funeral, noting that this land baron was laid to rest in an oblong piece of soil measuring “the length of a tall man, the width of a heavy one.” In answer to the age-old question, “How much did he leave?” be reassured the answer will always be, “All of it.” So we would do well to lay up treasures in heaven, where not taxes but doctrines give meaning to words like estate, inheritance, testament, and will.

Three South Africans are shining, both at church and at school. Donovan Bowen, Bernice Doller, and Owen Porter, of the Verwoerdburg Ward, Pretoria South Africa Stake, have found time to excel in a number of things.
Donovan finished second in high school cross-country meets and a provincial area triathlon. He graduated from seminary, received his Duty to God Award, and likes cycling and other sports.
Bernice captains and coaches her school’s basketball team, which won the provincial league championship. She plays the piano, is also a seminary graduate, and received her Young Women Recognition award.
Owen was chosen to be his school’s athletics captain, was the Senior Victor Ludorum in athletics twice, and excels in volleyball and cross-country. Another seminary graduate and Duty to God Award recipient, Owen is also a leader in his priests quorum.

In April this year, Anita and I had the privilege of ministering to the Papua New Guinea missionaries with President and Sister Kinikini. We also attended the Rigo District conference on Sunday 30 April, where we met 23 couples and six senior service missionary sisters. One of the couples only joined the Church just over a year ago. All branches in the Rigo District have two to four senior missionary couples or senior service mission companions. Although limited in resources, they are not limited in their desire, faith, hope, charity, and love.

A true story from the USA.
Eli leaned on his rake and looked up at the bare branches of the oak tree. He was raking leaves in his grandma’s yard and had already made a giant pile. He smiled. Autumn always made him think of roast turkey and pumpkin pie.
Just then Grandma came out of the house.
“Thank you, Eli!” she said. “The yard looks wonderful. I’m glad you could rake the leaves before the first snow.” She wrapped her jacket tighter around herself. “I’m going to visit a friend at the nursing home. Want to come?”
“Sure!”
Eli set his rake against the tree. A large orange leaf fluttered down and landed on his foot.
What a pretty leaf! he thought.
He felt like he should take it with him. So he carefully picked up the leaf.
“Who are we going to visit?” he asked.
“Mrs. Overly,” Grandma said. “She just moved in last month.”
As they walked, Eli twirled the leaf’s stem between his fingers. The nursing home was only a block from Grandma’s house. Eli liked to join her on her visits. The people there always seemed happy to see him.
The doors swung open. Eli spotted Mr. Hansen sitting in his wheelchair by the front desk.
“Good morning, Heber,” Grandma said.
Mr. Hansen never said a word, but he held up his hand, and Eli gave him a high five.
They went to Mrs. Overly’s room. She smiled when they walked in.
“Well, hello!” She reached for Grandma’s hand. “It’s good to see you. And who did you bring with you today?”
“This is my grandson Eli,” Grandma said. “He has been raking leaves for me this morning.”
Eli remembered the leaf he was holding. He held it out to Mrs. Overly. “I brought one for you!” he said.
“Oh!” Mrs. Overly’s smile got bigger as she took the leaf. “How did you know that I love leaves? I used to have a lovely leaf collection, but I couldn’t bring it with me when I moved here. Now I can start a new one!”
The feeling Eli had to take the leaf must have been from the Holy Ghost! Eli didn’t know that someone needed a leaf today, but Heavenly Father knew.
Eli grinned. I wonder who else I can help if I listen carefully to the Holy Ghost! he thought.

After college, I taught at Brigham Young University for a few years. Then I started my own business. In my business, it was important for me to know what was going on in the world, so I got in the habit of reading several newspapers. And I always started my day by reading them. Of course, I read my scriptures during the day too.
Recently, however, I began to read the scriptures before I read anything else. What joy and satisfaction has come from reading the scriptures first! It not only begins the day right, but throughout the day I’ll find myself using a scripture or scripture story I read that morning, especially as I talk about the gospel.

“I recall that when we were considering the purchase of our home, my son came running to me and said, ‘Oh, Mother, this is the house we want—it’s right across the street from the church. We just have to buy this one.’ It didn’t matter that he had to walk over a mile to school; the Church has always been first in his life.”

One of these challenges came when I chose to pay an honest tithe when I was away from home. Every year my dad would take us to tithing settlement. He would help us calculate our tithing, and we would pay it. All during the time I was growing up, I developed this habit of paying tithing. If you had asked me at the time, I would have told you that I had a testimony of tithing.

When I finished high school, I had been admitted to Harvard University, so I worked that summer and earned money to pay for the expenses that weren’t covered by my scholarship. By the end of the first semester, I had foolishly spent all the money that I had earned to get me through the whole year.

At the start of the second semester, I got a job. I couldn’t work very much because I was a full-time student, but I worked a few hours a week and received my first paycheck. Of course, it wasn’t very much, but it was all I had to get by until the next paycheck.

Then the question arose in my mind, “What about tithing?” I had been in the habit of paying my tithing but had always had sufficient money to pay the tithing. Here I was faced with the challenge: do I pay my tithing when I don’t know if I’ve got enough money to get through the next two weeks?

As I thought about it, I remembered the scripture in Malachi 3:10, where the Lord promises, “Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

So I realized that was my answer. I would leave it up to the Lord. I paid my tithing, not sure if I had enough money to carry me until the next paycheck. And a miracle happened. I made it through that two weeks.

It came to me so powerfully that the Lord keeps His word. The Lord came through the way He promised. Just as the scriptures say, if we pay our tithing, He will bless us. That same miracle happened every two weeks throughout the rest of the semester. Before, I had thought I had a testimony of tithing, but now, because of my correct decision, I had a powerful testimony of tithing. The Lord always does what He says, so my testimony continued to grow step-by-step.

The author lives in Wisconsin, USA.
Our Young Women group decided to focus on general conference and listening to the words of our prophets. We had a special lesson before conference discussing the importance of listening to our leaders. We talked about why we have it and how to prepare so that we can hear the messages Heavenly Father has for us. Everyone was encouraged to listen so that we could share with each other the things that “stuck to us.”
We went home with sticky notes and wrote down the things that “stuck” during conference. Afterwards, we took turns sharing all the wonderful messages and quotes that “stuck to us.”
We have done this activity for the past three general conferences. At first, some of the young women were hesitant to share and only brought one or two notes. But after doing it three times, the girls found they had so many spiritual insights we hardly had time to let everyone share. After showing their notes, many wanted them back so they could put them back in their journals or hang them up in their rooms.
We have found this to be a great way to really get into conference. And we are a stronger and more unified group because we know that we are all seeking strength and inspiration so that we can come closer to Jesus Christ and keep His commandments.
“I really like to hear what ‘stuck’ to the other girls. It helped me remember and think about things I may have missed or forgotten about during the different conference talks.”
Mikelle F., 17
“I really like our ‘What Sticks to You’ lessons from general conference. It is cool to listen to how the different talks impact and stick out to each of us. I like hearing the unique takeaways that everyone gets.”
Emily F., 17
“I’m grateful for the words of the prophets to help remind me of my importance and to remember the Savior.”
Chanelle D. 18
“It was fun to hear everyone’s thoughts and favorite moments. I liked hearing the different perspectives and sharing the love with my fellow Laurels.”
Olivia A., 16
“Doing ‘What Sticks to You’ helps me remember the Spirit I felt when I watched general conference.”
Hannah Q., 18
“The ‘What Sticks to You’ lesson helps me prepare for general conference. It allows me to take better notes and really reflect on the talks given.”
Julia C., 18

Once upon a time in a small village there lived an old tailor and his three sons, Judah, Yarin, and Isaac.
One day the old man called his boys together. “My sons,” he said, “I have worked hard. Now I wish to spend my days resting in the shade of the olive trees. I am giving the shop to you.”
Judah stepped forward. “Thank you, Papa. We hope that we can live up to your teachings.”
The old man smiled. “How splendid it will be to see my sons working together.”
Yarin picked up some cloth. “I can design the garments,” he said enthusiastically.
“I will cut the patterns,” added Isaac happily.
“And I will sew the pieces of cloth together,” said Judah eagerly.
“Good!” said the old man, beaming. “You have made my heart sing.”
A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Judah opened it. A messenger handed him a letter for his father. “It is news from the Rabbi’s wife,” he said. Then he bowed and left.
Judah gave the letter to his father. The old man quickly opened it and read aloud:
On the first day of next week my daughter will marry Ganseh the gabbai (synagogue trustee), cousin of the hazan’s (cantor’s) daughter. A prize offifty shekels will go to the tailor who makes the most beautiful dress in Jerusalem before sunset this Friday.
The Rebbetzin
“Our fortune will be made!” said Yarin.
“We will become known throughout the Holy Land!” exclaimed Isaac.
“Everyone will buy our finery!” rejoiced Judah. “Let’s get busy and make the dress. We have only two days’ time.”
The old man stepped forward. “I am going to the marketplace to buy more cloth. I will return tomorrow. Good luck, my sons. I know you will do well together.”
And he left.
As Yarin picked up some paper and a quill, he thought, I should win the prize because I will make the pattern. He quickly drew some sketches.
“Show us what you have drawn,” said Judah.
Yarin hid the paper behind his back. “No,” he replied. “Not unless you both agree that the prize shall be mine!”
“That’s not fair!” cried Isaac. “If anyone should have the prize, I should, because I shall cut the pattern with great precision.”
“Wait!” protested Judah. “I shall sew the fine white linen with delicate stitches, so the prize should be mine!”
The brothers argued all day and night and into the next morning. When the old man returned, he heard their angry voices and hurried inside. “What is the trouble?” he asked them.
Enraged, the sons told him that each of them felt that he deserved the prize. The old man sadly shook his head. “As of this moment, I do not even see the beginning of a dress, yet you all expect to be rewarded.”
The old man fetched a broom from the doorway and removed three twigs. “Yarin,” he asked, “can you break this twig?”
“Of course, Papa,” he said, and he did.
“What about you, Judah?” asked the old man. “Can you break a twig too?”
“Easily,” replied Judah, and he did.
“Can you do the same, Isaac?” asked the old man.
“Certainly,” replied Isaac as he snapped the twig in two, “but what does this prove?”
The old man smiled and picked up the broom. “Now,” he said, “break the twigs that are bound together.”
Each son took a turn, but not one of them could do it.
The old man held the three broken twigs in his hand.
“Surely you can see that there seems to be more glory and riches in standing alone,” he said, kindly. “But like these bound twigs, working together brings strength.”
The sons looked at each other shamefacedly.
“We have wasted precious time being greedy,” said Isaac. “Now it’s too late, Papa.”
“Nonsense!” countered the old man. “Yarin, place the pattern on the table so that Isaac can cut the cloth so that Judah can sew it. Together you will make a fine gown.”
The brothers worked together all night and most of the next day to finish the gown before the Friday deadline.
When the rabbi’s wife saw the dress, she was very pleased with it. However, she liked another gown better, and she awarded the fifty shekels to someone else.
On their way home, the sons remained silent.
“I know that you are disappointed,” said the old man, “but together you made a very fine gown. Because it is so fine, others will buy the garments you make.”
The next day, many people came to the tailor shop.
One of them was the hazan’s daughter. “Oh,” she said, admiring the dress, “what a beautiful design! Such delicate stitches! And it is cut so beautifully that I’m sure it will fit me.”
She was so delighted with the dress that she bought it and ordered several more. So did her friends and others, until the three brothers had earned fifty shekels many times over.

In the fall of 1832, Brigham, his brother Joseph, and Heber C. Kimball, traveled 560 kilometers to Kirtland, Ohio, to meet the Prophet Joseph. As Brigham and Joseph shook hands, Brigham said to himself, “I know he is a prophet.” From that day on he dedicated his life to Joseph Smith and never missed an opportunity to be in his presence.