Gospel Story Finder

Some people never realize just how important friendshipping can be, but Ray Ebler of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, does. “The main contribution to my testimony was the love that radiated from each member,” he says.

Ray started attending with his girlfriend and her family. He enjoyed church, but he says, “It was only when she went away to school that I realized how important the Church and the people in it were to me. I was touched by the Spirit and gained a testimony.”

Ray started attending with his girlfriend and her family. He enjoyed church, but he says, “It was only when she went away to school that I realized how important the Church and the people in it were to me.”

Ray was taught the discussions and was baptized on July 4, 1991. He wants to express his gratitude to the family that helped him, the ward members, and everyone else involved.

Let me share an experience from my own youth, an experience that taught me the importance of obedience in doing even small things well. I loved to play football in high school and at the university. I wanted to be a good athlete. I especially remember one game. Our university team faced the University of Colorado in a contest for the conference championship. We were well coached and really well prepared.
The star of the Colorado team was Byron “Whizzer” White, an all-American who was a tremendous athlete. He was a fast, versatile, and powerful quarterback. His athletic prowess was legendary. His scholastic abilities were equally impressive. He later became a Rhodes scholar and retired recently as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Our wise coach was Ike Armstrong. His warnings before the game included two simple instructions: one, do not kick off or punt the ball to Whizzer White, and two, never let him get past the line of scrimmage.
We followed his instructions and held Colorado scoreless throughout the first half. Early in the second half, however, Whizzer White kicked a field goal. We answered with a touchdown and kicked the extra point. We were ahead seven to three at the end of the third quarter.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, we punted. The ball sailed deep into the corner of the field, near their end zone. Whizzer White plucked the tumbling ball out of the air at his fifteen-yard line and dropped back to his five-yard line to evade the first of our tacklers. Then with the speed, strength, and agility that had built his reputation, he started upfield and sidestepped every player of our team. I managed only to touch him with my little finger. He ran the entire length of the field for a touchdown—thrilling for Colorado, but disappointing for us.
Later in the fourth quarter, Whizzer dashed around his own right end and beyond the line of scrimmage and ran fifty-seven yards for another touchdown. The game ended with a score seventeen to seven. Colorado won the game and the conference championship.
Though we lost, I learned the importance of constant obedience to detailed instructions of our leader. Failure to obey our coach’s two pregame warnings for just two plays—two brief lapses in an otherwise outstanding effort—cost us the game and the conference championship. That is all it took for us to lose something we had worked so hard to achieve.

During her first year at school, when she lived with four roommates, Fleur had a hard time finding time alone to pray and study scriptures. “There wasn’t much privacy to pray, unless I got in the dorm early. The other option was to pray in the bathroom. It wasn’t the greatest place, but it was private.”

Fleur makes time for gospel study because, she says, “reading the scriptures daily for seminary helps me to live Church principles away from home.” Fortunately, this year Fleur has her own room, making it easier for her to pray and study.

“My dream was to be a humanitarian, and this was the door to it,” Loni reflected. “Working in the library, I always wanted to give back . . . but I didn’t see the [opportunity] until Cyclone Gita hit [Tonga].”
It was in the aftermath of Cyclone Gita, that Loni’s engagement on the national level began. Being a librarian and also Tongan, and well-known for her work in the T?maki community, she was asked to help establish the first public library in her beloved island nation of Tonga and serve as the first librarian.
With schools and educational resources destroyed, Loni worked tirelessly with founders, Kahoa and Brendon Corbett, as donations of thousands of books from over 50 Auckland Council libraries, as well as computers, and even bicycles, were brought to the renovated community fale (centre).
The library opened in October 2019, in the village of Kolovai, with plans for a second library underway in a nearby town.
Loni paid her own fare on her trips to Tonga, lived by herself, and donated her time and talents to establish the library. She started weekend English classes, children’s programs, computer and family history classes, job application skills classes, and even bicycle rentals.
She says, “Tongans now understand that a library is more than a building—it is a safe place for growth and development, connections, and learning for many different reasons.”

Though it happened more than four decades ago, my wife and I have never forgotten an occasion when we were blessed by an anonymous donor. It was Christmas of 1953, and I was a graduate student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In many ways it was the best of times. We had two small and much adored children and were deeply in love with each other, as we are to this day. Furthermore, I loved my studies and research at a world-renowned university. But we were very poor, with not a penny of financial reserves, and barely able to scrape by on my graduate stipend of two hundred dollars per month. Somehow my dear wife had managed to find a few dollars for modest Christmas presents for our two children, but that was as far as the money went. We weren’t particularly troubled by the lack of funds, but, like the couple in O. Henry’s classic tale “The Gift of the Magi,” each of us had hoped to give the other some expression of our mutual affection.

On Christmas Eve our doorbell rang. When I answered it, I found on the front porch a package in Christmas wrappings. It was addressed to us but had no indication of who had sent it. When we opened the package on Christmas morning, we found a shirt for me and a blouse for my wife. Never were gifts more appreciated, not just for themselves, but most of all because someone cared about us. We still don’t know the identity of the giver but bless his or her name to this day.

Several months ago, my grandson asked his mom, “Why are we here on earth? If God knows everything, then He knows what choices I will make. Why can’t He just send me now to where He knows I will choose to go?” My daughter told him about an institute class she had attended years before. The teacher asked the students, “Why was Abraham commanded to sacrifice Isaac if God already knew Abraham would obey?” After some discussion, the class decided it was because Abraham needed to know that Abraham would obey. My grandson thought about that for a moment and then said, “So, I guess I need to have the experience of choosing for myself.”

Aurelia stood on the bank of the Mississippi River and looked back across it. Never before in her eleven-and-a-half years had she been west of the wide river, and now here she was in Iowa.
She shivered in the February cold and tucked one hand into her coat. With the other, she held George’s hand. He was only six and was her responsibility. Ellen, thirteen, and nine-year-old Catherine walked ahead with seven-year-old Howard; little Lucy rode in the wagon with Mama, who was still very sick. But Aurelia and George stood and looked back across the river to Nauvoo.
Nauvoo! How could they bear to leave their beautiful home? All was cold and gray across the river, but Aurelia remembered how the city had looked when she first saw it.
It was already a bustling, growing city when the Spencer family arrived. Thousands of people lived there, and more were coming every day. There were hundreds of log cabins and many brick homes. People were building, buying and selling, planting, working everywhere! Aurelia had never seen so many people—and most of them were Latter-day Saints.
Her family had rented a room until Papa could build a house for them. He had chosen a lot on a hill above the town, a little northeast of where the temple was being built.
Their lot, like most in Nauvoo, was big enough to plant a large garden and some fruit trees. Ellen and Aurelia had helped Papa plant the trees that first spring—peach and apple trees, Papa said, although they looked like twigs to Aurelia. She had asked Papa why he planted the tiny trees so far apart.
“They are small now,” he had said, “but if we want them to grow large and give fruit, they will need space to grow.” Aurelia had watched them grow until last year they had finally blossomed and borne fruit!
All of Nauvoo blossomed in the spring. The mud in the streets was deep enough to suck the boots right off your feet, but flowers and fruit trees bloomed in every yard. Aurelia wished she could see spring come to Nauvoo again. But the Prophet Joseph was dead, and soon his beautiful city would be deserted.
George had been too young to remember the first time he and Aurelia met the Prophet. Aurelia remembered it clearly. She had met a real, living prophet! He had come to their home to visit, and he limped very slightly when he walked, just like Papa! Papa told her later it was caused by the same illness that had caused his limp—typhus fever, which had settled in his leg.
Lucy was born there, and when Joseph saw her, he exclaimed, “Oh, what a little black head!” Even as a baby, Lucy’s hair was thick and dark. Joseph had laid his hand on Lucy’s head and blessed her. Aurelia had loved the Prophet from that moment. He was God’s own prophet and the most important man in Nauvoo, yet he loved little children and liked to be with them.
Aurelia shivered as she remembered the terrible day two years later, when Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed by a mob in the nearby town of Carthage. Aurelia could scarcely believe that anyone could be so wicked as to kill a kind man like the Prophet.
Aurelia’s Papa had taken her to the Mansion House to see Joseph’s body. A great crowd was there, all crying and crowding to look. Aurelia couldn’t see, so Papa had lifted her up to the window from where she could see Brother Joseph one last time. That had been nearly two years ago.

In the following years, fellowshipping helped Gary return to Church activity. Jennifer would invite ward members or the missionaries over for dinner, knowing that would give them a chance to talk with Gary. He is grateful to those members and missionaries for being a good influence on him.
Dale Price, for example, home taught Jennifer’s mother and got to know Gary and Jennifer that way. When Brother Price visited with Brother Tucker, they didn’t talk about the gospel at first. They talked about a common interest: hunting. The Prices also sat with the Tuckers at ward activities, brought them food from their food storage when Brother Tucker was out of work, and gave them honey produced by their own honeybees. Honey is the Tuckers’ favorite topping on toast. That little gift, as Brother Price describes it, was “to sweeten the relationship.”

Zebedee Coltrin shared the following sacred experience: “At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, (the school being organized on the 23rd of January, 1833), when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from east to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and suppose the others did and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother. Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did. Another person came through; he was surrounded as with a flame of fire. … The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw Him” (minutes, Salt Lake City School of Prophets, 3 October 1883, pages 56–57).

A few months later, I received a letter from my family telling me they were waiting for my return. I never lost faith and hope that my whole family would become members of the Church, be sealed in the temple for all eternity, and be with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, someday.
After returning from my mission, I began to see that dream come true. I was able to baptize my mother, who is now preparing to go to the temple. I see my family often, and we are closer than ever before.

What kind of thanks?
There sits a young man here today in whose home I was a guest at a stake conference. Since he had recently left for the Y, I was to sleep in his room Saturday night. As his gracious mother showed me the room, she opened his closet where I saw a handwritten letter taped to the rod in the closet. It read:
Mom,
Thanks for all you’ve done to make this a “special summer.” You are a very “special mother” and I thank the Lord for the blessing of being your son.
I love you and appreciate all you do in my behalf. See you in November.
Paul.
As she paused while I read it, she said, “Hope you don’t mind hanging your clothes out here. This note is still kind of precious. You know, every time I open this closet I read it again, and I would like to leave it there a little longer.”
Well, Paul, you are probably leaving for home tomorrow. May I suggest that when you get home you take that sweet little mother of yours in those strong young arms and give her a squeeze so that she’ll know you are home—and thankful.
A. Theodore Tuttle“What Kind of Thanks,”BYU Speeches of the Year, November 26, 1968, p. 5.

Midway through our final year in the mission field, after the pandemic had largely passed, our family was invited to eat at the home of a local Church leader. After dinner, as I sat alone with this dear friend, the conversation took a surprising turn. A former mission president himself, he suggested that personal turbulence might be ahead for me. With a grandfatherly smile, he said that most of the mission presidents he knew—himself included—had experienced very real challenges as they returned to their former lives and professional careers and that my so-called fourth year of mission leadership may well prove to be the most trying. I silently wondered, “How could life get more difficult than leading a mission during a pandemic?” I left that evening subdued by his comments.

A few weeks later, an unanticipated trial not of my own making came into my personal life. This unforeseen challenge left me grasping for understanding. Like my missionaries, I had planned on sacrificing specific things, but this turn of events was totally unexpected. In my anguish I grumbled to my wife, “I’ve tried to do everything right! I’ve willingly sacrificed and consecrated and given my heart and soul to the Lord and His missionaries! How can things possibly go this way? This is a cost I never imagined paying when we accepted our assignment.”

I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I began to loathe my wife’s cheerful mission stickers. There were times when I wept as I walked in the woods near our mission home. After my tears dried, I would counsel with and uplift struggling missionaries, smiling outwardly while sorrowing inside. “This is not what I signed up for!” I lamented in my personal prayers.

Ultimately, it was my Savior and a handful of His disciples who rescued me. My dear wife and missionary companion, one of the few who was aware of my trial, reminded me of the goodness of our Father in Heaven and the Savior. Special friends ministered to me in meaningful ways and created a new path forward for me to follow. I was buoyed up by reading about the experiences of ancient Saints such as the apostle Peter and of modern Saints who had consecrated their all when called upon. My daily study of the Book of Mormon especially helped me remain spiritually centered on the Savior. Transcribing, annotating, and sharing the personal records of William and Rachel Atkin and their fellow handcart pioneers soothed my soul. Like them, I wanted to be faithful to my temple promises and remain on the covenant path. Ultimately, the meekness the Savior demonstrated during His mortal ministry inspired me to be increasingly humble and forgiving. I learned a great deal about the majesty of the character of Christ during this wintry season of my life.

Since those challenging days, a silver lining has emerged in my personal life that continues to brighten. I am regularly reminded that just as there are known and unknown costs, there are also anticipated and unanticipated blessings that far surpass any cost we are asked to pay. I am grateful for a patient Savior who allows me to count and recount the costs of my discipleship.

The other example I would share is that of a newly arriving missionary when my wife and I were presiding over the England London Mission. We were welcoming a group of 18 excited and anxious new missionaries at Heathrow Airport. As our assistants organized things and got the luggage into the mission van, one missionary stood near my wife, observing the wonderful leadership of those two Assistants to the President. This new missionary then remarked in a conversational, but sincere voice, "Sister Wheelwright, I want you to know that you can count on me." And we soon found that we could count on that missionary no matter what the circumstances. He could be trusted to always do the right thing.

That young man became a wonderful leader in the mission because all of the other missionaries knew they could trust him as well. Since his mission that characteristic of being trust worthy has only continued to expand with the result that more and more people "count on him." He now has a wonderful wife and family, serves faithfully as a Priesthood leader and is thriving in a career with the FBI.

A year and a half after I was called as the second counselor in the bishopric of the Arroyo Hondo Ward of the Santiago Dominican Republic South Stake, a strong flood affected the population of the Brisas del Norte area of Arroyo Hondo Arriba, the southern part of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. Due to the significant amount of rain that fell during Tropical Storm Olga, poverty and despair surprised this humble community in the early hours of Dec. 12, 2007. Houses were destroyed, along with the furnishings and belongings of those who inhabited them. Crying and despair overwhelmed survivors. The water levels covered most of the houses. Screams and despair took possession of people when they saw themselves practically homeless and with only their sleeping attire on them.
The priesthood brethren of the Arroyo Hondo Ward, headed by its bishop, Luis Gerardo Tejada Villamán, immediately came to the rescue of children and adults. The roofs of the flooded houses were occupied by the inhabitants, who, to save their lives, had climbed on them.
The friendly hand of our Savior Jesus Christ was not long in coming. His priesthood brethren were there helping those most in need. Shortly after the incident, they were transferred to different places to await the resolution of the flooding that had changed their lives.
When the water receded, the repairs to houses, the arrival of clothing, medicine and food filled this community with happiness and joy. They shouted “Thank you, God, thank you very much! Despite our sad situation, you never abandoned us.”
Without thinking about what happened, they did not go down from the roof to get something from their houses, and they did not go back to get their clothes.
Their December became full of light and hope, the birth of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ was celebrated, despite having spent a moment in the dark on December 12, 2007.

When we face serious challenges, sometimes we find it difficult to trust in the Lord. But trusting in Him brings us the hope we need in order to face our challenges.

That’s what happened with members of the Gatrell family, who live in Sister Jean A. Stevens’s ward. Sister Stevens, first counselor in the Primary general presidency, said the family held tight to the gospel and to their temple covenants after Brother Gatrell was diagnosed with cancer. Doing so gave them hope in God’s promises that they would be together again after this life.

Through the difficult days before her husband passed away, Sister Gatrell said, “I knew the Lord was watching over us. If you trust in the Lord, truly you can overcome any of life’s challenges.”5

The gift of the Atonement gives us the hope of eternal life—something we need when we suffer trials or the death of a loved one.

“Our loving Heavenly Father gave us the gift of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior,” said President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency. “That great gift and blessing of the Atonement of Jesus Christ brings a universal inheritance: the promise of the Resurrection and the possibility of eternal life to all who are born.”6

One day a couple of my friends were fighting about a girl in my grade. They wanted her to like them.
I told them, “Enough, enough!” and pushed them apart. I didn’t want them to hurt each other or stop being friends.
I wasn’t afraid I’d get hurt, but when I separated them, they got mad. “What are you doing in the middle of this?” they asked. I told them to chill out because I wanted them to be friends and Jesus wants us to be kind to each other.
They made up and stopped fighting over the girl.

When I was a new mission president, I was excited to receive our first group of new missionaries. A few of our more experienced missionaries were preparing for a brief meeting with them. I noticed that they had arranged children’s chairs in a semicircle.
“What’s up with the little chairs?” I asked.
The missionaries, somewhat sheepishly, said, “For the new missionaries.”
I believe the way we see others significantly impacts their perception of who they are and what they can become. Our new missionaries sat on adult chairs that day.

Let me share a personal experience that I feel is important for all Young Single Adults to know. You might think this is too high of a standard to live by but I challenge you to listen to the Spirit and raise the bar.
Please note: I do not have time to explain everything about this, for this topic is for another talk, and can be expressed in more detail. But, I am just showing you the basic simple personal revelation I received, and you too can receive the same. You too can pray about what I am about to tell you so you can receive personal revelation on this matter.

As a Bishop years ago, I discovered that most YSA who came to see me, had a lot of dating-related questions. Questions like…"How do I know who is the right person?", "How do I know if he is worthy?", "What is the right way to date?", and many others.
My question I asked Heavenly Father in prayer was, “How can I help them understand dating better so they can be more responsible daters?”
ALL LIGHTS OFF
As I prayed, fasted, and pondered on this, I found myself reading D&C 121:34, 35, 36 and I heard a voice in my head that said, “Why do we need to date?”
The only two reasons I could think of were, first, for fun and enjoyment (group dating), and secondly, to find your eternal companion (singular dating), which is what this template is about.
Then I read, "34-36 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers OF heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness."11
The voice said, “You need to learn this one lesson.” I felt, this is a calling to be extended to someone who is worthy. As a father, I realized that this is an eternal calling that you, priesthood brethren, will be asking someone, someday: “Will you marry me?” It is important for each of us to know that being a father and mother are eternal callings. It is a calling that we will always have, even in the next life, if we are worthy. The voice said, “You have to be worthy to extend this calling.” That means, you need to be worthy to go on a date because you need to know who, when, and how to extend this calling.
Why? Because, "That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness."
All of this came to me all at once and in an orderly manner. Once I learned this one lesson everything started to fall into place.

Then I read the next verse, "37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."12
This is how not to go on a date! The following came to me: “This is what can happen if we are not worthy to go on a date.” Look what happens as your relationship grows in time, when you have been dating for one week, to six months, and even a year or two. LOOK AT THE SIGNS: “...but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men...”13
For example, a person who is not worthy will never announce that he or she is not worthy to go on a date, thus will cover their sins, and as the relationship continues, they will find that someone will be gratifying their pride, either spoiling you in deeds, words, and or in items, or showing off, being boastful, thus gratifying their own pride. This is where the relationship starts turning for the worst. Having a vain ambition, or exercising control or dominion, is noticed when someone gets jealous in a relationship, or even makes you feel that you owe them something for all he or she have done for you. Remember, no one can buy love. We are not items or slave for anyone. When this happens, we become dominating and someone will exercise compulsion upon us. Note what happens if the relationship continues to that point.
“...in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."14 If you are planning to get married to someone like this, please ask yourself, are we worthy to go to the Temple? Will our marriage be sealed through the eternities? "...Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."

As I continued reading I found that verse 41 is the correct way to date. It simply says, "41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned."15 This is how we should be going on a date having persuasion, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, being pleasant, and having understanding for each other. I believe that if we do not have any of these qualities, we will need to work at it before dating.
Dating should be planned with the other person in mind. “The way we communicate in dating and courtship is a key to building a solid marital relationship. Positive communication practiced in dating increases the likelihood of greater commitment, better conflict resolution, and more love between partners in marriage."16 When we focus on finding the right person, we should also focus on becoming the right person for someone. I encourage all who date to raise the bar and have a prayer before and after the date with the person you go with. Having the spirit with you will play a major part on finding your future companion.

As I read the following, the Spirit told me, this is how I will know whom I should extend the eternal calling to: “Will you marry me?“ We will know..."42 by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile."17 This is the feeling I should receive while dating, nothing will be in the way of your decision, and it should be as plain and clear as possible. There should be no other outside influence and you should know, I mean really know whom you will be marrying. You will know their strengths and weaknesses and will be willing deal with it. by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without any deception.
Please note that even if you do not feel that he or she is the right one for you… the main thing is that both of you have learned not only of each other but of who you really are and you can both move forward knowing what you can improve on, so you can be better for the next person you date. Remember, when we focus on finding the right person, we should also focus on becoming the right person for someone else.

Since we are all human, remember that you and your date are not perfect, you my need to correct each other at times while dating. It says this in verse 43, "Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved,…"18 In other words correct each other with sharpness (right away) then showing an increase of love. A young man and a young woman on a date are responsible to help each other maintain their standards and to protect each other's honor and virtue.

If you strive as a couple to honor your priesthood and each other, you will not only be happy, but also know in verse, "44 “That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.”19 This is a blessing of maintaining your worthiness while you are dating. When you extend this eternal calling. Your marriage will be sealed through the eternities. Not just a worldly marriage but an eternal marriage, stronger than the cords of death.

This revelation has been a blessing in my life as I share it with others. To help them understand their responsibility before and during dating.

Some time ago I was attending a stake conference in another state. The stake president met me at the airport, and we had about an hour’s drive to the stake center. As we were driving we talked about many things, and the conversation began to center on an individual who lived in the stake. The stake president told me about a young lady who had gone on a mission about twenty years ago, and while she was there she contracted polio. She walked into the hospital in this New England city to take some tests, and she never walked again. She was paralyzed. And he said, “For twenty years she’s been paralyzed from her neck down; she’s not able to move any muscles below her neck, except a few in her fingers. But she’s an unusual young lady. She has a spirit that is something wonderful.” Well, before stake conference I always get very nervous—not quite as nervous as before I come to BYU, but just about—and I said, “I need to be built up, President; let’s go by and see the young lady.”
So we went by her home; she was living with her parents. We went into her room, and there she lay on a bed, surrounded by the things that would keep her interested and busy during the day. As I walked into the room, I saw this physically pitiful sight, but I felt a spirit that I have felt in very few places. I was overcome by her spirit. I began to ask her some questions. As she lay there I saw that she could move a few fingers on one hand and a few on the other, but she could not raise or lower her arms. She had an air pump on a table by her side. She would hold the tube in her hand and every few minutes put it into her mouth. It would blow air into her lungs. She would then turn away and her lungs would deflate. She did this several times an hour to keep the air moving into her body. And I said, “Tell me what you do during the day. Here you have lain for twenty years with this physical condition.”
And her parents said, “We’ll show you what she does during the day.”
So they brought a typewriter and put it in front of her on her bed. Her mother laid one hand on the typewriter keys, and then she took the other and laid it on the typewriter keys. She then showed us how with these few fingers she would type. She said, “During the day I find those who are sick and discouraged and write poetry and letters to them and send them good wishes that will make them happy. I try to help those who are less fortunate than I am.” There she lay with hardly anything physical going for her, but with a spirit that could perform miracles.
Then her parents brought a phone and put it in her hands and moved it up to her ear and mouth, and then she, with two fingers, punched the telephone dial. And in this way she called those who are not as well off as she is and cheered them up during the day. Remember what Peter said: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” This is also what Alma was talking about. If you have a desire to bear one another’s burdens, if you have a desire to comfort, these are the acts that bring happiness in spite of physical conditions that, maybe, are not the best.

One class was really difficult for Yvette—computers. The computer terminals and commands were all in English, and that made the class hard for her. She didn’t believe she could pass the class, even if she did study, so she didn’t study. She thought that if she just prayed and prayed and prayed, Heavenly Father would help her. But she found out that wasn’t so. She took her test and didn’t pass. She learned she has to study in order for Heavenly Father to help her succeed. After that, she studied and prayed and did much better in computer class. “I have to do my part,” she says.