Gospel Story Finder

Despite his demonstration of its safety at the Crystal Palace Exhibit, the idea of passenger elevators was slow to catch on. Desperate for money to support his family, Elisha was considering joining the last of the California Gold Rush. Then he received a request for two lifts. Soon he and his sons were busy manufacturing elevators.

In South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Elder Ronald A. Rasband noted that with three temples in operation in Africa and five more that are being built or have been announced, “the Lord is preparing the African people to receive all of His blessings.”

Characters
Mariah
Molly
Miles
Max
Simon
[Mariah, Molly, Max, and Miles enter.]
Mariah: I love summer.
Molly: The ice cream!
Max: The swimming pools!
Miles: The sunshine!
Mariah: And no school. This summer is going to be the best ever!
Molly: What should we do first?
Max: We should start a club.
Miles: Yes! Clubs are the best. We can make badges—
Molly: And a clubhouse!
Max: And make up a secret password!
Mariah: We can call it the Mariah, Molly, Max, and Miles club. Hey, all our names start with M!
Molly: That can be part of the club—your name has to start with an M to join. We can call it the M Club!
Max: The Marvelous M Club!
Miles: The Marvelous Magnificent M Club!
Mariah: The Magical Marvelous Magnificent Club!
Molly: This is going to be the best club ever.
Max: And the best summer! [Molly, Max, and Miles exit. Simon enters from the other direction.]
Simon: Hi, Mariah.
Mariah: Hi, Simon. Excited for the summer?
Simon: Yeah! Do you have any plans?
Mariah: Well, Molly and Miles and Max and I just formed a club, and it’s probably going to be the best club ever. It’s called the Magical Marvelous Magnificent Club.
Simon: Wow! That sounds really cool. Can I join? I could bring some of my favorite books for the clubhouse.
Mariah: Sorry. Only people whose names start with the letter M can be in the club.
Simon: You mean I can’t join your club just because my name is Simon and not Mimon? That doesn’t seem very fair.
Mariah: I’m sorry, but club rules are club rules.
Simon: OK. Well, have a good summer. [Simon walks off, looking sad. Mariah goes the other direction, after Molly, Miles, and Max.]
[Max, Mariah, Molly, and Miles are sitting around their clubhouse.]
Molly: Majestic!
Miles: Memorable!
Molly: Majestic!
Miles: Memorable!
Molly: Mariah, which do you think sounds better? The Magical Marvelous Magnificent Majestic Club, or the Magical Marvelous Magnificent Memorable Club?
Mariah: I don’t really care.
Max: What about amazing?
Molly: That doesn’t start with an M.
Max: It can if you say the uh part really soft. Uh-Mazing. See?
Miles: Mariah, why aren’t you helping think up more M words for the club name? Is something wrong?
Mariah: Simon asked if he could be in the club.
Molly: You told him no, right? Because his name doesn’t start with an M.
Mariah: I told him no, but it didn’t make me feel very good. Don’t you think we should include everyone?
Miles: It might be more fun that way.
Max: Simon is a really good friend.
Molly: Simon probably doesn’t want to be part of our club anymore. It’s not as fun as I thought it would be.
Max: There really isn’t much to do.
Miles: We argued about the name, made up a secret password, and made a clubhouse. What do we do now?
Mariah: Maybe our club would be better if we weren’t just thinking about ourselves all the time.
Molly: You mean make a club to help other people?
Miles: I like it!
Max: I think it’s a great idea!
Mariah: And I know just who we can start with.
[All exit]
[Mariah, Miles, Molly, and Max sneak on stage. They set notes in various places, making a trail of notes across the stage. They all exit. Simon enters. He sees the first note and picks it up.]
Simon: What’s this? [Reads it out loud.] “Simon, you are always so kind to everyone you meet. I’m glad you’re my friend.” [Simon smiles.] I wonder where that note came from. [He takes a few more steps and finds another.] Here’s another one! “Simon, you are really smart, and I admire how hard you work in school.” [He looks up and sees the trail of notes.] All these nice notes are about me! I wonder who left them.
Mariah: [entering with Miles, Molly, and Max] We did!
Simon: Oh. Was this part of your moldable, magnetic, macho club that I can’t join?
Molly: Actually, you can, if you still want to.
Max: We decided to change the club rules so that everyone can join, no matter what letter their name starts with.
Simon: Really? But why’d you leave me all the notes?
Max: We want our club to be about more than just us. From now on, our club is all about doing nice things for other people.
Miles: We’re going to pick up trash at the park—
Molly: And make cards for the nursing home down the street—
Max: And cook dinner for someone in the neighborhood!
Molly: So what do you think? Want to join our new and improved club?
Simon: You bet I do!
Mariah: Then welcome to the official first meeting of the Kindness Club, dedicated to making the neighborhood a better place, one good deed at a time!
Max: But can we still have a secret password?
The end

(111) A full-time missionary finishes his mission with a refined spirit after giving his heart, might, mind, and strength to the Lord.

Although Allen Madsen of the Kent Washington Fifth Ward is only 14 years old, he has composed two large works. One of them, titled Majestic Spirit, has been played several times by his 25-piece school band.
Allen was also the student of the year at Mattson Junior High, where he is in the ninth grade. Allen shares his talent with his ward, often playing organ duets with his mother.

For a number of years he pursued his goal of working for President Heber J. Grant, whom he had known and admired as a boy in the Salt Lake business community. It was not an easy pursuit. President Grant was a “rapid-fire speaker,” and few secretaries had been able to record his sermons in shorthand. Undaunted, Joseph sat in the audience during a Sunday talk in the Tabernacle to take down the President’s remarks. A little later he recorded another of President Grant’s talks given in the Assembly Hall, at the request of the President who had been impressed by Joseph’s minutes of the earlier talk. “He surely gave me the drilling of my life. He was a fast speaker.” Illustrations, stories, poetry, quotations went by “like a threshing machine.” Afterwards, Joseph felt a little dejected, but his wife encouraged him to go to the library and copy some of the President’s references and quotations.

At war’s end, Františka’s husband lost his job when all native Czechs in Austrian government positions were replaced. In 1919 he moved his family to Prague (in newly formed Czechoslovakia). He died shortly thereafter.

Life was difficult for the widow and her two young daughters. Left alone in a strange city with only what little money Františka’s brother could send, they barely avoided starvation. Their spiritual hunger was just as intense, as two years passed without any contact from the Church.

Then, in 1921, two elders from the Vienna Branch visited them in response to Františka’s letters to the German-Austrian Mission. They baptized her two daughters, the first members baptized in Czechoslovakia.

I came to understand that situation in a very real way. If I may share with you some personal feelings: During the time that President Kimball was ill, President Tanner’s health failed and he passed away. President Romney was called as First Counselor, and I as Second Counselor to President Kimball. Then President Romney became ill, thus leaving to me an almost overwhelming burden of responsibility. I counseled frequently with my Brethren of the Twelve, and I cannot say enough of appreciation to them for their understanding and for the wisdom of their judgment. In matters where there was a well-established policy, we moved forward. But no new policy was announced or implemented, and no significant practice was altered without sitting down with President Kimball and laying the matter before him and receiving his full consent and full approval.
In such circumstances when I would go to visit him, I always took a secretary who kept a detailed record of the conversation. I can assure you, my beloved brethren, that I never knowingly moved ahead of my file leader, that I never had any desire to move out ahead of him in Church policy or instruction. I knew that he was the appointed prophet of the Lord in that day. Even though I, too, had been sustained as a prophet, seer, and revelator, along with my Brethren of the Twelve, I knew also that none of us was the President of the Church. I knew that the Lord prolonged the life of President Kimball for purposes known to the Lord, and I had perfect faith that this prolonging of life was for a reason under the wisdom of Him who has greater wisdom than any man.

That first summer after I became a member of the Beehive class, Baur Dee Sheffield was asked to coach the girls’ softball team in our ward, along with teaching our class. So she also taught us on the softball field. Although she made us work hard at practices, no one ever wanted to miss. She helped us overcome weaknesses in our game by focusing on our strengths. Mistakes were overlooked, successes were praised, and over time we became quite good.
When competition began that summer, we won most of our games. Our one real rival was a neighboring ward, and the girls in that ward were very serious about softball. During our first game with them, in an effort to “psyche us out,” they openly made fun of our technique, our players—everything. A couple of our team members shot back some rather unfriendly remarks in return.
After the first inning, Baur Dee called us into a huddle and forbade us from saying one negative thing to any of our opponents. Reluctantly we obeyed. By the time the game ended, they had beaten us by one run and had also beaten us psychologically. Their derogatory comments had caused us to doubt our ability.
We stayed after the game that night as Baur Dee taught us what we needed to learn: to believe in ourselves and always to treat others with respect. She taught us how the Savior would have us act by challenging us to go home and memorize Matthew 5:44. She piqued our curiosity by not telling us what the scripture said, and I believe all of us, as soon as we arrived home, looked up the verse. I can still recite it from memory: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

Every month it was the same. It had been that way as far back as I could remember, so by the time I was a deacon I knew the drill—on fast Sunday, Brother Andersen got the microphone first.
As soon as the bishopric member finished speaking, and before even the quickest deacon could get there with a microphone, Brother Andersen would stand up in place and start speaking in his heavy Danish accent (“Brudders and Sisters, …”) and then give his testimony of a particular gospel principle. You could rely on it like the rising of the sun, the changing of the seasons, death, taxes, and a mother’s love.
I don’t recall that Brother Andersen ever took all that long. He simply spoke about Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, faith, the scriptures—something different every time. And you could tell he put some thought into it.
I once heard some people wonder why Brother Andersen insisted on being first. I wondered myself. Only some time later did I hear a story about him that made me see his monthly testimonies in a different light.
When Brother Andersen was a young man, World War II started and Nazi-controlled Germany invaded Denmark. Like many, he was afraid for his future. He prayed to Heavenly Father for help in surviving so that he might leave Europe and come to the United States. He promised Heavenly Father that if He would help him through this ordeal, he would bear witness of Him and His Son and of the restored gospel at every opportunity.
He eventually made it, and his monthly testimony was one way he felt he could keep his promise. Now, of course we’re not expected to bear testimony in sacrament meeting every month, but this example made me wonder how I kept my baptismal promise to “stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9).

Gustavo: Claudiana’s illness hasn’t been our only rough patch. While we were dating, there would occasionally be moments of friction between us. One day we decided to sit down and have a conversation about the things we did that hurt or made the other uncomfortable.
This conversation made a huge difference because we became aware of behaviors we had no idea were affecting our connection. It’s impossible to read someone else’s mind, so it was important to be honest about what was and what wasn’t working in our relationship. As Claudiana and I continue to make our needs known to each other and ask Heavenly Father for help in overcoming our weaknesses (see Ether 12:27), we are able to better navigate conflict and disagreements.

In 2018, at the University of Utah, a special professorship was created called the “Dr. Russell M. Nelson and Dantzel W. Nelson Presidential Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery”—cardio, meaning “heart,” and thoracic, meaning “chest.” It honored President Nelson’s important work as a heart surgeon and the support he received from his late wife, Dantzel. This professorship was paid for by a fund designed to last into the future. The individual selected for this type of prestigious professorship receives recognition, salary support, and research funds.
The first surgeon chosen to hold the professorship was Dr. Craig H. Selzman, a skilled heart surgeon who is not a member of our church. At the ceremony to award this professorship to Dr. Selzman, many important guests were in attendance, including President Nelson and his wife Sister Wendy W. Nelson. During the meeting, President Nelson spoke modestly of his pioneering surgical career.
Then Dr. Selzman shared what it meant to him to be appointed to this professorship. He related that four days earlier, after a long day in the operating room, he discovered that one of his patients needed to go back to surgery. He was tired and disappointed, knowing he would have to spend another night in the hospital.
This evening, Dr. Selzman had a life-changing conversation with himself. In the moment, he thought: “On Friday, I will be appointed to a professorship named after Dr. Nelson. He was always known as someone who kept his emotions in check, treated everyone with respect, and never lost his temper. Now that my name will be linked with his, I need to try to be more like him.” Dr. Selzman was already a very considerate surgeon. But he wanted to become even better.
In the past, his surgical team might have been aware of his fatigue and frustration because he may have let it show in his manner and tone of voice. But in the operating room that night, Dr. Selzman made a conscientious effort to be especially supportive and understanding of his team. He felt it made a difference and resolved to continue trying to be more like Dr. Nelson.
Five years later, President Nelson donated his professional papers to the University of Utah. Dignitaries from the university came to formally thank President Nelson. During this event, Dr. Selzman spoke again. Referring to President Nelson’s initials, RMN, he said, “There is an ‘RMN’ ethos that now pervades the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah.”
In frustrating situations, Dr. Selzman explained: “I do what we now teach our trainees to do—focus, get over it, and do the best you can. This ethos lives in us every day. We give lapel pins to every member of the division and each new trainee. At the bottom of the pin are the letters ‘RMN.’ The RMN ethos is foundational to our training; we teach it to everyone.” Dr. Selzman had intentionally improved his prior attitude and aspirations because his name was now linked to that of President Nelson.
This series of events involving Dr. Selzman caused me to ask myself: “How have I changed since I linked my name with the name of Jesus Christ? Have I adopted a Christlike ethos as a result? Have I genuinely tried to become better and more like Him?”
The first parallel is identification. Dr. Selzman’s appointment to the Nelson professorship linked his name to President Nelson’s, and Dr. Selzman began to identify with President Nelson. When we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we link our name with His. We identify with Him. We gladly become known as Christian. We acknowledge the Savior and unapologetically stand up to be counted as His.
Closely related to identification is another parallel—remembrance. When Dr. Selzman goes into his office, his eyes are drawn to the medallion he received when he was appointed to the Nelson professorship. This medallion reminds him daily of the RMN ethos. For us, partaking of the sacrament each week helps us remember Jesus Christ throughout the week. As we partake of the sacrament, we do so in remembrance of the price He paid to redeem us. We covenant anew to remember Him, recognize His greatness, and appreciate His goodness. We acknowledge repeatedly that it is only in and through His grace that we are saved from physical and spiritual death.
An outgrowth of remembering what the Savior has done for us is a third parallel—emulation. Dr. Selzman began to emulate President Nelson and the RMN ethos. I believe that President Nelson’s ethos is simply a manifestation of his lifelong discipleship of Jesus Christ. For us, the more we identify with and remember Jesus Christ, the more we want to be like Him. As His disciples, we change for the better when we focus on Him, more so than when we focus on ourselves. We strive to become like Him and seek to be blessed with His attributes. We pray fervently to be filled with charity, the pure love of Christ.
Emulating Jesus Christ leads us to a fourth parallel—alignment with His purposes. We join Him in His work. As a surgeon, Dr. Nelson was known as a teacher, a healer, and a researcher. The lapel pin used in Dr. Selzman’s division emphasizes these endeavors, featuring the words teach, heal, and discover. For us, part of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ involves willingly, intentionally, and enthusiastically aligning our goals with His. We join Him in His work when we “love, share, and invite.” We join Him in His work when we minister to others, especially the vulnerable and those who have been wounded, shattered, or crushed by their earthly experiences.
So we more fully take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through identification, remembrance, emulation, and alignment. Doing these four leads us to a fifth parallel—empowerment. We access God’s power and blessings in our lives. The Nelson professorship provides Dr. Selzman recognition and support funds that he is using to change the culture in his division. He applies this “endowment of power” to help others. In a similar way, when we take upon ourselves the name of the Savior, our Heavenly Father blesses us with His power to help us fulfill our mission in mortality.

Here’s an imaginary conversation. See if it feels familiar.
“Hey, Joe. How’s it going?”
“Hey, Tyler. I’m doing all right.”
“Did you see that episode of Junior Varsity Superspy last night?”
“Uh, no …” [Joe starts to feel a little uncomfortable because he always thought that show had content that was against Church standards, and Tyler is his quorum president.]
“It was awesome. I love that show. It’s way better than Rich Kids with Issues. That just has way too much swearing and too many bad scenes. Don’t you think so?”
“Uh, well …” [Joe feels even more uncomfortable because that show is actually one of his favorites and he never thought it had that much bad stuff in it.]

“Many who come are poor economically,” says temple president Roberto Rubio, “but they have a millionaire spirit. A woman who recently came on the bus from Pereira is more than 80 years old and is extremely poor. She sells newspapers and collects and sells old bottles to come to the temple. There are many like her.”

Missionaries sacrifice a lot when they serve. Education and careers are put on hold, they miss their family and friends, and some even experience major trials and challenges. Some sacrifices are not as dramatic, but still very meaningful. Let me share the story of Sister Kyla Erin de Dios from Mintal, Davao.
Sister de Dios is 19 years old. I first met her back in February 2022, and since I am Korean, she shared that she was a hard-core BTS fan. She became a BTS army in 2017, because the words of their songs inspired, motivated, and comforted her. She even had a twitter account with over 2,000 followers dedicated just to support BTS.
When I met her again recently, I mentioned BTS but Sister Kyla reacted differently. She said she has been preparing for a mission and has joined the Lord’s battalion, she is no longer a BTS army, but will soon be in the Lord’s army. She has submitted her mission papers and is excitedly waiting for her mission call.
What caused her mighty change of heart? The catalyst that jumpstarted her preparation was her FSY experience. In her own words, “I have always wanted to become a Servant of the Lord, ever since I was in primary. I realized how turning away from worldly things truly blesses you spiritually. At FSY I learned to ‘Focus on what you are building, not what you are leaving behind.’ As we start to focus on building our relationship with the Lord, by reading the scriptures and keeping the commandments, we are becoming the Lord’s battalion. We will become well prepared for the Lord’s battle.”
Sister de Dios still loves BTS, but she loves the Lord more. My dear young brothers and sisters, is there anything in your life that you are prioritizing over your relationship with the Lord? I urge you to examine your priorities and make sure that you are focusing on the things that matter most, on the things that have eternal significance.

When the missionaries first visited me, they explained the fundamental truths of the gospel. They also told me how the Church of Jesus Christ was restored.
At the end of their visit, they asked me to read 3 Nephi 11. As I read, I prayed fervently. Immediately, the Holy Ghost touched my heart. The Spirit whispered, “This book is true.”
A week later, I attended my first sacrament meeting. I will never forget the welcome I received and the testimonies that members shared.
After the meeting, the missionaries told me I needed to make covenants with God and accept Jesus Christ as my Savior in order to obtain a hope of salvation and exaltation. My experience at church was amazing, but I told them, “I cannot do it. I am not the kind of person God wants in His Church.”
A week later, the missionaries invited me to visit the grounds of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. I was amazed to see such a beautiful building with an angel on top.
Two sister missionaries who were giving tours of the temple grounds said to me, “You have come to get an answer from God. Let’s enter the lobby so you can pray to receive the answer you desire.”
We entered and sat down. As I prayed, I felt a strong burning in my heart and began to weep. I also felt great peace and happiness. I knew that God had forgiven me of my sins. I wanted to serve Him. I knew that I needed to get baptized.
When the missionaries who had been teaching me asked if I was now ready to be baptized, I replied, “Tomorrow, this weekend, whenever you can!”
The day I got baptized was the best day of my life. I felt that I had been born again.
I feel that Heavenly Father worked a miracle in me. The key was praying and reading the scriptures. Scriptures and prayer are ways the Lord communicates with us and shows us His love.
Do not hesitate to make covenants with Him. Covenants are a wonderful thing.

I thought I met the missionaries by accident. When I agreed to hear the first discussion, it was out of curiosity only. Now I realize the Lord led me to them so I could understand many things I did not know before.
The missionaries taught me how to pray. I had never prayed, but I decided to pray with all my heart. When I did, the Lord revealed the truth to me. I know Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and our Redeemer. I know Joseph Smith is the prophet through whom Jesus Christ restored His Church—the only true church on earth. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
Since I joined the Church, my family and I have received many blessings. My heart is full of love and faith. Going to my Sunday meetings and feeling the Holy Ghost make my faith grow even stronger.
I want to share the great gifts my Heavenly Father has given me, gifts which fill my life with joy.
Tatiana Silaeva,Engels Branch, Saratov Russia District

During the lockdown, she has sewn scrub bags and masks, knitted hats for Syrian refugees, baby hats and blankets for Poole Maternity Unit and gloves for the homeless. She has also contributed food for Hope for Food, a local organisation which serves the vulnerable and homeless in the community. She has made meals for the missionaries, cakes, pickles, jams and lemon curd for ward members and for those to whom she ministers.

Now there are times when we do have to alter our goal just a bit. I’ll never forget my first day as a student at Ricks College. One of the instructors asked, “What are you all going to be?” One raised his hand and said, “I’m going to be a brain surgeon.” Another one said, “I’m going to be an atomic physicist.” I sat there and thought, Boy, I’m in the wrong league. I don’t know whether I can keep up with these guys.

But it was interesting how many of them hadn’t really thought it out. When I looked back at them later, some had dropped out of school and others hadn’t pursued the courses that would qualify them for such lofty goals. It was easy for them to set a goal and let it slip. Now there are times when we do need to modify our goals. But I would suggest that, in general, we should try to raise them rather than lower them simply because it is easier.

Golf is a popular sport in Japan, so I started playing it when I was 14 years old as a way to spend time with my father. It was fun from the start, and eventually I started to practice on my own and played on the golf team at my high school. I became friends with my teammates and coaches, who encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a professional golfer.
I worked hard, not just on my game but on my studies, graduating near the top of my high school class.
When I first entered college, I had a great relationship with my golf coach and teammates. They were better than I was, so I did all I could to keep up with them. Some of the team members commented on my unique first name, Shuho. I told them that my Korean maternal grandmother gave it to me and that in Korean it means “beautiful mountain.” From that point on I felt like their attitude toward me changed, tainted by a generations-long tension between some in Japan and Korea.
They began calling me “the Korean kid” and said I would hurt the good name of the university. Rather than allowing me to practice golf with them, they made me clean the toilets.
It became increasingly stressful to be around the team. Being away from home, I felt like I was on my own. I tried to hang on to my dream and return to the good favor of my coach and team, but after two years, I couldn’t tolerate their harsh treatment anymore, so I returned home.
This was a dark time for me. The stress was having psychological and physical effects. My self-esteem had taken a beating for two years. My dream to be a professional golfer was at an end. I didn’t know where to go with my life. And I was angry. I was angry at everyone: the coach, my teammates, and my parents. I was so angry, my thoughts scared me. I had no friends, and I felt I was unable to trust or associate with other people. For six months, I only left home to work out at the gym.
During this dark part of my life, I made friends with Justin Christy, whom I met at the gym. When I first saw him, I thought he was a foreign-exchange student. I was hesitant to talk to him until I saw him talking to someone at the gym and was surprised to hear that he spoke Japanese. I still felt unable to trust other people, but he suggested that we train together. There was something different about him that I didn’t understand at the time. I was calm when I was around him. I started to look forward to our training time together. I had found someone I felt I could trust as a friend.
After training together for several months, Justin invited me to a dinner group that he went to on a regular basis. I was hesitant, but after several invitations I decided to go to what ended up being a young single adult dinner at the home of Richard and Corina Clark. They greeted me warmly when I entered their home, Brother Clark in Japanese and Sister Clark in English. I didn’t understand what she was saying, but I attempted to respond to her. Even though several people there didn’t speak Japanese, they were a fun-loving group who were warm and friendly. There was lots of laughter.
I began attending other young single adult activities and had never had so much fun with other people in my life. I wondered what it was about these people that made them so nice and friendly.
Around this time Justin asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I was surprised to find that my goals had started to change. I told him I wanted to learn to speak English and I wanted to be a friend to all, just like him. He told me of the free English classes at his church. I went to the English class and met the missionaries. Even though I had never thought about God, I felt like I should listen to the missionaries. They taught me the fundamentals of the gospel and called me almost every day. They became my good friends, which made me really happy because I didn’t have very many friends yet.
I started meeting many members of the Church who went to the missionary lessons with me and became good friends with them. They taught me the gospel and set the example for me. Justin talked to me about the Book of Mormon and told me stories from it so that I wanted to read it for myself. Another friend, Shingo, who is very detail-oriented, discussed doctrines with me in a way that was easy for me to understand. He always bore his testimony at the end of our conversations.
I had found something I believed in and a place I felt I belonged. After I was baptized and confirmed, I started to think about serving a mission, but I was worried about dedicating two years to it. I talked to a lot of people about serving a mission, especially my returned missionary friends. I thought a lot about it, and I realized that the gospel was the only thing that could have saved me.
I know that God has given me everything: my dreams, hope, friends, and especially love. The gospel helped me come out of darkness into the light.