Gospel Story Finder

My wife, Nuria, and I received a witness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ after three months of listening to the missionaries. We were baptized in 1982. We had no children at the time, but we learned the importance of having children and teaching them the gospel.

I was taught this by goodly parents. How grateful I am for a father who had the patience to teach me how to work. I remember as a lad, when I was only seven years old, we were remodeling our house and tearing out some of the walls. In those days two-by-sixes were used as studding. To the studs was nailed the lath, and over the lath came the plaster. When tearing out walls, the slats and the plaster were easy to knock off, but, of course, that left the nails in the two-by-sixes.
Each night after the workers had finished, I had the responsibility of gathering up the two-by-sixes and taking them out to the back lawn, where there stood two sawhorses. There I was to make a pile of the two-by-sixes and then, one at a time, put them on the sawhorses, and with a crowbar remove the nails. After the nails had been pulled out of the studs, I was told to straighten them. Finally, I threw the straightened nails into a large green bucket and stacked the two-by-sixes in a neat pile.
Second, as a lad doing the job my father had assigned to me, I was taught not to waste, to conserve resources where possible. When the nails were pulled from them, the two-by-sixes could be used again—and we did use them.
Finally, I was instructed to stack the used two-by-sixes in a neat pile so the workmen could use them the next day. My work was never finished until this was done and the tools were put away.

I recently read an interesting concept about exercising. I read that if you get up early in the morning, put on your exercise clothes, and think, “I will just wear this, go outside for a walk, and if I feel good, I will start jogging,” you will likely get a good workout before you even realize it. Coming up with a simple plan like this can help you develop good exercise habits and care for your body. For many people, getting started and being consistent are the most difficult parts. If you remember that exercise blesses not only your body but also your mind and intellect, it will help you have the desire to become more physically fit. As you exercise, you will become an energized person who feels strong, confident, alert, and secure.

Elder Bettridge served his mission close to home in Leeds, before studying economics at university, entering the world of work, and meeting his wife, Jenny, at a work event in Chicago. After she returned to her home in Australia he visited her there, took her to church and introduced her to the missionaries. A few years later, they were married. To this day, he says that “my best missionary moment was introducing my wife to the gospel”.

In my early childhood, we had a stove in the kitchen and a stove in the dining room. A furnace was later installed, and what a wonderful thing that was. But it had a voracious appetite for coal, and there was no automatic stoker. The coal had to be shoveled into the furnace and carefully banked each night.

I learned a great lesson from that monster of a furnace: if you wanted to keep warm, you had to work the shovel.

When Elder and Sister Bednar were married, they consistently had family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening with their three sons. Sometimes things did not go well, and Elder and Sister Bednar wondered if their efforts were worthwhile. Now and then during scripture study there were outbursts such as, “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” and “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Family prayers were sometimes interrupted with giggling and poking. And family home evening lessons were not always calm with three active, noisy boys.
But they kept trying.
Because they were consistent and kept trying, Elder and Sister Bednar’s family and their love for one another grew stronger. Their family learned together and felt the Spirit in their home because of the small things they did that matter so much.

Nathan couldn’t remember a time when Grandpa Virgil went anywhere for his own sake. It always seemed to be to help someone else—like the countless times the elderly man took groceries to Widow Farley, whose health was failing. Or the winter he helped Bishop Kelsay repair his barn roof after the big wind. Or the time Nathan rode with him to Grandma’s funeral at Potter’s Crossing. Instead of being concerned with his own grief, Grandpa Virgil had placed his free hand around his grandson’s shoulder and explained to him about the Savior’s Atonement and overcoming of death for all.

“Because of him, we will not only live again but can gain eternal life if we do all he asks of us,” Grandpa Virgil explained, his eyes bright with insight and tears.

Before I was five years old, I had discovered that the walkway of vinyl between our dining room and our kitchen was a good place to sulk, especially when I wanted my dissatisfaction to be noticed. I would sit there for a long time and feel that no one understood or loved me.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. My teenage sister, Rebecca, found me there one evening before dinner. She knelt down and quietly said to me, “Manda, let’s go count your freckles.”
It was a simple suggestion but so kindly put forth that I forgot my frowns and followed her to the bathroom mirror. She set up a stool for me so I’d be tall enough to see my nose up close in the mirror. With her chin resting on my head, she started with number one, and I helped her as high as I could count. I remember proudly entering the kitchen with the announcement that I had more than a thousand freckles, and we hadn’t even finished counting.
With just a small investment of her time and energy, my sister had changed my black mood. And, although my sulkiness that night probably wouldn’t have lasted very long, by giving me some positive attention, Rebecca insured me against the next time I felt unhappy.

Elder Stolt’s grandfather was Vernon Carl Poulter II, who served a three-year, Mandarin-speaking mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1957. Elder Poulter’s first assignment in the Far East Asia Mission was in Taipei, Taiwan. It had only been open to missionaries for a few months, and because none of the Church’s Latter-day revelations had been translated into Chinese yet, teaching the gospel required an extensive 17 lessons before baptism and another 20 after.
Many of Elder Poulter’s contacts showed great potential, but he was always transferred to a new area before they progressed in their conversion. After one transfer, he and his junior companion decided to put their prayers to the test. Elder Poulter suggested: “Let’s pray specifically to be led to someone prepared to hear the gospel, then stay on our bikes until we receive the Spirit’s direction.”
An hour later, at a busy intersection in congested Taipei traffic, Elder Poulter had the distinct impression to turn right. When he caught up with his companion, the impression returned—stronger this time—that they should turn around.
Elder Poulter recorded: “We plunged back into traffic, made a ‘U-Turn’ across four lanes . . . back to the intersection, and turned left through another eight lanes of traffic.”
The elders eventually found themselves on a street that was too narrow even for bicycles. “As we continued on foot, I saw a man a few feet away watching us very intently through an open window. Our eyes met and I knew he was the person to whom we had been led.”
Mr. Hu invited the missionaries in and accepted, without question, their first lesson about the need for latter-day prophets. “Since Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and is the most important person of our time,” Mr. Hu wondered aloud, “how should I honour him?”
At his request, the missionaries returned the next day to continue teaching Mr. Hu and his family. During the lesson, Elder Poulter recalls that a ‘pure white light’ emanated through the window, but from no apparent source. He writes: “It was clear to my mind that we were in the presence of the Holy Ghost, whose radiance could actually be seen as well as felt.”
After the elders repeated the story of Joseph Smith for his wife and children, Mr. Hu bore his testimony and gave his own lesson to his family based on his reading of a pamphlet the missionaries had left him the day before. “His understanding and sincerity were most impressive,” Elder Poulter recalled. Mr. Hu closed by stating that these elders were bearers of the truth, then asked for permission to translate the pamphlet so he could share it with his friends and neighbours.
“Not knowing better, I said OK . . . we were pleased to see Mr. and Mrs. Hu with their two girls at church the next Sunday.” Then, Elder Poulter was transferred again. Prepared to leave the area, he started to pack a set of books his father had given him for the mission. Along with the standard works, they included, Articles of Faith, Joseph Smith Tells His Own Story, and James E. Talmage’s, The Great Apostasy. “I had the strong impression to take them all to Mr. Hu the next day . . . the [books] were received with joy and gratitude. That was the last I heard of the Hu family on my mission.”

Recently, as my wife and I returned from our mission in Portugal, we ran a series of health tests to evaluate our physical condition. Some of those tests focused on our hearts’ health—such as blood tests, echocardiograms, and stress tests. I believe the Savior has also provided us with a set of spiritual tests we can use to assess our hearts’ spiritual condition. Let me share a few with you.

After my physical tests were completed, my doctor told me that, overall, my heart was healthy—but there were a few concerns that needed to be addressed now, before they became serious. He then prescribed some lifestyle changes. Likewise, as you perform this spiritual assessment of your heart and notice some negative symptoms starting to creep in, please don’t panic! The Savior has provided excellent spiritual medication and treatment to help you. He has even promised to give you a new heart! Here are some actions that can improve your heart’s spiritual strength.

A while ago, exercise would not have been on my gratitude list. I wasn’t excited about exercising. Then I tried riding a bike and found out that I love it! When I ride my bike, I feel happy. I feel like the world around me is a better place. It gives me time to think, look at nature, and feel Heavenly Father’s love. When I’m worried or sad, it helps me to calm down. When I’m on my bike, I can see thousands of reasons to be happy and grateful.

Sometimes I get upset about my disabilities, but I try not to show this. Usually I’m a happy person, and I just don’t show my frustrations to others.
When I was a teenager, however, there was a time when I was depressed.
I didn’t want to go to church. I asked God, “Why am I this way? Why can’t you make me better? Why don’t I have good relationships with others?” These questions discouraged me and made me feel really sad, and I didn’t know how I could change my situation, so I thought that maybe ending my life was the answer.
But then I thought about my mother and how she would react. I thought that she would probably feel really sorry and feel that she did something wrong or did not do enough to help me. That’s when I decided that I was going to live and keep going.
In the end, I feel that I’m a pretty happy person.

And so it was on Tuesday morning of this week, just after 9:00 a.m. as the Bishopric was beginning a meeting with the Asia Area Presidency, who are here for conference, that I was called to meet with President Monson, along with his counselors. Moments later, as I walked into the boardroom adjacent to his office, I must have looked nervous sitting across the table, as he kindly spoke to calm my nerves. He commented, noting my age, that I seemed quite young and even looked younger than my age.

Then, within a few moments, President Monson described that acting on the will of the Lord, he was extending a call to the Quorum of the Twelve to me. He asked me if I would accept this call, to which, following what I am sure was a very undignified audible gasp, in complete shock, I responded affirmatively. And then, before I could even verbalize a tsunami of indescribable emotion, most of which were feelings of inadequacy, President Monson kindly reached out to me, describing how he was called many years ago as an Apostle by President David O. McKay, at which time he too felt inadequate. He calmly instructed me, “Bishop Stevenson, the Lord will qualify those whom He calls.” These soothing words of a prophet have been a source of peace, a calm in a storm of painful self-examination and tender feelings in the ensuing agonizing hours which have passed day and night since then.

Almost a year into her mission, Sister Berry was transferred to Macau island, which had eight missionaries serving there at a time.
The protests had calmed down, and the work continued and progressed as new missionaries were finally arriving. However, after one transfer, the mission received direction from President Phillips, who felt it was best to remain inside until further notice and leave only for food shopping and exercise, and work within their apartments, due to a virus outbreak.
After staying in for around ten days, Macau’s missionaries received a phone call from President Phillips to pack up like it was transfer day and head back to Hong Kong.
President and Sister Phillips warmly greeted all eight of the missionaries and then helped move them into a temporary apartment for the night.
The following morning, all the missionaries within the China Hong Kong Mission received a text message from President and Sister Phillips with the code word ‘Jell-O-nation’ and expressing their love. He said that all the missionaries would sadly need to evacuate Hong Kong that night.
The missionaries were confused at first, as they thought the evacuation plan put in place seven months earlier was to help assist in case of social unrest. It became clear that the plan was preparing the mission for a more significant storm ahead, the COVID-19 outbreak.
The entire mission headed to the mission office that night and said goodbyes to their cherished mission president and companions. Each group headed off to the airport in coaches, ready to fly to their home countries to continue their missionary service.
Due to the ‘Jell-O-nation’ plan, over 100 missionaries evacuated Hong Kong and returned home safely within 24 hours.

Once there was a Quiet Queen. She was so quiet that people could not hear what she said. Everyone loved her, but because they did not know what she said, they just went their own way, doing as they pleased.
The Quiet Queen said in her tiny voice:
“Someone should plant gardens and raise chickens.”
But no one heard her except the mouse that sat on her shoulder.
The older people went right on rocking in their chairs.
The Quiet Queen said in her tiny voice:
“Someone should go to the mountains and open the water gates and let water flow down to us.”
But no one heard her except the mouse that sat on her shoulder.
The men just sat and looked at their fingernails.
The Quiet Queen said in her tiny voice:
“Someone should build a school for the children.”
But no one heard her except the mouse that sat on her shoulder.
The boys and girls just played games or sat and yawned.
The Quiet Queen said in her tiny voice:
“Someone should sew clothes for all the people to wear.”
But no one heard her except the mouse that sat on her shoulder.
All the women just sat and ate and grew fat.
The Quiet Queen said in her tiny voice:
“Someone should clean the streets of the kingdom.”
But no one heard her except the mouse that sat on her shoulder.
The street cleaners just sat around and stared.
And so the wells dried up.
And the food bins were empty.
And the children didn’t learn anything.
And the people’s clothes turned to rags.
And the streets were full of trash.
And it was very quiet in the land of the Quiet Queen.
One day the king of another kingdom rode through the land of the Quiet Queen.
The king was very disgusted. He rode straight up to the queen and told her so.
“I’ve never seen such a mess,” he said. “What is the matter with your kingdom anyway?”
And the Quiet Queen said in her tiny voice:
“I tell my people what to do, but they don’t do it.”
The king whispered,
“What?”
And the Quiet Queen said in her same tiny voice:
“I tell my people what to do, but they don’t do it.”
The king asked louder,
“What?”
And the Quiet Queen said the same thing again in the same tiny voice.
The king asked still louder, “What did you say? I can’t hear you. Speak up!”
So the queen took a big deep breath until her face
turned pink—
and then red—
and then purple—
and she opened her mouth as wide as it would go and shouted:
“I TELL MY PEOPLE WHAT TO DO, BUT THEY DON’T DO IT!”
The mouse was so surprised that he fell off the Quiet Queen’s shoulder.
The people were so surprised that they stopped what they were doing (and what they were not doing) and looked at the Quiet Queen.
The king smiled. “Now, my dear,” he said, “tell us what it is you want to have done. We shall all get together and do it.”
The Quiet Queen stepped forward, and with a loud voice she said:
“SOMEONE SHOULD PLANT GARDENS AND RAISE CHICKENS!”
The older people laid out rows of corn and wheat. They picked pears and peaches. They raised chickens and gathered eggs.
The Quiet Queen stepped forward, and with a loud voice she said:
“SOMEONE SHOULD GO TO THE MOUNTAINS AND OPEN THE WATER GATES AND LET WATER FLOW DOWN TO US!”
The men climbed the mountains. They opened the water gates, and the water flowed down into the valley.
The Quiet Queen stepped forward, and with a loud voice she said:
“SOMEONE SHOULD BUILD A SCHOOL FOR THE CHILDREN!”
The boys and girls started to work on the school. And the king helped.
The Quiet Queen stepped forward, and with a loud voice she said:
“SOMEONE SHOULD SEW CLOTHES FOR ALL THE PEOPLE TO WEAR!”
The women picked up needles and thread and pieces of cloth. They started to sew.
The Quiet Queen stepped forward, and with a loud voice she said:
“SOMEONE SHOULD CLEAN THE STREETS OF THE KINGDOM!”
The street cleaners went to work. They picked up trash. They swept away the dust and cobwebs. It was not quiet in the kingdom anymore.
And while all the old people
and the children
and the men and women
and the street cleaners
worked—they sang!
When they took time out for meals, they played games and danced and laughed.
When they finished their work each day, they sang around the fires in their neat warm little houses.
The Quiet Queen very quietly said to the king:
“Thank you.”
And she sang a song in her tiny voice that only the mouse on her shoulder could hear.
And the king smiled.

The construction worker lay where he had fallen, precariously balanced on a plank nine inches (23 cm) wide and 100 feet (30 m) in the air. He had been struck by a falling steel beam that had partially severed his left arm and leg.
In this case, the victim could not be moved safely until his injuries were assessed. I was hoisted up by crane on a metal cargo platform. Once I reached the victim, a construction worker held onto the back of my reflective jacket, serving as a human “crane” to allow me freedom of movement to examine the victim.
In situations like this, years of training take over, so I began to assess the man’s injuries. On his knee was an emergency field dressing placed there by the construction crew’s own first aid responder. Normally I would examine the injury to assess the damage since that is the protocol we are trained to follow.
But as I reached out, the Spirit prompted me: “Do not move the dressing.” So I did not touch it. Three more times during the incident, I was encouraged by others involved—the first responder, my colleague on the ground, and a doctor—to examine the knee wound, and three more times, the Spirit prompted me not to touch the dressing. Once we had stabilized the patient, we lifted the man onto the cargo platform, we were both lowered to the ground, and we transported him to the hospital.
In the emergency resuscitation area, the trauma team waited for us. One doctor quickly removed the field dressing from the knee. Immediately an artery ruptured, and the patient began bleeding profusely. In the controlled environment of the hospital, this life-threatening situation was quickly resolved. If it had happened on the plank 100 feet up, the victim may well not have survived.

9 After forty years of hard work and sacrifice by the Saints, the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated on April 6, 1893. Over the next few weeks many dedication services were held, including special sessions for children. A dedicatory inscription was put on the east side of the temple.

Tiffany Roy, of the Port Charlotte Ward in Florida, had an experience in which she was true to the teachings of the Church even though it was uncomfortable.

“I had just moved to another state and started school. There was a group of girls who found out that I was Mormon and started asking me all these questions. When they found out that I would not swear, this little group of girls blocked me from going inside the classroom. They told me that they would not let me go in until I would swear. I told them that we would be sitting there all day because I would not lower my standards for them. The girls let me go inside because they knew I wouldn’t do it. They avoided me the rest of the year. I did not care what they thought of me. I stood true to my faith by doing this.”

When my February 1987 New Era arrived, I read most of the articles that afternoon. I have been planning to be married in the temple for most of my life. This issue of the New Era has shown me just how important it really is. Thank you.

The air was stiflingly hot, and birds filled the blue Portuguese sky. Nearby, some of my nephews were playing in the river, plunging into the water to escape the heat.
I wished I could escape my troubles so easily. I had recently decided to become active again in the Church. Through the Holy Ghost, the Lord had confirmed my decision, but my family and friends didn’t understand. They had criticized and abandoned me, and I felt utterly alone. A request to watch my sister’s boys swim had offered some needed moments of peace in what seemed a constant battle against forces intent on keeping me from the truth.
I had brought my Book of Mormon with me, and while my nephews splashed in the river, I sat under a tree and read. Tears started to flow as I thought of those I loved who told me I was making a mistake. I was so sure I was doing the Father’s will.
Suddenly it occurred to me that I could no longer hear my nephews. I looked toward the river, but they weren’t there. Concern, bordering on panic, flooded my heart.
And then I heard a young voice calling out my name. I turned to see my nephews standing behind me, smiling, cheeks as radiant as the light of the sun. The youngest, about five years old, was hiding something behind his back—an arrangement of multicolored flowers he and his brothers had picked from the nearby field. He presented them to me in a voice that sounded like music to my ears.
Tears sprang again to my eyes. But this time they were tears of happiness. As I embraced my nephews, I lifted my face to the sky and saw rays of sunlight shining through a break in the clouds. A great peace filled my heart. Because of this small, simple gesture—made with love—I knew I was not alone. Even though they did not understand my decision, my nephews—and all my family members—still loved me. But more important, Heavenly Father knew of my trials and was there to sustain me with His infinite love and concern.