Gospel Story Finder

My grandparents have had a great influence on my life. Even though they have been dead for many years, I still feel their love. One grandfather, James Akerley Faust, died before I was born. I knew him only through the stories my grandmother and my parents told about him. However, I feel a strong kinship with him because I am in part what he was. Among other things, he was a cowboy, a rancher, and a postmaster in a small town in central Utah. On one occasion Grandfather took a trip in the winter to Idaho, where he met an acquaintance who had fallen on hard times. It was cold, and Grandfather’s friend had no coat. Grandfather took off his coat and gave it to him.

One day while I was reading Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, I came across a remarkable story about a woman of the early Restoration. Eunice Franklin seemed to have my same questions and worries.
Eunice was baptized in New York by a missionary named Elijah Able. She had been truly converted to the gospel at her baptism. But then, after Elijah left for Canada to preach, Eunice began to doubt the gospel and what she had once known to be true. She began to wonder if Joseph Smith really was a prophet and if the Book of Mormon was true scripture. She lost many nights of sleep, thinking she may have been deceived.
The Lord showed Eunice’s struggle to Elijah in a dream, and he immediately returned to New York. When he knocked on her door, Eunice was stunned—she had been planning on telling him she no longer believed when she saw him again. Instead, she let him in. When Elijah invited her to his sermon that evening, she hesitated and didn’t want to go. But she eventually gave in and went to listen to what he had to say.
At his sermon, Elijah quoted 1 Peter 4:12, which says to “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you.” The fiery trial that had sought to destroy Eunice’s faith could not succeed—as Eunice heard Elijah speak, her doubts melted away. Saints tells it this way: “The certainty she had once felt flooded back.”3
Eunice’s experience struck me, and I’ve reflected on it again and again. Just like Eunice, I learned from Elijah’s simple and powerful words. We should “think it not strange” to have questions about our faith. It’s completely OK. While truth may have once seemed to pour down from heaven, there may be later moments where we feel a spiritual drought. We might wonder if we ever truly felt the rain. With no answers or confirmations yet given, we can continue to pray for the rain of revelation. We can seek a witness to know that what was true yesterday is still true today. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. … Face your doubts. Master your fears.”4
By opening the door to her missionary friend again, even when she wondered why she should, Eunice reopened her heart. The Lord could again reach Eunice and help her feel a confirmation of all that she once knew. In a similar way, each of us can leave the door open to faith even when struggling with doubts. We can keep doing what’s right and seeking revelation—even when we’re unsure why exactly we’re doing it.
I know that as we keep our doors and hearts open to truth, God will help us feel what’s real and what’s not through the Holy Ghost. Our spiritual experiences will be undeniable in the moment. And every moment after that, when we feel doubts creeping back in, we can remind ourselves of how we felt. Just as it did for Eunice, our certainty about gospel truths can come flooding back.

During the pandemic, Newport Gwent ward offered a ray of light to their community by supporting three local charities and hundreds of people’s lives.
Bishop James Hayes offered support to the ‘Helping Caring Team’ (HCT) a local charity who collect food donations from various local shops and restaurants and then deliver packages to the homeless and vulnerable of Newport. Soon HCT were asking if they would be able to utilise the church building for collection and packing of the food packages.
The ward also supports Sesame Counselling Services: a charity who specialise in providing discounted counselling services. Sesame Counselling was unable to use their regular meeting place so a member asked the Bishop if they could help, Bishop Hayes arranged a visit to the chapel to showcase their space. The head of the board of trustees was heard to say, “Isn’t there a restful atmosphere here,” “It’s peaceful here” and “There’s a nice atmosphere here, a feeling of safety.”
The final group it supports is the Gwent Family History Society. The group were looking for somewhere to meet, someone suggested asking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gwent Family History use the computers and run a zoom link from the building which is recorded and shared on their social media pages. There have been many blessings that have come to both the Newport Gwent Ward and to the charities. Bishop Hayes remarked, “In some ways it is missionary work like you have never known it.” The groups even promote the Word of Wisdom notes Bishop Hayes because “the groups have asked us what they are able to provide on the premises for their clients and we explain the Word of Wisdom to them and why we believe it is important, they then accept our belief and subconsciously they explain it to their patrons, allowing more people to become aware of our beliefs without us having to proselyte to them.” Elder Hyrum Little stated, “Watching the joyous faces of those who are selflessly giving of their time and talents, gives me a greater sense of joy through my own service and it increases my desires to magnify my own mission efforts.” Elder Samuel Jaccod commented, “Whenever service is done to anyone who is in need, the service is not just a blessing to their lives but blesses those who are helping them too. Finding true happiness in your life will come as you strive to increase the joy in the lives of those around you.” Both Elder Little and Elder Jaccod have been able to witness the blessings that have been brought to those who use the chapel, but also to the members and missionaries of the Newport Ward through the selfless, compassionate and loving service of those who have come to use the chapel.

A few years ago I was afforded the privilege to serve as a mission president and became intimately acquainted with almost 500 missionaries. We had one young missionary who was very ill. After weeks of hospitalization, as the surgeon prepared to undertake extremely serious and complicated surgery, he asked that we send for the missionary’s mother and father. He said that there was a great likelihood that Elder Davidson could not survive the surgery. The parents came; and late that evening, his father and I, in the hospital room in Toronto, Canada, placed our hands upon the head of that young missionary and gave him a blessing. What happened following that blessing was a testimony to me.
Elder Davidson was in a six-bed ward in the hospital. The other beds were occupied by five men with a variety of illnesses. The morning of Elder Davidson’s surgery, his bed was empty. The nurse came into the room with the breakfast these husky men normally ate. She brought a tray over to bed number one and said, “Fried eggs this morning, and I have an extra portion for you.” Bed number one was occupied by a man who was lying on his bed with his toe wrapped up in a bandage. He had suffered an accident with his lawn mower. Other than his injured toe, he was well physically. He said to the nurse, “I’ll not be eating this morning.”
“All right, we’ll give your breakfast to your partner in bed number two!” As she went over to him, he said, “No, I think I’ll not eat this morning.”
She said, “That’s two in a row. I don’t understand you men, and there is no one this morning in bed three.” She went on to bed four, bed five, and bed six; and the answer was the same. “No, this morning we’re not hungry.”
The young lady put her hands on her hips and said, “Every other morning you eat us out of house and home, and today not one of you wants to eat. What is the reason?”
And then the man who occupied bed number six came forth with the answer.
He said, “You see, bed number three is empty. Our friend Davidson is in the operating room under the surgeon’s hands. He needs all the help he can get. He is a missionary for his church; and while he has been lying on that bed while we have been patients in this ward, he has talked to us about the principles of his church—principles of prayer, of faith, of fasting wherein we call upon the Lord for blessings.” He said, “We don’t know much about the Mormon church, but we have learned a great deal about Davidson; and we are fasting for him today.”
I might tell you that the operation was a success. In fact, when I attempted to pay the surgeon, he countered, “Why, that would be dishonest for me to accept a fee. I have never before performed surgery when my hands seemed to be guided by a power which was other than my own. No,” he said, “I wouldn’t take a fee for the surgery which Someone on high helped me to perform.”
Elder Davidson framed his life with faith.

On February 16, 1832, a group of men, 12 or more, were gathered together upstairs in the home of John Johnson in Hiram, Ohio. Among them were Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. As they were working on the translation of the Bible, they came to John 5:29, which refers to the resurrection of the dead. At that time a glorious vision burst into their minds, and they reported:
While we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.
And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness;
And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever. [D&C 76:19–21]

Of course the vision was one of the most glorious and wonderful ever given to man. Now known as Doctrine and Covenants 76, it refers to the three degrees of glory.

One of those present was Philo Dibble, a devout convert to the Church, a friend to the Prophet Joseph, and a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. Later in his life as he described the remarkable experience of being in the room when the vision was received, he was asked if he had seen the vision. He replied, “I saw the glory and felt the power, but did not see the vision” (“Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith,” Instructor 27, no. 10 [15 May 1892]: 303). Just imagine, there he was in the very room where this grand event occurred, and he did not see it. Oh, he saw something and felt something, but he did not see the miracle of the vision.

I grew up in a quiet town in Idaho, USA. My family is Catholic, but we always felt very welcomed by the large Latter-day Saint community. We were often invited to what I now know to be “ward” activities, and I would get invited to attend Primary. I don’t remember going to Primary that often, but when I became Young Women age, I participated in lessons and was asked to play on the volleyball and softball teams.
One very special activity I went to was Young Women in Excellence night. Leigh Anne, my best friend since second grade, had invited me. I wasn’t familiar with what happened at these activities, and she’d told me just to come in a dress and to listen with my heart. She walked me through the displays of handmade crafts, desserts, inspirational thoughts, and more crafts.
Then a movie was shown of a boy with his mother, who spoke to him about eternal families. As she spoke to him, I recognized a warmth and swelling in my heart that I’d never felt before, and it made me want to cry. I wasn’t sure what it was.
I looked at Leigh Anne, and she was looking at me. She knew what I was feeling. She didn’t say a word. She just looked at me with tears in her eyes, nodding that she understood and wanted me to keep listening.
I remember the feeling I had as the Holy Ghost testified of the truthfulness of eternal families. I learned to recognize the witness of the Holy Ghost because my friend was someone I could trust and because she followed the prompting to allow me to learn. I’m so grateful for this first step in my conversion process.

One Saturday morning, Bob and Paula Kraemer of Chandler, Arizona, were sitting outside in the warm sunshine watching their sons play in the backyard. Paula, who had recently returned to activity in the Church, pulled out her Book of Mormon and began reading. Bob, who is not a member of the Church, asked Paula what she was reading.
“The Book of Mormon,” Paula answered.
“Why don’t you read it to me?” Bob asked nonchalantly.
Paula was surprised at Bob’s request. During thirteen years of marriage, she couldn’t ever remember reading a book out loud to her husband. With hesitancy in her voice and a prayer in her heart, Paula began reading—“I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents. …” She read for two hours that day and has continued, on occasion, to read the Book of Mormon to Bob.
“Something important happened that morning,” says Paula. “Bob and I began to communicate about the Church. With this newfound open dialogue, Bob began to see what a difference the Church made in my life. And I learned to be grateful for his support instead of being critical of him. I recently went through the Arizona Temple and received my endowment, and Bob supported me 100 percent.
“Now as I read the Book of Mormon, I realize that this book is far more than just words on a page; its spirit has worked miracles in my life just by reading its message to someone I love.”

Elder Hugh B. Brown reports the following personal story that illustrates the point I am trying to make. He states:
I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants.
I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before I went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I looked at it and smiled and said,
“What are you crying about?”
You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this: “How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I am not as big as they. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”
That’s what he thought he heard the currant bush say, and he thought it so much that he answered.
[He] said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.”
Years passed and Elder Brown found himself in England in the Army and in line for a very important and prestigious promotion. He was wrongly and rudely denied that promotion and he reports that as he returned to his camp on the train with a broken heart, with bitterness in his soul, every click of the wheels on the rails seemed to say, “You are a failure.”
When he got to his tent, he was so bitter that he threw his cap on his cot, clenched his fists, and shook them at heaven, and said, “How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done – that I should have done – that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me? At that moment he reports that he heard a voice, and recognized the tone of the voice. He said, “It was my own voice, and the voice said, “I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.” He reports that the bitterness went out of his soul, and he fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for his ungratefulness and bitterness. While kneeling there praying for forgiveness, he heard a song being sung in an adjoining tent by a group of LDS soldiers. He heard them sing
But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:
I’ll go where you want me to go[12]
Fifty years later in telling this story Elder Brown said that he felt even more deeply, “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.”

A few years ago, when I was in the navy during World War II, I received orders to report to the fleet headquarters at Pearl Harbor. My family took me to Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay, where I boarded the plane there, an old sea plane called a Pan-American clipper. On board that plane were some high-ranking medical officers going out to prepare and build up the hospital support because the battle of Tarawa would be taking place within a few weeks. Because of my rank, I was assigned to sleep in a sleeping bag out in the tail of that plane, where I could see the starboard engines as we were flying over San Francisco, which was under military blackout. It was black as we were flying out into the Pacific, and I thought the starboard engine on that old Pan-American plane was on fire. I couldn’t sleep as I watched it throughout the entire flight.

During that sleepless night I wondered about my own life and whether I had been living up to the opportunities that would be mine and the responsibility that would be mine as a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood—the responsibility to be an example and to live the way I should so that I would be able to fulfill the calls that might come to me. In that sleepless night I took an inventory of myself, of my attitudes, wondering if I was doing all that I might. Even though I had always accepted my Church assignments, I wondered if I was fulfilling them with all of my heart, might, mind, and soul and living up to the responsibility, the blessing, that I received as a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood and what would be expected of any of us who received this blessing.

Looking back on that sleepless night, I thank the Lord for His blessings today and for all that I have had the opportunity to be involved in. I try always to live the gospel to the fullest, to do everything I am called on to do with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength, to fulfill any call that might come to me so I may be qualified to do whatever I might be asked to do someday.

When I was about seven years old, living with my parents in Arabia, a children’s film called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was released. The film is about a magical car that can drive itself, float on water, and even fly! I knew that back home in England they made a miniature toy car just like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and oh, how I wanted one! You could pull a lever, and the toy car’s wings would pop out! My father went on a business trip to England and asked if I wanted him to bring anything back for me, and I told him how very much I would like to have one of those Chitty Chitty Bang Bang cars.

He came back from his trip, and no car appeared. I was very sad and thought he must have forgotten. But about 10 days later was my birthday, and a little package, beautifully wrapped, was waiting for me. With great anticipation, and hardly daring to hope too much, I opened the gift and found my car. I was so happy that I cried. I pulled the lever, and the wings popped out, just like the car in the film! How I thanked my father for this most treasured gift. I played with that car for years and kept it for many more. I think my dad loved giving me that car at least as much as I loved receiving it.

Today, I want to share a lesson I learned with our daughter over 10 years ago that might help you become the person the Lord wants you to become.
Maria Jesus was a big fan of the band One Direction. When she was 14 years old, she found out they were going to Chile and begged to go to the concert; she even made a list of commitments and a contract. For us as parents, it was an excellent opportunity to work with her on the things she needed to improve, like her grades and keeping her room clean and organized, for example. So, she made a list of the things she was committing to. Tickets were bought one year before the concert. (I need to mention that she kept all her commitments and did a fantastic job.)
The day of the concert finally came and after many hours in line to get into the stadium, she went in and enjoyed the two hours the concert lasted. You could see the joy in her face.
The following day, Maria Jesus cried all day long. Even though she had a wonderful time, she was sad and felt empty; what she had worked hard for was now over. In fact, we found out that many who had attended the concert went through the same.
Maria Jesus learned a couple of big lessons that year:
My dear friends, fill your life with spiritual things, the things that matter most and will bring eternal joy.

Isn’t it nice to have a plan for your life? To have everything figured out? I thought I did, until I was diagnosed with a chronic health condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
When I was diagnosed, I grew angry and confused at times, and I focused all of my energy on getting rid of this condition.
I later realized that that wasn’t how God wanted me to view this trial. The Spirit helped me break free of these three unhealthy perspectives I struggled with and replace them with better ones:
At first, I thought I had done something wrong to deserve this disease and that if I changed my habits, I could be “fixed.”
I obsessively researched and tried many “solutions” that did little to help.
When I turned to Heavenly Father for answers, the Spirit helped me realize that we aren’t to blame for many struggles we face—some challenges just come with mortality. Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Seventy said, “Suffering does not mean God is displeased with your life.”1 By letting go of blame and turning to faith, I was able to find hope and peace.
I believed that I could be healed completely if I just had enough faith, and I was constantly disappointed when I wasn’t. Eventually I learned that it’s also important to have faith not to be healed.
My “thorn in the flesh” has also helped me rely on God, thereby turning my weakness into a strength. I’ve learned that overcoming challenges can mean being able to manage them by relying on strength from the Savior, rather than getting rid of them altogether.

Some years ago I coached a high school basketball team through a rather unusual season. The season began with a number of disappointing losses. Some of the fans and townspeople didn’t make a secret of their unhappiness over the team’s failures. There was considerable public comment, and it was a challenging time for members of the team. Several of them finally became discouraged and withdrew from the team. Those who remained didn’t lose faith in themselves or in their coach. The rough going seemed to be an incentive for them to try even harder.

At mid-season the team began to win their games. They qualified for the district tournament and surprised everyone there by winning a place in the state play-offs. To the amazement of everyone, they went on to win the state championship—the first ever to be won by that school!

Following the celebration and the awarding of trophies after the championship game, I drove several of the team members back to our city. There was silence during much of the ride as we each reflected on the incredible outcome of our season’s efforts. Finally, one of the young men spoke. (He had been honored for being one of the outstanding players in the tournament.) “Coach,” he said, “I think we were supposed to win tonight.”

I was curious to know what had prompted this conclusion. “Why do you think we were supposed to win?” I asked.

His response was simple and direct—and I will never forget its impact. “Because we paid the price,” he said.

Indeed they had, and I am sure the lessons learned by those young men during that eventful year have been valuable to them throughout their lives.

I came to a significant awareness of the power of my mother’s faith and prayers when I was 11 years old. During Christmas vacation our family took a trip to a nearby winter resort for a day of ice skating, tubing, and sleigh riding. Friends were included, and the group expanded to fill two cars. My father led the way, driving one car with his father, my older sister, and several of her girlfriends. My mother followed in our smaller car with my younger brother, Ron, and sister Gini in the front. Our Lamanite foster-sister, a girlfriend of mine, and I were in the back.
The road leading to our destination followed an icy and fairly rapid river. We were almost there and spirits were high in our car with lots of laughing and singing when an urgent, “Oh, no!” from my mother diverted our attention. Suddenly we were tumbled about and submerged in the freezing river. An important part of the steering mechanism of the car had broken, and the car had slid down the embankment and turned upside down in the river. The car landed on a big boulder and was not completely submerged, but only the wheels and parts of the underside were above water. Mother, Ron, and Gini were all thrown into the backseat. Several of the windows had been shattered, and water filled the car except for an occasional pocket of air that had risen into the floor wells and become trapped as we were beneath the water.
Meanwhile, on the road above, traffic stopped in both directions and people poured out of their cars. A man was first to get to the edge of the embankment, and as two more men came running up he observed, “It was clear full of people and they’re gone. They’re gone.” Not waiting to hear any more the second pair plunged down the bank and began struggling with the car doors. When they realized the doors on the shore side were jammed fast, they found a broken window, kicked away the broken glass, and reaching through found what must have seemed like countless floundering legs and arms.
Inside the car, on the opposite side, Mother managed to find an air pocket and gasped quickly, “Push against me.” Ron was the only one that heard and comprehended. He tried to help as she struggled to push the door open against the current. She got one leg and one arm through and then managed to pull herself and Ron out and push him on the top (which was actually the bottom) of the car. The pressure of the water pushing against the door left her leg and arm bruised black as coal for many days after.
By the time Mother got Ron and herself out of the car, Dad realized, up ahead, that something was wrong. Never dreaming it was his own family but knowing if there was trouble Mom would stop to help, he pulled over and ran back to see if he could help also. You can imagine the shock he felt when he saw his daughters being tossed from the river to the bank by the two men who had pulled us through the window of the back door. Ron was sitting on the bottom of the car and Mother was still clinging to the side in the middle of the river. Dad crashed down the bank to the river, and, ignoring a warning that it was deep, tossed Ron to the men on the bank and pulled Mother from the water. I remember seeing them standing on the bottom of the car with water churning around them counting us over and over as the people on the bank kindly wrapped us in blankets.
Miraculously we were all safe and no one was seriously hurt. It was a miracle and an answer to prayer. After we got home and the full realization of what had happened came, I walked into my parents’ room and found my mom crying quietly in Dad’s arms. One of the things she said that I will never forget was that when she realized she had absolutely no control of the car and we were slipping down the bank toward the water she only had time to pray silently, “O Father in Heaven,” before we hit the water. I had no doubt then, and have none now, that Heavenly Father heard the desperate beginnings of my mother’s prayer and answered the yet unspoken plea of a daughter who had been faithful and prayerful all her life.

President Smith then married Jessie Evans, former contralto and soloist with the Salt Lake Tabernacle Choir, on April 12, 1938. A born entertainer with a vivacious and cheerful nature, she was at the president’s side for thirty-three years, buoying him up and caring for him with a love and devotion that was truly beautiful. She lived to see him become president of the Church and traveled extensively with him on his many Church assignments, sharing not only his rigorous schedule but also the loving reception of the Saints of many lands. When she succumbed to a heart ailment on August 3, 1971, millions shared President Smith’s loneliness and sorrow. On seeing the compassion and concern extended to him at this time by President Harold B. Lee, President Smith assured his counselor that the Lord would give him strength to continue in his duties. “I’ve been through this before, you know,” he said.

Now I would like to tell you of a little experience I had in the mission field that illustrates what I think the Lord meant when he indicated that not only would the Prophet bring forth His word, but he would bring men to a conviction of His word that had already gone forth among them.

When I was in Holland, I was invited to talk to a Bible class of businessmen. We met in the home of a prominent furniture dealer. There were about twenty men; each had his Bible. The only woman there was the daughter of the man of the house. They gave me an hour and a half to discuss universal salvation, which includes our work for the dead, preaching in the spirit world, and baptism of the living for the dead. I just gave them chapter and verse and let them read the passages in their own Bibles. Then when I was through, I closed my Bible and waited for comments.

The first comment came from the daughter of the man of the house. She said: “Father, I just can’t understand it. I have never attended one of these Bible classes in my life that you haven’t had the last word to say on everything. And tonight you haven’t said a word.”

The man shook his head and said: “My daughter, there isn’t anything to say. This man has been teaching us things we have never heard of, and he has been teaching them to us out of our own Bibles.”

I could tell you many more stories like that!

On a visit to London, Stephens first stumbled over his future in the form of Descriptions of an Ancient City, by a Capitán Del Rio, who had visited a strange, ruined city in Mexico called Palenque. He later learned of a second lost Mexican city, Uxmal. In 1835, he eagerly pounced upon a professional journal describing a ruined Honduran city, Copan.
Palenque, Copan, Uxmal. His mind now stirred with visions of nebulous civilization that had existed in Central America. Amazingly enough, he seemed the only one interested. “Instead of electrifying the public,” he wrote, “little notice was taken [of the Copan article].” Nonetheless, he announced his intention to search for those lost cities.
“Nonsense!” roared scientists and public alike. Indians had never progressed beyond savagery. Americans of that age could believe in almost anything other than an “Indian” civilization, in spite of evidence from the conquest. Such proofs were either ignored or downgraded as Spanish public-relations puffery. Scholars and historians held fast to their antiquated beliefs and scorned Stephens’ efforts.
There was, in truth, little documentary evidence to counter what scholars supposed. Joseph Smith’s detractors would vilify him for plagiarism, for example, when there was nothing to plagiarize. Even in 1839, the very well-educated—and rich—Mr. Stephens had great difficulty scraping up any real evidence of an ancient American culture. His meager references were poor in detail. And in Joseph Smith’s time, records were even poorer—or nonexistent.
This dearth of information made even the irrepressible Stephens a bit skeptical, but he had high hopes. In company with a kindred spirit—and accomplished artist—Frederic Catherwood, he set sail for Central America.
Their first goal, Copan, was a sickly village of mud-walled huts. But discovery loomed near. A native guide led them through the jungle to a riverbank. Opposite reared a hundred-foot-high stone wall—the edge of ancient Copan and of a new era in history. Quickly crossing the river and scaling the wall, they found themselves amid the fallen relics of a forgotten civilization.
“Working our way through the thick woods,” Stephens wrote. “we came upon a square stone column, about fourteen feet high … sculptured on all four … sides … in very bold relief … they were works of art … some equal to the finest monuments of the Egyptians.
“America [said historians of the 1830’s] was peopled by savages; but savages never built these structures, savages never carved these stones. When we asked the Indians if they knew who made them, their dull answer was ‘Quién sabe? [Who knows?]’”
The scholars and historians of the Western world could not have answered any better. Copan—and the Mayas—surged to their lofty level of art and culture while Europe descended into the gloom of the dark ages. They conquered the jungles and strung their cities through Yucatan like sparkling gems on a jeweled collar. But for the Old World, their deeds and histories were as quiet as the silent jungle they lived in.
Sometime before A.D. 900, however, the Mayas abruptly and mysteriously stepped off the stage of history. For a thousand years, Copan lay buried by the thick, heavy Honduran jungle until disturbed in 1839 by Stephens and Catherwood.
The pair could not see it all—the jungle was too thick. They concentrated on the unburied “idols,” or stelae. These were huge, thirty-ton monoliths carved with an incredible profusion of figures, flowers, and animals. Erected on set dates to commemorate events unknown to us, they climaxed the Mayan genius.
In a two-year journey, Stephens and Catherwood discovered and rediscovered Copan, Palenque, Uxmal, Chichén Itzá, and forty other ruined Mayan sites. The mystery deepened, and Stephens’ reactions were rhapsodic. At Palenque, he said:
“Here were the remains of a cultivated, polished, and peculiar people, who had passed through all the stages of the rise and fall of nations; reached their golden age, and perished entirely unknown. The links which connected them with the human family were severed and lost, and these were the only memorials of their footsteps upon earth … In the romance of the world’s history, nothing ever impressed me more forcibly than the spectacle of this once great and lovely city, overturned, desolate, and lost; discovered by accident, overgrown with trees for miles around, and without even a name to distinguish it.”
The dedication of the two explorers in uncovering these mysteries baffles the modern mind. In an age when gentlemen stayed at home, these two suffered hunger, malaria, myriads of insect attacks, extreme physical discomfort, and near brushes with death. To accomplish what?
History judges Stephens among the great. His contribution is rated equal to Jean Francois Champollion (1790–1832), French Egyptologist who discovered a stone that had writing in three languages. From the stone, he was able to decipher ancient Egyptian writing; or to Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890), German archeologist, who excavated the city of Troy in Anatolia, proving this legendary Greek city actually existed.
From our point of view. Stephens’ importance is momentous: John Lloyd Stephens and Joseph Smith never met, but the Book of Mormon’s cry in the wilderness was now reinforced as Stephens’ physical testimony of Lehi’s people swept over the world.

While living in Puerto Rico several years ago, I had a home teaching partner who, like me, was a lifelong Church member and a returned missionary. Both of us were confident of our gospel knowledge. But we were taught an invaluable gospel lesson by an eight-year-old boy who did no more than exercise the simple faith we are all counseled to live by.
Bill and I had been assigned to home teach Sister Lambert. She was an older lady, one of the first members in Puerto Rico. But when her husband left her, she began to devote more time to her small business of selling plants and seeds. We saw her less and less often at church meetings and activities.
It also became more difficult to find her at home. However, Bill and I managed to visit her regularly. We showed up each month with specially prepared lessons and did our best to reactivate her, but nothing seemed to work. She said she had a strong testimony of the gospel, and yet she would not attend church.
One Sunday I called to see if Sister Lambert had arrived home early. When she answered the phone, I knew that Bill and I should visit her right away. But as luck would have it, Bill was away on a high council assignment.
My mind raced with ideas, but I dismissed them until the right one presented itself: I got Trent, my recently baptized son, to accompany me.
“Throw on a tie, Trent,” I directed. “You and I are going home teaching.”
He was surprised, but proudly grabbed his tie, looped it around his neck, and away we went.
On the way to Sister Lambert’s home, I felt inspired to have Trent give the message. So as I drove, I discussed the topic with him. By the time we arrived, he was ready.
I can still remember Sister Lambert’s smile when she greeted young Trent. After we had chatted awhile, Trent gave a beautiful lesson. We left feeling good about our visit.
A few weeks passed, and on the evening before fast Sunday, I reminded Trent of the goal he’d recently set to fast on fast days. I recounted the blessings that fasting brings and explained that a fast should have a purpose. “If it is a righteous desire,” I told him, “the Lord will help you make it a reality.”
“I know, Dad,” he replied. “I already have a special purpose for my fast.”
When we entered the chapel the next afternoon, I could hardly believe my eyes. She hadn’t come to church in a long time, but there she was—Sister Lambert.
It took us awhile, I thought, but Bill and I had finally gotten through to her. She had heard our messages and felt our concern after all.
Then, to let Trent, too, feel the thrill of the experience, I leaned over and whispered, “Aren’t you happy and amazed that Sister Lambert is here today? You helped, you know.”
His answer left me speechless. “I’m very happy, Dad,” he said, “but I’m not surprised. I fasted so that she would come back to church. I knew she’d be here today.”
I was grateful for the chance to see her life—and mine—touched by a child’s faith in fasting.

Last year, the branch made its first-ever temple trip. Since the closest temple is in England, making a temple trip is a huge undertaking. It’s expensive, and until recently, the temple ceremony was not available in Icelandic.
Hanna describes the experience of being in the temple. “Everybody was so nice and warm. It’s like being in heaven. I wanted to feel that feeling always.”
During the time at the temple, the Icelandic youth spent time each morning and again in the afternoon doing vicarious baptisms. The names were from their own ancestry. Melanie couldn’t help wondering about the people she was being baptized for. “Will they be happy? Will they be thankful for what I’m doing here? Will they accept it? It wasn’t just a name; it was a person who had a life here on earth and a family.”
When they got home, the feeling of close friendship they developed continued. These teens love their country and love the Church. These days sacrament meeting fills their meeting room to overflowing, and they’re glad. The message of the gospel is spreading like a light throughout the land.

In 2018, I was privileged to be assigned by President M. Russell Ballard to visit a stake in Utah. The time I spent in that stake president’s home, and being with him and his wife, truly inspired me.

I was able to hear the life story of Ruth and Lee Hall.

Ruth grew up in the Sugar House area of Salt Lake City. Her parents grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico . . . and came to the United States when they were in their late-teens and early twenties.

Lee lived mainly in Murray, Utah. They met in 1998 when both attended more than two years of Institute at the Salt Lake Community College. They also participated in the Institute Choir. In fact, Ruth didn’t know Lee was in the choir until she met him.

Ruth started to get to know Lee at an activity for a choir group that they both sang in. She asked Lee to a dance that weekend, about five minutes after meeting him. (Lee is convinced that she had a bet with her friends to see who could ask out the biggest loser at the party… and she won for sure. She denies that to this day.) They hit it off quickly and were engaged to be married by the end of July of that year. They were married on December 3, 1998, eight months after they first met.

So yes, for those who are prayerfully seeking an eternal companion, you may get an eternal dividend when you faithfully enroll and attend Institute and all organized activities, just like these two young single adults did. Their love for learning about the Lord brought them together and they were happily married.

Sickness
Less than one year after they were married, Ruth started feeling extremely sick, passing out for no apparent reason. She also had pain in her abdomen. Her gallbladder was removed, and they thought that was the end of her troubles. For the next year or so, they went to dozens of doctor appointments, and had many tests done – but no one could figure out what was wrong with her. The couple recalls that it was a very frustrating experience, and scary at the same time. Finally, they found a particularly good doctor who wasn’t going to give up his search for her diagnosis until he had figured it out.

In 2001, Ruth was diagnosed with a very rare, chronic condition known as gastroparesis, otherwise known as paralyzed stomach.

This condition affects the stomach by preventing it from emptying properly. Food goes in but doesn’t want to move anywhere else through the digestive tract. It’s like a broken garbage disposal.

There is currently no cure for this condition. Ruth must be nourished via IV. In 2003 she had a G-tube placed in her stomach to help drain it. Ruth is nauseous 99.9% of her life . . . She has a hole in her side where a tube drains her stomach and helps to relieve some of the symptoms. She carries a drainage bag with her 100% of the time. It’s about the size of a small messenger bag.

Ruth’s lifestyle changed dramatically. She was homebound and bedridden. She could not cook, she could not drive, she could not do much of anything. She felt like a burden. There were times she felt her faith was not strong enough because she wasn’t healing.

One of the biggest issues with this illness is that Ruth’s immune system is very weak because she doesn’t get proper nutrition. Her body picks up many illnesses that are going around . . . and every year she can count on contracting the flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinus infections, and other sicknesses.

Lessons They Learnt Thus Far
Yet, throughout the years, Ruth and Lee have personally witnessed the Lord’s tender mercies. Their hearts have been changed, healed, and the words of faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ have been written DEEPLY into their hearts. They have received the marvelous gift of the Savior’s Atonement. A gift that has no expiration date.

The Savior of all humanity suffered and experienced every infirmity, every heartbreak, and the pain of every sin that each person will experience while here on earth. He has felt EVERYTHING that we all feel. And because of that He has perfect empathy.

Ruth testifies: “I know He sent His Only Begotten and perfect Son to Atone for me; to Atone for all of us . . . and I am grateful to know I am not my illness. I am a daughter of God. [We] are all sons and daughters of God. And He loves us.”

Knowing that Ruth and Lee can choose to be happy is empowering.

Ruth stated: “Heavenly Father has blessed me in the best way. He knows I need a husband who is both compassionate and challenges me. Lee married a healthy woman, and he is so patient with a wife who is now chronically ill.”

Lee has taught Ruth through his actions and words that they can still be happy, even through trials and challenges, because he follows the Savior. He has chosen to be happy rather than feel sorry for himself, and recognizes life is a blessing. They laugh a lot together and appreciate the small and simple things. They learnt from one of Sister Linda K. Burton’s talks, “Being thankful is a much more gratifying way to live – “Thee Lift Me and I’ll Lift Thee, and We’ll Ascend Together”[1]

Lee says: “Ruth is an amazing woman! Despite all that she goes through, she has a fantastic attitude. You will rarely see her down or feeling sorry for herself. She is always thinking about what she can do for others. She brightens up the room with her contagious good attitude. People love being around her. We have been married for almost 23 years now, and we have dealt with this illness for nearly 22 of those years. We have tried to make it so this experience makes us stronger together, versus tearing us apart . . . and it has worked! We have worked very hard as a couple to not let it get us down or define us.”

Ruth is still sick and limited. She’s since had other medical procedures. She still wakes up almost every day feeling nauseated. Ruth gets tired very easily, but they don’t let that get them down. A few years ago, they bought a wheelchair, and Lee rolls her around all over when they travel so they can experience more together. They adapt and make the best of any situation.

Ruth still has bad days. She still can’t eat very much. They still don’t have children, but they have 29 nieces and nephews. They try to be the best aunt and uncle they can. About every other year, they take two of them to Orlando and let them experience the theme parks.

Lee and Ruth feel in no other way could they have received some of their blessings had it not been for this illness, recognizing the tender mercies along the way, never feeling alone, trusting, and knowing that God has a plan. They constantly rely on the Lord because they cannot do this alone. They know if they obey the Lord, He will strengthen them, and everything will work for their good. This brings them peace and comfort.

They are so grateful to know Heavenly Father has provided them with a strong support group, a loving and patient family; and for Ruth, an eternal companion who sees her worth in times when she cannot. They are blessed with friends who are not only pillars of strength, but who are also wonderful examples.

They strive to live as directed in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17.

“Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” [2]

Called To Serve As Bishop
Lee was called to be second counselor in their ward’s bishopric in 2005, two years after the G-tube was placed in Ruth’s stomach.

Ruth was weak and very ill. An infection had also spread throughout Ruth’s blood stream caused by a PICC line. (It is a catheter that enters the body through the skin at the bend of the elbow, extends to the larger vein, and stays in place – it dwells within the veins).

A friend visited Ruth one day while she was listening to the hymn, “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd”[3] and gave her a cute wood block with Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s quote inscribed on it: “Faith in God includes Faith in His timing.”[4] This quote changed her thinking to an ‘exaltation’ perspective.

Around the same time, Lee was interviewed by his stake president to be the bishop. Accepting the call, he was reminded, that as an under shepherd, you are dear to the Heart of the Good Shepherd.

Lee was a little worried because he had never heard of someone being called as a bishop who didn’t have children of his own. However, those worries were quickly put to rest as he and Ruth jumped in and served with all their hearts. Not having children helped them relate to members in all kinds of family situations . . . including singles and couples without children. It has turned out to be a tremendous blessing being able to serve as a priesthood leader with his unique circumstances, experiences, and gifts. He is finding ways to “father” the members of their ward, by listening, counseling, and encouraging, one by one, in the Savior’s way.

Ruth wrote in her journal on Sunday June 27, 2010, quote: “I stumbled upon Mosiah 24:14 ‘And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.’ After reading this verse, I knew we were going to be fine. I know that He will ease my burdens and He only asks that I stand as a witness. The Lord does visit His people in their afflictions.”

Sure enough, Christ was there to help ease their burdens through a loving support group, and Ruth was blessed with better health as Lee ministered and served.

Called To Serve As Stake President
In March 2014; 16 years into marriage, Lee and Ruth felt something was about to change in their lives . . . again. On a Saturday morning, Lee had an appointment with two visiting authorities. A little later, that day, Lee was called to be stake president. He was again reminded, as an under-shepherd you are dear to the heart of the Good Shepherd. With her current medical condition, Ruth read a message from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, which perfectly describes her feelings of Lee being called to be stake president.

"I believe we have all been created for greater things than we can comprehend . . . The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead; we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future."[5]

Lee verbalized his thoughts, “We are all enlisted ‘til the conflict is o’er. Happy are we.” Lee also expressed his enthusiasm of hastening the work of the Lord, together.

Both Lee and Ruth felt gratitude and love, knowing that this is where the Lord wants them to be at this time in their lives, and they move forward with faith and feel blessed to take this journey together.

This story of Ruth and Lee depicts their knowledge and understanding, that despite their circumstances, they are “Dear to the Heart of the [Good] Shepherd”