Gospel Story Finder

As a young boy I discovered amazing power in a small flashlight. Turning it on at night, I saw a large lighted spot wherever I pointed it. My excitement increased when shining the flashlight inside a dusty barn. A cone of light was projected through the air. But the most interesting discovery came when I pressed the flashlight firmly against the palm of my hand. My entire hand glowed in the dark. The light was actually within me! To observe the physical properties of light can be exciting, but discovering the properties of spiritual light and truth is even more awe inspiring and essential.

Recently I felt that I was not getting much from Church meetings. The speakers and teachers were inspired, but I just did not remember much of what was said or taught; and honestly, I really struggled to focus and pay attention.

I found a solution in the Book of Mormon in some thoughts by Nephi. He commented about the plates: “Upon these I write the things of my soul. … Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard” (2 Nephi 4:15, 16). Nephi knew the importance of keeping a record, writing down his own thoughts and experiences, but he also kept notes of some of the teachings of his father, Lehi (see 1 Nephi 8), and his brother Jacob (see 2 Nephi 10).

I felt guided to take notes of some of the things that I see and hear in my Church meetings. I began to write down two or three notes from what each speaker and teacher said, things that were of interest and importance to me.

What a change taking notes made in my life! Here are a few insights I have learned:
I feel a greater influence of the Holy Ghost during the meetings, as well as during the week as I have applied the principles taught. In fact, I am recognizing the Spirit more often in my life.
It is clear to me that the bishopric is inspired, calling specific speakers and teachers to provide enriching thoughts and lead enlightening discussions.
I have new perceptions of the gospel, seeing some of the principles as others see them. There are many ideas that I had not considered before, stretching my mind and understanding. If the speaker was inspired to study a specific concept, it may be worth my time to ponder it too.
My notes have become an inspired guide during the week, along with Come, Follow Me. I review what I wrote and follow through with challenges and additional study. I now have many quotes in my personal files from prophets and Church leaders—and members of my ward.
I am more alert in my meetings, focusing on what is being taught.

Taking notes has changed this for me! Church meetings are much more interesting, now that I am more interested. Not only are my Sundays more spiritual, but the days of the week are better as I apply the truths and ideas that I have noted. This simple tool has been a great blessing to me and, I believe, may change your life too.

This reminds me of the farmer who was feeling a little sluggish and went to see his doctor. After examination, the doctor told him that his problem was that he was burning his candle at both ends. The farmer replied, “I knew that before I came. What I want from you is some more wax.”

It was evident to this group to whom I would speak, as well as to others, what had happened in this major crisis, but were they aware of those who are helped every day on an individual basis—for example, the young girl who found love, understanding, and kind assistance from LDS Social Services when she was confronted with a major crisis in her life? Because of wise counsel, she did not compound an already serious problem with a graver tragedy when she found that there is an alternative to the accepted worldly philosophy of abortion.

One morning a family gathered to study the scriptures as usual. As they gathered, the father felt a negative spirit: some members of the family did not look very excited to participate. They had family prayer, and as they started to read the scriptures, the father noticed that one of the children did not have her personal set of scriptures with her. He invited her to go to her room and bring her scriptures. She reluctantly did so, and after a period of time that seemed like an eternity, she returned, sat down, and said, “Do we really have to do this now?”
The father thought to himself that the enemy of all righteousness wanted to create problems so that they would not study the scriptures. The father, trying to stay calm, said, “Yes, we have to do this now because this is what the Lord wants us to do.”
She responded, “I don’t really want to do this now!”
The father then lost his patience, raised his voice, and said, “This is my home, and we will always read the scriptures in my home!”
The tone and volume of his words hurt his daughter, and with her scriptures in hand, she left the family circle, ran to her bedroom, and slammed the door. Thus ended the family scripture study—no harmony and little love being felt at home.
The father knew that he had done wrong, so he went to his own bedroom and knelt down to pray. He pleaded with the Lord for help, knowing that he had offended one of His children, a daughter whom he truly loved. He implored the Lord to restore the spirit of love and harmony at home and enable them to be able to continue studying the scriptures as a family. As he was praying, an idea came to his mind: “Go and say, ‘I’m sorry.’” He continued to pray earnestly, asking for the Spirit of the Lord to come back into his home. Once again the idea came: “Go and say, ‘I’m sorry.’”
He really wanted to be a good father and do the right thing, so he stood up and went to his daughter’s bedroom. He gently knocked on the door several times, and there was no answer. So he slowly opened the door and found his girl sobbing and crying on her bed. He kneeled next to her and said with a soft and tender voice, “I’m sorry. I apologize for what I did.” He repeated, “I’m sorry, I love you, and I don’t want to hurt you.” And then from the mouth of a child came the lesson that the Lord wanted to teach him.
She stopped crying, and after a brief silence, she took her scriptures into her hands and started to look up some verses. The father watched as those pure and delicate hands turned the pages of the scriptures, page after page. She came to the verses she sought and started to read very slowly with a soft voice: “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”1
While he was still kneeling next to her bed, humility overcame him as he thought to himself, “That scripture was written for me. She has taught me a great lesson.”
Then she turned her eyes to him and said, “I am sorry. I am sorry, Daddy.”
At that very moment the father realized she did not read that verse to apply that scripture to him, but she read it applying it to herself. He opened his arms and embraced her. Love and harmony had been restored in this sweet moment of reconciliation born of the word of God and the Holy Ghost. That scripture, which his daughter remembered from her own personal scripture study, had touched his heart with the fire of the Holy Ghost.

Several years ago my husband received a job promotion, and we moved to another state. During the first few weeks in our new home I was often lonely and depressed.
One day a letter came from my former Relief Society president. She wrote that she, too, had been the new sister in several wards and had always found the transition to be difficult. She shared the following ideas with me:
Don’t wait for people sitting next to you to introduce themselves; introduce yourself first!
Tell ward members that you’re happy to be in the area and look forward to getting to know them better. A positive attitude draws people to you.
Look for someone who needs you.
Ask the Relief Society or priesthood quorum leaders for a visiting teaching or home teaching route.
Ask the Relief Society or priesthood quorum leaders for the names of ward members who share your interests. Then introduce yourself.
Take advantage of this lull in your life to do some of those things you’ve never had time to do before.
Don’t forget that you are a child of God and have a lot to offer.
By following these suggestions, I soon became comfortable in my new ward. I will always appreciate my friend’s thoughtfulness in helping to ease my transition.

The native people of New Zealand are called the M?ori. A marae is a special place where a M?ori family meets to remember their ancestors.
Jarom sat down in the grass in front of his nana’s marae. It was almost time for the family party to begin!
He looked up at the red carvings on the side of the building. “Mum, how do you say Nana’s name in sign language?” he asked. Jarom’s grandmother had been deaf. Sometimes they practiced sign language to remember her.
“Like this,” Mum said. She slowly signed the name with her hands. Jarom made the signs with his hands too. He loved learning about his family.
“I want to try!” Jarom’s cousin Kati sat down next to them. Mum signed the name again.
“Next month for my baptism, can we sing a song in sign language?” Jarom asked.
“Of course,” said Mum.
“What’s a baptism?” Kati asked.
Most of Jarom’s family were not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Getting baptized is a special thing in my church,” Jarom said. “It’s when you make a promise to follow Jesus, and He promises to help you.”
“Cool,” said Kati.
“Would you like to come to my baptism?” Jarom asked.
“Sure!” Kati smiled. Then Jarom turned to his mum.
“Can we ask the rest of the cousins to come too? And my aunts and uncles?”
Mum nodded. “I think that’s a great idea.”
Jarom and Mum asked the rest of the family to come to the baptism. The aunts and uncles did not know much about baptism either. But they knew it was a special day for Jarom. “We will be there!” they said.
Weeks passed. Finally it was Jarom’s baptism day! When Jarom walked into the chapel, he smiled big. Every row was filled with his family members!
First Jarom’s dad gave a talk about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. He also talked about how important families are. “We are so happy for Jarom to be baptized today. And we are so happy to have our family with us!” he said. “What is the most important thing in the world?” he asked. “It is the people, the people, the people.”
Everyone smiled. It was a M?ori saying they all loved.
After Dad’s talk, it was Jarom and Mum’s turn. They sang a Primary song in sign language. It made Jarom feel close to his nana.
Then Jarom and Dad walked into the baptism font. As he stood in the water, Jarom looked up at all his family. Cousins, aunts, uncles. They were all there!
Jarom closed his eyes. He felt a warm, calm feeling. It felt like someone was giving him a big hug. He thought of his nana. He thought of his ancestors. He knew they were proud of him too.
Jarom changed into dry clothes. Then he gave each member of his family a hug. He was grateful for all of them. And he was grateful for his family members in heaven that he would get to meet someday. Jarom wanted to keep making good choices to make them proud.

Michelle Mokihana Meyer of the Kaunakakai Ward on Molokai, Hawaii, has served as class president for the six years she was in the Young Women program. She also served as senior class president during her final year of high school.
In addition, Michelle was secretary and vice-president of seminary and graduated with a perfect four-year attendance record.

My real acquaintance with and love for the book developed between 1929 and 1941, the years during which I practiced law.

After I had worked my way through law school, had passed the bar examination, and had been admitted to practice, I became concerned over the question of whether or not I could live the standards of the gospel of Jesus Christ and practice law at the same time. My father’s worrying about it added to my concern. I don’t know that he had heard the story, but I was told that some wag, walking through a cemetery, saw on a headstone the inscription, “Here lies John Brown, a lawyer, and an honest man.” Whereupon he added to the inscription: “I wonder why they buried all three of them in the same grave?”

Remembering the Prophet Joseph’s appraisal of the book, I decided upon and carried out the following procedure:

I went regularly to my law office half an hour earlier than my associates, locked the door, and spent 30 minutes each morning praying and reading the scriptures. During the 12 years I practiced law, I read the Book of Mormon through nine times.

You need not fear that you will lose friends by inviting the missionaries to meet them. I have friends who rejected the missionaries but have thanked me over many years for offering them something they knew was so precious to me. You can make friends forever by offering the gospel, which they see has brought you happiness. Never miss an opportunity to invite a friend and especially a family member to choose to follow the plan of happiness.

“Poor little Margarette has a very bad sore throat,” Margarette’s mother told a visitor. Hearing her mother talking about her, Margarette hurried to the bedroom door to see the Prophet Joseph Smith standing there.
He called Margarette to him and examined her throat. Concluding that it was very bad, he took her on his lap and gave her a blessing.
Immediately, Margarette felt healed. She was very grateful that the Prophet would give her such a blessing—after all, she was only a child. Why should he worry about her? She wondered about it for several days.
“Why did the Prophet bother with me?” she finally asked Mother. “I’m just a little girl. I’m nobody special.”
Mother set aside the bread dough she was kneading and wiped her hands on her apron. “My sweet child, the Prophet Joseph is a loving friend of all children. He believes as the Lord said in the gospel of Matthew: ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’*“
“What does that mean?” Margarette asked.
“It means that when we serve others, it is the same as serving the Lord,” Mother explained. “I won’t be surprised if you find that the Prophet helps you again,” she added with a wink.

Just two weeks after the group’s arrival, Joseph heard Church President Brigham Young issue a call for volunteers to go out and help the 600 members of the Martin Handcart Company still in the mountains in deep snow.
Joseph left that day with the other volunteers.
In the mountains the snow was almost three meters deep, and the wagons couldn’t get through. The volunteers had to carry the supplies on their backs to the handcart company. With the others, Joseph helped set up a camp to prepare the members of the company for the final effort to reach Salt Lake City.
Finally, all the handcart pioneers were safely gathered to Zion, where they went about the business of starting new lives.

I am from a tiny town in Georgia. As you might guess, there are very few members of the Church here. In my school, there are five.
I was in seventh grade when my trouble began. All my friends were starting to experiment with alcohol and cigarettes. I was popular back then, so I felt it was my “obligation” to try them. Luckily, I only did it once. I have, however, regretted those spontaneous, thoughtless mistakes every day since. I have also had trials with morality.
This was long ago and my rebellious days are over, but I cannot express the regret I have for those mistakes.
The Atonement has taken on a new meaning in my life. I am now the brunt of many Mormon jokes, but as John 15:19 says, “Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
I have learned to not settle for instant gratification. Many times these mistakes can scar you forever. If only I had thought about that back then.
I will be eternally indebted to my Savior for His endless mercy and love toward me. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church. It has brought me eternal happiness and joy. I look around the halls at my school at all the nonmembers who don’t know what I know, and I feel my testimony grow when I realize who I am—a daughter of God—and where I am going.

Let me give you my own experience. While serving as president of the Calgary Stake in Alberta, Canada, I was attending the general conference in Salt Lake City in October, 1960. On Friday evening I received a call at my hotel advising me that President McKay wanted to see me Saturday morning—the next morning. Naturally, not knowing what he wanted, I slept very little that night. I met him in his office at the appointed hour. As I sat in a chair facing him, he looked me in the eye, put his hand on my knee, and said, “President Tanner, the Lord would like you to accept a call as a General Authority, as an Assistant to the Twelve.” Then he asked how I felt about it.

I do not know exactly what I said. I tried to assure him that I felt highly honored and very inadequate, but ready and willing to accept a call and to give my whole time and effort in the service of the Lord.

That morning my name was read, along with the names of Elders Franklin D. Richards and Theodore M. Burton, to be sustained as Assistants to the Twelve, with the other general officers of the Church. We were approved by the conference. Officers throughout the Church are selected in much the same way at their particular level.

I was born on a farm in Iowa, USA. When I was three, my parents traded some old windows and doors for two goats. The goats were so small. A woman brought them to my house in a dog crate. They were beautiful. I named the white, black, and red one Alice. My mom named the tan and black one Tawny.
Mom and Dad helped the woman load the doors and windows into her truck. She was going to turn them into artwork. I watched the goats nervously look around our yard. All of a sudden Alice took a running leap and jumped right over our pasture fence. Tawny looked from us to Alice and decided to leave too. She sprang over the fence like she could fly!
We tried to round them up by bribing them with sweet feed. But the two goats just trotted down the road. They disappeared into a cornfield. We were all scared that they wouldn’t be able to find their way back to their new home. I thought they would be lost in the hundreds of acres of corn that surrounded our house.
I told my mom that we should pray. We had read in the scriptures where Amulek said to “cry over the flocks of your fields” (Alma 34:25). I knew Heavenly Father was watching over our goats.
After I took a nap, I woke up and looked in our yard. Alice and Tawny were there. They had found their way back! I know Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. Sometimes it’s even quickly and in the way we hope!

He rescued a friend’s boots during a fire drill when he was in first grade. Quentin said, “I didn’t want his feet to be cold in the snow.”

Katy and her brother Christian set their bikes on the grass.
“Want to get ice cream at the store?” Christian asked.
“Yes!” Katy said. It was hot outside, and biking was hard work. Ice cream sounded perfect!
Katy ran inside. She found the little bag where she kept her money. When she opened it, she frowned. She didn’t have enough money for ice cream.
Then she glanced at the jar of money on her shelf. She kept her tithing money there to give to the bishop. There was enough money for ice cream in there!
Katy took some money from her tithing jar. Then she and Christian hurried to the store and picked the flavors they wanted. Katy felt a little guilty as she licked her chocolate ice-cream cone. But she hadn’t taken very much money. She could pay it back later.
A few weeks later, Katy went to get ice cream again. She still didn’t have enough money, so she took a little more from her tithing jar. I’ll pay this back too, she told herself.
Katy kept taking money from her tithing jar. She always promised to pay it back. But it got hard to remember how much she had taken. And she didn’t have enough money to replace it.
Soon it was time for her family’s tithing interview. They would meet with Bishop Leavitt. He would ask each of them if they had paid a full tithing on all the money they earned that year.
That Sunday, Katy put the rest of her tithing money in an envelope and gave it to the bishop. But she knew it wasn’t enough. Her stomach felt sick.
Later, Katy’s family sat together in Bishop Leavitt’s office.
“Are you a full-tithe payer?” Bishop Leavitt asked Christian.
“Yes!” Christian said.
Katy shifted in her chair. Would it be OK to tell him that she was a full-tithe payer too? She hadn’t paid all her tithing yet, but she was going to!
“Are you a full-tithe payer?” Bishop Leavitt asked Katy.
Katy looked down. It would be wrong to lie.
“No,” she said quietly. “I used some of my tithing money to buy ice cream.”
“I know Heavenly Father is grateful for the tithing you did pay. And when we make a wrong choice, we can repent and try to do better.” Bishop Leavitt smiled at Katy. “I know you will try to pay all your tithing in the future.”
Katy nodded. She wanted to be a full-tithe payer!
The next time she earned some money, Katy put 10 percent in her tithing jar. Then she put in a little more. Is this enough to replace what I took? she wondered. She added even more, just in case.
But she still felt guilty. Maybe she could pay even more tithing until she felt she had replaced it all. She put her head in her hands.
Mom came into the room. “What’s wrong?”
Katy sighed. “I don’t know how much tithing I need to pay to make up for what I spent.”
Mom gave Katy a hug. “I’m glad you want to fix your mistake,” she said. “But sometimes we just need to start where we are and try again. Heavenly Father will forgive us when we do our best to repent.”
Was that true? Even for her tithing mistake?
When Mom left, Katy prayed. “Heavenly Father, I’m sorry that I didn’t pay all my tithing. I want to pay it back, but I don’t know how much I owe. Will You forgive me and let me start over and try again?”
Katy felt peaceful. It felt good to ask for forgiveness. She knew that Heavenly Father would help her do better from then on!
Illustration by Matt Smith

Everyone caught some fish, and even one boy who had been cool on the trip in the first place had a terrific time. He told the leaders when they were planning the trip, “I don’t want to go up in the woods somewhere and play cowboys and Indians.”
““He sure got interested when the fish started biting,” said Bishop Bean. Like the rest of the boys, he had set goals he wanted to accomplish on this trip. Each boy became more proficient at some skill, and they were all better trained to operate as a group than ever before.”

Illustration by Jim Madsen
In October 2011, my bishop heard a talk by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about the Spirit of Elijah and the responsibility the youth have to serve through family history. My bishop was inspired by this talk and decided to have the bishopric youth committee watch it in their meeting. He asked the youth what they wanted to do to follow Elder Bednar’s instruction, and they told him they wanted to set up a summer indexing project. Together with the bishop, they set a goal of 50,000 names and invited my whole ward to help with the project.
I was asked by Brother Watts, a member of our bishopric, to serve as an indexing specialist. I accepted, but I had no idea what indexing was or how to do it. I was very confused and just a little bit nervous.
Brother Watts showed me how to use the indexing program on FamilySearch.org. He told me that he was absolutely confident we were going to reach our goal. Even though it was my first official assignment as a young woman, I was determined to learn how to do what I was asked to do by my priesthood leaders, no matter how hard it was.
I soon learned that indexing is part of family history—typing people’s names from records into a database so their family members can find them. I knew this effort was important, and so did my whole ward, especially my bishop.
To serve in this project, I showed many different people how to index and contribute names. By the end of the summer, the youth alone had finished 25,000 names! Before we knew it, we met our goal 100 percent.
I know that every one of my leaders is called of God to serve and direct the Church, and that when I listen to them, I’m not only doing what they ask me to do but also what God asks me to do. When I listen to and follow my leaders, I’m serving too—participating in the work of the priesthood, the work of salvation.

Elder Parley P. Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles read these words from section 121 in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
“The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever” (D&C 121:45–46).
Deeply moved, Parley P. Pratt turned his thoughts to a hymn which is actually a prayer. For many years it was chosen by the Choir to close its weekly broadcast:
As the dew from heav’n distilling
Gently on the grass descends
And revives it, thus fulfilling
What thy providence intends,
Let thy doctrine, Lord, so gracious,
Thus descending from above,
Blest by thee, prove efficacious
To fulfill thy work of love.
Lord, behold this congregation;
Precious promises fulfill.
From thy holy habitation
Let the dews of life distill.
Let our cry come up before thee.
Thy sweet Spirit shed around,
So the people shall adore thee
And confess the joyful sound.
(“As the Dew from Heaven Distilling,” Hymns, no. 149)