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A Mission Choice amidst Her Fatherโ€™s Stroke

Summary: Growing up in Nepal, Sabitaโ€™s family lost their home after her fatherโ€™s business failed, leading her to seek God at age 15. In 1995, missionaries visited after her father met one of them, and she attended church. She felt it was a turning point, learned the gospel, and she and her sister joined the Church, finding peace amid trials.
Sabita Thapa was born and raised in the country of Nepal, a small country between China and India. She had a blissful childhood and grew up in a very big family, surrounded by many extended family members.
As she grew up to be a teenager, there were divisions in ancestral properties, which gave her father the opportunity to build the family a beautiful and comfortable home.
Her father decided to try his hand at a new business. In the course of time, he had a very big loss in his business. Sadly, they had to sell their beautiful home and move out. In the coming days, her family faced many hardships and difficulties due to financial instability.
โ€œWhile everybody around us seemed to be so happy and successful, my family and I went through many difficult times,โ€ said Sister Isaac.
When Sabita was 15, she started to search for true happiness. She started to search for God, beginning to pray sincerely to know who God is. She asked many questions such as, โ€œDoes He love me?โ€ and โ€œDoes He love my family?โ€ She wanted to know Him and wanted to be happy.
Sabita said, โ€œGod did hear my prayers.โ€
In 1995, her father happened to meet a missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1994, the Church and missionaries had just entered Nepal during the same time she was searching for the truth. The missionaries went to their home and invited them to church.
โ€œThe day I stepped into the Lordโ€™s Church was the turning point in my life. I have not looked back since thenโ€, Sister Isaac declared.
She was taught about the true and living God and His plan of salvation. She has received peace, joy and happiness and knows this is where she belongs. She said she has sincerely and faithfully attended all her church meetings.
Sabita testified, โ€œI know God is mindful of our needs. He knows us personally and he answers our prayers as we sincerely seek him. As I look back, I understand what has happened in my life was not by chance. I had to go through these trials, so that I would sincerely seek for him. Did I find Him? Yes, indeed.โ€
Sabita and her older sister Usha joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the rest of the family members did not. Did joining the Church mean she did not have any more hardships? Certainly not, but it helped her to know that trials and hardships are a part of life. It helped her to face them and overcome them.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Missionaries ๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค Youth ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Adversity Conversion Faith Family Happiness Missionary Work Peace Prayer Testimony

Christopherโ€™s After-Christmas Christmas

Summary: After Christmas, young Christopher longs to keep the spirit of the season alive. He decides to earn money by doing extra chores, pays his tithing, and is inspired by his Primary teacher to use the remainder to donate a Book of Mormon. With his mother's help, he gives the money to the bishop so someone special can receive the book. He looks forward to feeling Christmas joy again through giving.
Four-year-old Christopher sat by the window and watched the wet January snow pelt the glass. โ€œJingle bells, Jingle bells,โ€ he whispered to himself as he stood up, stretched out his arms, and twirled. He opened and shut his eyes. Blink-blink, blink-blink.
โ€œWhat are you doing, Christopher?โ€ asked Mom.
โ€œIโ€™m not Christopher. Iโ€™m a Christmas tree.โ€
Mom smiled. โ€œOh, Iโ€™m sorry, Mr. Christmas tree. Are you thirsty? I can put your feet in water if youโ€™d like.โ€
Christopher giggled. โ€œOh, Mom!โ€
Mom laughed too and put her arms around him. โ€œWhy do you want to be a Christmas tree?โ€
โ€œI want to have Christmas every day!โ€ he explained.
โ€œHow about if we make Christmas cookies one more time? Would you like that?โ€
Christopher grinned and ran to the kitchen.
After supper, Christopher sat on his bed and ate a pink-frosted angel. He savored each sugary bite. Finally he licked the last crumb from his mouth and lay back on his pillow.
โ€œโ€˜Away in a manger, no crib for his bed, The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.โ€™โ€ Christopher paused and listened to the stillness. His words sounded kind of empty. He wished it was Christmas Eve again so that he could sing it with his family around the tree.
He left his room and meandered to the kitchen. He got some paper and crayons from the cupboard and sat at the table. โ€œMom, will you draw a star for me?โ€
Mom put down her dish towel and drew a big yellow star at the top of the paper. โ€œHow is that?โ€
โ€œGreat! Thanks, Mom.โ€
Mom went back to her dishes, and Christopher covered the rest of the page with tiny golden dots. When it was finished, he smiled. It was just like the star that shined over Jesus when He was born.
He got some tape from the drawer and hung the picture above his bed. โ€œโ€˜Away in a manger,โ€™โ€ he sang. But it still didnโ€™t feel like Christmas.
That night, when the house was dark and silent, Christopher thought long and hard about Christmas. He thought about Baby Jesus and Christmas trees. He thought about candy canes and Wise Men. He thought about presents. Presents! That was it! He could give someone a present. Christopher smiled and sank sleepily into his pillow. He could give someone a present.
The next morning, just before sunrise, Christopher jumped from his bed and ran to his parentsโ€™ room. โ€œMom?โ€ he whispered.
Mom rolled over and opened one eye. โ€œHmm?โ€
โ€œHow can I earn some money?โ€
โ€œWhat? Canโ€™t we talk about it later?โ€
โ€œOh, Mom, please? I canโ€™t go back to sleep until I know.โ€
โ€œKnow what?โ€
โ€œHow I can earn some money.โ€
โ€œWhy do you need money?โ€
โ€œTo buy a present.โ€
โ€œFor whom?โ€
โ€œI donโ€™t know yet, but it will be for someone special. Please, Mom?โ€
His mother thought for a moment, โ€œI guess you could do extra chores around the house.โ€
โ€œThanks, Mom!โ€
โ€œNow please go back to bed.โ€
Christopher ran to his room and climbed into bed, but he couldnโ€™t go back to sleep. All he could do was think about his Christmas present.
Every day for a week, Christopher washed walls, made beds, vacuumed, and dusted furniture; and each day he added nickels, dimes, and quarters to his money jar.
Before church on Sunday, his mother helped him count his money and take out enough to pay his tithing. Then she counted it again for him. He had two whole dollars left. โ€œWow!โ€ she said. โ€œYou sure earned a lot of money this week.โ€
Christopher grinned and slipped the money into his pocket.
โ€œHave you decided whom youโ€™re going to buy a present for?โ€
โ€œNot yet,โ€ said Christopher, โ€œbut Iโ€™ll think about it on the way to church.โ€
In Primary, Christopherโ€™s teacher talked about her mission in Korea. She let the children taste some Korean cookies, and she even let Christopher hold a doll that a Korean child had given to her. Near the end of her lesson, she asked, โ€œDo you know what I liked best about my mission?โ€
Christopher and his classmates shook their heads.
โ€œGiving the Book of Mormon to people and seeing how it changed their lives.โ€
Christopher felt her words settle in his heart and grow. He knew about the Book of Mormon, and he loved it too. He wished he could share it with someone, just as his teacher had.
And then he knew what he would do! Excitement tingled through him. He could hardly wait to tell his mother.
โ€œDoes a Book of Mormon cost very much?โ€ he asked her after Primary.
โ€œNo, why?โ€
โ€œDo I have enough money to buy one?โ€
โ€œYes,โ€ she said with a smile. โ€œBut why? You already have a Book of Mormon.โ€
โ€œI want to give it to someoneโ€”itโ€™s my present.โ€ He stuffed his hand deep inside his pocket and pulled out the money. โ€œNow what?โ€
His mother led him to the bishopโ€™s office and filled out a donation slip for him. He put the money into the envelope and handed it to the bishop. โ€œMake sure this goes to someone special, please,โ€ he said.
The bishop smiled and nodded.
As they walked out of the office, Christopher whisper-sang the words to โ€œAway in a Manger.โ€ He thought about the star that led the Wise Men to Christ. He even thought about the Christmas lights that looked just like candles blinking on a hillside. But the thought he liked most of all was how he would feel next week, when he had another after-Christmas Christmas.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Children ๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local) ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Members (General)
Bishop Book of Mormon Children Christmas Family Missionary Work Service Teaching the Gospel Tithing

Just Hanging Out

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Paul told his bishop that he and a girl had problems but insisted it wasn't serious because they were just hanging out, not dating. The bishop also spoke with the girl, who felt the same way. After counseling with their bishop, they realized that even non-date situations can lead to undesirable outcomes and that standards still apply.
โ€œItโ€™s not like we were on a date, Bishop,โ€ said Paul. โ€œWe were just hanging out.โ€ Fifteen-year-old Paul was trying to explain why he was having moral problems with a young lady whom he had never โ€œdated.โ€ When the bishop spoke with the young lady, she, like Paul, failed to grasp the seriousness of what they had done because, after all, they werenโ€™t โ€œdating.โ€

After Paul and his โ€œgirlfriendโ€ spoke with their bishop, they realized that they could get themselves into negative and undesirable situations even when it wasnโ€™t a formal dating situation. Everyone will be happier if we worry less about what does or doesnโ€™t qualify as a โ€œdateโ€ and more about keeping our covenants. Perhaps some of the suggestions from the young people in my ward can help others hang in as they hang out.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Youth ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local)
Bishop Chastity Covenant Dating and Courtship Temptation

I Played a Hymn!

Summary: Inspired by an older brother, a youth set a goal to play a hymn in sacrament meeting and practiced daily with help from an uncle. After 10 months, they learned 'Joseph Smithโ€™s First Prayer.' When COVID-19 led leaders to cancel church meetings, the family held church at home and the parents assigned the youth to play the opening song. Playing the hymn at home fulfilled the goal and brought the Spirit into their home.
The first time I heard my big brother Allan play the piano in sacrament meeting, I wanted to do the same thing. It became one of my Children and Youth goals to play a hymn in sacrament meeting.
Since then, Iโ€™ve been studying piano with my uncle Ken. Each day I try to practice for at least 30 minutes. After 10 months, I was able to play the hymn โ€œJoseph Smithโ€™s First Prayerโ€ (Hymns, no. 26).
Then came COVID-19. Church leaders canceled Sunday meetings. They said we should have church at home. Mom and Dad gave us each an assignment. They asked me to play the opening song, and I played โ€œJoseph Smithโ€™s First Prayer.โ€ I was able to accomplish my goal of playing a hymn in sacrament meeting! I could feel the Spirit in our home.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Youth ๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค General Authorities (Modern) ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Children Family Holy Ghost Music Sacrament Meeting

Observing the Word of Wisdomโ€”

Summary: While entertaining for business and personal occasions, the author and his wife used two approaches. For casual visits, they told friends they were being treated like family and served only what the family ate. For special events, they informed guests in advance it would be a 'Mormon party,' and when someone forgot and smoked, a gentle reminder led them to step outside.
As hosts, we had two styles. According to our agreement with the bank, we entertained โ€œbank styleโ€ for business purposes when they paid the billโ€”the waiters, the caterers, etc. But there were many occasions when business friends would drop in unexpectedly and we would invite them to dinner. We would say, โ€œYouโ€™re here as our friends, and we want to treat you as family.โ€ We would serve them only what we were serving the familyโ€”no coffee, no drinks.
At other times, when it was a special affair of our own, such as a party for relatives or visiting Church dignitaries from Salt Lake City, we would tell our guests in advance that this was to be a โ€œMormon partyโ€ and they would understand what was expected of them. Nearly always, if some smoked, they had simply forgotten and would go outside when given a gentle reminder.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Church Members (General) ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Family Friendship Word of Wisdom

Special Olympic Helpers

Summary: A group of Latter-day Saint youth volunteered at the 1995 Special Olympics World Games in Connecticut as part of a combined youth conference. Inspired by Lee Nortonโ€™s experiences with his brother Robert and earlier Special Olympics volunteering, the teens served in many ways and learned the joy of helping the athletes. By the end of the Games, Lee reflected that the service was meaningful because the athletes would remember the volunteers, and he would remember them. Seeing the athletesโ€™ happiness reminded him of his brother Robert and the impact Special Olympics had on his life.
Robertโ€™s memory lived on when the Special Olympics became a great thing for a group of Latter-day Saint teenagers, tooโ€”including Lee.
During the summer of 1995, leaders of three stakes in the United Statesโ€”in Connecticut and Rhode Islandโ€”were planning to combine three youth conferences into one. โ€œThe stake leaders were interested in youth conference ideas, and they asked kids what they felt like doing,โ€ recalls Lee, 15, a teacher in the New Haven Stakeโ€™s Newtown Ward. โ€œWe talked about doing community serviceโ€”you know, gardening and stuff like that.โ€
Then came the suggestion to help at the Ninth Special Olympic World Games, to be held in and around New Haven, Connecticut. The idea was met with great enthusiasm, and it wasnโ€™t long before more than 400 Latter-day Saint youth from the three stakes were signed up as volunteers.
The youth conference theme was โ€œYe Are the Light of the World.โ€ And the LDS teens were just that. They served in a wide range of waysโ€”from cheerleading to working in concession stands. โ€œWe really felt that we were like a candle and we could pass that light on to each other through caring about and serving these athletes. You really can do that by just being a great example,โ€ says Lee, who couldnโ€™t have asked for a better way to serve. The competitions were in his home state, and if thereโ€™s one thing Lee knows, itโ€™s the Special Olympics.
Because of all the time he spent when his brother Robert was competing, and then in 1994 when Lee was a Special Olympics volunteer for Connecticutโ€™s state games, Lee understood what volunteering at the World Games would involve. And he was able to watch other youth his age learn how much fun they could have through helping and serving special-needs athletes.
โ€œI was really happy to see that all the kids were totally involved. They went up to the athletes and gave them hugs, high-fives, or whatever they needed,โ€ says Lee.
Ben Johansen agrees. โ€œWe had a lot of fun. We wanted to serve, and everything was totally focused on serving. These athletes do their best with the abilities theyโ€™ve been given. Iโ€™ve learned that the winners in this life are the ones who do the most with what they have, not who crosses the finish line first.โ€
The first International Special Olympics was held in July 1968 in Chicago, Illinois. It involved 1,000 Special Olympians from Canada and the United States. It has grown to include more than 7,000 athletes from about 140 countries and to involve 45,000 volunteers. In 1993, for the first time, the winter Special Olympics were held outside North America, in Austria. European summer Special Olympics have been held in Belgium and Scotland.
At 1995โ€™s track-and-field venue in Connecticut, the LDS youths gathered near where the athletes entered the track and shook hands, gave pats on the back, and offered encouragement. The athletesโ€™ smiles got even bigger when their LDS helpers asked for their autographs.
โ€œThey are really happy when you smile or say congratulations to them. As soon as you start talking to them, they become cheerful and talkative,โ€ says Stephanie Perry.
That attitude rubbed off on the LDS volunteers, too.
โ€œAt other youth conferences Iโ€™ve been to, we do service, and then one of our leaders gets a letter of thanks. Half the people who worked on the project donโ€™t even realize what we did was appreciated. Itโ€™s so much better being interactive,โ€ says Merilee Hales. โ€œYou could see the excitement these kids had when we would shake their hands and give high-fives.โ€
Says Ben Stratford, โ€œThe best thing about it was the time we spent with the Special Olympians and the example they provided for me.โ€
On a brutally hot day in New Haven, many of the young men and young women gathered in Yale Universityโ€™s football stadium with brooms in hand. Their job was to sweep up debris in preparation for the Gamesโ€™ closing ceremonies. While Lee swept piles of garbage into bags, he stopped to consider what they had been doing during their three days of service.
โ€œSweeping is just manual work. After youโ€™re done sweeping, the stadium is not going to remember you sweeping it,โ€ he says. โ€œBut these athletes will remember you. Theyโ€™ll remember us. Thatโ€™s what really means a lot to me. And I will remember them.โ€
When Lee was interacting with the Special Olympians, he had seen real joy and happiness, especially when the athletes would smile at him.
And as Lee smiled back, he couldnโ€™t help but think of his brother Robert.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local) ๐Ÿ‘ค Youth ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Members (General)
Charity Disabilities Kindness Light of Christ Service Young Men

Emmeline B. Wells

Summary: At fifteen, Emmeline married James Harris and moved with his family to Nauvoo, where she met Joseph Smith. Facing pressure from Jamesโ€™s parents to leave the Church, the young couple refused; then their newborn son died, and James left to find work and never returned. Grieving at sixteen, Emmeline chose to stay in Nauvoo, taught school, married Bishop Newel Whitney, and later journeyed to Salt Lake City, where she gave birth shortly after arriving.
After finishing school, Emmeline began teaching in Orange, Massachusetts, for $1.50 a week. However, her teaching career was soon cut short. Fearing that her daughter, standing alone, might not be able to withstand the persecutions against the Church, Diadama arranged a quick marriage in July 1843 between Emmeline and James Harris, a son of the local branch president. The youngsters were both fifteen years old at the time.
In April 1844 Emmeline left Massachusetts with her husband and his family for Nauvoo, Illinois. Upon their arrival in Nauvoo, Emmeline had the privilege of meeting and shaking the hand of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was cruelly martyred just a few months later.
Times were hard for the Saints, and Jamesโ€™s parents wanted to leave the Church. They entreated their son and his pregnant wife to join them, but the young couple refused. Emmeline and Jamesโ€™s child, a son, was born in September 1844, but he died several weeks later. After losing their child, James left to find work and never returned.
Grieving and alone at the age of sixteen, Emmeline decided to remain in Nauvoo and teach school. She became acquainted with Bishop Newel Whitney, and on February 14, 1845, they were married. In 1848, Emmeline traveled with Newel and his family to Salt Lake City, Utah. Within two weeks of their arrival in the Valley, Emmeline gave birth to a girl.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Early Saints ๐Ÿ‘ค Youth ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local) ๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค Children ๐Ÿ‘ค Pioneers ๐Ÿ‘ค Joseph Smith
Adversity Apostasy Bishop Children Death Education Employment Faith Family Grief Joseph Smith Marriage Religious Freedom Women in the Church

Marau Brothers of Papeete, Tahiti

Summary: As a young father, Iosua refused formal missionary discussions but allowed sister missionaries to hold family home evenings in his home. Through these gatherings, he learned the gospel and was baptized in 1968. Ever since, he has held weekly family home evening without missing a week.
Her dad is the bishop of the Arue Ward in the Pirae Tahiti Stake, is a sealer in the Papeete Tahiti Temple, and is a trusted employee of the Bank of Tahiti, so he is a very busy man. Yet he remembers 26 years ago, when he was a young father and the sister missionaries came to teach him the gospel. He refused to take the missionary discussions but agreed to let the sisters come and hold family home evenings. They came, and along with the prayers, the songs, the fun, and the refreshments, they taught him the gospel. Family home evening has held a special place in his heart ever since. From the time he was baptized in 1968, he has not let a single week pass without holding a family home evening.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Missionaries ๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local)
Baptism Bishop Conversion Family Family Home Evening Missionary Work Sealing Teaching the Gospel Temples

Ministering to All

Summary: The speaker describes being assigned by President M. Russell Ballard to visit leaders and members in their homes and apartments, then learning through mistakes how to minister naturally and normally. As they continued ministering, the Lord placed people in their path, including a returned missionary with faith questions who felt helped simply by being greeted. The story concludes by linking their experience to the Saviorโ€™s example in 3 Nephi: as they helped bring others to Christ, they themselves were blessed. The lesson is that ministering to others can heal both those we serve and our own wounds as we invite people to โ€œcome and seeโ€ and โ€œcome and help.โ€
When President M. Russell Ballard set me apart as the new president of the Provo Utah YSA First Stake, he provided a simple and specific assignment: โ€œGo visit your leaders and members in their homes and apartments!โ€ That was it; he gave no other training or assignments.
Coordinating our efforts with our bishops, we started on Tuesday, two days after our stake conference. As we ministered in our stake, we made mistakes, missed opportunities, and often thought, โ€œI could have said that betterโ€ or โ€œI wish we had asked a better question.โ€
Brigham Young University President Kevin J Worthen observed that โ€œfailing is a critical component of our eternal progressโ€”our quest for perfection. And because of the Atonement we canโ€”if we respond to failures in the right wayโ€”be blessed with a new kind of learning that allows our failures to become part of the perfecting process.โ€4
This was our experience as we learned to minister to the leaders and members of the stake and to others we met. As we continued ministering, the Lord began to put more and more people in our path.
On one occasion, one of my counselors, J. B. Haws, and I were walking between apartment complexes when we met a young man in the parking lot. We stopped to say hello and found out that he was moving out of our stake. We talked for a moment and discovered that he was a returned missionary facing questions about his faith. My counselor is a master teacher who connects with people easily. Answering questions like these was natural and normal for J. B. I could see in this young manโ€™s eye a light that may have been missing for some time reappear as they talked.
It was obvious that J. B. was interested in him and in his questions and concerns. The young man opened himself up because J. B. showed compassion. My counselorโ€™s โ€œbowels were filledโ€ with love, and he had a desire to understand this young man without judging him. J. B. asked if we could visit him once he settled into his new apartment. The young man nodded, mobile numbers were exchanged, and a promise to follow up with him was made.
Before we left, we asked if there was anything we could do to help. He said, โ€œStopping to say hello was one of the most important things you could have done for me today.โ€ Later that evening, I thought to myself, โ€œIf J. B. and I had not been out ministering, we may never have met this young man.โ€
It seems the Lord knew that we would be ministering that evening, so He placed this young man in our pathโ€”trusting we would see him and minister to him.
When we desire to minister to all as we go about our daily lives, the Lord will place people in our paths because He trusts us that we will look up from our mobile phones, take a moment to smile at a stranger, or ask a question from someone we have met in the market or wherever we find ourselves at school, work, or church.
Image from Getty Images
Looking back on the Saviorโ€™s example in 3 Nephi, I discovered an important principle about ministering. As you will remember:
โ€œIt came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.
โ€œAnd they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tearsโ€ (3 Nephi 17:9โ€“10; emphasis added).
Notice that those ministering brothers and sisters who helped bring those they knew and loved closer to Jesus Christ also found themselves at the Saviorโ€™s feet, bowing, worshipping, and kissing and bathing His feet with their tears.
As we minister to all, we will see Christ healing emotional, spiritual, and physical wounds. And as we invite others to โ€œcome and seeโ€ and โ€œcome and helpโ€ in natural and normal ways, we will find our own wounds being healed too.
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๐Ÿ‘ค General Authorities (Modern) ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local) ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Members (General)
Apostle Atonement of Jesus Christ Bishop Ministering Service

Help Them Aim High

Summary: As a deacon, Eyring dreamed of baseball and attended a Yankees game with his father. Later, his father took him to a patriarch in Salt Lake City, where a blessing revealed his heartโ€™s desire: he was a peacemaker. The experience profoundly shaped his life, marriage, and priesthood service.
When I became a deacon at the age of 12, I lived in New Jersey, 50 miles (80 km) from New York City. I dreamed of being a great baseball player. My father agreed to take me to see a game played in the old and storied Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx. I can still see the swing of the bat as Joe DiMaggio hit a home run into the center field stands with my father sitting beside me, the only time we ever went to a major league baseball game together.
But another day with my father shaped my life forever. He took me from New Jersey to the home of an ordained patriarch in Salt Lake City. I had never seen the man before. My father left me at the doorstep. The patriarch led me to a chair, placed his hands on my head, and pronounced a blessing as a gift from God that included a declaration of the great desire of my heart.
He said that I was one of those of whom it had been said, โ€œBlessed are the peacemakers.โ€ I was so surprised that a perfect stranger could know my heart that I opened my eyes to see the room where such a miracle was happening. That blessing of my possibilities has shaped my life, my marriage, and my priesthood service.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค Youth ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local)
Family Marriage Miracles Patriarchal Blessings Peace Priesthood Priesthood Blessing Revelation Young Men

Sisters in Zion

Summary: In a small Albuquerque branch, the branch presidentโ€™s wife, the district presidentโ€™s wife, and the Relief Society president welcomed newcomers and converts. After two years of observing their influence, the first stake was created. A temple was later established there.
My tutorial in the influence of faithful women continued in a small branch of the Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I watched the branch presidentโ€™s wife, the district presidentโ€™s wife, and the Relief Society president warm the heart of every newcomer and convert. The Sunday I left Albuquerque, after two years observing the influence of sisters there, the first stake was created. Now the Lord has placed a temple there.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local) ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Members (General)
Conversion Missionary Work Relief Society Temples Women in the Church

Sink or Swim

Summary: As a child with paralysis, the narrator enjoyed family pool outings where water offered temporary freedom. His brother swam him into deep water and let go, expecting him to swim, but he sank until their father rescued him. The experience sparked a lasting fear of water, leading him to watch from the poolside on future visits.
At the age of two I was in a farming accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down. However, I was fortunate enough to be raised in a family who overlooked the disability and treated me just like everyone else.
We always enjoyed swimming at the local pool. One evening at the pool, when I was about 9 or 10, as I โ€œwalkedโ€ up and down the edge of the pool (my weightlessness in the water allowed me for a short time to be like everybody else), I watched my family laughing, splashing, and diving from the sides. My brother Robert, who is two years older than I am, thought I was not having as much fun as the rest, so he decided to help me. He told me to hold on to his shoulders, and he would swim me over to the far side of the pool. He said it would be fun. He was right; it was fun. I played on the other side, and as long as my feet could touch the bottom, I felt safe and secure.
Then Robert came to take me back. This time he veered from the shallow end, and I was soon in deep water. Suddenly he stopped and with a quick movement he turned and pulled my arms off of his shoulders and said, โ€œOK, now swim.โ€ Then he let go, and it was a matter of sink or swim. I sunk! Robert thought for sure I would swim. Luckily my dad had been keeping an eye on us, and he was at my side instantly. I grabbed onto his strong shoulders, and he led me back to the shallow end of the pool. As a result of that experience, I developed a fear of the water. I would still go with my family on these outings, but I would usually watch from the safety of the poolside deck chairs.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค Children ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Adversity Children Disabilities Family Parenting

Miracles and Maoris

Summary: When temporarily without a companion, Elder Cowley battled homesickness by immersing himself in studying the Maori language and visiting local friends. On February 8, he studied for hours, then walked to a Maori home where he made new friends and discussed religion. These actions helped sustain him emotionally and spiritually.
But by early February 1915, Elder Cowley was temporarily without a companion (a difficulty not encountered by present-day missionaries), and he battled homesickness by studying the Maori language and visiting his Maori friends. His journal entry for 8 February is typical: โ€œThis is a very lonely place and I am afraid that I would be inclined to be homesick if I didnโ€™t have my books to study. โ€ฆ After studying several hours I took a walk up the road to another Maori home. Here I made some new friends and had a little religious conversation.โ€3
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๐Ÿ‘ค Missionaries ๐Ÿ‘ค General Authorities (Modern) ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Adversity Diversity and Unity in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Education Friendship Missionary Work

Friend to Friend

Summary: Keith describes โ€œthe hollerโ€ near Hyrum where his grandfather kept pastures. As grandchildren, they took cows to pasture each morning, spent the day swimming, fishing, hunting, and playing with cousins, and then brought the cows home to be milked. It was a cherished childhood routine.
โ€œBefore the big dam was built near Hyrum, there was an open place called โ€˜the holler.โ€™ Thatโ€™s where my Grandfather Wilson had his pastures. One of the grandchildrenโ€™s duties was to take the cows down to pasture every morning. Nearby was a stream where we fished and swam. The โ€˜hollerโ€™ was located between Hyrum and the town of Paradise. The holler was truly a paradise for us kids. Weโ€™d get together there with our cousins and swim, fish, hunt, and play all day long. Toward evening we would get the cows and lead them back home to be milked.โ€
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๐Ÿ‘ค Children ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Children Family Happiness

What Daniel Forgot

Summary: Daniel helps his grandma set the table but keeps forgetting items. After adding plates, utensils, glasses, and napkins, he learns he also forgot to turn the chairs for family prayer, a treasured tradition in Grandma's home. He corrects the oversight and expresses his love for family prayer.
Daniel loved to visit Grandma. He liked to help Grandma. She asked Daniel if he would set the table. Daniel put the plates on the table. Then Daniel put forks and spoons and knives on the table. โ€œYou forgot something,โ€ Grandma said. โ€œI forgot the glasses,โ€ Daniel said. Daniel put the glasses on the table. โ€œYou forgot something,โ€ Grandma said again. โ€œI forgot the napkins,โ€ Daniel said. He put the napkins on the table. โ€œYou forgot something else,โ€ Grandma said. Daniel looked at the table. He had remembered plates, forks, spoons, knives, glasses, and napkins. โ€œWhat did I forget?โ€ Daniel asked. Grandma smiled. โ€œYou forgot to turn the chairs around for family prayer.โ€ Daniel smiled too. He turned the chairs around so his family could kneel around the table for prayer. โ€œHow could I forget?โ€ Daniel asked. โ€œI love family prayer at Grandmaโ€™s house.โ€
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๐Ÿ‘ค Children ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Children Family Prayer Service

In Search of Treasure

Summary: In 1893, talented violinist Benjamin Landart was invited to join a territorial orchestra, promising income and success. His bishop asked him to serve a mission instead, and Benjamin chose to sell his beloved violin to finance it. Decades later, he recorded that this was the greatest decision of his life and that God had not forgotten him.
A story written by Karen Nolen, which appeared in the New Era in 1974, tells of a Benjamin Landart who, in 1888, was 15 years old and an accomplished violinist. Living on a farm in northern Utah with his mother and seven brothers and sisters was sometimes a challenge to Benjamin, as he had less time than he would have liked to play his violin. Occasionally his mother would lock up the violin until he had his farm chores done, so great was the temptation for Benjamin to play it.
In late 1892 Benjamin was asked to travel to Salt Lake to audition for a place with the territorial orchestra. For him, this was a dream come true. After several weeks of practicing and prayers, he went to Salt Lake in March of 1893 for the much anticipated audition. When he heard Benjamin play, the conductor, a Mr. Dean, told Benjamin he was the most accomplished violinist he had heard west of Denver. He was told to report to Denver for rehearsals in the fall and learned that he would be earning enough to keep himself, with some left over to send home.
A week after Benjamin received the good news, however, his bishop called him into his office and asked if he couldnโ€™t put off playing with the orchestra for a couple of years. He told Benjamin that before he started earning money there was something he owed the Lord. He then asked Benjamin to accept a mission call.
Benjamin felt that giving up his chance to play in the territorial orchestra would be almost more than he could bear, but he also knew what his decision should be. He promised the bishop that if there were any way to raise the money for him to serve, he would accept the call.
When Benjamin told his mother about the call, she was overjoyed. She told him that his father had always wanted to serve a mission but had been killed before that opportunity had come to him. However, when they discussed the financing of the mission, her face clouded over. Benjamin told her he would not allow her to sell any more of their land. She studied his face for a moment and then said, โ€œBen, there is a way we can raise the money. This family [has] one thing that is of great enough value to send you on your mission. You will have to sell your violin.โ€
Ten days later, on March 23, 1893, Benjamin wrote in his journal: โ€œI awoke this morning and took my violin from its case. All day long I played the music I love. In the evening when the light grew dim and I could see to play no longer, I placed the instrument in its case. It will be enough. Tomorrow I leave [for my mission].โ€
Forty-five years later, on June 23, 1938, Benjamin wrote in his journal: โ€œThe greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved to the God I loved even more. He has never forgotten me for it.โ€
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๐Ÿ‘ค Missionaries ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Leaders (Local) ๐Ÿ‘ค Church Members (General) ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Bishop Faith Family Missionary Work Music Obedience Prayer Sacrifice

Long-term Aid Helps Tsunami Victims Along the Road to Recovery

Summary: Kamaruzzaman, one of only two surviving teachers from his school, saw education continue in makeshift conditions after the tsunami. With newly built schools, he became a head schoolmaster. He explains that students now learn in better conditions and feel more hopeful about the future.
Many of the areaโ€™s teachers were killed in the tsunami, creating a significant teacher shortage. Kamaruzzaman, a teacher from Banda Aceh, is one of just two surviving teachers from his school. With the loss of buildings, teachers, and children, the education system operated in a very makeshift fashion until these new schools were constructed.
โ€œThey have been going to a temporary building for schoolโ€”a community hall where there are about 40 students in the room,โ€ said Kamaruzzaman, who is now a head schoolmaster of a newly built school. โ€œThe students now have a better school thatโ€™s more helpful to learning. They now have a more hopeful future.โ€
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๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Adversity Children Education Emergency Response Hope

Unexpected Harvest

Summary: On a tape, Brother Desmurs shared gratitude and urged missionaries not to be discouraged, noting the family had displayed the authorโ€™s picture and asked missionaries if they knew her. The family spoke and prayed for the author. The author, deeply moved, opened a mailed French Book of Mormon containing the familyโ€™s photo and written testimony, feeling her mission had come full circle.
Brother Desmurs ended his portion of the tape recording by saying that he wished there were some way to tell all missionaries how important their work is, and not to get discouraged. He said they had found a member who had a picture of me, hung it in their living room, and asked every new missionary who came to Versailles if they knew me.
Brother Desmurs assured me that I would always be dear to their family because I had helped to plant the gospel seed, even though his own โ€œsoilโ€ had not been very fertile at the time and the nurturing and harvesting had come much later. The family members each spoke in turn, thanking me and praying for the Lordโ€™s blessings upon me.
As I finished listening to the recording, deeply affected by the words I had heard, I opened the French Book of Mormon they had mailed along with the tape. Inside was a picture of the Desmurs family along with their written testimonyโ€”a witness they had shared in this way with many of their countrymen.
I smiled through my tears. My missionary labors had gone full cycle. It had all begun with my own testimony of the Book of Mormon; no one knows where it will end. Indeed, how little any of us realize the effect our actions can have on the lives of others.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Church Members (General) ๐Ÿ‘ค Missionaries ๐Ÿ‘ค Other
Book of Mormon Conversion Faith Family Gratitude Missionary Work Patience Testimony

Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children

Summary: The narrator recalls lying by his father as he read scriptures and good books, watching him memorize uplifting quotes and discuss gospel topics at dinner. He remembers accompanying his father to serve the elderly, bringing treats and offering discreet financial help. These experiences created a warm feeling and a desire to emulate his father.
I remember my father stretched out by the fireplace, reading the scriptures and other good books, and I would stretch out by his side. I remember the cards he would keep in his shirt pocket with quotes of the scriptures and Shakespeare and new words that he would memorize and learn. I remember the gospel questions and discussions at the dinner table. I remember the many times my father took me to visit the elderlyโ€”how we would stop by to pick up ice cream for one or a chicken dinner for another or his final handshake with some money enclosed. I remember the good feeling and the desire to be like him.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Parents ๐Ÿ‘ค Children
Charity Children Education Family Kindness Ministering Parenting Scriptures Service Teaching the Gospel

Hiking the Wadi Kelt

Summary: Near the end of the difficult hike, David wanted to run ahead for a cold treat but noticed his younger brother Joseph struggling. He chose to stay and help Joseph up the last steep hill. He concludes by affirming his commitment to the Cub Scout promise to help others.
The last part of the hike was the hardest. The sun beat down on us, and my feet hurt. But I continued to run ahead and look for the place that marked the end of our hikeโ€”St. Georgeโ€™s Monastery.
At last I saw the great monastery, built on the side of the cliff. It sure looked neat, but I was just as interested in getting to the top, where a stand with cold drinks and ice cream was waiting.
I wanted to run ahead, but my little brother, Joseph, was having a hard time going up the last steep hillside, so I stayed behind and helped him.
Iโ€™m proud to be a Cub Scout, and I always try to live the Cub Scout promise to help other people.
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๐Ÿ‘ค Children
Children Family Kindness Service