by Jacob Wood – Highland Ward congregation

One evening, my wife asked me how far back my family members had been baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Curious to find out, I opened the Family Tree app and traced several lines of my ancestry. To my amazement, I discovered that both sides of my family included members who were baptized while Joseph Smith was still alive—one in 1838 and the other in 1843. As I continued researching, I found fascinating stories about my ancestors.

During my research, I learned that one ancestor had participated in a well-known church history event. I was able to read multiple newspaper articles and stories detailing his involvement. The next day at work, I shared my discovery with a coworker who is also a member of the church and has a strong interest in church and Utah history. We both opened our family trees and were surprised to find that we are tenth cousins.

Our conversation caught the attention of a nearby coworker who is not a member of the church. He asked how we figured out that we were cousins, so I showed him the Family Tree app and helped him log in. He was skeptical at first saying that “the Mormons would not know anything about his family tree.” However, after logging in and connecting himself to his great-grandfather, he was astonished by
the wealth of information available and the family history he had never known. He doubted the app would contain information about his wife, who was born and raised in Mexico, but after helping her download the app, she located a family member and linked to a family line with over 700 people, stretching back hundreds of years. Both my work colleague and his wife have now been communicating with their parents and grandparents to fill in more details and complete their family trees.

As we discussed the success that my coworker’s wife had with the family history app, another non- member coworker became interested in our conversation. Together, my colleague and I helped another work colleague log into the app, where he, too, found numerous family members and even discovered relatives who had once been members of the church.

Using the Family Tree app was a memorable experience, allowing us to show others how interconnected we truly are. It also served as a reminder of how important the power of connection is, and how aware our Heavenly Father is of each of us.

by Ethan Duncan

Before embarking on my full time, 2-year mission to the Philippines, I dedicated myself to thorough preparation, both spiritually and physically. My time at the Mission Training Center was deeply spiritual and uplifting, giving me confidence for what lay ahead. I left the center with high expectations, believing that my obedience to the Lord’s health-code called the Word of Wisdom and my experience running Cross Country in high school would enable me to walk without fatigue and that I would be blessed with the gift of tongues to quickly learn the Cebuano language. Most importantly, I expected all lingering doubts in my testimony to vanish once I began serving.

However, reality did not align with my expectations. Upon arriving in the Philippines, I struggled to communicate, fumbling over words and barely understanding the fast-paced Bukid dialect and thick accents. Despite my training, I found myself frequently tired from walking, and doubts about the gospel message I was teaching began to surface. To add to the difficulty, the only missionary in my apartment who could relate to me linguistically and culturally left his mission field early, leaving me feeling isolated and overwhelmed.

These challenges brought me to a low point; my heart was broken, and my testimony shaken. In hindsight, I realized that the Lord was preparing me for greater trials in life. At the time, though, it felt as if my world was ending, and I could only imagine the disappointment my family would feel if I returned home early. In desperation, I offered a sincere prayer, sitting on the cold, damp floor of our humble missionary apartment, hoping for a clear response. Yet, there was no immediate answer.

The heavens remained silent, my questions persisted, and my strength did not miraculously return. Despite this, I felt a quiet comfort—just enough to encourage me to keep trying. As I continued to show up each day, the Lord provided me with sufficient strength to serve one more day and take one more step.

Through these experiences, I came to understand that the Lord was guiding me through a process of being born again, enabling me to become more than I was before. Even now, I am imperfect in my speech, including English, I still experience fatigue, and I still have unanswered questions. However, the Lord allows me to continue repenting and renewing my broken heart.

Repeated trials and failures have given me the chance to develop a contrite spirit and gain an eternal perspective, as though I have been spiritually reborn. This transformation did not happen overnight or through a single experience. Like pieces of broken stained glass forming a beautiful mosaic, my testimony is now rooted in the beautiful message of Jesus Christ as my Savior.

by Jeff Larson – Highland Ward

For work, I was south of the Valley where I found myself in the middle of an intersection taking a left turn. That’s when I saw a fully loaded semi truck about to plow into the driver’s side of the car and T-bone me. It all happened quickly, and as I looked out the driver’s side window all I could see was the word ‘Peterbilt’ on the front of the truck’s grill. 

My immediate thought was “I’m a goner”. As quickly as it happened I did have a second thought; “I will finally see for myself if the gospel is true!”

The impact was tremendous. My car spun around several times and shoved my body into the passenger seat. Although I fractured three ribs and a shoulder blade, I walked out of the hospital that same afternoon. I had only been married a year up to this point in my life, and the Lord preserved me so that my beautiful bride and I could have four wonderful children and eight amazing grandchildren! 

Yes the gospel is true I testify with all my soul!

by William ‘Butch’ Bodine

Whenever we go on vacation, we always make it a part of our trip to attend church. This time our closest branch was in Browning, Montana. This small branch served the residents of the Blackfoot reservation. When we arrived, we were greeted by two full-time missionaries and the branch president. The missionaries explained that there were only about 12 members who came regularly.

We also met the counselor in the stake presidency who was visiting that day to announce some stake business. After the meeting we struck up a short conversation with him because he had lived in the area we are living in right now.

My home stake is approximately 1½ square miles. I asked Pres. Campbell about the size of his stake as compared to the stake in our area which he had moved from.   He responded that it takes him about two hours of driving to get from one end to the other end of his stake.

When I heard his explanation, I could imagine the hours and days spent each week driving very rural areas to small branches/wards like the one in Browning and in various other far distant locations in his stake to serve the Saints and help them grow in faith.

Pres. Campbell also said that, “When I was called, I decided to covenant my truck, my gas and my time to serve in this position”.

God does not select individuals based on their perceived qualifications, experience, or readiness. Instead, He calls people and then equips them for the task, transforming their inadequacies into opportunities to demonstrate His power.

We may not be called upon to serve in demanding leadership positions nor may we feel that we have any special skill, talent or high level of spirituality. But we all have the ability to covenant to the Lord, things that we do have  even if it’s only a truck, gas and time.

Thursday, March 27, 2025 Sharna was baptised and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is pictured here with Elders Kishig-Ochir and Pututau. She will be attending the Adobe ward congregation.

by Butch and Delynn Bodine
Highland Ward congregation

For a month we had looked forward to our trip in our travel trailer. As we sat in the driveway, ready to pull out, I paused and said, “let’s say a prayer”. My wife responded that we had already prayed this morning for our trip. I replied, “Let’s pray again to make sure that we bless our house, that it will be safe while we are gone, and that we will arrive at our destination safely.”

About 20 minutes down the road, I noticed the trailer was wobbling back and forth and bouncing up and down more than in the past. As we continued down the road, it suddenly occurred to me that I had not put the stabilizer bars on the trailer, causing it to bounce more than usual. If we continued to our destination, which was only two hours away, it would be a minor annoyance, but we would be fine. Instead, my wife suggested we return home and put the stabilizers on even though it would delay our trip by 45 minutes.

After the short trip back to our house, we pulled into the driveway only to discover that we had left the garage door fully open, and our entrance door into the house from the garage unlocked. If we had not returned for the stabilizers, valuable tools, our other car, and our entire house would have been exposed and vulnerable to anyone walking by for three days.

Often God prompts us to do things that we think may be unnecessary. We try to rationalize that “it will be fine” and to “just keep on going”. When we listen to God’s promptings, He will bless us in ways we had not realized and lead us to open doors with answers to our prayers with tender mercies.

by Elder Bradley Jensen
Currently serving in the
Madagascar Antananarivo South Mission

A tradition I have had with several of my companions is that every time one of us has a spiritual prompting or inspiration while in a public place, we call out to each other with the codeword “Pineapple”. We use this word to privately express that we have just been inspired by the spirit to act or respond to that prompt.

Randomly during our area study time, with no prompting other than the spirit, my companion says “Pineapple, do you remember (so-and-so)?”

This resulted in a phone call, an appointment, and ultimately, a miracle. They came to church, and we are now hoping to see them start progressing in their understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “that we can hear God by acting on the promptings we receive…”.  Elder Gary E Stevenson of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles said, “the Spirit communicates quietly through feelings, impressions to the mind and heart.  Communications from the Spirit feel different to different people.”  He encouraged us to learn to recognize the promptings of the Spirit and to act on those promptings.

When was the last time you received a “Pineapple”? Did you act upon it, or did you set it aside thinking you would do it later, or was it just a random thought?

Never ignore the “Pineapples” in our life.

By Bishop Reggie Haywood

I love to put my soda in the freezer for just a few minutes so they get a little icy inside the can. The problem is that sometimes I forget they are there, and they explode all over the freezer. My patient wife asked me several times to stop doing that, so she didn’t have to clean up the mess.

 I promised her I wouldn’t do it anymore and did really well for several months, but then I relapsed and did it again with disastrous results. With patients worn thin, she confronted me with, “you promised!” I responded with something hurtful. Instead of a conversation that would end in further unpleasant feelings, she just walked away.

I immediately felt myself take a giant step away from the spirit, which is something I always wanted to have with me. I went into the closet of my room and knelt asking Heavenly Father for forgiveness for upsetting her. The Lord’s prompting came to me that it was her forgiveness I needed, and His. In my thoughts I said, “yes I’ll get to that in a while”, but the still small voice gently said to me “go to her now.”

I found my wife upstairs and said “I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I will keep my promise.”

She frankly forgave me and gave me a big hug and I immediately felt the spirit standing beside me again.

Matthew 5:23,24 describes the Savior’s pattern of repentance. Think about where and when you can repent and not wait a while but go now to act upon the subtle promptings and you will be blessed with the Holy Spirit in your life.

We welcome Roxanne Campos as the newest member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to the Mesa Mountain View Stake. Roxanne was baptized Saturday, February 22, and will be confirmed a member Sunday, February 23 in the Highland Ward Sacrament service. Roxanne is surrounded by her family, friends, full-time missionaries, and Bishop Lane Reynolds of the Highland Ward. Amazing grace – how sweet the sound –! She has an amazing story.

by Delynn Bodine
Highland ward congregation
The Chorister

December 2019, in the heart of England, a town with cobblestone streets, streetlamps and centuries old churches was ready for the Christmas season. The town of Warwick resembled the perfect Christmas with wreaths, lights and a larger-than-life Christmas tree in the center of town. While it is best known for its postcard castle where in years past it was frequented by queens, princes, earls, dukes, duchesses and other notables, most are not aware of a quiet miracle that took place at Christmastime not so long ago.

In an unassuming chapel near Town Square, a faithful group of Christians from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gather each Sunday to worship together and partake of holy sacraments. These followers of Christ pattern their lives after His teachings and strive to give of themselves and serve others.

At Christmastime, tradition calls for a choir to sing and all members of the small congregation were welcome to join and prepare music to sing at this special time of year. Singing experience wasn’t required – just a willing heart and voice. Even the full-time missionaries were recruited to increase numbers and achieve a proper balance of men and women. I chose a simple two-part melody with a piano accompaniment which shared a thoughtful message of the first Christmas night.

Many members of the choir had not sung in a choir before and were strategically placed next to a more experienced member, hopefully to better hear their part. The choir members rehearsed together for weeks in preparation for Christmas.

On the Sunday the choir was to sing, a young man named Tom Brannan was visiting the worship service with his father and happened to arrive early; the same time that choir members were holding a final run through before singing in church that day. Tom was invited to sing with them, and he willingly joined in. He had a nice voice, picked up the men’s part quickly and added a measure of support to the men’s section.

With just five minutes to spare before the service was to begin, word came that the choir pianist was unexpectedly delayed, and it was likely she would not make it in time for the performance. It would be impossible for this humble group to sing without a piano. Disappointment filled the room as the choir members soon realized they may not be singing in church that day; something they had looked forward to for some time.

As considerations were discussed, Tom came forward and said, “I don’t read music, but I play by ear, and I could try to play a few chords.” In that moment, he sat down at the piano, composed an accompaniment and a miracle was born. Tom played beautifully as the piano framed the melody.

The service began with Tom at the piano. I led the women in first, and next the men – all while the piano carried the song forward. Tears flowed freely as the words of the song filled the hearts and souls of those present. Tom’s unexpected offering brought a spirit of unity and strength. Imperfection was made perfect in that moment as the story of the first Christmas unfolded through music.

The experience sunk deep. It was a reminder that when we give of ourselves, miracles can happen. That is the true gift from God, offering our best and being made whole through His son Jesus Christ.

by Jamie Jan Hunt
Highland Ward congregation
Published with permission

My son Corbin recently gave a talk in church, and I was asked to share it on this page. It is an experience he had while at the Young Men encampment the Stake put on for the boys in the summer. Corbin is almost 15 years old, and this is his story.

At the YM encampment, one of the activities was repelling.  I have a terrible fear of heights and I was so scared. The mountain they wanted me to go down seemed like there was no way to ever reach the bottom.  My legs were shaking, and I was being overcome with emotions and fear.  I knew the only way I was going to be able to do this was if I just talked to Heavenly Father the whole time. And that’s exactly what I did.  I just kept praying and talking to Heavenly Father asking for His help and comfort.  Before I knew it, I had reached the bottom of the cliff! I was overcome with feelings of relief and happiness! I know the Lord helped me get through that situation, not just because I asked for His help, but because He loves me. Even though it was so scary, I would do it again, because after what I went through, I now have even more assurance that the Lord will help me, and I now have more faith than fear. Because of this experience, my testimony was strengthened. I know that it is true, that the Lord is always there for you and will send His Spirit to comfort you.

When we are faced with challenges of life, whether it be personal relationships, obeying commandments, financial struggles, fears, or depression we need to turn to prayer in the exact moment in time that we need it. We don’t need to wait until we can be kneeling at our bedside with her head bowed and her eyes closed to plead with the Lord for help. It can be a prayer as you are standing over the kitchen sink doing dishes, waiting in your car for the light to turn green, sitting at your office desk, or repelling down the face of the cliff. It can be anywhere at any time when you need the immediate power of prayer to help you with your fears and challenges in life.

by Craig Elggren
Adobe Ward congregation

As a practicing Certified Public Accountant who now makes a living as an expert in analyzing numbers,  I reflect upon my mother’s patience, persistence, and encouragement when I was a young boy. My favorite subject that I excelled in was recess and PE and was a straight-A student in those subjects throughout elementary school. All I really wanted to do was to play sports.  Reading, writing, and arithmetic were the least of my worries and something I did not focus on so maybe that is why they did not come easy to me. 

After a particular parent-teacher conference, my mother came home and said, “Craig, your teacher says that you are a really good kid,  but you need to work on your arithmetic”.  So after dinner, she helped me focus on something that would later become very important in my life. She would have for me an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, filed with arithmetic problems that I would have to work on until I got them all correct.  She would patiently do this for me and do basic addition, and subtraction, and then we moved on to multiplication problems until I had all my multiplication tables memorized, day after day,  week after week.  

It was her unselfish behavior that has allowed me to provide for my family doing something that I now love. It reminds me of the scripture promise in Colossians 1:23, “Continue in the faith … and be not moved away,”. This was not only a lesson in math but a lesson in life that you too can overcome challenges when you persist and seek help from others when struggling.

by Vickie Gallegos
Published with permission

When I was 12 years old my mother divorced for the second time. She and I moved to California to live near her two brothers, both of whom happened to be LDS. Later that fall my uncle baptized me. As I came up out of the water, I couldn’t remember ever feeling so clean and pure.

My mother was invited to attend a singles group where she met Joe. One day while driving with him, he asked me if it was okay if he married my mother. Not really wanting a third “dad”, but wanting my mom to be happy, I said yes, but I will call you Joe. At that time, I didn’t know how important Joe would become in my life. He baptized mom, and a year later they were sealed or joined together for eternity in the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the church we believe in temple marriages because it is only in the temple that families can make covenants or promises with God that last forever.

Through my high school years, when I was headed on the wrong path, Joe would guide me back with all the love of a father. I still only called him Joe. When I went away to college I missed him terribly, and then regretted never calling him Dad. One day I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to tell him how I felt. I called him and said, “Joe, I hope you know when I call you Joe, I mean it with all the love and affection as if I were calling you dad”. He simply said, “I know.” From that day forward he was my dad.

My life moved on, Joe had cancer and during his illness he took me aside and asked me to really pray about taking out my endowments which is a ceremony where I make covenants with promised blessing from God What a blessing to listen to Joes’ guidance and follow through. I still had one regret; I was never sealed or joined together for eternity to my parents. I thought I was too old, and I could not have the blessing of an eternal family, until one of my ministering sisters in my church said, “yes you can”. I was flabbergasted!

April 2024, at the age of 67, with both my mother and Joe deceased, I was able, with the help of church friends, to go to the temple and make covenants as an eternal family with Joe and my mother by proxy. In the temple I could feel the Holy Spirit so strongly that it gave me goosebumps. I am thrilled that finally after all these years, I feel at home and am part of an eternal family, forever. The joy I feel in my heart cannot be compared to anything else in my life.

It’s never too late to feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the desires to return to our heavenly home as a family through temple covenants and promises with God. If you have not done so, what are you waiting for? I encourage you to start the process today.

by Andrea Hale
Val Vista Ward congregation

I would like to tell a story of a young girl that grew up in Mesa, Arizona. Her family was extremely poor, although she did not understand just how bad it was until she was much older. She remembers going to school and saving half of her breakfast and lunch, so she would have something to eat after school. She would take toilet paper out of the bathroom stalls because they did not have any at home. For years, they did not have hot water, and she remembers how good it felt to run her hands under the warm water at school, especially in the winter. Once she got to junior high, she looked forward to taking hot showers after PE.

It was normal for their family to walk everywhere they went because they did not have a car. If she missed the bus, she would have to walk 6.5 miles to school. This became a regular occurrence, because this girl started getting in trouble at school and she was not allowed to ride the bus.

By eighth grade she was spending a lot of time with a rough group of friends. These ‘friends’ were doing drugs, drinking, shoplifting, and running away from home. They were getting in trouble with the law, and some friends were even pregnant and dropping out of school. Like her friends she was heading that way amazingly fast. But again, this was all she knew.

Her parents were alcoholics and drug addicts, which contributed to their living conditions. All their money and food stamps went toward drugs and alcohol. Because of their addictions her parents could not stay employed, which led to low self-esteem and mental health challenges. Their depression led to more substance and physical abuse in the home. It was common for the police to visit their home.

It was awful watching their father abuse their mother for years. The girl’s older brothers moved out by the time they were teenagers. The girl and her two young sisters could not wait until they were old enough to leave.

Her older brother had moved in with a friend and his family. Her brother started going to church with that family. Shortly after, her brother was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and later decided to serve a church mission. The girl was so excited for him to serve a mission, but worried about how their family would manage without him being around for two years.

Her dad lost another job and started drinking heavily. Thank goodness for a friend who gave the girls refuge in their home. That night the girl’s father took his own life.

The officer who responded that night reached out to the bishop and from then on, this family would be lifted-up and cared for by a loving ward family. The ward members lifted-up and provided meals and countless acts of service. One morning the girls’ family opened the door to see a brand-new washer and dryer sitting on their front porch. Over the years, the girl heard of other acts of service that lifted up her family. Church members were assigned a day to check in on the girls to make sure they had eaten, and if not, they would have them over for dinner and lift them up.

The girls brother returned from his mission and knew exactly what his family needed to be lifted up. He had the missionaries over the very same day he returned. His mom started taking the missionary lessons and every now and then the girls’ sister would join in.

The girl in this story was a stubborn one! She was almost sixteen years old and like many 16 years old, knew everything. She had no need for the missionary’s message. It took that girl a little while, but she finally did discover the need for the missionaries’ message to lift her up!

The girl in this story is me!

I learned about Joseph Smith and the first vision, the Holy Ghost, the Word of Wisdom and that we have a living prophet on the earth today. But the one thing that lifted me up above everything else was the plan of eternal families. I knew right then that I would see my dad again, in a healthier state without all the pain and afflictions of this life. I knew our family could be together forever. I knew I wanted an eternal family in my life. For the very first time, I had hope!

April 2024 will be 21 years since I made my decision to be baptized. It lifted me up and changed my life!

Remember how stubborn I am? My stubbornness turned out to be one of my strengths! After I was baptized, I never looked back. I said goodbye to anything and anyone that could stunt my growth, which included my home. My sisters and I moved in with our bishop’s family. They took such great care of us and lifted us up in ways they may never fully understand.

Years later the bishop (who is like my second dad) and I talked about those early years of us living with their family. He explained that he had been at a leadership training meeting and President Gorden B. Hinckley said, “When you save a girl, you save generations.” It was then that he and his wife knew they had an opportunity to lift us up by giving us the resources to live happy, beautiful lives.

I graduated from high school and even went to college. I was lifted up with good friends, and through them I met my husband. Now as a married mother of five children, Pres. Gorden B. Hinkley’s statement comes to mind as my three boys advanced in their priesthood offices. I was lifted-up with the realization that in the beginning I had no priesthood holder in my home and now I have four!

I have been lifted-up over the years and I owe it all to a loving Heavenly Father, who knows my needs. It may be hard to see the purpose of our trials while we are in the middle of them, but I know that as we try to have faith in Him, the reward will be better than we imagined. I would not have been ready to accept the gospel, without my trials. I needed to be humble and submissive to see how the gospel would lift me up.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “I testify that bad days come to an end, that faith always triumphs, and that heavenly promises are always kept.” 

I know this to be true and have seen it in my own life because I have been lifted-up!

by Jeff Larson
Highland Ward congregation
Published with permission

On August 8th, 1973, my father and I went on a routine morning flight around the valley before he went to work, something which we had done many times before. As we were over Roosevelt Lake the plane suddenly and without warning veered left and plunged into the water. I was trapped in the backseat and sinking fast unable to see because of oil & gas leakage. I somehow made it out and swam to the surface where luckily a boat was there waiting and took me to shore where an ambulance was waiting to rush me to the hospital where I spent the next twenty-four hours enduring every imaginable test a human body can have. By the grace of the Lord my body only received a scratch on my ear, so I was released 24 hours later.

The crash unfortunately took the life of my father on impact. Because of this trauma within six months, I faded into inactivity and turned my back on the Lord & His church spending the next seven years on a famine (apostle Paul says far away country) from Him enduring life events of my brothers’ suicide and other accidents.

 I finally stopped to “ask where do we go when we die?” Eventually through Christ’s love, the love of my brother’s family & others, I became active in the church again at the age of twenty-two. At twenty-three years old the Lord allowed me to serve Him on a mission to England. Whatever challenges you have in life, you can always rely upon the Lord and others to help you keep on His path.

by Cole Standage
Published with permission

While serving a mission in Mombasa, Kenya my companion and I were in an area that was mostly non-Christian, and we were struggling just to meet with people. As the afternoon waned on, we were getting ready to go back to our apartment when I was prompted to go to one more area. As we entered that area a disheveled looking man with a torn, dirty, ragged bag approached us and said, “I can see you are men of God, and I need God in my life. Can you help me with that”?

As we spoke to the man, we learned his name was Kevin. He was homeless, had no regular meals and collected plastic bottles for money so he had enough for a small meal every day. We told Kevin to meet us at the church building the next day at 12 noon sharp.

Sure enough, the next day without a watch or a phone, at 12 noon there was Kevin at the church. We started to teach him every day. He never asked us for money, but he put his faith in God and changed his life.

Before I left Africa, Kevin was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was ordained to the priesthood.

Working in Africa helped me see that I’ve been greatly blessed with an abundance of things we normally take for granted.  Kevin was an example of how to have faith in God, that God can change our lives regardless of our circumstances. Kevin also taught me the need of serving and being charitable to others.

I promise you as you continue to develop your faith in God and give service to others, your life will be changed, and you will be a better person.

by Marshall Richey

I was sitting in Maricopa County jail in Phoenix, AZ waiting to go to prison for the third time. I was bored so I got up and went to the LDS services provided by the jail system. Now I had been born and raised in the Church by terrific parents. I attended BYU in the late seventies, so I knew what the church standards were. I just decided to go my own way and prison is where I ended up. 

Anyway, back to my story. I went to the services and the lesson was on the 32nd Chapter of Alma about faith. So, at the end I asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon. I had read the Book of Mormon several times before this but never with real intent. This time I actually prayed while reading it. When I finished, I called upon Moroni’s promise and prayed to know for myself of the truthfulness of it. I was so overcome that I was brought to tears. I knew at that moment that the Book of Mormon and the Church was true for myself. I no longer relied on the testimonies of so many others including my mother and father. 

I will tell you that in my 30 years of inactivity I never didn’t believe in the church, I just didn’t want to live by it’s standards. I always knew what I was doing was wrong, I just didn’t want to stop. Anyway, from that moment on I have tried my best to be a good example of the church. I had to go and serve 5.5 years in prison but I lived by the church standards while locked up. There is a lot more to my story but that is it in a nut shell. I will tell you that I am happily married to a wonderful woman, I hold a Temple Recommend, and hold church callings. 

Heavenly Father never turned his back on me and was waiting with open arms for my return. The Holy Ghost watched over me always and saved me more than once from death with his warning and promptings. All I can say is it is never to late.

Kim LeSueur tells a personal story
Highland Ward congregation

“For many years our family went to a beautiful area near Prescott, Arizona and I spent many hours enjoying nature and the freedom that it provided me from the stresses of everyday life. I would wander the woods and go hiking amongst the beautiful trees, hills and mountains.

I had just bought a new pair of hiking boots and was very excited to try out my new hiking boots at our favorite spot in Prescott. After we arrived and got all settled in, I learned that just down the street from where our cabin was, a bear attack occurred and  injured one of our neighbors. I was frozen and could not get past my fear of walking in the same woods that I had safely walked in for years and years.

I learned three important lessons that day that you can use to overcome your fears. 1. Take your fears to the Lord. 2. Trust Him with faith to overcome your fears. 3. Allow the Lord to direct us.”

by Wilhelmina Pickett
Highland Ward congregation
Published with permission.

I was a young middle school teacher in Idaho, where the weather is bitterly cold in the winter. From my classroom window, I watched one of my students with flaming red hair and freckles walking across the snow-covered grounds shivering, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself only wearing a thin blue sweater.

All through the day I couldn’t stop thinking about this girl freezing as she walked to school. I found out the reason she came that way is because she did not own a coat. That evening, I decided to help and went to my mother-in-law who had extra coats from her older children and picked one that seemed to be perfect. It was orange plaid with a thick lining, but it was missing one button that was found in the coat pocket.

The next day, after the class was dismissed for lunch, I asked the redhead girl to stay, and I showed her the coat and had her try it on. She was delighted, the color of the coat matched her hair and seemed the perfect fit. I said, “Let’s sew the button on right now”, but she assured me she had the supplies at home and would attach it that evening, then left with a big smile on her face.

The next day, as I watched students arrive at school, I saw the redhead girl arriving again wearing the same blue, thin sweater and shivering in the bitter cold. Thoughts flashed through my mind. Why didn’t she wear the coat? Don’t redheads wear orange? Should I have helped her sew the button on that day?

At the end of class I again asked her to stay. I was curious. I wanted to know why she hadn’t worn the coat.

Her answer was one I had not even considered. She asked me not to be upset with her. She said she loved the coat and had sewn on the missing button. However, she explained. Her mother didn’t have a coat and had farther to walk to get to work than she had to go to school. The coat would make the perfect gift for her deserving mother. This young girl sacrificed her own comfort for her mother – a mother she dearly loved.

I have been the beneficiary of much service and sacrifice. I have felt the love of my dear Savior through many kind acts of kindness. There is no better time than now to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. We need to love the Lord our God with all our heart – and our neighbors as ourselves. We can show this love by our acts of service and sacrifice.

by Tera Mason

My Great Grandpa Pledger was living and working in London as an accomplished marble mason for the British Crown. His future felt secure until Queen Victoria died and the economy plummeted. Needing to care for his wife and seven children, he heard of better work in Australia. He went to the shipping docks where he spoke to a ship captain to see about arranging passage for himself. To help earn his way for the journey, Great Grandpa Pledger would clean out and refill the oil lamps on the ship.

The plan was for him to travel to Australia and work to save money. In time, he would send earnings back to his family so they could join him.

Upon arriving at the docks to pull out for Australia, Great Grandpa Pledger was devastated to find that the ship had already departed on an early tide! His frustration only lasted until sometime later when he learned that the ship had sunk and all aboard had drowned.

Only a few weeks later he sold all his furniture to obtain passage for his family to travel to the United States, not Australia. The Pledger family made their way to Utah, and his two oldest sons worked for a neighbor who happened to be a bishop, and their introduction to the Church began. The entire family was eventually baptized and later his son was called to be bishop to a ward of 1500 members.

How often have we found our best-laid plans altered or delayed without explanation?

Just like my great-grandfather, the next time you’re overcome with disappointment, failure, or unexpected events, learn to trust the Lord and remember his promise.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

As we surrender to His plan, we set aside our earthbound thoughts and allow His higher thoughts to direct our paths.

“An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future. It allows each of us to choose how we will live here on earth…Think Celestial!” President Russell M. Nelson

By Gannon Checketts

Persistence and being bold brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to someone who may not otherwise have listened.