"Look Not behind Thee"

"Look Not behind Thee"

Faith in Jesus Christ gives us strength to leave the past behind and look ahead to a brighter future.

3 Pretty Amazing People

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
..................................... Helen Keller

"WE ARE WHAT WE BELIEVE WE ARE"

C.S. LEWIS

First Presidency--follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer.

"Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet," for our salvation hangs on them.

First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.

Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.

Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

Sixth: The prophet does not have to say "Thus saith the Lord" to give us scripture.

Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

Eighth: The prophet is not limited by men's reasoning.

Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.

Tenth: The prophet may be involved in civic matters.

Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency--the highest quorum in the Church.

Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency--the living prophet and the First Presidency--follow them and be blessed; reject them and suffer.

Butt or Feet, its up to you

Butt Prints In The Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
and there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
when one must fight, and one must climb.
When one must rise and take a stand,
or leave their butt prints in the sand."

author unknown

Looking to See the Savior

Looking to See the Savior Pesident Uchtdorf said that at Christmastime we should look for things that remind us of the Savior’s life. Look up the scripture references below. UAdd a Note

Matthew 2:1–2

Luke 2:46

Matthew 15:32–38

Luke 8:49–55

Luke 23:33–34, 44–46

John 20:11–20

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.
..................................... Helen Keller

Express Gratitude

Too often I have failed to express gratitude for the faith and goodness of such people in my life. President James E. Faust stood at this pulpit 13 years ago and said, “As a small boy . . . , I remember my grandmother . . . cooking our delicious meals on a hot woodstove. When the wood box next to the stove became empty, Grandmother would silently . . . go out to refill it from the pile of cedar wood outside, and bring the heavily laden box back into the house. I was so insensitive . . . [that] I sat there and let my beloved grandmother refill [that] box.” Then, his voice choking with emotion, he said, “I feel ashamed of myself and have regretted my omission for all of my life. I hope someday to ask for her forgiveness.”3

If a man as perfect as I felt President Faust was can acknowledge his youthful oversight, I can do no less than make a similar admission and pay a long-overdue tribute of my own today.

When I was called to serve a mission back before the dawn of time, there was no equalization of missionary costs. Each had to bear the full expense of the mission to which he or she was sent. Some missions were very expensive, and as it turned out, mine was one of those.

As we encourage missionaries to do, I had saved money and sold personal belongings to pay my own way as best I could. I thought I had enough money, but I wasn’t sure how it would be in the final months of my mission. With that question on my mind, I nevertheless blissfully left my family for the greatest experience anyone could hope to have. I loved my mission as I am sure no young man has ever loved one before or since.

Then I returned home just as my parents were called to serve a mission of their own. What would I do now? How in the world could I pay for a college education? How could I possibly pay for board and room? And how could I realize the great dream of my heart, to marry the breathtakingly perfect Patricia Terry? I don’t mind admitting that I was discouraged and frightened.

Hesitantly I went to the local bank and asked the manager, a family friend, how much was in my account. He looked surprised and said, “Why, Jeff, it’s all in your account. Didn’t they tell you? Your parents wanted to do what little they could to help you get started when you got home. They didn’t withdraw a cent during your mission. I supposed that you knew.”

Well, I didn’t know. What I do know is that my dad, a self-educated accountant, a “bookkeeper” as they were called in our little town, with very few clients, probably never wore a new suit or a new shirt or a new pair of shoes for two years so his son could have all of those for his mission. Furthermore, what I did not know but then came to know was that my mother, who had never worked out of the home in her married life, took a job at a local department store so that my mission expenses could be met. And not one word of that was ever conveyed to me on my mission. Not a single word was said regarding any of it. How many fathers in this Church have done exactly what my father did? And how many mothers, in these difficult economic times, are still doing what my mother did?

My father has been gone for 34 years, so like President Faust, I will have to wait to fully thank him on the other side. But my sweet mother, who turns 95 next week, is happily watching this broadcast today at her home in St. George, so it’s not too late to thank her. To you, Mom and Dad, and to all the moms and dads and families and faithful people everywhere, I thank you for sacrificing for your children (and for other people’s children!), for wanting so much to give them advantages you never had, for wanting so much to give them the happiest life you could provide.

My thanks to all you wonderful members of the Church—and legions of good people not of our faith—for proving every day of your life that the pure love of Christ “never faileth.”4 No one of you is insignificant, in part because you make the gospel of Jesus Christ what it is—a living reminder of His grace and mercy, a private but powerful manifestation in small villages and large cities of the good He did and the life He gave bringing peace and salvation to other people. We are honored beyond expression to be counted one with you in such a sacred cause.

As Jesus said to the Nephites, so say I today:

“Because of your faith . . . , my joy is full.

“And when he had said these words, he wept.”5

Brothers and sisters, seeing your example, I pledge anew my determination to be better, to be more faithful—more kind and devoted, more charitable and true as our Father in Heaven is and as so many of you already are. This I pray in the name of our Great Exemplar in all things—even the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—amen.


Jeffery R Holland
October 2010

It's up to you

Your Life Is Your Own

"Your life is your own, to develop or to destroy. You can blame others little and yourself almost totally if that life is not a productive, worthy, full, and abundant one."

Spencer W. Kimball, "President Kimball Speaks Out on Planning Your Life," New Era, Sept. 1981, 47

Out of Touch with Modern Life

"Not all will follow the map [Heavenly Father has given us]. They may look at it. They may think it is reasonable, perhaps even true. But they do not follow the divine directions. Many believe that any road will take them to a 'happily ever after.' Some may even become angry when others who know the way try to help and tell them. They suppose that such advice is outdated, irrelevant, out of touch with modern life."Sisters, they suppose wrong."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Your Happily Ever After," Ensign, May 2010, 127

Oak Tree

The Oak Tree
by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr

A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree's leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark

But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing Oak?

The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway

But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You'll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me

Until today, I wasn't sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I've found, with thanks to you
I'm stronger than I ever knew

ksl.com - Dentist helps family in need, gets a High 5

ksl.com - Dentist helps family in need, gets a High 5

True Happiness!!

Does it make you wonder if they are happy?!

Anyone can look at other's eyes, but those in love can see into each other's souls through their eyes”

So Sweet!

Doesn't it make you wonder what she is thinking?! Reminds me of her Mother at that age, what an angel. I wonder if I will have a Granddaughter...

New LDS Website ROCKS!

So I know that the new website has been in Beta (testing stage) for quite a while now but it is getting better and better all the time.

Here are a few things I love.

1. Melanie
2. Leila & Ethan
3. The rest of you :)
4. New Stuff at new.lds.org
5. Stinky Cheese

          In that order...

I recently discovered a new feature that I am going to use ALL the time. It is called the My Study Notebook. You can access it by going to the beta sight http://new.lds.org/?lang=eng and then clicking on tools and selecting My Study Notebook. You will need to log in using your LDS Account for this to work [That is the same account you use for indexing... if you are cool enough to index :) ]. The thing I love about this the most is that it keeps all my notes together. I hate it when I write something down in a notebook and then I never look at the notebook again. This tool helps make what you learn accessible for you in the future.

Another cool feature is tagging. Tagging is like assigning key words to your note or highlight. This can be very useful because later on you can search for things by their tags.... Say you read a good scripture about how the Holy Ghost can guide you and it reminds you of an experience you had when the Holy Ghost guided you. You could make a note in your My Study Notebook about that experience and give it a tag like - personal experience, Holy Ghost, guidance. Later on you could search for everything that has to do with the Holy Ghost, personal experience or guidance. This could be great for preparing a lesson or talk...

Give it a try  http://new.lds.org/?lang=eng

The End

PS - At the bottom of most pages there is this tab USE IT !!!!! The more feedback they get the better the site will get... That's the purpose of running a beta (test) sight...

The Missing Piece

99 Balloons

Touching

President Thomas S. Monson - Prophet of the Lord.

" My dear sisters, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle."

* You never know what a girl is worth,

You’ll have to wait and see;

But every woman in a noble place,

A girl once used to be.

Look at What I Can Become!

This has to be the best picture of a good example, look at how she is looking at Margaret. There is no better time than right now in Lelia's life when she is so impressionable to teach her of what she needs to prepare her life for, and Margaret is showing her the way.

It is so important to be an example. You shouldn't really even have to think of it constantly. If you have a strong testimony and are living that testimony, your life will naturally become an example and others will be drawn to you, because of the peace that goes with you as you do the things the Lord asks you to do. I think a lot of it has to do with having Christ's image graven in your countenance. Look at what you are teaching Margaret, preparing for your wedding I'm sure you have not thought of what you are teaching Lelia and those little ones around you. I am proud of you for choosing the Savior in your life, his life and light will bring you much happiness, not only to yourself but those you are teaching by example through your Temple Wedding.

Take Comfort

My People Will I Preserve


"This is a troubled world. Discord and disaster are everywhere. It sometimes feels as though mankind itself may be hanging in the balance."Foreshadowing our day, the Lord said, 'The heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve' (Moses 7:61; emphasis added). We should take great comfort in this promise."

Keith B. McMullin, "Our Path of Duty," Ensign, May 2010, 13

One Step

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step-so watch your step."
— Jeffrey R. Holland

“Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Ensign, May 2001, 32
Temple
by : James E. Faust
"There were over 5,600 members who received their blessings in the Nauvoo Temple. The spiritual leaven given in the Nauvoo Temple blesses us today in an ever-increasing measure. It spreads to every house of the Lord in the world so that all who hunger and thirst for the fulness of God's word may be filled.

"John and Jane Akerley and the others of the multitude who waited in the bitter cold to enter the majestic Nauvoo Temple received within its walls the greatest blessings offered by the Lord in this life. They endured much, but their suffering was just beginning. Their temple blessings helped strengthen them for what lay ahead. Separated by death in Winter Quarters, they were able to endure all things because of their faith and the blessings received that cold February night in 1846.

"As the pioneers had the larger vision in their daily challenge for survival, so also we need to have a greater vision and understanding of our eternal destiny. Our challenges are more subtle but equally hard. Maintaining our spiritual strength is also a daily challenge. The greatest source of that spiritual strength comes, as it did in their time, from our temples.

"I urge all who have not yet received these greatest of all blessings within the walls of the temple to do whatever may be necessary to qualify to receive them. To those who have received these blessings, I invite you to prepare yourselves to savor again the experience of being within the sacred premises of the holy temples of God and have the visions of life eternal open again to your hearts, minds, and souls."

Margaret & Ryan

My sweet Margaret is engaged (look at her smile) - I feel like her Father and feel such emotion and such happiness for a sweet women like Margaret. I just want her to know how happy I am for her and Ryan and wish them many, many years of happiness. You are beginning your life with Ryan the right way, by living the gospel it will help you through your life and will bring you many years of happiness and will help you both with every decision you make in life. I'm proud of you and feel very lucky that I have had the chance to be a part of your life and your family, I think that must be why I feel such emotion. I will always cherish my time with you watching you grown, and look back on your baby stuffed with candy. LOL... it will always bring a smile to my face and the tour you took me on while you home was being built and hearing your sweet little voice, the time I carried you to the car after having your wisdom teeth pulled. And our amazing trip to Africa, what more can I say about that?! I look forward to watching you as you start your new life with Ryan and want you to know I will always be there for you.

Love you,

Uncle Denzil

Praise to The Man - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Praise to The Man - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Enjoy! This is my most favorite song.

The Lord Trusts Us

“This is the Lord’s Church. He called us and trusted us even in the weaknesses He knew we had. He knew the trials we would face. By faithful service and through His Atonement, we can come to want what He wants and be what we must be to bless those we serve for Him. As we serve Him long enough and with diligence, we will be changed. We can become ever more like Him.”

Henry B. Eyring, ”Act in all Diligence,” Ensign, May 2010, 62-63

Happy Birthday Dell

I see London I see France - I see Dell's underpants. LOL!

Happy Birthday to my little sister Dell... it's hard to believe your 29 again. Thanks for being my sister and one of my best friends, we have always been close and shared so many things together. I look back at our past as children and what a great childhood we had and look back at our teenage years and glad I had them to share with you. As adults we have also been close and lucky to raise our kids next to each other and share their childhood together. I wonder what old age will bring?! I guess we can sit in the rest home together and make others feel nuts and laugh our self's into old age.

Love you Dell Happy Birthday and Many .... many more.

Denzil (and Murry)

A Brother Just Like You

A Brother Just Like You
I just want to let you know
You mean the world to me
Only a heart as dear as yours
Would give so unselfishly

The many things you've done
All the times that you were there
Help me know deep down inside
How much you really care

Even though I might not say
I appreciate all you do
Richly blessed is how I feel
Having a brother just like you

Love you Denzil! As always thanks
for your Love and Listening ear.

The Lord's Covenant People

Our spirits long for us to remember the truth about who we are, because the way we see ourselves, our sense of identity, affects everything we do. Ponder in a new way, not just who you are, but who you have always been.

Service

"President Thomas S. Monson remembered the promised words of the Savior as he blessed me six months ago to stand fearlessly in my calling when it seemed hard. These words of the Savior, which He gave to His tiny band of priesthood holders in this dispensation, came to the prophet's mind as he laid his hands on my head: 'And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up' (D&C 84:88).

"The promise which President Monson remembered and quoted was fulfilled for me. Confidence replaced doubt, the Spirit came, medical helpers were inspired, my life was preserved, and I was borne up. Because of that blessing by President Monson, it will always be easy for me to remember the Savior and trust His promise that He goes before and beside us in His service.

"I know that the promise of angels to bear us up is real. You might want to bring to memory the assurance of Elisha to his frightened servant. That assurance is ours when we feel close to being overwhelmed in our service."

Henry B. Eyring, "O Ye That Embark," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 58

Holy Ghost

Communication with the Spirit


"We are given the gift of the Holy Ghost after our baptism, but often we leave this gift on the shelf, forgetting that He will help us in the most important judgments of our lives. The Lord gave us this gift, knowing we would face difficult decisions in life. Listening to this voice is vital in developing good judgment."

Gregory A. Schwitzer, "Developing Good Judgment and Not Judging Others," Ensign, May 2010, 105

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

Our Souls Magnifying the Lord

I was continuing my study of the New Testament this morning, and was reading in the first chapter of Luke. At this point in Luke, Zacharias and Elizabeth have found out that they will have a son, whose name will be John. Mary the cousin of Elizabeth has also found out that she will bear a son, and he will be the son of God. One statement made by Mary, as she visited her cousin Elizabeth, stood out to me. She testified that, "My soul doth magnify the Lord." (Luke 1:46) What a great example of how we all should lead our lives, so that our souls will magnify the Lord. God's "work and glory, is to bring to pass the immorality, and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) As we go through out our day to day lives, and strive to bring our souls to magnify the Lord, we are helping Him to accomplish his work, and bringing unto him glory.

Cebu Philippines Temple

Before the Cebu City Philippines Temple was dedicated, Latter-day Saints traveled from all over the country to attend the Manila temple. Now, more than 200,000 members of the Church living in the Visayas and Mindanao areas will be served by the Cebu temple. An amazing people, full of love and truly a humble people. They love their Savior and will do anything to serve him, they travel for hours, some even days to attend the Temple. What an example they are to us, who have them in our back yards. I am proud to have served with these people, and to have lived in their amazing country.

“It’s a beautiful temple,” said President Monson, of the Church’s 133rd operating temple. “It sits as a beacon on the hill.”

Honesty

‎
"In our day, those found in dishonesty aren't put to death, but something within them dies, conscience chokes, character withers, self-respect vanishes, integrity dies, how cheaply men and women sell their good names." -President Hinckley.

Alma 42:8

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

Heaven Sent

"No matter what circumstances you sisters experience, your influence can be marvelously far-reaching. I believe some of you have a tendency to underestimate your profound capacity for blessing the lives of others. More often than not, it is not on the stage with some public pronouncement but in your example of righteousness and the countless gentle acts of love and kindness done so willingly, so often on a one-to-one basis."
--James E. Faust, "You Are All Heaven Sent," Ensign, Nov. 2002, 110

"An High Priest of Good Things to Come"

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
On those days when we have special need of heaven's help, we would do well to remember one of the titles given to the Savior in the epistle to the Hebrews. Speaking of Jesus' "more excellent ministry" and why He is "the mediator of a better covenant" filled with "better promises," this author--presumably the Apostle Paul--tells us that through His mediation and Atonement, Christ became "an high priest of good things to come."1

Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. Moroni spoke of it in the Book of Mormon as "hope for a better world."2 For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of "good things to come."

My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the "light that is endless, that can never be darkened."3 It is the very Son of God Himself. In loving praise far beyond Romeo's reach, we say, "What light through yonder window breaks?" It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun.4 To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His "more excellent ministry" with a future of "better promises." He is your "high priest of good things to come."

I think of newly called missionaries leaving family and friends to face, on occasion, some rejection and some discouragement and, at least in the beginning, a moment or two of homesickness and perhaps a little fear.

I think of young mothers and fathers who are faithfully having their families while still in school--or just newly out--trying to make ends meet even as they hope for a brighter financial future someday. At the same time, I think of other parents who would give any earthly possession they own to have a wayward child return.

I think of single parents who face all of this but face it alone, having confronted death or divorce, alienation or abandonment, or some other misfortune they had not foreseen in happier days and certainly had not wanted.

I think of those who want to be married and aren't, those who desire to have children and cannot, those who have acquaintances but very few friends, those who are grieving over the death of a loved one or are themselves ill with disease. I think of those who suffer from sin--their own or someone else's--who need to know there is a way back and that happiness can be restored. I think of the disconsolate and downtrodden who feel life has passed them by, or now wish that it would pass them by. To all of these and so many more, I say: Cling to your faith. Hold on to your hope. "Pray always, and be believing."5Indeed, as Paul wrote of Abraham, he "against [all] hope believed in hope" and "staggered not . . . through unbelief." He was "strong in faith" and was "fully persuaded that, what [God] had promised, he was able . . . to perform."6

Even if you cannot always see that silver lining on your clouds, God can, for He is the very source of the light you seek. He does love you, and He knows your fears. He hears your prayers. He is your Heavenly Father, and surely He matches with His own the tears His children shed.

In spite of this counsel, I know some of you do truly feel at sea, in the most frightening sense of that term. Out in troubled waters, you may even now be crying with the poet:

It darkens. I have lost the ford.
There is a change on all things made.
The rocks have evil faces, Lord,
And I am [sore] afraid.7


No, it is not without a recognition of life's tempests but fully and directly because of them that I testify of God's love and the Savior's power to calm the storm. Always remember in that biblical story that He was out there on the water also, that He faced the worst of it right along with the newest and youngest and most fearful. Only one who has fought against those ominous waves is justified in telling us--as well as the sea--to "be still."8 Only one who has taken the full brunt of such adversity could ever be justified in telling us in such times to "be of good cheer."9 Such counsel is not a jaunty pep talk about the power of positive thinking, though positive thinking is much needed in the world. No, Christ knows better than all others that the trials of life can be very deep and we are not shallow people if we struggle with them. But even as the Lord avoids sugary rhetoric, He rebukes faithlessness and He deplores pessimism. He expects us to believe!

No one's eyes were more penetrating than His, and much of what He saw pierced His heart. Surely His ears heard every cry of distress, every sound of want and despair. To a degree far more than we will ever understand, He was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."10 Indeed, to the layman in the streets of Judea, Christ's career must have seemed a failure, a tragedy, a good man totally overwhelmed by the evils surrounding Him and the misdeeds of others. He was misunderstood or misrepresented, even hated from the beginning. No matter what He said or did, His statements were twisted, His actions suspected, His motives impugned. In the entire history of the world no one has ever loved so purely or served so selflessly--and been treated so diabolically for His effort. Yet nothing could break His faith in His Father's plan or His Father's promises. Even in those darkest hours at Gethsemane and Calvary, He pressed on, continuing to trust in the very God whom He momentarily feared had forsaken Him.

Because Christ's eyes were unfailingly fixed on the future, He could endure all that was required of Him, suffer as no man can suffer except it be "unto death,"11 as King Benjamin said, look upon the wreckage of individual lives and the promises of ancient Israel lying in ruins around Him and still say then and now, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."12 How could He do this? How could He believe it? Because He knows that for the faithful, things will be made right soon enough. He is a King; He speaks for the crown; He knows what can be promised. He knows that "the Lord . . . will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. . . . For the needy shall not alway[s] be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever."13 He knows that "the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." He knows that "the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."14

Forgive me for a personal conclusion, which does not represent the terrible burdens so many of you carry but it is meant to be encouraging. Thirty years ago last month, a little family set out to cross the United States to attend graduate school--no money, an old car, every earthly possession they owned packed into less than half the space of the smallest U-Haul trailer available. Bidding their apprehensive parents farewell, they drove exactly 34 miles up the highway, at which point their beleaguered car erupted.

Pulling off the freeway onto a frontage road, the young father surveyed the steam, matched it with his own, then left his trusting wife and two innocent children--the youngest just three months old--to wait in the car while he walked the three miles or so to the southern Utah metropolis of Kanarraville, population then, I suppose, 65. Some water was secured at the edge of town, and a very kind citizen offered a drive back to the stranded family. The car was attended to and slowly--very slowly--driven back to St. George for inspection--U-Haul trailer and all.

After more than two hours of checking and rechecking, no immediate problem could be detected, so once again the journey was begun. In exactly the same amount of elapsed time at exactly the same location on that highway with exactly the same pyrotechnics from under the hood, the car exploded again. It could not have been 15 feet from the earlier collapse, probably not 5 feet from it! Obviously the most precise laws of automotive physics were at work.

Now feeling more foolish than angry, the chagrined young father once more left his trusting loved ones and started the long walk for help once again. This time the man providing the water said, "Either you or that fellow who looks just like you ought to get a new radiator for that car." For the second time a kind neighbor offered a lift back to the same automobile and its anxious little occupants. He didn't know whether to laugh or to cry at the plight of this young family.

"How far have you come?" he said. "Thirty-four miles," I answered. "How much farther do you have to go?" "Twenty-six hundred miles," I said. "Well, you might make that trip, and your wife and those two little kiddies might make that trip, but none of you are going to make it in that car." He proved to be prophetic on all counts.

Just two weeks ago this weekend, I drove by that exact spot where the freeway turnoff leads to a frontage road, just three miles or so west of Kanarraville, Utah. That same beautiful and loyal wife, my dearest friend and greatest supporter for all these years, was curled up asleep in the seat beside me. The two children in the story, and the little brother who later joined them, have long since grown up and served missions, married perfectly, and are now raising children of their own. The automobile we were driving this time was modest but very pleasant and very safe. In fact, except for me and my lovely Pat situated so peacefully at my side, nothing of that moment two weeks ago was even remotely like the distressing circumstances of three decades earlier.

Yet in my mind's eye, for just an instant, I thought perhaps I saw on that side road an old car with a devoted young wife and two little children making the best of a bad situation there. Just ahead of them I imagined that I saw a young fellow walking toward Kanarraville, with plenty of distance still ahead of him. His shoulders seemed to be slumping a little, the weight of a young father's fear evident in his pace. In the scriptural phrase his hands did seem to "hang down."15 In that imaginary instant, I couldn't help calling out to him: "Don't give up, boy. Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead--a lot of it--30 years of it now, and still counting. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

I testify that God lives, that He is our Eternal Father, that He loves each of us with a love divine. I testify that Jesus Christ is His Only Begotten Son in the flesh and, having triumphed in this world, is an heir of eternity, a joint-heir with God, and now stands on the right hand of His Father. I testify that this is Their true Church and that They sustain us in our hour of need--and always will, even if we cannot recognize that intervention. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. Of that I personally attest. I thank my Father in Heaven for His goodness past, present, and future, and I do so in the name of His Beloved Son and most generous high priest, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.