Comment

“We Thank Thee, O God, …”

Being a single parent, I often find myself worrying about the temporal aspect of my life. But it always seems the message from the First Presidency is exactly what my Heavenly Father needs me to remember, or know, to solve my present crisis.

After reading President Gordon B. Hinckley’s message, “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” (September), I was reminded of counsel by the Lord through a latter-day prophet that within the Book of Mormon are the principles my children will need to protect them from evil they may encounter. I felt strongly that at their tender age, I needed to make the stories within the Book of Mormon a part of our everyday “special time.”

The Spirit bore witness to me that the Lord is mindful of my problems. I am very thankful my Heavenly Father has let me and my children come forth in such a time as this when we can be blessed with the gospel in our home and a prophet to lead and guide us back to our Heavenly Father.

K. Renee Thrift
Houston, Texas

I was pleased to see the inspiring article by President Gordon B. Hinckley titled “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.”

The composer of the hymn is my great-grandfather, William Fowler. He came across the plains in the mid-1850s from his native England with his wife, Ellen Bradshaw Fowler, and their three children.

Great-grandfather was a martyr for the gospel, since he died in his mid-thirties from ill health brought about by the rigors of crossing the plains. He was buried in Manti, Utah.

Our family loves the hymn, considering it “our song,” and we sing it every year at the family reunion.

Della M. Bolliger
Salt Lake City, Utah

Hong Kong Photos

It was with great delight that I received the September issue. I had anticipated the publication of the Hong Kong story ever since my husband was interviewed, since he is the bishop of the English-speaking ward.

I was happy to see that some of my photographs were used on pages 34 and 37.

Liisa Berg
Hong Kong

Ask your Doctor or Pharmacist

I read with great interest the article “Rx for Avoiding Drug Interactions” (October). As a home health nurse, I spend every day educating my patients about their medications.

I would like to add one more precaution. If you are taking a prescribed medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist which over-the-counter medications are not compatible with that medication. For instance, ordinary aspirin may seem harmless, but it can cause complications if it is taken with blood thinners.

Always keep yourself informed about your medical treatment. Knowledge is a very important aspect of good health.

Colleen Pinckney
Charleston, South Carolina

The Australian Flag

The little island of New Zealand is sometimes overshadowed by the big island nearby. Residents might be unhappy with the use of an Australian flag, instead of the proper New Zealand flag, on page 56 of the September issue.

June Osborne
San Diego, California

Two Mountaineering Rules

After reading “Trapped on the Mountain” (October), I was grateful these two men had made it home safely. But it would be well to remember two cardinal rules of mountaineering. First, never climb a mountain without proper equipment. Second, never descend a mountain by a route that you do not know.

Milosh Benesh
Pacifica, California

The Mormon Way

Although I am a “foreigner” to the Mormon way toward our Lord, I feel very much akin to the spirit breathing through your magazine.

Since my grandson in Utah presented me with a year’s subscription to the Ensign, I have read its contents with great interest and growing joy. At last, here seems to be a magazine bearing witness to the love of the Lord. Its stories taken from real life testify of this and often touch me deeply. They give me confidence and courage, and they strengthen my trust in God’s love.

After having experienced a very serious crisis, I searched for help in the Bible. The New Testament particularly moved me to test the directions and promises in the Sermon on the Mount. I took these on one by one, failed often but, just as frequently, have been wonderfully rewarded.

But soon I had to realize that I had an almost daily battle on my hands. Even today at age eighty-five, I am still at it and am often sorely tested.

Permit me to express my appreciation and gratitude for the remarkable spiritual way of the Mormons and their magazine, the Ensign.

Eberhard v. Rechenberg
Dresden, Germany

The Shabbily Dressed Man

Because of an experience I had recently, I was intrigued by “We Believe in Being Honest” and “Do the Wicked Prosper While the Righteous Suffer?” both of which were printed in the October 1990 Ensign.

While waiting in line to buy a subway token, I noticed a shabbily dressed man standing beside the token booth. He was holding out a cup to those who passed by and was eagerly asking for money. As the man in front of me in line hurriedly purchased his tokens, grabbed his change, and rushed toward the turnstile, a voice called out that he had forgotten a dime. When the man turned around to collect his money, he came face to face with the homeless man—who had been honest despite his own need.

Michel Devereaux
New York City, New York

Getting Out of Debt

Thank you for Jerry Mason’s article in the June 1991 issue, “Debt Addiction: You Can Break the Habit.” My husband and I married and started our family while we were still in college. Because of financial pressures, we found it necessary to take out a few student loans and use our credit card. We recently graduated and now the bills are starting to roll in—along with a sense of depression.

Brother Mason’s “Debt-Elimination Calendar” was just what we needed. We have now charted our bills and can see how they will decrease. We feel more at ease seeing exactly how long we have to pay these bills and exactly when we will be finished: Not as long as we thought! Thank you for sharing such a simple idea.

Lisa Price
Murray, Utah

“In Prison, and Ye Came”

I have finally received my turn at the March issue of the Ensign. I was excited to read “In Prison, and Ye Came unto Me.” It was gratifying to hear the heartfelt testimonies of those on both sides of the wall who are involved in the work of the Lord at the Utah State Prison. We on the inside received a great deal of information about our future in the Church and how the gospel can help us in our return to our home wards.

As children of God, we have our agency, and that means we can make mistakes. But the sacrifice of our Savior gives us the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins through our repentance. I thank my Heavenly Father daily that I have a family who have forgiven me, a Lord who forgives and admonishes us to “go and sin no more,” and a church that bids me welcome. I feel like a lost and lonely soul no more.

Name Withheld
San Diego, California