Comment

Call for Articles

The Ensign invites articles on how the gospel has made a significant difference in members’ lives. Examples of previously published stories, some printed as “Name Withheld” articles, include a member who overcame a history of family abuse, a family who resolved economic problems, parents who went through a child’s rebellion, and members whose faith helped them overcome serious trials or endure serious illness. Whether our challenges are physical, mental, emotional, social, or spiritual, the gospel offers guidance, comfort, and hope.

If you wish to share your experiences, send submissions to Ensign Magazine, 50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3224. Write “Impact” at the top of the first page. Persons wishing their manuscript returned if unused should enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

The “Most Powerful” Book of Mormon

Recently I came across an impressive quote about the Book of Mormon that readers perhaps will be interested in. It is found in a large, thick, cumbersome, 2,336-page book entitled The Volume Library, first copyrighted in 1911. Within its covers there is an encyclopedia of information on almost any imaginable subject. Under the heading of “Literature of Power” (p. 190) is this quote:

“Of all the American religious books of the 19th century it seems probable The Book of Mormon was the most powerful. It reached perhaps only 1 percent of the people of the United States, but it affected this 1 percent so powerfully and lastingly that all the people of the United States have been affected, especially by its contribution to opening up one of our great frontiers.”

It is true that the majority of Americans were affected by the Book of Mormon only indirectly and without realizing it. Yet the Book of Mormon’s influence is not something past and over with. It is a book for the present and is destined to be a powerful and significant book for the future in all countries of the world. The Savior himself said of it, “As your Lord and your God liveth it is true” (D&C 17:6).

Sterling Workman
Salt Lake City, Utah

Seizing the Joy

I felt compelled to write and tell you how much I enjoyed Winnie Dalley’s article “Seize the Joy!” All too often mothers are dragged down by the world’s negative views of domestic life. As the mother of two small children, I felt as if the article was written just for me. It’s true that the routine of the work we do can make it hard to see the rewarding joy that comes from it. I’ll be keeping this article handy to review on future occasions.

Dana A. Chadderdon
Mosinee, Wisconsin

Managing Credit Cards

I would like to comment on Max W. Brown’s “I Have a Question” response in the December 1997 Ensign [62]. I recommend not using credit cards for credit—use them as charge cards. An effective method is to treat each transaction with the credit card as a check that has been written from your checkbook. Log the transaction into your checkbook, file the receipt, and subtract it from your balance, just like a check. Then when the card statement comes in, go back and reconcile all of your card transactions, write one check, and that is it. You are not in debt, you carry no exorbitant interest rates, and you have established a very good accounting system. I have found this a simple way to manage the ease and accessibility of credit cards and to simultaneously build an excellent credit history.

Robert Joseph Justice II
Cross Lanes, West Virginia

Remembering the Marines in Kiribati

Thank you for “Kiribati Flowers in the Pacific,” published in the December 1997 Ensign [Joyce Findlay, 68–70]. Reading about the establishment and growth of the Church on Tarawa caused me to reflect with gratitude upon the courageous U.S. marines that liberated the island from captivity during World War II, including Captain James Fox and other members of the Church who sacrificed their lives on its now-beautiful beach.

Van Davis
San Diego, California