Making the Most of This Issue

September 2002

To Strengthen Your Family

• Can the Lord really watch over every one of us in our day-to-day activities? Two stories in Latter-day Saint Voices strongly reaffirm that the answer is yes. See “The Home Teachers Who Wouldn’t Quit” or “Alone in a Foreign Country,” pages 68–70.

• What do a scavenger hunt and an emergency supply kit have in common? Find out how you can bring them together in family home evening, page 73.

• “I wish my children had come equipped with instruction manuals,” mothers often say. The good news is that many Church resources can help. See page 72.

Second Chances

• Jonah got a second chance to change his life—but he didn’t want others to have the same opportunity. Are we ever guilty of not giving others a second chance? See page 26.

• In response to King Hezekiah’s pleas, the Lord spared him from death. But was it a blessing? See page 30.

Who Will You Marry?

Looking for just the right person to marry? Have you thought about whether you’re the right person for someone else? See “Choosing and Being the Right Spouse,” page 62.

Being a Better Teacher

• Do you think your family or your students won’t care about your personal experiences? Sharing them can make you a better teacher. Learn why and how, page 48.

• Ever wondered if teenagers are really ready to learn the gospel? Gain a prophetic view into the hearts and minds of youth in the Church from President J. Reuben Clark Jr., page 54.

A Cultural Oasis on the Frontier

In spite of hardship and privation, the Saints in Nauvoo actively sought refinement through music, art, and the theater. See page 40.

Growing through Spiritual Experiences

“Spiritual experiences confirm our testimonies and help us to endure moments of doubt and uncertainty,” writes Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander of the Presidency of the Seventy. To learn more about the nature and purpose of spiritual experiences, see page 20.

Do You Have a Wayward Child?

It is possible to keep both sanity and hope when you struggle with a wayward child. Turn to page 8 to see how one family does it.

Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers

Find the monthly messages on page 2 and page 71.

Quiet Blessings

Four of their five children were born with a severe disability. Terrible burdens? No, sources of joy. See “In a Quiet House,” page 34.

Tips for Beginning Organists

How did one ward train five organists? Discover on page 72 some tips to help accomplished pianists learn to play the organ.

Did You Know?

Most articles in the Ensign can easily be turned into family home evening lessons. If you need a family home evening on obedience and making the right choices, for example, turn to “Hezekiah’s Tunnel Vision,” beginning on page 30. You could use questions like these for discussion: “What would you do if you knew you were going to die and the Lord told you He would give you 15 more years? What choices would you make?” “When we look at the choices of King Hezekiah in the Old Testament, do they seem to be good ones?” “What can we do to make the right choices every day?”