Making the Most of This Issue

October 2004

Toward a Stronger Family

• The most important preparation future missionaries can undertake is spiritual. But how can you help them prepare in practical ways? See “Preparing Your Future Missionary,” page 17.

• “Ten percent of all children have a disability or a long-term chronic illness,” says Marleen S. Williams, associate professor of counseling psychology at BYU. Sister Williams’s experiences with her own daughter can offer strength and insight. See “Raising a Child with a Disability,” page 12.

• Some parents have children who do not live the gospel. But what if Mom and Dad’s standards are different? Members share insights from their own experiences with parents who do not live gospel standards, page 66.

Taming the Debt Dragon

You can conquer debt. See page 50 to learn how others have done it.

Young Single Adults: Being Happy

• Do you want to find eternal happiness? The Lord “has established proven patterns that, if followed, will help us find happiness in this life and also help us qualify for eternal life,” says Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Presidency of the Seventy. See page 32.

The Fruits of Faith

• Moroni tells us that “God has not ceased to be a God of miracles” (Morm. 9:15). Elder Matthew Cowley’s experiences among the people of the Pacific Islands support Moroni’s assurance. See page 44.

• For other examples of the fruits of faith, see Latter-day Saint Voices, beginning on page 60. Stories describe the conversion of a lifelong smoker and atheist, a perilous flight to save a little girl’s life, and the Lord’s support for a young mother whose husband had slipped into inactivity.

The Survivor

• The Fijian family was on its way to be baptized when the boat capsized and all were drowned but a small son. Would he be lost to gospel truths? See “The Only Survivor,” page 40.

Conference—by Mail

Twice a year, Ensign and Liahona editors clear our desks of everything else so we can get the conference issue in the mail to you within three weeks after general conference. Texts of conference talks are reviewed and approved by speakers, then posted immediately on the Church’s Internet site www.lds.org. Editors and designers sort through hundreds of photos trying to capture the spirit of conference. Pages are designed, proofread, and delivered to the press on a schedule measured in hours instead of days. More than a million conference magazines are printed—more than three-quarters of a million copies of the Ensign and more than a quarter of a million copies of the Liahona, in 30 languages. Watch for your personal report of conference in your mailbox toward the end of October. And if you’re not getting the Ensign or Liahona now, be sure to subscribe online, at the nearest Church distribution center, or through a ward magazine representative.

You can order or renew by phone in the United States and Canada at 1-800-537-5971; in Australia at 1300-304-045; in New Zealand at 0800-108-573; and in the United Kingdom at 0121-785-4905. You can order online in the U.S. and Canada at www.ldscatalog.com.

Home, Visiting Teaching

Home teachers and visiting teachers, find the monthly messages on page 2 and page 72.