Comment

Drawing from International Membership

I just received the February Ensign and read “Confidence to Marry” by Melissa Howell. Though I enjoyed this article’s content, I would mostly like to commend Sister Howell for drawing from the Church’s broad international membership as she presented her message. It is wonderful to hear from Saints across the globe and to see how much we all have in common in the gospel, regardless of the differences in our native climes or cultures.

Thank you for representing the international Church and the enlightening views and experiences of its precious members everywhere.
Jill Davis, Utah

Dead Sea Scrolls

I have been reading every issue of the Ensign from cover to cover for over 20 years. I do this out of a commitment I made to myself a long time ago. I wanted to insure that my intensive reading program of non-Church-related materials was balanced with a regular immersion in the scriptures and the Church’s flagship periodical.

I realize it is not feasible for the Ensign to devote itself wholly to the interests of its more academically oriented readership. To a certain extent, you must seek the common denominator.

I am pleased to tell you that I greatly enjoyed reading Andrew Skinner’s article “The Dead Sea Scrolls and Latter-day Truth” in the February issue. Please bless us with more articles of this variety in the future.
Craig H. Schindler, Canada

February Issue Written for Me

In many years of reading Church magazines, I’ve never read one that had so many articles directly related to me as was your February edition of the Ensign.

Having recently gone through a divorce because of my husband’s years of infidelity, as well as having a great-great-grandmother who was in the Martin handcart company, I was immediately drawn to the First Presidency Message “Refined in Our Trials.” Then I turned the page and could relate immediately with the article “Our Stillborn Baby”—we had a stillborn baby only a few years after burying a two-year-old.

Your article on “Young Adults and the Temple” was also interesting to me. I have a 22-year-old daughter who is approaching that milestone, but because of our recent divorce she is expressing great concerns about trusting and marriage. So to turn yet another page and find the article on “Confidence to Marry” was an answer to prayer.

If that wasn’t more than enough, the article “Letting My Bitterness Go” was especially helpful to this same daughter who has been struggling with feelings of anger towards her father. Then, as a final little bonus, “In Tune with His Will” could have been written by me right down to the last chord of wrong notes that I, too, played as the accompanist for the ward choir! All in all, I take it as another “tender mercy” to have so many of my concerns and situations addressed in just one wonderful magazine. Thank you!
Name Withheld