Comment

Remaining in the Field

I recently read in the April issue of the Ensign the article titled “I Needed to Know,” about the sister missionary who lost her father while serving our Heavenly Father. This article spoke directly to me, showing me what kind of trial it can be for a very limited number of missionaries. I lost my father seven months ago in a motorcycle accident and am still serving my own mission. When my mission president showed up on our doorstep at 6:30 a.m., I knew something wasn’t right. He quickly informed me of the terrible news, and I was in shock. As I called home, I too was surprised to hear my bishop’s voice on the other end. It wasn’t easy for me to deal with my father’s death, and I wanted to go home for funeral services. But my supplication in prayer to my Heavenly Father revealed that the answer would be found in my patriarchal blessing. As I read it over the phone to my sister, a certain phrase made sense to me that I hadn’t ever understood before. It was clear to me from then on, and now I know that remaining in the field was the best thing for me to do. Our Heavenly Father watches over us, especially in the more dire circumstances.
Elder Brant Cox, Switzerland Zurich Mission

His Child

It’s 2:30 a.m., and I am awake because I had a nightmare. Being a single mother, I cannot rely on a husband to comfort me after scary dreams, but I have come to rely on the Lord. After saying a prayer, I decided to read the Ensign to calm my spirit. Wouldn’t you know it—the second article I read was “Our Child, His Child,” about a faithful father comforting his daughter after a scary dream. A coincidence? Perhaps, but I am grateful to my Heavenly Father, who knows exactly how to bring me peace after my scary dreams, and I’m grateful to the Ensign for being there when I need it—even at 2:00 a.m. Thank you.
Jenny McMullin, Arizona

Ensign and Improvement Era

Thank you for the wonderful Ensign magazine. I love every issue, and even though we watch the sessions of general conference, I try to read every issue from cover to cover.

During World War II, I subscribed to 10 years of the Improvement Era, as I never wanted to be without it. Recently I ran across the July 1947 issue of the Era, and I sat down, looked through it, and cried as I thought about the wonderful influence it has been in my life in building my testimony. Thank you, thank you.
Sarah C. Fernsten, California