Ensign

February 2007

Volume 37 Number 2

Do You Have a Story to Tell?

The Ensign welcomes submissions that show the gospel of Jesus Christ at work in the lives of Latter-day Saints, especially articles with personal experiences and gospel insights. This month we invite you to share with us narratives about how your life is influenced by your testimony of the Savior. How do you live because you believe in Christ? Please limit submissions to 500 words, and label them “Testimony.”

Send them by March 16 to [e-mail] or Ensign Editorial, 50 E. North Temple Street, Room 2420, Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3220, USA. Include your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and ward and stake (or branch and district).

Writers’ guidelines: Visit the link in the lower-right corner of the Gospel Library page at www.lds.org. Due to the volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt. Authors whose work is selected for publication will be notified. If you would like your manuscript, photos, art, or other material returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Using This Issue

Recognizing blessings. Read “Prayer of Thanks” (p. 63), and then listen to or read the words of “Count Your Blessings” (Hymns, no. 241). How do you experience the Lord’s hand in your life? How might you express more gratitude?

Replacing strife with service. Consider the story of the missionaries in “Turning the Other Cheek” (p. 48). In family home evening, identify situations in which you might ask, “What can I do for you?” Follow up the next week to find out whether the question came up, and discuss how you felt as a result.

Feeling more peace. Have you felt emotions similar to those described in “Sweet Is the Peace the Temple Brings” (p. 18)? How has attending the temple or preparing to do so strengthened you?

Coming in March

Look for articles on:

• Forgiving “all men”—including yourself.

• Preparing prospective missionaries physically and mentally.

• Finding confidence in the Lord’s timeline for you—whether you’re single or married.

Contents

• Messages

  • 4

    First Presidency Message: Inspirational Thoughts

    President Gordon B. Hinckley

    The prophet encourages members to stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ and challenges families to partake of temple blessings.

  • 67

    Visiting Teaching Message: Strengthening Your Personal Testimony of Jesus Christ

• Feature Articles

  • 9

    Tell Me It Isn’t True

    Anthony Atkins

    If what these young missionaries had taught me were true, then things I had always believed about God’s church were in question. Could they be right?

  • 12

    Why Symbols?

    Just as Adam needed help in understanding the principle of sacrifice, we may need guidance in understanding the methods the Lord uses to teach us in the temple.

  • 18

    Sweet Is the Peace the Temple Brings

    Four members describe times they have experienced peace and joy in the temple.

  • 20

    Sacred Spires

    Modern-day prophets bear testimony of the importance of temples.

  • 24

    What’s in the Cart?

    Alfred W. Koch

    Just after World War II, our branch in Germany received a food shipment from the U.S. Now I feared the police would confiscate the supplies my family needed.

  • 26

    Ten Axioms to Guide Your Life

    Elder Robert D. Hales

    Your greatest success will come from the wise use of agency to make sound decisions, many of which can and should be made now.

  • 32

    A Foundation for the Future in San Antonio

    Erica Layne Nielsen

    The Shaw, Pedraza, and Turley families were among the first Latter-day Saints in their area. Now descendants build on the faith established by their pioneering parents and grandparents.

  • 37

    The Power of a Promise

    Elder Richard G. Peterson

    Today simple trust between parties to an agreement may seem rare. Fortunately, there is One on whom we may depend absolutely to keep His word.

  • 40

    The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols

    John W. Welch

    The parable of the good Samaritan encapsulates the plan of salvation in ways few modern readers may notice.

  • 50

    Dealing with My Parents’ Breakup

    Name Withheld

    The pain of my parents’ separation taught me of the power of the Atonement and of the relationship between justice, love, and mercy.

  • 54

    “My Ways Are Not Your Ways”

    Elder Clayton M. Christensen

    When the forces of evil seem to block our path, we can prayerfully consider solutions that are God’s ways, not man’s.

  • 60

    Never Alone

    Anne Grenzebach

    Being the only Church member in the family is not easy, but Heavenly Father blesses us with His help and the righteous desires of our hearts when we are striving to do His will.

  • 63

    Prayer of Thanks

    Larry Hiller

    I realized that I needed to make one request of the Lord—that He open my eyes to my blessings.

  • 64

    Reaching Out to Those Who Mourn

    Larene Halling Petersen

    We often include in our prayers a plea for the Lord to “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.” But how often do we take the opportunity to be the ones to give the comfort?

• Departments

  • Lessons from the New Testament

    48

    Turning the Other Cheek

    Elder H. Bryan Richards

    When we find ourselves experiencing contention, let us turn the other cheek by asking, “What can I do for you?”

  • 68

    Latter-day Saint Voices

    An answer to prayer at stake conference, truth in a picture book, and water that never ran out.

  • 72

    Random Sampler

    Love-focused family celebrations, family history storybooks, questions at Sunday dinner, and family home evening surprises.

  • 74

    News of the Church

On the cover: San Diego California Temple, by Jonas Otsuji

Inside front cover: Ice Skating in the Park, by Eric Dowdle, may not be copied. Overlooking the town of Logan, the Logan Utah Temple was dedicated on May 17, 1884. Ninety-five years later, on March 13, 1979, the temple was rededicated after extensive remodeling. This painting shows townspeople skating by moonlight at the turn of the century.

Inside back cover: Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park, 1934–1935, by John Mason, may not be copied. Elder Gordon B. Hinckley teaches a crowd gathered at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park. During his mission to Great Britain, Elder Hinckley served with distinction and was called to be an assistant to Elder Joseph F. Merrill of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who presided over the European missions.