Ensign

April 2007

Volume 37 Number 4

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. This month we invite you to share what you have learned about the spiritual and physical benefits of living the Word of Wisdom. How have you been blessed by eating right, exercising, and taking care of your body?

Please label submissions “Word of Wisdom” and send them by May 15 to [e-mail] or Ensign Editorial, 50 E. North Temple St., Rm. 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: Information about publication criteria is located online. From www.lds.org, select “Gospel Library,” then “Magazines,” then “Ensign.” Under “Resources,” click on Ensign Magazine Writers’ Guidelines. 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

Expanding family history research. After reading about descendancy research (p. 44), visit www.familysearch.org and click on the Search tab. Resources listed in the left navigation pane of this page are useful in ancestry research; they also provide information to help find descendants in other branches of your family.

Teaching through living. Several articles in this month’s issue deal with the power of example. In the last paragraph on page 64, Elder Bruce L. Hafen pleads with members to introduce someone to the Church. Prayerfully consider ways you might share your beliefs with someone you know, keeping in mind the power of example.

Carrying others’ burdens. Read “The Letter I Didn’t Receive” (p. 54), and reflect on a time you have been genuinely comforted by someone who was willing to share your pain. Consider various ways to “mourn with those that mourn” when you encounter someone who is suffering (Mosiah 18:9).

Coming in May

Addresses from the 177th Annual General Conference

Contents

• Messages

  • 4

    First Presidency Message: Enriching Your Marriage

    President James E. Faust

    There are no simple, easy answers to the challenging and complex questions of happiness in marriage, but several key practices can contribute to enriching a husband-wife relationship.

  • 53

    Visiting Teaching Message: Become an Instrument in the Hands of God by Caring for the Poor and Needy

• Feature Articles

  • 9

    Mother, Come Home

    Shauna Bird Dunn

    The job offer was everything I had ever hoped for—but I have learned that I am happiest when I follow the Lord’s plan for my life rather than my own agenda.

  • 14

    Gospel Classics: The Sacrament—and the Sacrifice

    Elder David B. Haight

    Our most valuable worship experience in the sacrament meeting is the sacred ordinance of the sacrament, for it provides the opportunity to focus our minds and hearts upon the Savior and His sacrifice.

  • 22

    He Will Give You Rest

    Dennis L. McDaniel

    I felt Susie’s remorse and desire to change, and I desperately wanted to help her. At that moment, the answer came clearly.

  • 24

    The Great Tabernacle: A Building of Purpose and Spirit

    Although seeing the Tabernacle on Temple Square is impressive, knowing its history gives us an appreciation we cannot get by merely visiting.

  • 32

    They Lived What They Believed

    Ariel Aron Toraya

    My friend was persistent in inviting me to Church activities. I felt I couldn’t keep refusing him, but could I fit in among the Latter-day Saints?

  • 34

    Three Messages to Young Adults

    Elder Earl C. Tingey

    Being active in the Church, preparing well for your future, and being sealed to a spouse for time and all eternity can help you discover the joy that is the promise of the gospel.

  • 40

    Sealed on Earth, Sealed in Heaven

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers something no other religion can offer—the sealing of families together through the power of the priesthood in holy temples.

  • 44

    Branching Out on Your Family Tree

    George D. Durrant

    When we perform temple ordinances for our own family members—including those who aren’t our direct ancestors—the time we spend will have deeper meaning in our lives.

  • 48

    Sunbeam Smiles

    Constance Palmer Lewis

    Those eight wonderful Sunbeam smiles brightened every Sunday for me. Then I realized that their smiles could bless others too.

  • 54

    The Letter I Didn’t Receive

    Name Withheld

    My roommate showed me that the greatest gift we can give someone who is suffering isn’t advice—it’s sharing the pain and making it easier to carry.

  • 56

    The Extraordinary Life of Parley P. Pratt

    Matthew J. Grow

    A farmer, a preacher, an author, a traveler, a merchant, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, Parley P. Pratt exhibited devotion to the Savior throughout his life.

  • 62

    The Example of One

    Elder Bruce C. Hafen

    The gospel was everything to Wendy Knaupp, so my missionary experience with her means everything to me.

  • 65

    Lesson from a Clogged Sink

    Heidi Camp

    How often do we put off personal repentance because we worry about what others will think?

  • 68

    Confirming the Call

    A. Wayne Baker

    I struggled to find out who should serve as our secretary, and finally the answer came. There was no mistake—this was the man the Lord wanted.

• Departments

  • Lessons from the New Testament

    19

    The Joy of Repentance

    Elder Craig C. Christensen

    When we understand that being filled with joy involves being filled with the Holy Ghost, we realize that true happiness comes from repenting of our sins and living worthy of the Spirit.

  • 50

    Quiet Stirrings of the Heart

    Bishop H. David Burton

    I have had many experiences that have strengthened my faith, some of them dramatic. But most often faith comes as the Spirit speaks to our spirits.

  • 70

    Latter-day Saint Voices

    Powerful hymn lyrics, preparation from the Holy Ghost, and a surprise phone call.

  • 74

    Random Sampler

    Staying prepared, involving children who spend time in two households, and sharing relatives’ stories in family home evening.

  • 76

    News of the Church

On the cover: Front: Why Weepest Thou, by Simon Dewey, may not be copied. Back: Photograph by Matthew Reier.

Inside front cover: Consider the Children, by Carol B. Johnson. This quilt from the Seventh International Art Competition reminds us to consider the children as we read of the mission of Elijah in Doctrine and Covenants 2:2–3: “And [Elijah] shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at [the Lord’s] coming.”

Inside back cover: John the Baptist Appearing to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, by Del Parson. May not be copied. On May 15, 1829, on the bank of the Susquehanna River, near Harmony, Pennsylvania, John the Baptist ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood. He said, “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins” (D&C 13:1).