Study with your children. What kinds of music do you and members of your family listen to? For your next family home evening, consider studying “Worthy Music, Worthy Thoughts,” found in this month’s New Era magazine or online at newera.lds.org. In it, President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles notes that we can control our thoughts through listening to uplifting music. For examples of the power of music in people’s lives, see page 66.

Learn about new leaders. Interested in learning more about newly called Church leaders? Press releases, photos, and video of recent press conferences are available online at newsroom.lds.org under “News Releases and Stories.”

Understand who you are. When you view situations, your life, and yourself with an eternal perspective, challenges can seem more bearable. This month’s issue includes several articles about this kind of perspective. See pages 44, 46, and 54.

First Presidency Message

4

Treasure of Eternal Value

President Thomas S. Monson

President Monson offers three pieces of a “treasure map” that can guide us to eternal happiness.
Visiting Teaching Message

64

Marriage between a Man and a Woman Is Ordained of God

Feature Articles
10

New First Presidency Called

An introduction to the 16th President of the Church and his counselors.
18

Elder Quentin L. Cook: A Willing Heart and Mind

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

A brief biography about this member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, called in October 2007.
24

Finding Answers from Conference

Ideas on ways to increase your learning from general conference.
28

Help and Hope in Washington, D.C.

Michael R. Morris

For these students just outside of the U.S. capital city, test scores, grades, motivation, and hope are on the rise.
33

Daddy Sunday

Damian Idiart

This monthly tradition with my children has given us an opportunity to talk openly about their concerns, accomplishments, and feelings.
34

The Joy of Nurturing Children

The experiences of three women show that the spiritual rewards of motherhood are available to all women.
40

By Divine Design

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” celebrated in art and photography.
44

Remember Who You Are

Name Withheld

At the point when I was about to give up, I realized what my mother’s words meant.
46

Your Divine Heritage

Elder Robert C. Oaks

The Lord has provided us with scriptures and prophets to help us resist the pulls of the world.
51

My Journal, My Testimony

Salli Hollenzer

Seven ways keeping a journal has blessed my life.
54

In the Path of the Tornado

Karen Stotts Myatt

As I sat in the Nauvoo Temple waiting for the dedication to begin, I realized that the temple and I had both been battered by tornadoes. I also realized I had been given a chance to make something new and beautiful of my life.
62

Sacred Words

Edwin F. Smith

Even with all the potency of medical science, Annie’s life was cradled in her Heavenly Father’s hands.
65

Ethel and Edna

Karie Lyne Jackson

Relief Society was for old women—or so I thought.
66

The Healing Power of Hymns

The hymns of the gospel can bring solace to our lives.

Departments
Lessons from the Book of Mormon

58

The Lord’s Pattern for Peace

Elder Christoffel Golden Jr.

We can find peace regardless of our surroundings.
70

Latter-day Saint Voices

God’s children find forgiveness, love, and comfort in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
74

Random Sampler

Budgeting, remembering ancestors, sharing cultural traditions, preparing visual aids, and making conference a part of family home evening.
76

News of the Church

Do You Have a Story to Tell?

Although some Web content can be spiritually dangerous, the Internet also offers many positive opportunities. How have you and your family used this tool in beneficial ways, particularly in ways connected to gospel principles? Please label your response “Positive Use of the Internet” and send it by May 16.

We also welcome other submissions that show the gospel of Jesus Christ at work in your life. Ensign Magazine Writers’ Guidelines are posted at http://ensign.lds.org under “Resources.”

Send submissions to ensign@ldschurch.org 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, ward (or branch), and stake (or district). Because of 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.

Gospel Topics in This Issue

Activation, 65
Adversity, 66, 71
Apostles, 18, 24
Atonement, 58
Charity, 65
Communication, 33
Courage, 54
Divine Nature, 44, 46
Education, 28, 74
Family, 4, 33, 34, 40, 75
Family History, 51, 74
Family Home Evening, 75
Fatherhood, 33
Finances, 74
Forgiveness, 71
Friendship, 4, 75
General Conference, 24, 75
Gospel, 70
Hope, 28
Hymns, 66
Jesus Christ, 4, 72
Journals, 51
Love, 33, 34
Marriage, 40, 64
Missionary Work, 4, 70, 71
Motherhood, 34
Music, 66
Peace, 54, 58, 66
Prayer, 62
Preparation, 4, 74
Priesthood Blessings, 62
Prophets, 10, 24, 40
Relief Society, 65
Repentance, 58
Sacrifice, 4
Scriptures, 70, 72
Service, 28, 34, 58
Testimony, 34
Unity, 74
Visiting Teaching, 64, 65
Young Adults, 28

Contents

Using This Issue