Childviews

The Friend welcomes your letters sharing a spiritual experience, or your feelings about the Church or the Friend. Send them to Childviews, Friend Magazine, 50 E. North Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.

Tough Choice

One of my favorite stories in the Friend is about a boy who has a baseball game on Sunday and has to decide if he will play. Once there was a race on Sunday. My Mom said that I could decide whether to go or not. I remembered the Friend story and chose to go to church. I felt very good that I chose that. I think that’s one way I can be like Jesus.

Ryan Yates, age 10
Lakeview, Oregon

Fantastic Friends

When I was in the third grade, I tried out for my school’s cross-country team. I was really nervous. When I went to the tryouts, I saw one of my friends from Primary, Bryan Freeze. Bryan is in the fifth grade and is one of the fastest runners in our school. When it was my turn to race, Bryan kept yelling, “Go Natalie!” I kept running harder and harder. Bryan told me I did a good job. The next day I found out that I made the team. It helped me a lot to feel my friend’s encouragement. I know that sometimes Jesus Christ helps us through our friends. I also know that living the Word of Wisdom keeps my body strong.

Natalie R. Gillenwater, age 9
Jeffersonville, Indiana

Forgiving Others

Once, my friends were mean to me, and that made me feel sad. I thought about Jesus and what He would do. I helped make some sweet rolls and took them over to those girls. After that, I felt really good and they started being nice to me again.

Abby Butler, age 6
Fayetteville, North Carolina

“Mike, Run!”

In Tetonia, Idaho, my grandpa, John Andersen, was asked to put a huge pipeline in the Teton Valley. Grandpa took my dad, Michael John Andersen, who was eight years old then and had just been baptized, with him. At the top of the canyon, there was a truck hooked to a cable. The cable held the pipeline that went down the canyon and over the river to a pump. My grandpa told my dad to stay by a truck and sit on two blocks of wood at the bottom of the canyon while he welded the pipeline over the river.

While my dad was sitting there, the cable suddenly snapped. The pipeline came crashing down the canyon. In the meantime, my dad heard a voice in his mind yell, “Mike, run!” so he ran to the side of the truck. The voice said, “Not beside the truck—behind the truck!” Dad quickly obeyed. The pipeline hit the side of the truck, then turned and hit the blocks of wood he had been sitting on. My dad was unharmed. I know that the Holy Ghost told my dad to move, and I am very glad he obeyed, because if he had not, he wouldn’t be my wonderful daddy today.

Kayla Lyn Andersen, age 12
Kaysville, Utah