Feedback

Snow, gloom of night, and the New Era

My family is always eager to receive the New Era, but since we’ve moved from our home in Colorado to New Jersey, the New Era is more appreciated than ever. It is truly an inspired magazine and a terrific missionary tool. Today the mail was a little late, so I looked out the window to see if the mailman was coming. He was sitting outside our house reading the New Era! Thanks for the head start!

Cindy Jeppson
Millington, New Jersey

Very handy

I am 15, and the New Era comes in very handy many times in my life. I just love to read the old ones as well as the new. When I have a question about some principle of the gospel, I often find the hope and guidance I need right there. I wish everyone in the Church, and even all the nonmembers in the world, would read the New Era. I’m sure it would help them grow in the gospel.

Gerri Walters
Smithfield, Utah

Closer farther away

I am an American exchange student in Bateman’s Bay, Australia. I am the only Latter-day Saint in the town, and the nearest branch is 100 miles away, so I don’t get to church very often. I wrote to my mother and told her how much I miss the Church, and to help me out, someone is sending me the New Era every month. I love the New Era. It’s brought me so much closer to the Church, even though I’m the only member for miles. The New Era has motivated me to start reading the Book of Mormon, and I can hardly wait to get home and participate in the Young Women activities.

Lisa Matson
Bateman’s Bay, Australia

Sorry, Brisbane

As missionaries in the Footscray District of the Australia Melbourne Mission, we greatly appreciated the article “Jensen and Ernstein” by Mark J. Stoddard in the February New Era. It was a reminder to all of us that we must hold onto our enthusiasm and learn to recognize and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost in order to have success. We read the story out loud at a district meeting, each of us reading in turn. It was ironic that an Australian elder had to read the line, “I hate Brisbane” about his hometown. We have found the New Era to be inspirational, educational, and a great missionary tool.

Elders Boren, Thayne, Skinner, Baker, Booth, and Greenwood
Australia Melbourne Mission

I really enjoyed the story “Jensen and Ernstein.” Sometimes we should keep trying until people hear us. We should give them an opportunity to know what we are bringing them. This story helped me to understand better that I should let people know who we are, what we bring, and how much we love them.

Elder Jorge Tejeda Perazle
Mexico Monterrey Mission

Ignored in Nebraska

We would appreciate hearing sometimes about what’s happening in the mission field. It seems as if the whole magazine is about Utah, California, and Idaho. Even though there may be a lot of action in these states, there are things just as important happening elsewhere too. For instance, we had a very large youth conference that lasted three days, with 700 youth present. Another time we had a huge pioneer day for all the seminary students in our stake. We hiked to our stake camp along the Platte River where a lot of pioneer history took place. We had original pioneer recipes for all three meals, and then we played pioneer games and concluded with a big square dance. These are just two of the many things we’ve done. So you see, things are happening outside of Utah!

Diana Daly and Nan Wittke
Lincoln, Nebraska

We know! We’d like to give better coverage to your activities, but we usually don’t know when something exciting is happening out there, because no one writes and tells us. So when something good is coming up, write and let us know! If we can’t send someone to cover it, you can send us some photos and a description of what happened. We can’t guarantee publication of everything we receive, of course, but if people in the mission field would keep us informed, we would publish more stories about them. Editor.

Guideline

I am a missionary in the England London Mission. I have recently been reading the June 1973 missionary issue. I never had the opportunity of reading it before now. I have become so interested that I can’t wait to look at it when I get in at night. I find a new story in it every time I pick it up. I’ve only been in the mission field a month and half, and the New Era has provided a great guideline for me to follow. It’s almost like a letter from home.

Elder Jim Haddon Hallberg
England London Mission

Epistle from Pie Town

I read the jokes and poems in the New Era. I really enjoy them. I’m 13 years old, and I live in a very small town of about 72 people. They’re mostly older people, so I have nothing much to do. I was raised in the Church, and I really love it. The New Era helps keep me in touch with the other young people in the Church, and I want to say thanks.

Karen Hansen
Pie Town, New Mexico

Wichita’s still waiting

I enjoy the New Era very much, especially the FYI department. I enjoy hearing about people, especially young people from all over the world, who share in the same gospel as I do. I am from the Wichita Kansas Stake. We read about people from all over, but I’ve never read an article about the Wichita Kansas Stake. We have such spirit here that we’d like everyone to know about the activities, projects, and fun we have here in our stake. When I read about people from some place I know nothing about, such as Australia or some state you seldom hear about, it makes me stronger. It may sound silly, but it really does.

Faith Thompson
Mulvane, Kansas

New York for instance

Thank you so much for your wonderfully inspiring and inspired magazine. I never fail to read it from cover to cover. I am the only member of the Church in my family, and sometimes I get discouraged, but the New Era always picks me up. How about more Mormonisms and more about kids in the East—like New York!

Billie Jo Hale
Delhi, New York

Gyrocopters?

The article on hot air ballooning in the March issue was one of the best I’ve ever read. My friends and I have a lifelong dream of flying, and we wish that you would have more articles on all types of flying. I would really like one about gyrocopters.

Jeffrey Mathews
Logan, Utah

Happiness grower

I’m a missionary in the Thailand Bangkok Mission. I’m very happy here, and one of the things that makes my happiness grow is the New Era. My parents are relatively inactive, so when I read the New Era each month, it gives me new ideas not only for my investigators, but also for my family. I send some thoughts and ideas from the magazine to my family each week. For example, the thought at the beginning of the article by President N. Eldon Tanner entitled “Just for Today” in the January issue will help give my family strength. The counsel in “Spiritual Ecology” in the February issue is just what I’ve needed to help me teach better in this wonderful land.

Sister Donna Stokes
Thailand Bangkok Mission

Word feast

Serving here in Korea sometimes seems to get us out of touch with the happenings of the Church in other lands. It is with great pleasure that we receive the Church magazines each month and feast on the words of counsel, direction, and entertainment found therein. It helps us in developing new contact methods and ideas, and many Korean people are impressed with this magazine.

Elder Craig A. Larsen
Korea Seoul Mission

Pointing the index finger

I was recently given a speaking assignment, so naturally I went immediately to my collection of New Eras. As I searched through magazines dating back to 1971, I wondered if the Church had ever considered putting out an index similar to the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature found in public libraries. I feel that this would be a tremendous help to members preparing talks. It would be especially helpful to those who are teaching the gospel to a friend who might have questions on a particular subject. We could simply refer to the index and know in which issue of what publication a particular article appeared.

Michele Hight
Kearns, Utah

Every ten years the Church publishes an Index to Church Periodicals. Your meetinghouse library should have copies. An index is also prepared every year for each of the three Church magazines. Editor.