New Era

February 2000

Volume 30, Number 2

Contents

• The Message: Personal Purity
  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
  You and I have been given a precious power, but it can be used only under the most serious and sacred of restrictions.

• Faith and $45
  James Pedersen
  I thought my sacrifice for the building fund meant giving up my dream trip.

• Idea List: Reach Out
  Help! I want my friends to feel accepted at church, but how?

• Everyday Heroes: Storms of Service
  Elyssa Renee Madsen
  Loralee Anderson sent out an SOS and hundreds of Salt Lake Valley teens answered the call.

• Q&A: Questions and Answers
  I like surfing the Internet on our computer, but my parents are worried about it. Aren’t they overreacting?

• Mormonad: Don’t Let Chance Determine Your Choices

• Aussie Odyssey
  Lisa M. G. Crockett
  The rest of the world may see Australia as an exotic location. But for the LDS youth there, it’s a place of family and friendship.

• The Three Questions
  Denalee Chapman
  Our parents seemed so demanding, but when trouble hit, we were glad they knew where to find us.

• The Power of Two
  Marvin K. Gardner
  When they have to stand up for righteousness, these two young men from Soweto, South Africa, stand together.

• Uplifted
  Eric D. Snider
  I couldn’t hold the barbell a moment longer. I needed a friend’s help now!

• Mormonisms

• Of All Things

• Fiction: The Wrong Notes
  Gayle L. Olsen
  We turned our bad day into something worse. We spread it to others.

• Sage’s Story
  Shanna Ghaznavi
  Having been terribly burned as a child, Sage Volkman of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a great example to her friends, family, and even those who only read about her.

• He Hears
  Alisa Hyer
  We couldn’t understand a word of that prayer, but suddenly I realized that someone understood perfectly.

• We’ve Got Mail
  Letters to the editors

• Poem: Grandma, with Love
  Teresa Bateman

• Photo of the Month
  Stacy L. Witman

Cover: The faces of Rex Campbell (left) and Nemia Tuilawa of Sydney reflect the strong bonds of friendship among young Australian Latter-day Saints. See “Aussie Odyssey,” p. 20. Cover photography: Lisa M. G. Crockett (front), stock photography © Photodisc (back).