“Help through the Holy Ghost,” New Era, February 2016, 30–33
Help through the Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost can help you with school, family, and work as well as spiritual matters.
Illustration by Red Hansen
The Holy Ghost can help us in every part of our lives. I learned this in a practical way when I was a college student at Brigham Young University–Hawaii.
At the time, I was working and taking a full schedule of classes. My wife and I also had a small baby to care for. With all these demands on my schedule, I didn’t have much time for studying. I prayed every day for the companionship of Holy Ghost. I needed guidance to help me make the most of my time. I needed assistance understanding the material as well as remembering it later during exams.
Heavenly Help for a School Exam
One day during class, a professor was writing sets of advanced equations on the whiteboard to illustrate a point. These complex equations didn’t relate to that class, but he wanted to talk about them briefly. After a few minutes the professor erased the board.
My next class was computer science, and we had an exam that day. Those exact equations from the board in my previous class were on the test! What’s truly remarkable is that we had never studied these before in our computer science class. All that memory came back to me from the other class I had attended, and I was able to answer the problem.
When the computer science professor graded the tests, he was so sure nobody answered that specific problem correctly that he automatically marked it wrong for every student. But when I got my paper back, I showed him that the answer I wrote on the paper was correct. It was wonderful.
The Holy Ghost helped me make the most of all my studying opportunities throughout college. I was able to achieve high grades and earn scholarships, which helped me pay for school.
Guidance through Life
Toward the end of my studies, many of my friends were planning to continue their schooling and achieve a master’s degree. I loved studying and wanted to do the same thing, but the Spirit told me clearly that my mission in Hawaii was complete. It was time for me to return home to Hong Kong.
My wife and I followed the prompting. At the time I couldn’t understand why I was being directed away from continuing my education. But sometimes we follow the Spirit without knowing all the details. Though my wife and I didn’t know what to expect as we looked for jobs and an apartment, we were blessed and soon found success.
As I look back now, I understand why the Spirit was so strong in encouraging us to return to Hong Kong. It was very valuable to my family and me to be strengthened in the Church among the members there. I served as a bishop, as a counselor in the stake presidency, and as a stake president before being called as an Area Seventy. After retiring from my profession, I was able to earn a master’s degree. All of those experiences helped prepare me for my current calling.
I testify to you that seeking after and following the guidance of the Holy Ghost is always the best way to plan and live your life. You were already given the gift of the Holy Ghost when you were confirmed a member of the Church, and if you will use that gift, it will be a huge help in all that you do.