“Firm Foundations,” New Era, March 2018
Firm Foundations
“I’m Glad You Invited Me”
Illustrations by Alyssa Petersen
On my first date with Nate, I was surprised to learn that he wasn’t a Latter-day Saint. He was very polite, but when I got home, I wasn’t sure if I would go on another date with him.
The next week, Nate called to see if I’d like to go out on New Year’s Eve. “I’m sorry, Nate,” I said. “That’s a Sunday night, and my family and I are watching a broadcast from the First Presidency.” I felt the spark of a prompting and added, “You are welcome to watch it with us if you’d like.” I was shocked when he said yes.
I felt the Spirit so strongly as the prophet encouraged us to set resolutions that would enable us to draw closer to Christ. Nate listened to every word. After he went home, I felt calm and peaceful. The next morning, he called me.
“I wanted to thank you for inviting me over last night,” he said. “All my friends were having a party, and I didn’t want to go because I knew there would be some bad stuff going on. I’m glad you invited me. I feel great.”
I felt the Spirit telling me that I had done the right thing. Being friendly helped Nate feel the blessings of righteous living. I know that God cares about all of us and that He will always enable us to choose the right.
Rachel H., Texas, USA
Is My Family History Really Done?
I really wanted to help with my family history, but my father had seven generations in his family tree, and all the temple ordinances were complete. For 11 years he found no new information about his family. My desire and hope disappeared. I told myself with frustration, “All my family history is done. Where am I going to get names to take to the temple?”
I decided to look at all the information my father had on his FamilySearch tree and a voice told me that there was still much to do. I began to search for information all over the internet. I was able to find many people with my surname, but I could not find my relationship to all those people.
When my hope was exhausted, I decided to fast with my mother to have success in our family history. The next Sunday morning as we were getting ready to go to church, I did my typical internet search, and suddenly I found a page with information I had never seen. It was a miracle!
With the help of new information, I, at age 14, took a total of 400 family names to the temple. I was so happy. My favorite part was sharing those names with the youth and seeing their happiness at having so many cards in their hands.
I testify of this great and marvelous work. When we do family history, the Spirit helps us have success and touches our hearts.
Guillermo T., Chile
Lost in Tijuana
One year, my family and I drove to Tijuana, Mexico, to visit some members there and drop off some supplies at the mission home. However, once we crossed the border between California, USA, and Mexico, we got lost. None of us had cell phones, so we had no way of contacting anyone for help.
Finally, my sister suggested that we pull over and say a prayer. We all closed our eyes and bowed our heads as she prayed. When she finished, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a taxi with a sticker outline—of the San Diego California Temple! I yelled out, “The temple!”
One of my sisters quickly slipped out of the car and ran up to the taxi, which was stopped in the traffic. She talked to him briefly and then ran back and said that he told us to follow him. We followed as he weaved in and out of traffic and through the streets of Tijuana until we arrived at the mission home.
This experience strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father lives and is watching out for us. Praying faithfully as a family is the best feeling, and God really does hear our prayers.
Corbin D., California, USA