“Firm Foundations,” New Era, Sept. 2019, 30–31.
Firm Foundations
An Answer for Mr. New York
Illustrations by Jarom Vogel
All the young women in my ward were happily splashing in the swimming pool when a man from New York came over to the pool and asked us what we were all doing there.
As soon as he heard the word church, he let us know that he did not believe in any churches. His dad was a preacher and was the “meanest man alive.” That New Yorker was the angriest person I had ever met. I got out of the water and went off to be by myself. I knelt down and said a little prayer that I would be able to say something to Mr. New York that would be meaningful to him and would help him overcome his anger.
When I came back, it was obvious nothing had changed. Mr. New York was still talking in angry tones about how there couldn’t possibly be a God. “If there was, He wouldn’t have let my wife and daughter die,” he said. The words came to me without my even thinking: “You can be sealed to your wife and daughter in the temple,” I said.
Mr. New York stopped and asked me to repeat what I had just said. After I did, there was silence. His countenance softened and his voice became calm. He asked about the temple and how he could be sealed to his family. I was able to tell him everything I had learned about temples. I don’t know what happened to him, but my little prayer was answered in a big way!
Twila H., Arizona, USA
Mom Said the Prayer!
While sitting on the couch watching television, I heard my dad say, “Come in, come in!” To my surprise, it was the missionaries. It was the first time in a really long time that they had visited us. My mom isn’t a member of the Church, and our family wasn’t really active in Church.
Towards the end of the lesson, my mom was asked to say the closing prayer. She was hesitant at first, but with a little encouragement from my dad, she agreed.
All of us knelt down, and my mom spoke in our native language. She thanked Heavenly Father for our unexpected visitors and the message they had for us. She asked for guidance, prayed for the missionaries to get home safely, and asked that we would all be blessed.
Once the elders were gone, I hugged my mom and said I was so proud of her. She hugged me back and said, “Thank you.” I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face.
My mom still hasn’t been baptized. But I have hope that one day she will become a member and we will be sealed in the temple.
Shaura C., Benguet, Philippines
I Wasn’t Alone
In middle school, my friends told me many times that I was weird for not saying bad words. They made fun of me for it. I was starting to think that maybe they were right and that I was supposed to use those words because everyone else used them.
I wanted to be different from my friends, but I was scared that I would be alone. On Sunday, one of the speakers in sacrament meeting spoke about choosing the right no matter what. A phrase of his talk caught my attention: “Sometimes we may feel alone when we do the right things. But you’re never alone, because God is always with you.” That answered my question, and I decided that I wasn’t going to use bad language.
The next day one of my friends was using bad language. I told him that he could talk that way if he wanted to, but not in front of me. After that, he stopped using bad words when I was around. Some other kids told me that what I did was brave, and I realized that I wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable with his language. What the speaker said was true—I wasn’t alone!
I’ve decided that if I don’t like the language someone is using, I will say something. I know that it can be hard to do what is right, but the blessings we receive from making good choices are powerful.
Tony F., Chihuahua, Mexico