The reminder God gave me when no one answered my calls

There are many reasons why Jesus came to earth, and our word Atonement has come to embody them all, but I think, if I had to be specific, I would say that the essence of His life centered on forgiveness. In the great hymn of the Restoration, Joseph Smith caught that spirit when he wrote, “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven” (D&C 128:19). The Savior is the incarnation, the personification, the grand architect of forgiveness and mercy. It is inherent in almost every act of His life. It is the one single most significant quality of the Father that Jesus came to teach us with His words and show us by His example. Indeed, the most beautiful words He spoke during those last agonizing hours of His life are, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Whenever I feel the difficulty of forgiving in my own life, I read those words and the feeling of forgiveness moves into my soul.

When emeritus General Authority Seventy Elder John H. Groberg was just a young man from a farming community in Idaho, he was called to be a missionary in Tonga. Little did he know at the time that he would later write his own book about his missionary experiences, which would eventually be turned into a successful film, The Other Side of Heaven. The movie’s sequel, Fire of Faith tells the story of Elder Groberg’s return to Tonga with his wife, Jean, and his children after being called as mission president. On this week’s episode, All In host Morgan Jones talks with Elder and Sister Groberg about the spiritual lessons they learned from the Tongan people. They specifically discuss the way they were ministered unto by the entire Tongan nation when their new baby became sick.

The following article originally ran on LDS Living in September 2015.

Temple Square in Salt Lake City will come to life Friday, November 29, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. MST as hundreds of thousands of colorful LED bulbs light up, marking the season of Jesus Christ’s birth.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a church I’d like to visit. Scott Wright wrote this review in early 2019 as part of a Google Maps program called “local guides.” These guides are trusted members of the Google Maps community who add local roads, take photos, and write reviews in their area. Most do it for free because they like helping others.

On Thursday, while families all over the United States were gathering for their Thanksgiving celebrations, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his family, including 10 of his 17 grandchildren, brought Thanksgiving to 1,516 who are away from their homes serving as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, taught them that living in thanksgiving will serve as a tool for overcoming difficulties during their missions.

This week’s readings: John; Jude

This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading of 1–3 John and Jude. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Living for additional resources and suggestions.

The earliest story recorded in the Book of Mormon is about a prophet named Mahonri, better known as the brother of Jared. As told in the book of Ether, he was directed by God to gather his family and friends and set sail towards a new land, leaving wicked Babel behind. But rather than teaching the brother of Jared how to build a ship like fellow Book of Mormon prophet Nephi built, Heavenly Father taught the brother of Jared and his people (the Jaredites) how to build barges. These barges were round, sightless, steerless, and rudderless. Nevertheless, with some special help from the Lord, the Jaredites built them and headed out to sea.