‘I wouldn’t go back’: Why this husband and wife are profoundly grateful for their unmet healing

Barbara Bowen Ballard, wife of President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family, on October 1, 2018. She was 86 years old. She faced a long battle with myriad health issues, including Alzheimer’s, with her characteristic grace and sense of humor.

April 2018 marked a memorable and historic general conference, and our prophet asked us to study and apply the messages that were presented. In order to help us remember the incredible words of each speaker, here is one great quote from each talk from the April 2018 general conference.

The April 2018 general conference was unforgettable. Not only did the stars align so that Easter, conference, and April Fools all landed on the same day, we participated in a solemn assembly, sustained a new prophet and two new apostles, and received a few jaw-dropping surprises.

Twenty-two years ago I lost a baby that I had carried through the sixth month of pregnancy. This was a long-awaited baby for whom my husband, three young children, and I had prayed earnestly.

See how many problems you can spot in this personal story:

I was a 29-year-old United States Air Force fighter pilot, hanging from a parachute, slowly descending into hostile territory. I looked below my dangling legs as I watched my doomed F-4 Phantom shudder, shake, and cartwheel its fiery way to the ground. Missing its tail section and a large part of the left wing, it was now totally engulfed in flames. It was hard to imagine I had been sitting in the cockpit, at the very center of the fireball, a few seconds before. Finally, I saw it hit the ground with a huge concussion that I could see but not hear. The fire and smoke reached into the sky several thousand feet. I thought for a few seconds how unlikely it was for a small-town Texas boy to be involved in such a monumental problem as this was turning into.

Growing up, I was never what you would call petite. I was usually taller than everyone, including the boys, and my early puberty helped to fill me out during the “awkward years.”

When the weather starts turning chilly, nothing makes a home feel warmer and cozier than a slow cooker meal. Take a break from the busy holiday season and enjoy the simplicity and deliciousness of slow cooker meals fromDinner Made Easy with Six Sisters’ Stuff: Time-Saving Recipes for Busy Moms.

It’s unlikely that anyone in the Church (except for the apostles) anticipated that Neal A. Maxwell would be called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles when he was. As far as most people knew, there wasn’t a vacancy to be filled. Generally, a new apostle is called when an apostle dies. However, in 1981, the health of all three members of the First Presidency was declining. After many vibrant years of service together, they were slowing down. President Spencer W. Kimball, in recovery from surgery, felt “a restless urge to breathe needed vitality into the First Presidency”. President Kimball called Elder Gordon B. Hinckley to be a fourth member of the Presidency on July 15th. This left a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve.