This simple way of gathering helps Relief Society sisters find real connection

When our lovely twenty-one-year-old daughter was hit by a truck, my husband and I and three of our children were in Brazil serving a mission. All the children living in the United States flew immediately to the Indiana hospital where Georgia lay fighting for her life. Those living in our home, understandably, left the house in great disarray as they rushed to find a plane. Dear neighbors spoke to one another about the situation, and the next morning, as the family was in Indiana trying to cope with Georgia’s passing, twenty-five covenant-keeping sisters gathered at our home in Salt Lake City.

Tithing, fast offering, supporting an active family, stockpiling a year’s supply of food, paying for braces: How do I make ends meet? As a young husband living on a teacher's salary and with so many other financial tugs pulling on our bank account, I often wondered how I'd ever be able to help my children finance their missions, if they chose to serve in that capacity.

The Book of Mormon is a key. The Bible is a door. It’s not enough for me to shelve them side by side. It’s not enough to read the one and then the other. I need to slot the key, turn the tumblers, and open the door.

Playing under bright lights in front of noisy crowds, dunking the basketball, chasing down loose balls, defending world-class athletes, knocking down threes, and getting paid in the process is a dream only a few can comprehend. It was a thrill.

After four LDS meetinghouses were vandalized in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, police are asking for the public's help. Please be aware and report any potential tips to the police.

What a powerful testament of how even small acts of kindness can bolster those who most need to feel the love of the Lord in their lives: "On one particularly difficult Sunday, I was feeling invisible and unimportant. I felt that I didn’t belong in a ward with so many “normal” families. So as soon as I led my children to their Primary classes, I found myself walking toward the exit. I didn’t know where I would go; I just wanted to disappear. But before I could slip away, a kind brother in my ward put his arm around me. . . ."

From age five through fifteen, I was subjected to extreme abuse at the hands of my stepfather. I struggled for years with feelings of great unworthiness. I was quite inactive and bitter as a Church member. My heart became quite hardened. I suppose you could say I was spiritually bruised and broken. I couldn’t bring myself to pray to someone in heaven who was supposed to be my father. I rejected priesthood blessings because even the touch of worthy priesthood holders was a threat. I got so lost in my deep, dark place that I got to thinking that life would be better off without me.

"It's said that the Brethren are wonderful," Elder Gong said, "but they're even more wonderful when you see them in places where they are not otherwise seen. I think if there's anything I've felt, it's been that: The kindness, the authenticity, the great faith and testimony that you see in private that goes perhaps even beyond that which you see in public."

This month's edition of weekly FHE lessons is based on the new family movie Trek, which follows a young Mormon teenager named Tom and his friends on their handcart journey. Each lesson includes a scene from movie to watch and discuss. Your whole family will laugh along and be inspired by Trek: The Movie, available at Deseret Book stores and deseretbook.com.