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In 1960, I was living near Hamburg in West Germany and was called to be the mission YMMIA president. Half of the members of our mission lived in East Germany, which necessitated having counterpart Young Men’s and Young Ladies’ presidents serving in the same capacity in East Germany. Because the Church members were scattered over a large area, we made a special effort to plan as many activities as possible that could be attended by all the youth of the mission. This presented some problems peculiar to our mission, since half the mission was in West Germany and West Berlin, and the other half was behind the Iron Curtain. It was impossible to hold any activities in the eastern sector, so we scheduled all of our programs in West Berlin so that the East Germans could also attend. They could easily board a subway in East Berlin, ride across the border into West Berlin and attend the meeting, then return to their homes without difficulty.

I have sent seven sons and one daughter on missions. My last son just got his call to the Indiana Indianapolis Mission, Spanish speaking. The world is changing, isn’t it? All my missionaries but one have been to Spanish speaking missions. I wonder what mission call would be the hardest. Are there places that now have no missionaries that would present particular difficulties?

We’ve all heard countless lessons, talks, and conference addresses on the importance of the Holy Ghost in our lives, and we can easily reel off a list of the amazing ways He can bless us. But there are aspects of the Holy Ghost that are commonly overlooked or forgotten, and it is important to understand all the resources and gifts available to us through Him so that we can go through life obtaining the most peace and happiness possible.

No matter your circumstances, church leaders share inspiration to remind you that even on the darkest of days everything will work out.

It is hard to speak kindly of those we have been offended by or do not like. However, through the pure love of Christ, we find that we can free ourselves from feelings of hurt or anger and find happiness as we serve them. Read these inspiring quotes that Church leaders have shared to help broaden our perspective.

"I say unto you, be one," a new Church website reads, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 38:27.

In the play and movie "A Man for All Seasons," Sir Thomas More was confined in prison because he refused to sign an oath with which he did not agree. While he was there, his daughter Margaret was allowed to come and visit him to try and convince him to sign so that he could be set free. The following dialog is from their discussion about this matter:

The LDS Bible Dictionary states: “These are messengers of the Lord, and are spoken of in the epistle to the Hebrews as ‘ministering spirits’ (Hebrews 1:14). We learn from latter-day revelation that there are two classes of heavenly beings who minister for the Lord: those who are spirits and those who have bodies of flesh and bone. Spirits are those beings who either have not yet obtained a body of flesh and bone (unembodied), or who have once had a mortal body and have died, and are awaiting the resurrection (disembodied). Ordinarily the word angel means those ministering persons who have a body of flesh and bone, being either resurrected from the dead (reembodied), or else translated, as were Enoch, Elijah, etc. (D&C 129)” (“Angels,” 608).

When I think of ministering in the Church, my hope is that each one of us can have a taste of this kind of sisterhood—whatever our age, our situation, or our need. I hope that each one of us can feel the comfort that comes from knowing that someone understands and loves us.