CHALLENGES BRING UNITY - by Hannah Johnson

One cold February night – our family stayed at the line shack. The next morning we got up and Dad took us tubing with the snowmobile. We would sled down the hill and he would take us back up the hill on the snowmobile. Isaac was using skis so he would ski down the snow packed road. After a while dad told Isaac to ski down the road as far as he could and he would pick him up with the snowmobile.
A couple of minutes after Isaac left on skis, the snowmobile broke down. Reed and I tried to help lift the heavy snowmobile while dad tried to start it, but after about 30 minutes and some prayers we realized we weren’t strong enough and needed to have another plan. Dad and Reed were to hike up the mountain to the line shack to get mom and the other snowmobile. I was to hike down the road and find Isaac and tell him what happened and to hike back up to the broken down snowmobile.
I walked for a long time calling Isaac’s name. Finally I saw him. He was really tired from hiking in his snow boats and carrying his skis (about a mile down the road he stopped skiing realizing that Dad wasn’t coming). I carried Isaac’s skis. We were so thirsty so we would stop and eat snow. We were so tired and just collapsed by the time we reached the snowmobile.
Mom and Dad finally came on the other snowmobile. (Reed stayed at the line shack to watch Andrea). We worked together and prayed and were able to get the snowmobile started.
This experience sounds kind of miserable and like a rough day, but really we had an amazing experience working together as a family – one that we will always remember. Isaac and I worked together – Dad and Reed worked together (they have a cool experience to share another time) – Reed and Andrea worked together – and then Dad, Mom, Isaac, and I worked together. We are so lucky to have a family that can help each other when we have challenges . After this experience I realized that challenges don’t have to be that bad if you look to your family to help you and also to pray to Heavenly Father to help. Each of us had to have our own faith since we were separated.
Once we had our problem taken care of we went back to the line shack and built an amazing snow fort and played in the snow. On the way home we talked about our experience and realized that if we wouldn’t have had that challenge we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work together. The challenge brought us closer together as a family.
I am not scared of challenges because you will always have someone behind you. It is like when I am at a gymnastics meet I know I will have my team right behind me to cheer me on. And I know that I will never be alone because Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost will always be with me.

HOLD ON - by Jamie Johnson

I have hiked to the “Y” in Provo about 4 times in my life. The first time I hiked it I was 10 years old with a BYU ward that my Dad was the Bishop over. I remember it being really fun and laughing and talking with the college students the whole way up.
So a few years ago Ryan and I took the family on the “Y” hike. It was a lot harder than we thought but we were prepared with water, snacks, and a lunch. The kids had cousins with them so they encouraged each other on.
The next time we went the kids knew what to expect, but were still excited to go on the hard hike. We had water and starbursts to eat once we reached each of the 11 switchbacks – those were the motivators to keep us going.
This last Labor Day 2010 – we spent a couple of days in Midway. On our way home we still wanted to do something else. Ryan saw the “Y” on the mountain and suggested hiking it again. There were some moans and groans, and one or two “Okays”. So we decided to do it even if the majority had a bad attitude. All we had was one water bottle – no motivator treats and Andrea was told she had to hike the whole way without being carried once.
I reflected on this experience as I prepared this lesson in that there are many ways to learn from this experience. We can all be on the straight and narrow path, but we still encounter steep hills and discouragement. There was one point that Reed stopped by some trees in the shade. I stayed with him for a minute, but then encouraged him to get up and keep going. This didn’t work so I left him. I was about half way up the switchback and he still wasn’t coming. I yelled down to him to come. He finally started staggering up the hill. I made it up the switch back where the rest of the family was waiting. Isaac saw Reed was struggling so he ran down to where he was and encouraged him to keep going. The hike seemed to go a little bit more smoothly after that and the attitudes were a lot more positive, thanks to Isaacs sincere example of encouragement.
I know that here on Earth our Father in Heaven and Savior are here to lift us up and help us when we are ready to give up. I wasn’t going to drag Reed up the mountain he had to decide for himself not to give up. Once he decided to keep going then Isaac was there to help – just like our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to come to him.
As we headed back down we could go a lot quicker, but if we weren’t careful then we would slip and fall on the rocks. In life we can be going along thinking everything is great, but if not staying close to the Lord then we are more likely to fall into temptation and be brought down. We also need to remember that we shouldn’t run faster than we are able. We need to slow down and stay in control.
Attitude also made such a difference in our hike. The first three hikes I went on we all had a positive attitude and the hike didn’t seem so bad. But a negative attitude on the last hike made it miserable until we decided to change our attitude. Andrea was a great example in that her little legs made it to the top without being carried and she stayed positive by saying hi to people we passed. Also not having motivator treats we had to look inward to motivate ourselves.

On the path of life we are blessed to have the Iron Rod – the word of God to hang on to. (I demonstrated this by having all the little kids hold hands and then Ryan as Satan tried to pull the kids away).
We are so blessed to have the Iron Rod to hold on to as we follow the straight and narrow path. As we encounter the many hills, and times of discouragement, we need to look at these “speed bumps” as opportunities to grow versus challenges that slow us down. Sometimes these opportunities (challenges) appear to never end. If we are patient and just “Hold On” for one more day keeping a positive attitude, giving thanks for even a small and simple thing then we will “endure well” and be able to be an instrument in the Lords hands and bless the lives of others
I have had the saying of “Hold On” as my motto throughout my life. When I was 12 my Dad died – even though I had so much faith, I found it was harder to “hold on”. So I am so grateful for a family that held on through teaching me the Word of God. I am especially thankful for a ward that helped me “hold on”. Grandpa Doug was one of those that helped me as he was my Bishop.
As the teenager years came – I continued to focus on “holding on for one more day because things will go your way”. I struggled with friends that were making wrong choices and started seeking out better friends. I focused on talents and getting involved. I am so grateful for many earthly angels that helped me and continue to help me hold on in times of hardship. I am also grateful for a Heavenly Father that loves me and is continually sending angles to watch over me and help me to “hold on” because someday I want to have eternal life and be reunited with all of my loved ones.
Even though trials come I am grateful to have a testimony that Heavenly Father loves each of us and is mindful of our situations – he just wants us to “Hold On”.

PERSEVERANCE - by Cameron Johnson

This summer I planted some pumpkin seeds in our garden. It was hard work weeding the garden and taking care of my pumpkins. I watched the garden every day and checked on my pumpkins. Pretty soon green leaves started to grow, and then flowers started to grow on the leaves. Then there were little green pumpkins and they grew bigger and turned orange. It took perseverance to grow my pumpkins because it took a long time and it took work but I persevered and I grew 24 pumpkins.

LIFE LESSONS ON THE FARM - by Tiffany Johnson

My story is about an important lesson I learned while working on the farm. It was summertime and I was 15 years old. My sisters and I were inside doing our ever-dreaded “Saturday Jobs”. There was no way of getting out of doing our Saturday jobs unless my dad coming into the house to get us to work out on the farm. We loved working on the farm with dad. Anything he had us do was always a lot more fun and a lot easier than the work my mom had us do in the house; however, my mom would only let him take one or two of the three of us who were old enough to go. Therefore, it was always a battle of who would get to go with my dad. This particular Saturday I heard my dad’s motorbike pull up and all three of us ran to the door to see if we could go. I was very happy when my dad said, “I need Tiff to come out with me today I have a job I want to start her on.” I ran to get my shoes and jumped on the motor bike with my dad. We headed out to a field and as we stopped in front of the silage tractor my excitement was starting to dwindle. I soon realized that my dad wanted me to learn how to drive the tractor that would chop all of the hay that summer to store away for silage for the cows. My dad now has a self-propelled chopper but this particular summer he still had his pull behind chopper which, in my opinion, is a lot harder to drive. It had three pieces to it: the tractor, the chopper that hooked on to that and behind the chopper there was a wagon that the chute would spray the hay into. It seemed like a train to me and I thought it looked impossible to drive. “OK.” My dad said, “It’s time you learned to chop hay. We’re short of help and we need you to do it.” I immediately started saying that I didn’t think that was a good idea and I wasn’t ready and I didn’t even have my license yet but he said, “You’re ready. You can do it” Then he proceeded to show me how to work the many switches and levers. As I sat while my dad explained the process to me it seemed I would never be able to do it. There were so many things to watch and buttons to push and all at the same time while you were looking forward to stay on the right row and looking back to make sure the hay was going into the wagon. In addition I had to make sure the chopper didn’t go to fast and get plugged with hay and be on alert for the metal detector, which would buzz so that metal wouldn’t go through the chopper. Once again I said, “Dad, I really don’t think I can do it”. “You can do it. I’ll drive a couple passes with you.” So he drove down one row of cut hay while I watched what he did and he explained everything to me. Then he told me to drive. “Ok”, I said “but you can’t get out. I still need your help.” As I started chopping with my dad in there to help me and tell me what to do it didn’t seem so difficult. “I can do this,” I thought. But then after going down one row and back up another my dad said ok I’ve got work to do. Just keep chopping and a truck will be here in a minute then you can dump the hay in it. Just pull this button and push this and it will dump. I was nearly in tears and I said dad really you can’t go yet I just barely learned what if I ruin everything and break your tractor. What if I mess up really bad? My dad said, “Tiff, I know you can do this. If I didn’t think you could I wouldn’t have given you the job. I trust you.” I swallowed back my doubts and nervousness and said, ok dad if you say so. Then just as my dad was about to leave on his bike I opened the door and said, “But dad what if I need you or have a question where will you be?” That’s when he pointed to the radio below the steering wheel and said. I have my radio all you have to do is press the button and I can help you.
This experience taught me a few great lessons about life. I did learn how to chop that summer. I made some mistakes and I wasn’t very fast in the beginning. I’m sure some of the other workers on the farm probably questioned my dad’s wisdom in letting me drive; but, I got better and by the end of the summer and I loved to chop hay. I found that it was very rewarding. At the end of a long, hard day I could look out over the empty field(s) and think, “I helped do that”. I was a part of accomplishing that huge task. It was very rewarding.
The next lesson I learned was that this life can sometimes be hard and we have challenges that we alone have to face and overcome. We came down to this earth with the ultimate goal of returning to live with our Heavenly Father and we have to make choices everyday that will help us return to live with him. Heavenly Father has faith and trust in us that we can overcome the challenges that we are faced with and make the right decisions so that we can return to live with him. Just like my dad was right there telling me he knew I could do it. Heavenly Father is telling us that he knows we can do it and believes in us that we can endure to the end. My dad trusted me and because of that trust I gained the confidence that I could accomplish the task. Heavenly Father Also trusts us and he won’t give us something that we can’t do. We just need to gain confidence in ourselves to accomplish hard things.
The third lesson I learned was that we are not alone. Just like I had the radio to call my dad when I needed him for something we have ways that we can get help when we need it. We have parents, grandparents, church leaders and most importantly we can always pray to our Heavenly Father and he will hear and answer our prayers. I have a testimony of the power of prayer and I know that when we are faced with a difficult decision or need help with something we can call on our Heavenly Father and he will help us.

SHARING MY TOYS - by Josie Warr

When I was at church my teacher taught me about the Holy Ghost and how it can help us make right decisions. The other day I was playing toys with Bella and she really wanted one of the toys that I was playing with. The spirit told me to share, so I did and it made me feel really good.

LIFE JACKET EXPERIENCE - by Johanna Warr

Last week in Fast and Testimony Meeting one of the young men got up and bore his testimony. He was probably around 13 or 14. He told an experience that he had the last week. He’s on the swim team and one of his team mates is a disabled girl. She’s handicapped and has to swim with a life jacket. At his last swim meet she took of her life jacket and got in the pool. Her father got in beside her and swam next to her the whole time. He said it was a very special moment for everyone…the crowd was silent. When she finished they all got up and cheered.
He likened this to our Heavenly Father and Jesus. We were sent here to earth, to our individual families. We all have a mother and father who love us very much. They protect us and keep us safe…just like the life jacket that the handicapped girl swam with. There are times in our lives when we are all alone or we feel like we are. When our mom’s and dad’s are not around to watch us and help us make right decisions. When we feel like this we must remember we are never alone. Our heavenly father is right beside us cheering us on and wanting us to finish the race.
I was very touched by this story and have thought of it several times through out the week. There are times that I feel all alone. That’s when I stop for a moment and say a small prayer thanking Heavenly Father for all I have and for always being there for me when I’m sad. When I remember how much I am loved by my earthly parents, heavenly parents, and my family all around me it makes me want to keep going and finish the race smiling with the crowd cheering. I believe this will happen some day when I finish this earthly experience and return to heaven. I must never forget Heavenly Father is right beside me wanting me to do good and be good and finish the race.

LISTEN TO THE HOLY GHOST - by J'net Johnson

LISTEN TO THE HOLY GHOST

Twenty five years ago, boy that is long time, I would jog three miles early in the morning with my neighbor and good friend, Janet Jurgens. We always did the same run which we did east of our homes.
One morning we had jogged about one mile and were just starting into the area where the homes were few and far apart. This had never bothered us in the past, but this morning we stopped, looked at each other and said that we felt we should not go up there this morning. We never hesitated but turned around and finished our three miles in town. I know that the Holy Ghost spoke to each one of us and we heeded his counsel. To this day, I do not know if there was danger up ahead or maybe it was a test to see if we would obey. I know that as we trust in the Spirit we will be strengthened and protected in our daily lives.
I am reminded of a true story of President Wilford Woodruff how was told to move his carriage and mules minutes before a tornado hit.
The following story is paraphrased from Woodruff, Wilford, “Leaves from my Journal.
Salt Lake City, 2nd ed., 1882 (pg 339):
“Get up and move your carriage!” In the middle of the night these words beat upon the eardrums of Wilford Woodruff. Wilford knew that tone from a lifetime of experience. It was the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. He awakened his wife. “I must get up and move the carriage!”
“What for?”
“I don’t know, only the Spirit has told me to do so.”
Wilford strode into the Indiana night. He harnessed his mules, brought them back to the wagon where his wife and children were sleeping, hooked them up, and dragged his Wagon from its location in the barnyard to a spot near the house. Then he went back to bed.

The still small voice came back: “Go and move your mules away from that oak tree!” Obediently, Wilford dressed and took his mules and tied them a safe distance from the tree. Less than thirty minutes later a tornado struck the oak tree where the mules had been tied, uprooted it, carried it a hundred yards through the air, and laid it in the barnyard at the exact spot where Wilford’s wagon had stood.


Heavenly Father has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost. If we listen to His promptings he will strengthen our testimonies and our relationship with God. He will help us to fulfill responsibilities in this life and return home to Heavenly Father when we have finished our work on the earth. We need to be consistent, show great effort and to trust in the Lord.
We are on the path home to God, and we can make it. Because the path may be steep and sometimes rocky we may feel discouraged and even stumble, but we can arrive back home with Heavenly Father as we are guided and corrected by the Spirit of God.
Some things that we need to do are:
1. Pray for the gifts of the Spirit.
2. Ponder in the scriptures and in the words of our living prophets.
3. Keep our promises to the Lord
As we draw closer to the Holy Spirit, He will help us arrive at our final destination….HOME….with our Heavenly Father & the Savior, to live with our families in joy forever.

The Holy Ghost Will Give Direction - by Doug Johnson

The Holy Ghost Will Give Direction

When we were baptized we were given the Gift of the Holy Ghost. What does that mean?
The scriptures help us to better understand the importance of this special “gift”. The Savior taught the people concerning the role of the Holy Ghost as a “teacher” when he said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you(John 14:26).” So the Holy Ghost is a “teacher”. Near the end of Nephi’s record Nephi tells his people to “…feast upon the word’s of Christ…Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, wherefore, they speak of the words of Christ… For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, (be baptized) and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do (2 Nephi 32:1-5).” So the Holy Ghost is “guide” and a “protector”.
I remember an experience that has stuck in my mind as a reminder to me that the Holy Ghost is interested in everything that we do. Even the things that we might think are not really important. When Grandma J’net and I received our call to serve our mission in Alabama, it seemed that everything in our lives took on a new meaning. One day I was working in the barn. I walked through the tack room where I passed by a long rod that was hanging from the ceiling. This rod was used to hang my scales from so I can weigh my panniers (boxes that I put on the horse to pack supplies). I was not using the rod, so there was not any reason to leave the rod hanging in its location. As I passed by the rod I had the distinct impression that I needed to go back and move the rod. I was busy thinking about other things that needed to be done that I felt were far more important than moving that rod. As I passed through the roll-up door in route to the other end of the barn, I again had this impression that I needed to move the rod. Only this time the impression came with a little explanation. It was like a still small voice was telling me, “If you do not return and move that rod, the next time that you walk by that area that rod is likely to poke you in the eye and then you will not be able to serve the mission that you have been called to serve.” I did not need any more reminders. I turned around and went back to the tack room and move the rod. What would have happened, if I had not gone back and moved the rod? Maybe the rod would have poked me in the eye, or maybe I would have received more promptings. I don’t know. I can only say when we receive a prompting to do the right thing then we need to follow that prompting. Moving the rod was the right thing to do.
I also know, if we will stop and listen more to that “still small voice” we will better understand that the Gift of the Holy Ghost is a teacher, a guide, a protector, a comforter, a companion, a shield, a friend. What a wonderful gift we have been given by a loving Father in Heaven!!

Garrett's Trip to Bainet - by Garrett Johnson

Garrett’s Trip to Bainet, January 14, 1999

Elder Boyd K. Packer taught:

“Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.

“I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you’” (“The Edge of the Light,” BYU Today, Mar. 1991, 22-23)

On January 13, 1999 we received word from the Leogane Branch President that one of their branch members, Ony George, had been seriously injured in an accident on a tap-tap. Tap-taps can be a very dangerous way to travel since these “small business owners” would pack as many passengers as possible in the back of a “cattle truck” or any other vehicle they could get their hands on. I don’t believe I was ever more afraid for my life, while serving in Haiti, then when I found myself on one of these tap-taps. People would pile into these trucks and buses to travel all day long.


The Leogane Branch President explained that Ony was traveling on the tap-tap to visit his family in Bainet – this is a small village Southeast of Leogane. While the tap-tap was passing through one of the many rivers and out of the steep embankment, Ony had fallen off and the tap-tap drove over his legs – crushing one of them and breaking the other into multiple pieces. The accident had occurred almost two weeks earlier. Since the accident, Ony was being “treated” in a backwoods shack by a doctor feuille (leaf doctor) and a “medicine man,” otherwise known as a voodoo priest. We knew what the intentions were of the voodoo priest and sensed the urgency to rescuing him. The “leaf doctor” was interested in helping Ony but really just planned on using what was left of him after the priest got what he was interested in. To put it bluntly, these doctors had a vested interest in Ony’s death, which underscored how difficult it was going to be to rescue him. Elder Paul Jean-Baptiste and I knew that we represented Ony’s only hope; but, we did not see how we were going to be able to be effective in an area so far from civilization. We were “very willing to be obedient” but had no idea what we were heading in to. That evening we placed a twin size mattress and a few other supplies in the back of the mission Mitsubishi truck. We left very early the next morning, January 14, 1999.


The drive from the mission office to Leogane is about thirty miles; but, it takes about 1 ½ hours with average traffic. The drive from Leogane to Jacmel is another 30-40 miles over a steep mountain pass and takes 2-3 hours or more depending on weather. The turn-off for Bainet is about half way between Leogane and Jacmel – at the peak of the mountain pass. To this point, the road is paved in asphalt – albeit plastered with potholes. It is a steep, dirt road from the turn-off to Bainet. If I remember correctly, this portion of the trip – which was about twenty miles – took us about 1 ½ hours. By the time we reached Bainet, we had been traveling a total of about four hours.

We left at 5:00 AM that morning; so, I was feeling that we were in pretty good shape and may even be back to the mission office by early afternoon. Our guide was riding in the back of the mission truck; so, we weren’t able to get many details about the destination until we got to Bainet. After driving through Bainet, anxiously anticipating the declaration of arrival, he pointed to a lightly traveled dirt road leaving Bainet to the Northwest. This lightly traveled dirt road lead to a river – this much was clear; however, I didn’t see much of a road leading out of the river. In fact, the opposite bank was rather steep. Although I didn’t know where I was going to go once I reached the other side of the river, we dove in. And sure enough, when we got to the other side, the opposing bank was too steep. We tried for some time to get the truck out of the river, back on dry ground. By now we had attracted the attention of several young men from the area. One of them approached me, pointing to the river. I knew what he meant; but, I had to convince myself … he just pointed at the river again … upon which our guide confirmed the directions.

I was later told that diesel trucks do quite well in water; but, I didn’t know that at the time. I was terrified that the truck would get flooded – literally – and we would be stuck hours away from anything that I knew about Haiti. Fortunately, we only had water coming over the hood in a couple of spots and were able to exit the river without any problems. After repeating this several more times, I actually began to have some confidence in driving through water and was having some fun … then I remembered where we were going and that we were almost there.

Finally, our guide tapped on the roof of the truck and pointed up a steep hill. I caught myself thinking that he wanted me to drive up the steep hill without any resemblance of a road; but, then I realized that he was pointing at the shack at the top of the hill. My heart rate raced at the thought that we were finally there and would soon be negotiating a trade with the voodoo priest and leaf doctor. The trouble with the trade was that we had nothing to offer that would be of any value to them.

I don’t remember everything that occurred that day at the shack; but, I do remember feeling like I had to pretend that I was in control and nothing was going to deter me from accomplishing what we had come to do. We asked where Ony was and were quickly directed to the front porch. The stench should have been enough to turn us away; but, for some strange reason, I think we were able to draw some strength from the smell – we knew we did not have any time to waste. Without telling anyone what we were doing, I looked around for some way to transport Ony – we hadn’t thought of that the night before. The only option we had was to use the door hanging from the shack; so, I told someone to get it. While they took the door off the shack, Elder Jean-Baptiste and I spoke with Ony briefly and tried to reinforce the braces on his legs. The Leogane Branch President nor anyone else knew how bad his condition was … We now knew that it would not have been possible for anyone to describe how bad it was.

The leaf doctor was there when we arrived; and, based upon his lack of defiance, I truly believe that he wanted to help Ony, only he didn’t have the means to do so or he didn’t have the political power to overrule the voodoo priest. The voodoo priest arrived about the time that we had reinforced Ony’s braces and gently transferred him to the door. I looked at my companion, Elder Jean-Baptiste, for some guidance. The only thing I could read from his face was that we needed to leave as soon as possible. Elder Jean-Baptiste understood better what we were dealing with. We never talked about the experience afterwards; but, it was at this moment that I gained a greater sense of how naive I was in this country. I am sure the voodoo priest assumed that the white guy was in charge; so, he approached me. I don’t remember who spoke first; but, I do remember simply telling him that we were taking Ony to get proper medical help and walking away carrying Ony on the stretcher-door.

I am sure that the difficult task of carrying Ony on the door without causing any unnecessary pain was what gave me the appearance of knowing what I was doing and acting with confidence. I was watching the voodoo priest out of the corner of my eye in order to get a better read of what he may try next. For some reason – which I am sure was the hand of God – the priest didn’t do anything. We had to carry Ony about 2-300 feet, down the hill to the truck. Once we got to the truck, we realized that we didn’t bring any of Ony’s personal belongings. I didn’t want to be at that shack for another minute; so, I told one of his family members to bring his stuff to the hospital when they come. And we left.

I would have felt better leaving if we would have been able to drive faster (Ony would fight back a cry of pain at every little bump), if we did not have to pass through the river several times, and if it wouldn’t have been the afternoon already – remember, I thought we were going to be home by early afternoon. Fortunately, we did not have to deal with the voodoo priest again.

I only remember two distinct things from that drive home: (1) listening to the tape of patriotic hymns sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and (2) that I listened to that complete tape many times – it took us about eight hours to make the four hour, seventy-five mile (approximate) trip back to Port-au-Prince. Our destination for Ony was the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. It is strange now to think back on what I expected at the hospital because I don’t remember expecting anything. At this point, I was so drained physically and emotionally that it was like a dream. We delivered Ony to the “ER”. The area was filled with people. The only vacant spot was in a hallway near the ER.

Mission rules were that we had to be in our apartments by dusk, which was usually around 6:00 PM. It was now getting close to midnight. We knew it was not safe to be out; so, we had to leave Ony there and hope that he received help. We reached our apartment, the mission office, in about thirty minutes and quickly reported in to President Miller. We gave a brief account of what had occurred; but, all he wanted to know was that we were home safe. I later learned that he too expected us back in the early afternoon. He had just finished a prayer that we would return safely.

Elder Jean-Baptiste and I were able to visit Ony several weeks later, just before I returned home. It is amazing to think what this man had been through in contrast to the bright spirit he had the day we visited him. It was also a testimony to me that the Lord answers prayers and that he guides us through our lives. We may not always recognize this at the time; but, if we are obedient and faithful, we have nothing to worry about. I believe this is what Elder Packer was teaching from his experience – we must act in faith.

Sunburn - by Zac Johnson

Sunburn - by Zac Johnson

Just a few weeks ago a guy in my ward asked me to play in a fast pitch softball tournament. It had been a long time since I had played in a weekend softball tournament; however, I thought all I needed to bring to be prepared is a hat and a glove.

The Saturday would consist of a few games or a lot of games, depending on winning or loosing the first couple games. If we were to win the first two games we would end up playing a total of four games. If we split the first two games we could end up playing a total of eight games that day. We ended up loosing the first game that Saturday morning; so, I knew it was going to be a long day; however, I had my hat and glove so I thought I would be fine. I soon realized that I was really thirsty… Thank goodness Kari and Emily showed up for the second game and brought water. They also asked me if I wanted to put on some sunscreen. I thought that the hat I was wearing was all that I needed to be protected from the sun and the greasy lotion would make my hands slippery holding the bat. So I didn’t apply any sunscreen after the first game. We won the second game which allowed us to advance and keep playing. Kari & Emily asked me again after the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh game if I wanted to put on sunscreen. Each game I replied “no I’m good”, thinking that I was fine and that it would hurt me up at bat (greasy hands). However, before the last game started and the sun began to set I started to realize that my neck, face, arms & legs were very, very sunburned; however, it was too late to apply sunscreen.

As the next week passed and I felt the sunburn daily I began to think that this experience can apply to sin. Satan can be really deceiving and can make one little sin seam alright, which makes the next little sin seam alright and the next and the next until we finally realize that the sins are going to hurt just like the sunburn hurt at the end of that Saturday and the entire next week. President Gordon B. Hinckley in the April Conference in 1984 gave a talk titled “Small Acts Lead to Great Consequences”. In this talk president Hinckley quotes D&C 64:33 “and out of small things proceedeth that which is great”. President Hinckley also noted “it is so with good or evil…. Small acts of dishonesty or small acts of immoral nature, small outbursts of anger can grow into great & terrible things.”

My Prayer - by Jaylee Johnson

My Prayer
Me and my friend were playing American dolls. And my friend had to go home. So I was cleaning up my dolls stuff and I couldn’t find her shoe. I looked all over downstairs and I couldn’t find it anywhere . So I decided to say a prayer and when I was finished praying I thought of looking in a red bag that we were playing with. Her shoe was in there. I felt like my prayer was answered and I felt happy.

The Key to Prayer - by Kirk Johnson

The Key to Prayer

I hope everyone in our family has a poweful testimony of prayer. If you don't right now, it's ok. You will just have to continue to develop faith. It came slow for me and the first time that I really had to rely on prayer was on my mission. It wasn't coming very easy to me.
One night however, we were out late in November or December and quite a ways away from our home in Cleveland. My companion and I had just finished visiting a man to teach the Gospel. I don't even remember if he was there. I think he stood us up so we felt that we had wasted out time. there was snow on the ground and as we walked to the car, I couldn't find my keys. We searched and searched between the car and the house but no luck. We finally said a prayer asking our Heavenly Father to intervene and help us. We continued to look and no keys. Finally, we were going to call the other Elders to come pick us up. Just before doiing so, I had a rush of faith and everything seemed so obvious. I told my companion that we were on the Lord's errand and He didn't need the other missionaries to waste their time to come pick us up when all he needed to do was help us find the keys. We prayed again, and somehow, I knew we wern't going home until we found those keys. The Lord had immediate mercy (something that does not always happen) and I looked 5 feet away and there were the keys gleaming in the light. For us, that was a true miracle; but, it came about because of faith. It actually wasn't immediate, because I believe we had to pray 3 times before we found the keys. I believe the Lord wanted to teach us true faith. It requires persestence. We learned that the Lord is vitally interested in what His missionaries are doing and that our time is important. He did however take the opportunity to teach us how important faith is and that you can't always just ask and have everything all at once. I know He was teaching us things by making us come to a realization that we were on the Lord's errand and once we understood that, our faith grew immediately and then it was time to show us the keys.

I bear testimony the the Lord loves us and hears all of our prayers. The ones that are not answered immediately are still heard. These are personal teaching moments between us and God. In the name of Jesus Christ; Amen.

I Want to Mind You - by Rachel Johnson

I Want to Mind You

One Saturday night I was helping my mom load in her dishwasher. When she came in the room she started unloading and arranging it the way she likes to do it. We got in an argument over loading the dishwasher and she said I could help her with anything else, just not that. I was in a stubborn mood and told her that if she wanted my help then I was going to do it my way. At the end of our little argument I walked out of the room and told her that I was not going to help her ever again.

The next day at church I was feeling pretty guilty. The talks given in Sacrament meeting were on meekness and humility. During the last hour of church the spirit prompted me to go into the Primary to observe how they did things. I thought it was a good idea since I am the Primary President.
My mother plays the piano for the primary.
I walked in and they were practicing their Mother's Day song. They sang the second verse and tears streamed down my face. The lyrics said: "Mother I love you Mother I do, I want to help you because I love you. I want to mind you. I want to find you, happy and smiling because I love you. Mother I love you, I love you I do."
Immediately after the closing prayer I walked up to the piano and sat down next to my mom. I gave her a hug and said I was sorry and that I was going to mind her.
We both laughed. It felt good to apologize and to be forgiven. From now on, I will always try to mind my mother.

The Holy Ghost gives us courage to do hard things. – by Isaac Johnson

The Holy Ghost gives us courage to do hard things


For my 8th birthday I went to Alabama to see my Grandma and Grandpa Johnson who were serving as a Mission President. I got special permission to be baptized there in a little river. I went to church the next day in Alabama. It was Fast and Testimony Meeting. I was prompted by the spirit to bear my testimony, which I quickly followed without even being nervous. I can’t remember what I said, but after the meeting a lot of people told me that I did a good job. It was then that I realized I didn’t recognize these people and that I was in a different ward. I know that if we follow the prompting of the Holy Ghost then we will be blessed – like I was able to have the courage to bear my testimony in an unfamiliar ward.


When I was 10 years old I went with my mom, dad, and Hannah to visit my Grandma Georgia and Grandpa Bruce who were serving a mission in Connecticut. We went to Boston and my Grandma gave me some pass along cards to give to people that we meet. I was determined to give at least one to one person. When we were looking for a cemetery we asked for directions. Before she left I tried to give her a pass a long card but she didn’t see me and knocked it out of my hand. She then noticed me and I picked the card up and handed it to her. She was very nice and grateful. I felt good for doing the right thing even though it was hard. I know that the Holy Ghost helped me once again to have courage to give a pass along card to someone that I didn’t even know.

Choose the Right (by: Ryan Johnson)

Choose the Right

I vividly remember the summer of 1985, I was 10-years old and just finished 5th grade. I had really never been away from home for very long, I had slept over at a friend’s house for a night at a time but never longer than one night.

I don’t know how I got roped into going to “Shadow Mountain”, maybe because my cousin Brian Hughes and his friends were going, but never-the-less I was signed up to go!! Shadow Mountain was suppose to be one of those great times to remember, you play games, swim in the river, stay up late in the bunk-beds, tell jokes, play pranks and just have a great time. Well, I certainly did all those things that week up at Shadow Mountain, and the experience was definitely one to remember. But all I remember was a week of misery, I missed my Mom!!

I remember getting up to Shadow Mountain and meeting all of Brian’s friends, they were all pretty nice but I didn’t feel like I fit in with them. The second night, everyone was getting picked up to go back home for a few hours to play in their baseball games, for some reason arrangements were not made for me to go play in my games. At that time I didn’t really care much for playing in the game, but I knew that if I went then I would be able to see my Mom. Well, the week finally ended!! I spent a large part of my time crying because I was soooo home-sick. I cried so much that I earned the nick-name of “Smiling John”, the leaders made that name up for me to try and get me to be happy. I don’t remember any specifics, but recall some of the boys that week doing things that may have not been quite right (maybe swearing, or talking naughty about girls). I knew that I was not going to take part in those activities, because I knew that my Mom would not be proud of me if I did, there was no way that I wanted to disappoint my Mom!

I believe it was the same summer (maybe the next) that I went to my first over-night basketball camp in Price, Utah at CEU (College of Eastern Utah). I don’t think I cried as much, if I did it was at night when no-one could see me, but I was just as home-sick at that camp (and the next few summer camps as well). Once again, a lot of the guys would talk about girls in-appropriately, swear, steal, gamble a lot with money, and even look at inappropriate things on TV. However, this was never a temptation to me as I knew that my Mom would not want me to do anything wrong.

I read my scriptures, said my prayers every night, went to church, but at this time in my life I probably had a stronger testimony of my earthly parents than I did of my Heavenly Parents. I am so grateful for loving parents that taught me what was right and expected me to do what was right and “return with honor” to their home. As I look back on these experiences I learned the following lessons:

It is ok if you are still trying to develop a testimony at a young age, and if the only thing that compels you to do what is right is because you love your Mom & Dad. The important thing, is that you “choose the right”.

I’ve learned that as parents, sometimes all we can do is teach and then pray with faith that our children “return home with honor”. We don’t know how God will work miracles in our children’s lives. In my case it was through home-sickness.

A story for a different time was in the Summer/Fall of 1993 (8 years later, when I was 18), when I gained a burning testimony of my Heavenly Parents and knew the unconditional love that they had for me. I still loved my Mom & Dad but once I knew of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love for me, I knew that I could accomplish the challenges that were before me (specifically serving of mission). I still do not want to disappoint my Mom and Dad, but I certainly don’t want to disappoint my Heavenly Parents. I pray that, for whatever reason we can find, we will always choose the right!

RJ

My First Scout Trip (by: Doug Johnson)

My First Scout Trip

It was probably the summer of 1960 when I was able to go on my first official “scout packing trip”. I say probably because that is when I would have been twelve years old and eligible for “overnight” trips with the scouts. I do not remember a lot of details about the trip, but there are a few things about that trip that have always stuck with me and I will never forget.

Our trip was planned for the Granddaddy Lake in the Uintas, which I considered to be the greatest outdoor adventure that a young boy of my age could ever possibly imagine. The Uintas was where the real campers went and the real campers would always catch lots of fish. I had always heard about how great the Uintas where for fishing. The older boys had told us stories about being able to just throw your fishing line into any lake in the Uintas and immediately a fish would grab onto the hook. I was excited to make the trip and experience what it was like to be a “real backpacker”.

The trail into the Granddaddy Lake was not very long (as I think about it today) only about three miles. However, as I think back on the experience when I was twelve years old, I can only remember it seemed we would never get there. We hiked all day and finally arrived at Granddaddy Lake, where we had planned to make our camp.

Brother Jerry Riding, our scoutmaster reminded us that we needed to set up our tents and lean-tos before we went fishing so we would be ready in case it rained. I probably looked up at the sky and thought, “That was not a good idea.” There was not a cloud in the sky and we had been hiking for so long and besides that I wanted to catch a fish. My friend and I (and a few other scouts) decided that we would just go fishing for a while before we set up our lean-to. We had plenty of time before it got dark, so it did not seem like a big deal to have some fun before we started to work. Besides that we had been hiking for a long time and we deserved to have a break. Brother Riding was a good scoutmaster, as he was not demanding. He and the other scouts set up their tents and built their lean-tos, while my friend and I hurried down to the lake to see who could catch the biggest fish.

It did not seem that we were gone for very long, but we could tell that it was getting late as the sun started to dip behind the mountain. Reluctantly my friend and I left the lake and made our way back up the hill to our camp. Unfortunately, before we made it back to camp there was a big dark cloud that suddenly showed up from nowhere and it started to rain and rain and rain. The thunder crashed and the lightning flashed across the sky. I remember running up the trail that lead back to camp, but we were not able to get back to camp in time. The rain came down hard and by the time we made it back to camp, our sleeping bags and supplies was soaked. I remember standing over the top of my soaked sleeping bag and looking up into the trees. I could see Brother Riding and the other scouts all nestled in their tents and huddled under their lean-tos.

As I said, Brother Riding was a good scoutmaster. He was not demanding as he was willing to let us experience our own agency. He was willing to let us fish all that we wanted, but he was also not going to keep us from experiencing the consequences of our choice. He and the other scouts remained comfortably tucked away in their tents and lean-tos, while they watched my friend and I franticly trying to find some sort of cover. My friend and I along with a few other scouts, who also chose to play before the work was done, found ourselves trying to make a fire in the rain. I distinctly remember that night as being one of the coldest and longest nights that I have ever experienced. We huddled around the campfire with our backsides to the fire, while our front sides chilled in the cold night air. We would rotate from front to back throughout the night, but never able to get completely dry as the rain continued throughout the night.

The next day was spent mostly huddled around the fire, still trying to dry out our sleeping bags. We were finally able to build our lean-to, but it took the entire day to get ready for the next night of rain. I still remember how foolish I felt for not following Brother Riding’s advice when we first arrived at our campsite. I have never forgotten that experience as the Scout Motto of “Be Prepared” took on a whole new meaning for me. I am also thankful for Brother Riding. He could have pampered my friend and me, but he chose to let us learn from our own mistakes. I remember that second night as being the most comfortable night I have ever spent in the mountains. I still had the stark contrast from the night before, so I could easily tell the difference. I was warm and comfortable under my lean-to, even though it rained all night, which was not the feeling that I had from the night before.

That experience has taught me a number of lessons that has helped to give direction to me in my life. Some of the lessons that I learned from this experience include: 1) it is always best to take care of first things first; 2) sometimes you have to do things that you do not want to do, but you do them anyway, because you know that it is the right thing to do; 3) we will always have our agency to chose, but we do not always have the freedom to choose the consequences of our decisions; 4) good leaders will always help to give direction to our lives; 5) the lessons that we learn early in life will help us to avoid more “pitfalls” later in life.