The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

Strength from another battle

Our compensatory blessing is 4 years old.  In 2016 our son was diagnosed with cancer. He won the fight the way we wanted him to and is as healthy and strong as he ever was.

When the schools closed and news of this current virus reached our five children, we sat down to talk to them and explained how we had done this before.  When we reminded them of our previous year of social distancing, they understood and have not expressed any worry at all.

Watching our son fight that tough battle was life altering and spiritually challenging, but we felt Heavenly Father’s love throughout and we feel it now just the same. We can say we’ve been through worse, and that has given our family hope and peace during a time that might otherwise be scary and uncertain.

— AJ Lewis, Providence Ward, Virginia Beach Stake

Reflection in the mountains

I spent my first Sabbath day without our formal Church meetings in a dress, wearing a necklace and boots, sitting in my truck in a quiet place in the mountains. There, I spent one and a half hours reading 2 Nephi chapters 1-14, and I sat pondering and praying. I have literally read the Book of Mormon hundreds of times, yet this time, as I sat alone in my truck in the mountains, dressed for church on a Sabbath day, my eyes were opened, and I saw so many things in those verses that I have never seen before. … I look forward to many such experiences during this time when our Church meetings are suspended.

— Cynthia Cox Cottam, Warren Lake Ward, Fort Collins Colorado Stake

Humility in trials

When I first heard that the coronavirus is spreading fast around the world and it’s already coming to our country of New Zealand, I was a bit scared, because I know that if it’s going to get worse, and if supermarkets are closing down, we won’t be able to survive as a family because we don’t have any welfare or food storage at all. So, I started counting days for our fortnightly pay to come in so I could start buying some food and store away for future use. Once our pay came in, I started driving around shop to shop and bought food and other safety gear for my family to use around this difficult time. …

I am so grateful for the blessings that Heavenly Father has blessed our lives with, and also for the trials and tribulations He gives us, which helps us to be humble and remind us of Him and what we needed to do to be more prepared. As He has said, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” …

Coronavirus is not only a trial, but it is also a blessing for me and my family. Some of these blessings we received from it are:

  • It wakes us up to remember our Savior Jesus Christ more often and try to be more like Him.
  • It helps us to think more about others, especially the families we are ministering to and how we can serve them.
  • It helps us to have more time with each other as a family and learn more of His gospel through the “Come, Follow Me.”
  • It helps us to drop down things that are not important and focus on the things that are eternal or matter the most.
  • It helps us to focus more on the Savior and His Atoning sacrifice, especially when we do our sacrament in our own home.
  • It helps us to take heed of the living prophet of God and His servants who are called as leaders of His church on earth.
  • It helps us to pray more often and to forgive one another.
  • It helps us to remember the real purpose of life through the plan of salvation.
  • Also, it helps us to buy more food and store it away for time of need.

My family is not perfect, but we have tried all we can to be prepared spiritually and physically for anything that will come our way. 

— Ma’a Finau, Otumoetai Ward, Tauranga New Zealand Stake

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.