Spirituality is essential to our temporal and eternal well-being. We all experience trials. Striving to increase our spirituality will help us face these trials well and give us hope for better days.
Nirina J-Randriamiharisoa of Madagascar currently lives in France while she pursues her education. When she first arrived, she struggled with loneliness and homesickness. "I sought for solace through prayer, scripture reading, and the gentle whisperings of the Holy Spirit," says Nirina. "These things brought me closer to Heavenly Father and the Savior, and I felt peace."
In time Nirina made friends and participated in activities within and outside the Church and found happiness. But then some tragic news from home shook her world. "One morning I received a message telling me that my brother had died. I had no idea I could feel such sadness. In the days and weeks that followed, I struggled through moments of loneliness, anger, and despair. Doing even the most basic things became serious challenges."
A few months later, a close friend also passed away. The added sorrow increased Nirina's already-heavy burden. For just a moment Nirina considered not attending church, but then she remembered that the same things that had buoyed her in her earlier difficulties could bolster her now.
"As I had when I first moved to France, I sought comfort in prayer, scripture reading, and the Holy Ghost. Through this I discovered more strongly that the Spirit and the doctrine of eternal families can bring us comfort and that the Atonement of Jesus Christ has a real effect in our lives," she says. "Whatever trials we face, there are no 'dead ends' with the Lord. His plan is a plan of happiness."
For more information on self-reliance and provident living, see Providing in the Lord's Way: Summary of A Leader's Guide to Welfare, available in many languages at providentliving.org.
"A strong testimony gives peace, comfort, and assurance. It generates the conviction that as the teachings of the Savior are consistently obeyed, life will be beautiful, the future will be secure, and there will be capacity to overcome the challenges that cross our path. A testimony grows from understanding truth distilled from prayer and the pondering of scriptural doctrine. It is nurtured by living those truths with faith anchored in the secure confidence that the promised results will be obtained."
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2010, 46.
"When we fast, … we feel hunger. And for a short time, we literally put ourselves in the position of the hungry and needy. As we do so, we have greater understanding of the deprivations they might feel. When we give to the bishop an offering to relieve the suffering of others, we not only do something sublime for others, but we do something wonderful for ourselves as well."
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "The Law of the Fast," Liahona, July 2001, 90; Ensign, May 2001, 73.
Far left: Latter-day Saint students pursue education to be better prepared to meet the rigors of today's competitive world. Left: Exercise and good nutrition are an important part of treating our bodies with care and respect.
Above, from left: photo illustrations by John Luke, Israel Antunes, and Craig Dimond
Sainimere Balenacagi knows both the physical and spiritual blessings of following the Word of Wisdom.
Top: A young woman is helped at an employment resource center in Mexico. Above: Oséias Portinari says the employment resource center in São Paulo, Brazil, "gives unemployed members a better vision of life."
Families in the Democratic Republic of Congo work together to grow cassava as a food staple and to process the root into flour for daily use and for longer-term storage.
Top left: photo illustration by Welden C. Andersen; top right: photographs by Howard Collett
Devon and Michaela Stephens say that creating a budget helped them gain "firm control" of their finances.
Nirina J-Randriamiharisoa has found that consistent gospel living can buoy us up even through the most difficult times.
Top: photo illustration by Robert Casey
Providing in the Lord's Way: Summary of A Leader's Guide to Welfare (booklet, 2009), 1.
See Thomas S. Monson, "Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare," Tambuli, Feb. 1987, 3; Ensign, Sept. 1986, 3.
H. David Burton, "The Blessing of Work," Liahona, Dec. 2009, 37; Ensign, Dec. 2009, 43.
Robert D. Hales, "A Gospel Vision of Welfare: Faith in Action," in Basic Principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance (booklet, 2009), 2.
Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 724.
Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Perpetual Education Fund," Liahona, July 2001, 62; Ensign, May 2001, 52.
See, for example, Russell M. Nelson, "Addiction or Freedom," Ensign, Nov. 1988, 6; M. Russell Ballard, "O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2010, 108.
See All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage (pamphlet, 2007).
See "Family Home Storage: A New Message," Liahona, Mar. 2009, 12–13; Ensign, Mar. 2009, 58–59.
All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances (pamphlet, 2007).
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