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Infinite Power of Hope
Hope encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
02:11 -
Finding Hope, the Victor Guzman Story
A man describes his journey from the tragedy and trauma of 9/11 to hope, healing, and renewal through Jesus Christ.
08:36 -
Trusting in the Lord
Trust in the Lord's will and timetable. You will be supported in your trials and afflictions when you show your faith in Him.
04:19 -
Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time
In the midst of difficult trials, we can be assured that Jesus Christ is there and we are safe in His loving arms.
03:24
The Infinite Power of Hope
When she returned, to her great horror, the train and her children were gone!
Toward the end of World War II, my father was drafted into the German army and sent to the western front, leaving my mother alone to care for our family. Though I was only three years old, I can still remember this time of fear and hunger. We lived in Czechoslovakia, and with every passing day, the war came nearer and the danger grew greater.
Finally, during the cold winter of 1944, my mother decided to flee to Germany, where her parents were living. She bundled us up and somehow managed to get us on one of the last refugee trains heading west. Traveling during that time was dangerous. Everywhere we went, the sound of explosions, the stressed faces, and ever-present hunger reminded us that we were in a war zone.
Along the way the train stopped occasionally to get supplies. One night during one of these stops, my mother hurried out of the train to search for some food for her four children. When she returned, to her great horror, the train and her children were gone!
She was weighed down with worry; desperate prayers filled her heart. She frantically searched the large and dark train station, urgently crisscrossing the numerous tracks while hoping against hope that the train had not already departed.
Perhaps I will never know all that went through my mother's heart and mind on that black night as she searched through a grim railroad station for her lost children. That she was terrified, I have no doubt. I am certain it crossed her mind that if she did not find this train, she might never see her children again. I know with certainty: her faith overcame her fear, and her hope overcame her despair. She was not a woman who would sit and bemoan tragedy. She moved. She put her faith and hope into action.
And so she ran from track to track and from train to train until she finally found our train. It had been moved to a remote area of the station. There, at last, she found her children again.
I have often thought about that night and what my mother must have endured. If I could go back in time and sit by her side, I would ask her how she managed to go on in the face of her fears. I would ask about faith and hope and how she overcame despair.
While that is impossible, perhaps today I could sit by your side and by the side of any who might feel discouraged, worried, or lonely.
Personal Stories about Hope
I had been working in the construction market for years until the market crashed. I lost my job the same day I found out that my wife was pregnant; we eventually lost the baby. We were really struggling and didn’t know what to do or how we could get out of the spiraling hole we were falling into. We prayed to the Lord to find hope in our situation. After praying constantly with all my heart, the lord blessed me and I was able to find a job. I have never had a job more rewarding than my current job. My wife is pregnant again. I know it was the prayers to the Lord to find hope that got me through my trials.
David
In my early 20s, I was thoroughly enjoying my career in media relations at Walt Disney World. Although outwardly my life looked fabulous (I met incredible people, ate at five-star restaurants nightly, and spent every day at "The Happiest Place on Earth"), still, inside, I struggled. Life seemed hopeless — overwhelming, frustrating, devoid of rhyme or reason.
Then, one night, I had a startlingly clear dream in which I saw what I now know to be the Salt Lake Temple and the Christus statue. I was specifically guided to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which I did less than two weeks later. I found hope in knowing that there is a Heavenly Father who listens to my prayers, who is concerned about my daily life, who loves me unconditionally.
There is a common saying today that the Lord never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it... and I've felt that myself. My life is not perfect. I am a single mother and there are days when I feel like making it one more hour may be nearly impossible. But my hope in Jesus Christ sustains me. I know that he is my advocate to the Father. I know that, because of Him, if I am faithful, I will have my hope fulfilled to be with Him and my Father in Heaven and with my family forever.
Tara
Farmington, UT
A teacher I had in college was absolutely great at inspiring hope in others. He didn't have to do big things. He was just so encouraging of everyone he met, and I honestly believe he saw real potential in all of his students. So many teachers I had were so critical. But this other teacher's approach inspired me to do better more than any amount of criticism. Somehow, hearing so much praise inspired me to go back and want to do a better job, and most of the time I could figure out on my own what I needed to do to improve. When I took criticism I usually only did the minimum I needed to get by. I know this isn't a huge, life-changing story, but even today when I think of people who inspire hope I think of this man.
Jason
When my mother died after a painful battle with pancreatic cancer it was very difficult for our family. My adult brother and sister and I were all in the room when she passed and I felt a sense of peace knowing that her suffering was over and that she was now with our Heavenly Father. My sister, who does not have any religious faith, felt devastated and alone and still struggles with the loss. It is through my hope in the Savior that I have peace and comfort that I will see her again and that she is reunited with our father who preceded her in death.
Alan
Nearly eighteen years ago, I lost my wife to Leukemia. I found hope in the lives of my four young children who had so much of their lives ahead of them. I found hope and the ability to deal with my grieving as I literally lost myself In their service, focused upon meeting their needs. I eventually remarried a wonderful woman who had never married and always wanted her own children.
Now, having raised the older four children to maturity, we are raising six more, ranging in age from fifteen down to four. In addition to the normal challenges of having teens and tots, we are facing another trial; breast cancer. My wife and I find hope each day by living the teachings of Jesus Christ: loving and serving one another, praying for strength to pass through this challenge well together, and for Father in Heaven’s will to be done.
Surely, I have found hope in Christ through loving service and the power of prayer.
Lee
Orem, Utah
There have been many times in my life when I have found hope in our Savior Jesus Christ. The experience that I most closely associate with finding hope is the story of my first son's birth. Scott was born with a condition of the lungs called pulmonary hypertension. As he was whisked away from my wife and I just hours after his birth and sent to a hospital more prepared to deal with his condition, my feelings of joy and excitement quickly turned to horror and despair. My wife was being treated as a patient recovering from a Cesarean section, and this only added to my feeling isolated to deal with the issues alone. A few nights later we received a call that he would probably not make it through the night.
More discouraged than I had ever felt before, I knelt down and prayed to our Heavenly Father for hope, reassurance, and the power to move on. I felt a strong sense of the love that God has for me and His Spirit granting me hope. For some reason, my son's life was spared. I will always treasure the hope that can come to us through Jesus Christ.
Jim
Eagle Mountain, UT
