Of All Things

In February the Hermosillo Sonora Temple was dedicated, bringing the total number of operating temples to 72. At the dedication of the Spokane Washington Temple last August, President Gordon B. Hinckley expressed hope that with the building of so many new temples, more youth of the Church will be able to participate in baptisms for the dead. “We’re hopeful that will keep them closer to the Church, as I believe it will.” President Hinckley says more than 100 temples will be operating by the end of this year.

You can learn more about temples in a new edition of Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Filled with beautiful photos of the exterior and interior of temples from around the world, this booklet includes articles on the purpose and history of temples, teenagers’ personal experiences with the temple, and answers to commonly asked questions. Copies can be purchased for a small cost from your local distribution center, or in the U.S. and Canada, call 1-800-537-5950.

Visit the Young Women class in the Surrey (British Columbia, Canada) Third Ward, and you’ll think you’re seeing double. Three sets of twins make up nearly half the YW program!

Although they look alike, Melissa and Sara-Jayne Johnson, 17; Nikki and Karoll Osorio, 14; and Kati and Molly Franklin, 13, are actively developing their own unique personalities and talents through Personal Progress.

The double vision doesn’t stop there. Peek into the Primary and nursery and you’ll find three more sets of twins: Jonathon and Nicolas Massimliano, 11; James and Michael Whibley, 4; and Kennedy and Columbus Mand, 1.

Twelve-year-old Melanie Miller of the Providence (Utah) Fourth Ward participated in a small miracle when she taught a two-year-old triplet with cerebral palsy how to walk, even though he’d never even been able to crawl. Melanie says she’s loved helping a young mother in her ward with the triplets since they were tiny newborns.

So you were just asked to conduct your next church meeting? Don’t panic. Follow the checklist below to carry out a successful and spiritual meeting.

• Prepare and use a written agenda (class secretaries can help prepare this).

• Where possible and appropriate, arrange for spiritual music to be played at least five minutes before the meeting starts.

• Arrive early and make sure everything is ready.

• Before the meeting, arrange for the opening and closing prayers.

• Start the meeting on time. Invite all to take their places and be reverent.

• Introduce any guests to the group. Welcome bishopric members, stake visitors, or other visitors by name.

• Smile and be confident. You’ll do great!

I love you. I believe in you. I have every confidence that you’re going to do the right thing, that you’re going to make a good life. That you’re going to make a contribution to society. That you’re going to live the kind of lives that … produce wonderful results. I have every reason to regard you as the greatest generation we’ve ever had in this Church, notwithstanding all of the temptations which you face (Gordon B. Hinckley, 22 Aug. 1999 youth fireside, Spokane, Washington).

Get a good notebook, a good book that will last through time and into eternity for the angels to look upon. Begin today and write in it your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. We hope you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives,” counseled President Spencer W. Kimball (Ensign, Dec. 1980, 61).

Here are some more good reasons to keep a journal: recent studies show that writing about your feelings can alleviate depression, strengthen the immune system, and lower blood pressure (see National Geographic, Aug. 1999, 122).