2002
Of All Things
March 2002


“Of All Things,” New Era, Mar. 2002, 41

Of All Things

“The Church needs you. President Hinckley cannot walk down the halls of your school and teach your friends, but you can, and the Lord is counting on you” (Ensign, May 2001, 64).
—Carol B. Thomas
First Counselor in the Young Women general presidency

March through Time

The month of March has seen some important events in Church history through the years. Here are just a few.

March 26, 1830: The Book of Mormon was first published in Palmyra, New York. Five thousand copies were printed, and the Church was organized shortly afterward on April 6, 1830.

March 27, 1836: The Kirtland Temple, the first temple built in this dispensation, was dedicated after being under construction for nearly three years.

March 1, 1842: The Articles of Faith were published for the first time in the Times and Seasons in Nauvoo, Illinois.

March 17, 1842: The Prophet Joseph Smith organized the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo to look after the poor and the sick.

March 12, 1995: President Gordon B. Hinckley was ordained and set apart as the 15th President of the Church.

Lessons in Service

Missionaries in El Paso, Texas, know the Spirit can teach you how to do anything—even how to cut hair. The elders wanted to help a local homeless shelter by giving haircuts to the people there, but they didn’t know how. A few ward members volunteered to show them the basics and then the elders went to work.

They aren’t professionals, but they believe the Spirit guides them as they serve so they can do a good job. Word has gotten out about the missionary-barbers, and now the elders are greeted with long lines of clients when they go to the shelter. And not only do they give good haircuts, like most good barbers, they also give their customers an earful—about the gospel of course!

Test Your LDS I.Q.

  1. How many hymns are in the current Church hymnal?

    1. 387

    2. 341

    3. 278

    4. 250

  2. How many of the hymns in our hymnal were written by Latter-day Saints?

    1. 223

    2. 255

    3. 160

    4. 131

  3. Which hymn did President Gordon B. Hinckley write?

    1. “My Redeemer Lives” (no. 135)

    2. “On This Day of Joy and Gladness” (no. 64)

    3. “Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise” (no. 41)

    4. “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” (no. 19)

  4. Whom did the Lord call to compile the Church’s original hymnal?

    1. Brigham Young

    2. Eliza R. Snow

    3. Emma Smith

    4. Parley P. Pratt

  5. How many songs are in the Children’s Songbook?

    1. 362

    2. 321

    3. 299

    4. 268

Answers:

Copycat Designers

Last year, Lyndsey Payzant and her mom, of the Rancho Cucamonga California Stake, searched in vain for a modest dress at a department store near their home in Alta Loma. After being approached by a store manager to see if they were finding what they needed, Lindsey and her mom explained that they were having trouble finding modest clothing in the store.

The store manager was interested in what they had to say and helped set up a meeting with Lyndsey, her mom, and the store’s managers and buyers. Having read about some forward-thinking Kansas young women, Lyndsey went to her Young Women group for help on what to propose at the meeting (see New Era, Jan. 2001, 28).

The meeting was a success, and Lyndsey was invited to help put on a fashion show of appropriate and modest clothing. Lyndsey got to pick most of the clothes, and she already has plans to meet with the store’s designers to have a spring fashion show as well. Strike one up for modesty … again!

  • 1. b; 2. c; 3. a; 4. c (see D&C 25); 5. d.