What’s Up?

When we raise our arms to sustain the prophet and the Apostles, we are doing much more than acknowledging their authority over the Church. We covenant to uphold them, to pray for them, and to follow their counsel.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “You volunteered to uphold—or more literally ‘hold up’—the presiding officers of the kingdom, those who bear the keys and responsibility for the work, not one man of whom sought the position or feels equal to the task. And even when Jeffrey Holland’s name is proposed, … your arm goes lovingly to the square. And you say to Brother Holland through his tears and his nights of walking the floor: ‘You lean on us. Lean on us out here in Omaha and Ontario and Osaka where we have never even seen you, and scarcely know who you are. But you are one of the “Brethren,” so you are no stranger or foreigner to us, but a fellow citizen in the household of God. You will be prayed for in our family, and you will hold a place within our hearts. Our strength shall be your strength. Our faith will build your faith. Your work will be our work’ “ (“Miracles of the Restoration,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 32).

See if you can find these words related to the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth by reading forward, backward, up, down, and diagonally.

When was the last time you read the list of ingredients on a can of soda pop? Soft drinks can be hard on your body. Some studies say the phosphoric acid in some kinds of soda can rob your bones of calcium. You already know what sugar will do to your teeth. All that sugar and acid isn’t good for teens, who should be getting plenty of calcium each day.

Too much of almost any kind of food isn’t good for you, but substituting a glass of milk (or other calcium-fortified drink) or a glass of water the next time you think about picking up a can of soda wouldn’t hurt. If cavities and weak bones aren’t scary enough, think about all those calories!

Dairy products, soybeans, green leafy vegetables, and calcium-fortified foods are a few other good places to bone up on your calcium intake.

The young women of the Seatac Ward in Seattle, Washington, set a goal last year for each young woman and leader to share two copies of the Book of Mormon. To help create opportunities to do this, each Sunday in opening exercises there was a new Book of Mormon question for the coming week. Questions like “What did you do on Sunday?” or “How did you spend your summer vacation?” could be used to start a discussion with a nonmember friend. The discussion might lead to a gospel discussion and open the way to give that person a Book of Mormon.

As a result of their goal, miracles happened and the young women were able to place 21 copies of the Book of Mormon. In addition, there were many other missionary opportunities and chances to share their testimonies of the gospel. Each time one of the girls handed out another book, a sticker was added to the young women’s torch display and the successful giver shared the experience with the rest of her class.