Mortality Works By Brook R. Hales

 For several years I was assigned to home teach an older sister in my ward. She did not have an easy life. She had various health problems and experienced a lifetime of pain due to a childhood accident on the playground. Divorced at age 32 with four young children to raise and provide for, she remarried at age 50. Her second husband passed away when she was 66, and this sister lived an additional 26 years as a widow.

Despite her lifelong challenges, she was faithful to her covenants to the end. This sister was an avid genealogist, a temple attender, and a collector and writer of family histories. Though she had many difficult trials, and without question she felt at times sadness and loneliness, she had a cheerful countenance and a gracious and pleasant personality.

Nine months after her passing, one of her sons had a remarkable experience in the temple. He learned by the power of the Holy Ghost that his mother had a message for him. She communicated with him, but not by vision or audible words. The following unmistakable message came into the son’s mind from his mother: “I want you to know that mortality works, and I want you to know that I now understand why everything happened [in my life] the way it did—and it is all OK.”

This message is all the more remarkable when one considers her situation and the difficulties this sister endured and overcame.

Brothers and sisters, mortality works! It is designed to work! Despite the challenges, heartaches, and difficulties we all face, our loving, wise, and perfect Heavenly Father has designed the plan of happiness such that we are not destined to fail. His plan provides a way for us to rise above our mortal failures. The Lord has said, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Nonetheless, if we are to be the beneficiaries of the Lord’s “work and … glory,” even “immortality and eternal life,” we must expect to be schooled and taught and to pass through the refiner’s fire—sometimes to our utter limits. To completely avoid the problems, challenges, and difficulties of this world would be to sidestep the process that is truly necessary for mortality to work.

And so we should not be surprised when hard times come upon us. We will encounter situations that try us and people who enable us to practice true charity and patience. But we need to bear up under our difficulties and remember, as the Lord said:

“And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal. Brook R Hales CR Oct 2024

President Russell M. Nelson Quote

 "When I speak of having confidence before God, I am referring to having confidence in approaching God right now! I am referring to praying with confidence that Heavenly Father hears us, that He understands our needs better than we do.  I am referring to having confidence that He loves us more than we can comprehend, that He sends ANGELS to be with us and with those we love.  I am referring to having confidence that He yearns to help each of us reach our highest potential. " April conference 2025 "Confidence in the Presence of God" 

Heber C. Kimball Quote

 Let us endeavor to live up to our privileges; then the world have nothing more to do with us than they have with the angel of God whom they never saw. Know ye not, brethren and sisters, that you are angels to the present generation as well as those behind the veil?  You can read in the Scriptures that the Lord promised to make Peter and James ministers to his servant John,  D&C 77 whom the Lord appointed to tarry on the earth D&V 7:6 until Jesus should come again. John 21:21-24 If Michael the archangel were to come, he would appear as did Peter, James, and John when they appeared to Joseph Smith. D&C 27:12 If we are the elect of God, we should be among that number who will assist to gather the Saints in the last days. 

It won't be done again by angels that are said to have wings, but it will be accomplished by those that have hands and feet, and who travel about upon this earth. It is for us who are chosen to administer in the flesh, and men behind the veil minister to us.

JD 9:151 Heber C. Kimball, Obedience to the Commandments,

President George Q. Cannon

 "How delightful it  is to contemplate the departure of those who have been faithful, as far as their knowledge permitted, to the truth which God has revealed! There is no sting nor gloom nor inconsolable sorry about the departure of of such persons.  Holy angels are around their bedside to administer unto them. The Spirit of God rests down upon them, and His messenger are near them to introduce them to those who are on the other side of the veil. (Gospel Truth, 61)

Angels are Among Us Andrew C. Skinner

 "From a great many witnesses we learn that the spirits of the righteous have a genuine interest in the progress and welfare of those in mortality.  It seems to me that these ministering angels and spirits are as likely as not to be members of one's own family or one's circle of friends in mortality.  They aid us in our missionary work as well as our family history research and temple work.  They know us and know best how to help us.  Their experiences and activities are very much like our own activities on this side of the veil.  They yearn to be reunited with their family and friends.  The same sociality which exists among us here on this side of the veil exists among them on that side of the veil (D&C 130:2).  Beings in the spirit world may even pray for the health and happiness of us mortals.  

The experience of one of my own family members taught her that those on the other side of the veil can and do pray for us on this side and that she herself was prayed for at a difficult time in her life by family members who had gone before her.  She learned this by personal revelation.  In her history she tells of the death of her nineteen-year-old daughter and of being "frantic with grief" She was nearly devasted.  She had already lost another child years earlier.  In that moment of her extremity, a vision opened to her. She saw departed loved ones on the other side of the veil praying for her.  Just as important, her personal record of this and other experiences has taught her descendants valuable lessons about life beyond the veil.  As the Prophet Joseph Smith said, the spirit world in very near.

It is also true that inhabitants of the spirit world are themselves, in turn, ministered to by servants of God. "Angels [meaning resurrected beings in this case] are ministers both to men upon the earth and to the world of spirits.  They pass from one world to another with more ease and in less time than we pass from one city to another." (Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology,  69). All of this is according to our Heavenly Father's watchful care over his children on both sides of the veil and is mad possible by the very atoning act that had brought Jesus to the spirit world."  Andrew C. Skinner , (The Garden Tomb, 52-52)

President George Q. Cannon

 "But there are also angels around us.  Though invisible to us they are continually inviting us and pleading with us to do that which is right.  The Spirit of God, too, rests upon us, and it prompts us to keep the commandments of God.  By means of these influences, therefore, we are receiving experience and we are growing in knowledge."  (Gospel Truth, 66)

Experience of Andrew C. Nelson (Stalwart member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 "One night of April 6th, 1891, I had a strange dream of vision in which I saw the conversed with my father who died January 27th, 1891....

Though some may scorn and laugh at the idea of such a visitation, yet I feel assured that it was real, and it has been and I hope always will be a source of much pleasure and satisfaction to me.  To corroborate my testimony of the possibility of such a visitation I quote the following:  'Spirits can appear to men when permitted; but not having a fleshy tabernacle can not hid their glory." [Key to Theology, p. 120}  I was in bed when father came in or entered the room; he came and sat on the side of the bed...

When father came to the bed, he first said: "Well, my son, being you were not there (at Redmond) when I died, so that I did not get to see you, and as I had a few spare minutes, I received permission to come and see you a few minutes."  "I am very glad to see you father. How do you do?"  "I am feeling well my son, and have had very much to do since I died."

"What have you been doing since you died father?'' ...

... "My son, I have been travelling together with Apostle Erastus Snow ever since I died; that is, since three days after I died; then I received my commission to preach the Gospel.  You can not imagine, my son, how many spirits there are in the Spirit world that have not yet received the Gospel; but many are receiving it, and a great work is being accomplished.  Many are anxiously looking forth to their friends, who are still living to administer for them in the Temples.  I have been very busy in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

"Will all the spirits believe you, father, when you teach them the Gospel?" "No, they will not." ...

"Father, can you see us at all times, and do you know what we are doing?"  "No, my son, I can not. I have something else to do.  I can not go when and where I please.  There is just as much, and much more, order here in the Spirit world than in the other world.  I have been assigned work and that much be performed." ...

"How do you feel at all times, father?' "O, I feel splendid, and enjoy my labors, still, I must admit that at times I get a little lonesome to see my family; but it is only a short time till we will again see each other." ...

"Father, is it natural to die? or does it seem natural? Was there not a time when your spirit was in such pain that it could not realize what was going on or taking  place?"  "No, my son, there was not such a time.  It is just as natural to die, as it is to be born, or for you to pass out of that door (here he pointed at the door).  when I had told the folks that I could not last long, it turned dark and I could not see anything for a few minutes.  then, the first thing I could see was a number of spirits in the Spirit world.  Then, I told the folks that I must go. ..."

"Father, is the principle and doctrine of the Resurrection as taught us true?"  "True.  Yes, my son, as true as can be.  You can not avoid being Resurrected.  It is just as natural for all to be Resurrected as it is to be born and die again.  No one can avoid being Resurrected.  There are many spirts in the Spirit world who would to God that there would be no Resurrection." 

"Father, is the Gospel as taught by this Church true?"  "My son, do you see that picture?" (pointing to a picture of the First Presidency of the Church hanging on the wall) "Yes, I see it."  "Well, just as sure as you see that picture, just so sure is the Gospel true.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ has within it the power of saving every man and woman that will obey it, and in no other way can they ever obtain a salvation in the Kingdom of God."  (Nelson, From Heart to Heart, 16-17)

President Boyd K. Packer at the funeral of President Ezra Taft Benson

 "Now this dear, venerable prophet has entered in, there to rejoice with his beloved Flora and to speak of their wonderful family, there to rejoice with Joseph and Brigham and John and Wilford and the others. 

The prophets who preceded him, ancient ad modern, have on occasion communed with the servants of the Lord on this earth. So it well may be that we have not seen the last of this great prophet of God. 

I testify that the veil between this moral realm and the spirit world opens to such revelation and visitation as the needs of the church and kingdom of God on earth may require. ("We Honor Now His Journey," 34)

President Wilford Woodruff

 "Joseph Smith visited me a great deal after his death, and taught me many important principles.  On one occasion he and his brother Hyrum visited me while I was in a storm at sea... The night following [the storm at sea] Joseph and Hyrum visited me, and the Prophet laid before me a great many things.  Among other things he told me to get the Spirit of God; that all of us needed it....

Joseph Smith continued visiting myself and others up to a certain time, and then it stopped.  The last time I saw him ...[he] came to me and spoke to me.  He said he could not stop to talk with me because he was in a hurry. mmm I met half a dozen brethren who had held high positions on earth, and none of them could stop to talk with me because they were in a hurry.  I was much astonished. (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 288-89)

"I believe the eyes of the heavenly hosts are over this people; I believe they are watching the elders of Israel, the prophets and apostles and men who are called to bear off this kingdom.  I believe they watch over us all with great interest. ...

I have had many interviews with Brother Joseph until the last 15 or 20 years of my life; I have not seen him for that length of time.  But during my travels in the southern country last winter I had many interviews with President Young, and with Heber C. Kimball, and Geo. A. Smith, and Jedidiah M. Grant, and many others who are dead.  They attended our conference, they attended our meetings.

And on one occasion, I saw Brother Brigham  and Brother Heber ride in [a] carriage ahead of the carriage in which I rode when I was on my way to attend conference; and they were dressed in the most priestly robes.   When we arrived at our destination I asked Prest. Young if he would preach to us.  He said, 'No, I have finished my testimony in the flesh.  I shall not talk to this people any more.  But (said he) I have come to see you; I have come to watch over you, and to see what the people are doing.  Then, said he, I want you to teach the people-and I want you to follow this counsel yourself-that they must labor and so live as to obtain the Holy Spirit, for without this you cannot build up the kingdom; without the spirit of God you are in danger of walking in the dark, and in danger of failing to accomplish your calling as apostles and as elders in the church and kingdom of God.  And, said he, Brother Joseph taught me this principle.  And I will here say, I have heard him refer to that while he was living. ...

The thought came to me that Brother Joseph had left the work of watching over this church and kingdom to others, and that he had gone ahead, and that he had left this work to men who have lived and labored with  us since he left us.  This idea manifested itself to me, that such men advance in the spirit world.  And I believe myself that these men who have died and gone into the spirit world had this mission left with them, that is, a certain portion of them, to watch over the Latter-day Saints. (Journal of Discourses, 21:317-18)

Elder Parley P. Pratt

 "Persons who have departed this life and have not yet been raised from the dead are spirits.  These are of two kinds: good and evil. 

These two kinds also include many grades of good and evil.

The good spirits, in the superlative sense of the word, are they who, in this life, partook of the Holy Priesthood and of the fulness of the gospel.  This class of spirits minister to the heirs of salvation, both in this world and in the world of spirts.  They can appear unto men when permitted." (Key to the Science of Theology, 71-72)

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

 Regarding the spirits of the righteous, he said not only are they "not far from us" but they "know and understand our thoughts, feelings , and motons, and are often pained therewith." (Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 326)

"Because of the nearness of the world of spirits, and their cognizance of  and sensitivity to our circumstances in mortality, mortals are sometimes accorded the privilege of receiving visitations from those beings of the unseen world of spirits, if such visits are in harmony with the mind and will of the Lord." (The Garden Tomb By Andres C. Skinner,  43)

Behold I Am the Light Which Ye Shall Hold Up By Elder Ronald A. Rasband

“Behold I Am the Light Which Ye Shall Hold Up”

By Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

 “All who worship in the temple,” President Nelson has said, “will have the power of God and angels having ‘charge over them’ [Doctrine and Covenants 109:22]. How much does it increase your confidence to know that, as an endowed woman or man [or temple-attending youth] armed with the power of God, you do not have to face life alone? What courage does it give you to know that angels really will help you?”

Angels reaching out to hold us up is described in the scriptures when Jesus Christ knelt humbly in the Garden of Gethsemane. By His suffering He provided an infinite Atonement. “There,” President Nelson states, “the greatest single act of love of all recorded history took place. … There at Gethsemane, the Lord ‘suffered the pain of all men, that all … might repent and come unto him’ [Doctrine and Covenants 18:11].”

“Remove this cup from me,” Jesus Christ asked, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.”

We have angels round about us today. President Nelson has said, “[In the temple,] you will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you.”

Angels bring light. God’s light. To His Nephite Apostles, Jesus said, “Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up.” As we sustain our prophet, we testify he is called of our Savior, who is “the light … of the world.”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/10/53rasband?lang=eng

How Angels Can Bring Peace By Krista M. Isaacson

 

How angels can bring peace to grieving hearts during the holidays

By Krista M. Isaacson 

For those who have lost loved ones, the holiday season can intensify feelings of grief, loss, and loneliness. But each year, as I read the New Testament accounts of our Savior’s birth, I find great solace in thinking about angels.

An angel appeared to Mary (Luke 1:30) and then Joseph (Matthew 1:20) to announce their roles as Jesus’s earthly parents, and he eased their alarm with the comforting words, “Fear not.”

And on the night of Christ’s birth, shepherds witnessed legions of heavenly hosts proclaim, “On earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

Angels are messengers of peace. And just as they did in times of old, they can help ease our fears and bring us comfort. Here are four principles about angels that bring me peace amid my grief during this time of year.

1. Angels Are Real

“Has the day of miracles ceased? Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men?” (Moroni 7:35–36).

As a child, I loved Christmas picture books that portrayed angels as rosy-cheeked cherubs with feathery wings. I lumped them into the same category as unicorns and mermaids. But modern prophets have testified of the reality and eternal nature of heavenly messengers.

In his general conference address earlier this year, Elder Shayne M. Bowen shared his personal witness that angels are still as active as ever: “Many today say that miracles no longer exist, that angels are fictional, and that the heavens are closed. I testify that miracles have not ceased, angels are among us, and the heavens are truly open.”

President Jeffrey R. Holland has also spoken frequently about angels:

“I testify of angels … In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. ‘[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved (Moroni 7:36).”

2. Angels Are Not Strangers

“There are no angels who minister to the earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:5).

When I was young, my aunt was killed in a car accident. I thought about her often and hoped she was aware of me. For years, I believed in and trusted her angelic companionship.

My connection to angels provided an unequaled depth of peace years later when my daughter died unexpectedly. I had already experienced a profoundly influential heavenly relationship with my aunt, and I knew that would now extend to my precious angel daughter.

President Joseph F. Smith further explained this principle:

“When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred [and] friends … . Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends who have passed away from this earth, … may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.” ¹

Our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has also testified that when we receive heavenly help, it may come from those we love. “No doubt many of us are aware of additional accounts of communication from the deceased to friends or family members living here in mortality. . . . There can be little doubt that our loved ones are near in spirit.” ²

3. Angels Are Closer Than We Think

“Oh, know you not that angels are near you?” (Hymn #117).

Scripture and culture are filled with sensational stories of angelic visitations and interventions. However, Church leaders throughout the latter days have taught that angelic influence is most often a subtle personal experience with those who love us and are invested in our welfare and success.

The Prophet Joseph Smith explained, “The spirits of the just are exalted to a greater and more glorious work. . . . Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions.” ³

President Joseph F. Smith also testified of the companionship of angels:

“I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not separate from them. … I claim that we live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever.” ⁴

More recently, President Jeffrey R. Holland echoed the same teaching:

“In times of special need, [God] sent angels, divine messengers, to bless His children, reassure them that heaven was always very close and that His help was always very near. … Always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.”

4. Angels Are Available to Us

“I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, . . . and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88).

When my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and died just one day later. During that terrifying day in the hospital, the social worker asked how I was enduring the intense fear and grief without falling apart.

At first, I didn’t have an answer, but as I pondered her question, the Spirit testified that an army of heavenly loved ones had come rushing to my aid. Generations of people who knew I belonged to them wrapped me in their angelic embrace and stood beside me, lending me strength and peace beyond my own.

President Jeffrey R. Holland encourages us to proactively consider our needs and “Ask for angels to help you.”

I trust President Russell M. Nelson’s testimony that “The veil of death is thin. .… Our loved ones may be just as close as the room nearby, separated only by the gateway to immortality and eternal life.” ⁵

I believe in angels. I have felt their love and been blessed by their influence. I’m thankful that during this Christmas season, the very ones I miss are the angels tasked with delivering Christ's peace to my heart. And when I miss them, I will rely on His promise that we will be together again someday.

https://www.ldsliving.com/how-angels-can-bring-peace-to-grieving-hearts-during-christmas/s/12585?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email

How to be more mindful of the ministry of angels in your life By Danielle Christensen August 17, 2023 08:00 AM MDT Twitter Pinterest Email Print

 

How to be more mindful of the ministry of angels in your life

By Danielle Christensen August 17, 2023 08:00 AM MDT

We often read stories of angels in the scriptures. We know that Daniel was cast into a den of lions but was protected because “God hath sent his angel and hath shut the lions’ mouths” (see Daniel 6:22). We know that the angel Gabriel visited Mary, telling her to fear not, and that she would bear the Son of God (see Luke 1:30). And when the Savior suffered in Gethsemane, an angel came “unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (Luke 22:43).

• These angels, and many others in scripture, have fulfilled important roles in helping others during their time of need. In fact, the Bible Dictionary explains that angels are “messengers of the Lord” who are “sent forth to minister to the inhabitants of the earth.” More specifically, it explains that “we learn from latter-day revelation that there are two classes of heavenly beings who minister for the Lord: those who are spirits and those who have bodies of flesh and bone.”

  Angels can also be the people around us—those who follow the promptings of the Spirit and selflessly give their love and service to us. It might, at times, be easy to take their acts of kindness for granted. In this modern world, though, I think we may more often forget about those angels in our lives who are on the other side of the veil and who are quietly ministering to us. And yet, I believe there is power in knowing that heaven is on our side and that those in the spirit world are likely more aware of us than we realize.

• Having never delved into this subject before, I recently decided to study more about angels and see what current Church leaders have said about them. Additionally, I wanted to find examples of how angels are ministering to us today. While I can barely scratch the surface about this topic, here are six takeaways I’ve found that I hope can inspire us to be more aware of and grateful for the angels in our lives today.

  1. Angels Still Minister to Us Today

  First, let me start out by sharing a story. Over two years ago, I interviewed Sarah Frei, a Latter-day Saint teenager who had been hit in a car accident by a drunk driver. She had sustained serious injuries that would result in her becoming paraplegic, and both of her legs had to be amputated.

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• First, let me start out by sharing a story. Over two years ago, I interviewed Sarah Frei, a Latter-day Saint teenager who had been hit in a car accident by a drunk driver. She had sustained serious injuries that would result in her becoming paraplegic, and both of her legs had to be amputated.

• You may also like: ‘Nothing can stop her’: How teen Sarah Frei's faith and love for the Savior prepared her to be a paraplegic and double amputee

  This life-altering situation could shake many people’s faith. But that was not the case for Sarah and her family, including her mother Amy, who told me stories of angels. Some of those angels were actual people at the scene of the accident: off-duty Emergency Medical Technicians were nearby and another bystander had a satellite phone, which was essential to call for an ambulance because there was no cell service in the area.

  Other angels, though, were unseen. Amy told me, “These first responders … have even said there were angels there with these kids, with them, protecting them—they could feel a spirit there.”

  Sarah also felt the love and support of family beyond the veil. The Freis believed that Sarah’s grandmother, who had passed away a few months prior, was watching over her. But one of the things that stood out to me was how angels even helped Sarah find happiness in her circumstance.

  “One night, I just had a really spiritual experience with my dad when I was reading scriptures about how God and angels are always with me,” she recalled. “I feel like that is why I’m so happy, and that’s why I can be happy, is because I’ve had Christ and angels with me. And I can always feel the Savior walking right next to me in my wheelchair holding my hand and just being with me and supporting me through all of this.”

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• Sarah’s story is just one example of how angels are still busy helping us today—and they have been ministering to people on earth since the very beginning. In October 2008 general conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk about the ministering of angels, and how God sent angels to Adam and Eve when they left the Garden of Eden.

  “God knew the challenges they would face, and He certainly knew how lonely and troubled they would sometimes feel. … In times of special need, He sent angels, divine messengers, to bless His children, reassure them that heaven was always very close and that His help was always very near.”

  Although thousands of years have passed since that time, angels continue to be near: Elder Holland testified, “angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve.”

  Often, those angels may be sent to us during times of special need, as was the case for Sarah. They may not take away our problems, but they can reassure us that heaven is near, helping us to feel peace—even happiness—in difficult circumstances.

  2. “Ask for Angels to Help You”

  In her book Covenant Keepers: Unlocking the Miracles God Wants for You, Sister Wendy Nelson shared that she heard Elder Holland give a talk in April 2010 general conference about how to guard against temptation. Although the question she needed an answer to at that time was not related to that subject, something Elder Holland counseled resonated with her.

• “Ask for angels to help you,” he said.

  She wrote, “He said it with such clarity, and yet he said it in a manner that implied this was something we all knew! But for me it was an entirely new principle. I wanted to call out, ‘Wait! Wait! What? You mean I could have been asking for angels to help me all this time?’ Without intending to sound too dramatic, I can say with all candor that Elder Holland’s six words changed my life.”

  Sister Nelson continued, “It changed my understanding of the very real help from heaven that is always available to us as we keep our covenants. I started to ask for assistance from those on the other side of the veil from that moment on!

  “Now, I’m not talking about praying for fantasy angels with wings to magically fairy-dust our problems away.

  “I’m not talking about praying to angels.

• “I’m talking about praying to our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for those on the other side to be ‘dispatched’ (Elder Holland’s word) to assist us.”

  I love how candidly and clearly Sister Nelson explains how we can ask for angels to minister to us. Doing so, however, might feel a little daunting—almost like we are asking for a miracle. But in the Book of Mormon, the prophet Mormon gives this powerful reminder:

  “Has the day of miracles ceased? Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? … Behold I say unto you, Nay; for … it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men” (Moroni 7:35–37).

  In April 2022 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson reminded us that we can seek for and expect miracles in our lives. He said, “Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him.”

  He continued, “the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, ‘doubting nothing.’ Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith.”

• These words from President Nelson are comforting to me—because even if we feel ill qualified to ask for the ministering of angels in our lives, we can start by asking God to help us exercise the faith we are seeking. We just need to be willing to put in the spiritual work and strive to keep our covenants.

  3. Keep Your Covenants

  The Prophet Joseph Smith once said, “If you live up to your privilege, the angels will not be able to be restrained from being your associates.” The Church’s website suggests that this means “our faithful actions can influence angelic involvement, just as our agency influences other blessings of the Spirit.”

  So our faithful actions—keeping our covenants—influence how angels can minister to us in our lives. In her book The Priesthood Power of Women, Barbara Morgan Gardner discusses the relationship between keeping our covenants and having access to the ministering of angels. She writes that according to Doctrine and Covenants 13:1, all Aaronic Priesthood holders have the keys of the ministering of angels available to them by right—and that “all worthy members of the Church may receive the blessings of this right or responsibility.” In other words, by keeping our covenants that we make at baptism, we receive the blessing of the ministering of angels through the Aaronic Priesthood. And you know what’s really cool? Each week, we can renew the opportunity to have the ministering of angels with us. Gardner shared this quote from President Dallin H. Oaks, which gives us a better understanding of this truth:

  “Through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants we will always have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the Holy Ghost but also to the ministering of angels, for ‘angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ’ (2 Nephi 32:3). So it is that those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels.”

  Think about that—through our faithful actions, by keeping our covenants, and worthily partaking of the sacrament, we will not only have the Holy Ghost with us always, but we can be blessed by the ministering of angels. That is a beautiful promise which we can remember each week when we reflect on the Savior’s atoning sacrifice for us.

• 4. Participate in Family History Work

  Sometimes angels minister to us as we participate in family history work. In October 2022 general conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong shared two stories of friends of his who had spiritual experiences with family members who were beyond the veil as they worked on their family history. One of those stories was of a woman who did not want to be sealed to her father because of how he had treated his family in his lifetime.

  Elder Gong said, “For a year, she fasted, prayed, spoke a lot with the Lord about her father. Finally, she was ready. Her father’s temple work was completed. Later, she said, ‘In my sleep my dad appeared to me in a dream, all dressed in white. He had changed. He said, “Look at me. I am all clean. Thank you for doing the work for me in the temple.” Her father added, ‘Get up and go back to the temple; your brother is waiting to be baptized.’”

  Sister Nelson has also shared how participating in temple work can lead to the ministering of angels. In her book Covenant Keepers, Sister Nelson wrote about a former institute student who had served as proxy for many of Sister Nelson’s ancestors. This student had special experiences in a temple session with one of those deceased ancestors and her sisters. She prayed that they would be able to help her own living sister, who had not been active in the Church and who Sister Nelson said was experiencing “heart-wrenching difficulties with some rigorous life events.”

  Just a few weeks later, the student learned that her sister had been taking her children to church and wanted to know how to get her patriarchal blessing. Her sister’s eight-year-old son was also baptized, and she had started taking temple preparation courses. These were miraculous changes in her sister’s life.

  President James E. Faust has said, “I believe there is a strong familial pull as the influence of beloved ancestors continues with us from the other side of the veil.” As we perform ordinances for our ancestors and others who are deceased, we may find that they will also minister to us.

• 5. Recognize That There Are Unseen Angels in Your Life

  When angels on the other side of the veil are ministering to us, it may be difficult to recognize their presence. We find an example of this in the account of Elisha and his servant in the Old Testament:

  “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! How shall we do?

  “And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

  “And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

  Elisha and his servant had been surrounded by angels, but the servant had been unable to see them with his mortal eyes. Similarly, in our lives we may feel overcome by what we are figuratively battling, not realizing that angels may be all around us. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there—and as we seek to be close to the Spirit and pray for the Lord to spiritually open our eyes, we may be able to recognize their influence in our lives. Of course, even then we may not literally be able to see the angels around us; but our faith may be strengthened as we believe and feel that they are s

  6. Be Grateful for the Angels in Your Life

  At the end of his 2008 general conference talk, Elder Holland says, “May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”

  He then concluded, “In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and ‘the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted’” so we can be angels to someone else in need.

  As we have more gratitude for the heavenly beings in our lives, both mortal and on the other side of the veil, I believe we will find the strength we need to pull through challenging times. Instead of being overwhelmed by loneliness or fear, we may discover there is light and hope ahead. And instead of dwelling in our despair, we will find ourselves borne up once more—by angels.

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