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Since the Garden, faith has carried on through stories. It’s no coincidence that Jesus’s preferred method of teaching was the parable. Our mission is to tell the world’s greatest faith-promoting stories.
New episodes every Monday at 8 a.m. MDT.
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Hello! And welcome to the Faith Promoting Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Caden Beardall. Let's dive right in. Story 1 - A Stranded Apostle In 1972, Elder Boyd K. Packer, then an apostle, became stranded with his wife in Germany when their flight was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. Elder Packer phoned a local mission for assistance. The answering elder was a young man by the name of David A. Bednar, then just 20 years old. Elder Bednar and his companion left the mission home to retrieve the apostle, feed him a humble meal of canned soup and toast, and then deliver them to the train station for their assignment in Berlin. As the train was about to leave the station, Elder Bednar gave Elder Packer 20 marks, a German currency, reasoning that that the couple may get hungry on their way to Berlin. At that time, Germany was starkly divided by a near impenetrable partition, sequestering the communist-embracing East Germany from the rest of the world. As Elder Packer's train reached the border city of Hof, guards boarded to check passports. Unbeknownst to Elder Packer, the East German government had begun strictly rejecting passports with extensions, only permitting those with three-year passports to enter. Sister Packer possessed an extended passport. The guard became irate at the infraction, but because of the language barrier, the Packers could not determine why. Elder Packer described the guard as one of the "darkest and most evil men he had ever met", and as the conflict escalated, it became increasingly apparent that the scuffle was not fated for a happy ending. Then, in a moment of inspiration, Elder Packer took the 20 marks Elder Bednar had given him, placed them in his passport, and handed it to the guard. The guard returned a short time later, returning their passport with the money withdrawn. The two were permitted to enter East Germany. Upon arrival in Berlin, Elder Packer was greeted by a Priesthood leader serving in the US government. When Elder Packer casually mentioned their unique transaction with the guard, this leader became pale, informing Elder Packer that individuals with extended passports were being entirely removed from trains. Only then was Elder Packer impressed with the severity of their situation. Elder Bednar was not made aware of the miracle until 20 years later. Later, Elder Bednar reflected that in the moment when he gave Elder Packer the 20 marks, he felt no profound prompting to do so. Yet, the orchestration was obviously divine. In Church culture, we often "follow promptings", but we rarely describe promptings as following us. From this episode, Elder Bednar emphasized the importance of doing good for the sake of good, and revelation, even in retrospect, will follow. Don't be afraid to move forward in faith. After all, if we are constantly moving toward Jesus, we should expect miracles all the way. Story 2 - The Manila Temple Miracle In 1989, an angry militia incited a rebellion on the Philippine government at Camp Aguinaldo. The Manila Temple was situated right next to the battle. As war ensued, the rebel soldiers and tanks broke through the temple gates and occupied its grounds. Inside were five temple workers pleading for the protection of the temple. As artillery rained down on the temple, windows to the temple annex were shattered— but the temple remained untouched. The battle escalated. Government troops prepared an all-out attack on the rebels at 11 p.m. If the plan was carried out, the temple would likely be annihilated. At that very same moment, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles importuned the Lord for the preservation of the temple. When the prayer concluded, they shortly thereafter received word that the attack had been inexplicably cancelled. By morning, the rebels had vanished. When the site was audited for damage in the morning, the Saints were astounded to find shells strewn about the temple grounds, some even passing through the space between spires, but their edifice had been preserved. The only remaining mark was that of a single bullet hole high in a spire. The temple opened the next day for use. When the Savior was resurrected following His crucifixion, He chose to retain the scars on His hands, feet and sides. Despite the ineffably exquisite harrows of His atonement, He kept His scars. Beautifully, a scar can simultaneously represent both pain and healing, a fitting emblem for the Christ. I like to think that one bullet was permitted to strike the temple that its scars might teach us something of the nature of Jesus Christ. Story 3 - When God Needed An Embrace Sunny, a mother and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was routinely scrubbing the dishes when she felt a gentle tapping on her leg. Her daughter's friend looked up at her with large eyes, pointing to the adjacent room. She whispered, "Elsie is hanging by a string." The faucet remained running as Sunny bounded to Elsie's room. What she discovered evoked some of the most poignant anguish experienced by mortals. Three-year-old Elsie was lifeless, entangled in the blinds. In the next few minutes, Sunny lived a lifetime. Without medical training, Sunny successfully performed CPR and resuscitated Elsie to a breathable state. Paramedics arrived within three minutes of the scene. Elsie was rushed to the hospital in record time. Despite every indication of divine intervention, Elsie's young brain remained unresponsive. Over the agonizing days of Elsie's hospitalization, Sunny and her husband visited the temple, pleading with God, with all the tenderness of desperate parents, to preserve her life. An answer came to both: Elsie will not live. Few have had, and few will have, the magnitude of disorientation that this young couple felt then. Sunny's husband then received an additional prompting: consider organ donation. With true faith, the kind of faith that remains when everything else has been taken, this couple heeded the prompting. Elsie passed peacefully. The remains of her delicate, ravaged body were donated to save several lives. With unprecedented caution, I am going to speak with tremendous reverence, for the thought I will offer is not one to be trifled with. In the history of the human family, only a few have truly known what God has felt. Sunny and her husband lost their daughter, their perfect daughter, and in her demise, her body was torn so that others may live. To the Christian mind, this is a story we are well acquainted with. I can't help but wonder, when Sunny and her husband met the recipients of their daughter's heart, did they see her in them? Only God can know, in its most literal sense of that phrase. When they meet the Father at the judgement bar, I imagine there will be tears, those of awful understanding, a sacred memory forged of a familiar color. Perhaps when they embrace, God will feel the warmth just as they do.