2014-05-00-ensign-eng

1950s, Bernice, who was a memberof the Church, gave Arlene and herfamily a copy of the Book of Mormon.In 1960, Arlene and her husband andchildren were baptized members ofthe Church. Later they were sealed ina holy temple of God.As a result of the compassionshown by Bernice as she went out ofher way to help one whom she didn’tknow but who was in distress andneeded assistance, countless individuals,both living and dead, now enjoythe saving ordinances of the gospel.Every day of our lives we aregiven opportunities to show love andkindness to those around us. SaidPresident Spencer W. Kimball: “Wemust remember that those mortals wemeet in parking lots, offices, elevators,and elsewhere are that portionof mankind God has given us to loveand to serve. It will do us little goodto speak of the general brotherhood92of mankind if we cannot regard thosewho are all around us as our brothersand sisters.” 6Often our opportunities to showour love come unexpectedly. Anexample of such an opportunityappeared in a newspaper article inOctober 1981. So impressed was Iwith the love and compassion relatedtherein that I have kept the clipping inmy files for over 30 years.The article indicates that anAlaska Airlines nonstop flight fromAnchorage, Alaska, to Seattle,Washington—a flight carrying 150passengers—was diverted to a remoteAlaskan town in order to transport agravely injured child. The two-yearoldboy had severed an artery in hisarm when he fell on a piece of glasswhile playing near his home. Thetown was 450 miles (725 km) southof Anchorage and was certainly noton the flight path. However, medicsat the scene had sent out a franticrequest for help, and so the flight wasdiverted to pick up the child and takehim to Seattle so that he could betreated in a hospital.When the flight touched down nearthe remote town, medics informedthe pilot that the boy was bleeding sobadly he could not survive the flightto Seattle. A decision was made to flyanother 200 miles (320 km) out of theway to Juneau, Alaska, the nearest citywith a hospital.After transporting the boy to Juneau,the flight headed for Seattle, now hoursbehind schedule. Not one passengercomplained, even though most of themwould miss appointments and connectingflights. In fact, as the minutes andhours ticked by, they took up a collection,raising a considerable sum for theboy and his family.As the flight was about to land inSeattle, the passengers broke into acheer when the pilot announced thathe had received word by radio thatthe boy was going to be all right. 7To my mind come the words of thescripture: “Charity is the pure love ofChrist, . . . and whoso is found possessedof it at the last day, it shall bewell with him.” 8Brothers and sisters, some of ourgreatest opportunities to demonstrateour love will be within the walls ofour own homes. Love should be thevery heart of family life, and yet sometimesit is not. There can be too muchimpatience, too much arguing, toomany fights, too many tears. LamentedPresident Gordon B. Hinckley: “Whyis it that the [ones] we love [most]become so frequently the targets ofour harsh words? Why is it that [we]sometimes speak as if with daggersthat cut to the quick?” 9 The answers tothese questions may be different foreach of us, and yet the bottom line is