2022
Believing the Prophet Helped Me Move My Mountains
October 2022

“Believing the Prophet Helped Me Move My Mountains,” Liahona, Oct. 2022, United States and Canada Section.

Believing the Prophet Helped Me Move My Mountains

By Mindalyn French

I was struggling with more trials than I had ever faced before, and President Nelson’s words gave me the hope and faith I needed to keep going.

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woman standing by a tree

During April 2021 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson spoke of miracles to move mountains, flourishing faith, and access to perfect power, offering specific suggestions on how to see those rewards. This truth resonated with me: “Your growing faith in [Jesus Christ] will move mountains—not the mountains of rock that beautify the earth but the mountains of misery in your lives.”1

I felt hope at his words, as I was facing more mountains all at once in my life than ever I had conceived.

While actively rebuilding my faith, I was still floundering. As I began to act on the assurances from the prophet regarding faith, I invited miracles into my life.

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President Russell M. Nelson speaking in conference

“The Savior is never closer to you than when you are facing or climbing a mountain with faith.”2

When I was young, I had a testimony of the gospel, coupled with misperceptions of the Church. Feeling I couldn’t measure up to standards, I often struggled with unfounded guilt. I hadn’t understood the pure meaning of Christ’s Atonement or of God’s deeply loving nature. I didn’t have a strong enough relationship with either of Them. Although I felt truth in gospel doctrine, I chose another way to live.

As a young single adult in 2003, I was a couple of years into inactivity and making choices that didn’t align with the gospel. My boyfriend, Jason (who is now my husband), and I found ourselves having a child together before we were married and placing that beloved baby for adoption. He was adopted by a loving couple in the Church. Following that experience, I then earned my degree, started a career, married Jason, and started a family with him.

In 2018, following an 18-year absence from the Church, I felt prompted to have our three young children blessed. Following their blessings, I experienced recurring thoughts to find the Savior and that something bigger was coming on the horizon. Slowly—and painfully, I might add—Jason, with our children, joined me in a journey back to the Church starting in early 2019. With encouragement from friends placed along our path by God, we took baby steps in gentle progression toward the Savior. We did this through small, incremental goals over a two-year process.

Come 2021, my conversion to the gospel felt sturdy. I was committed to prayer, scripture study, and attending virtual church during COVID to propel my ongoing transformation. Yet I still didn’t have the power of God that was required for my specific life circumstance. I was struggling with ongoing mental health concerns, battling to maintain sobriety from substance abuse, and dealing with other life struggles out of my control—all during a season of relentless traumas resulting from the pandemic. I was determined to handle it myself, but in truth, I required the Redeemer—I literally needed to be saved!

Our prophet’s words that Jesus Christ was with me as I faced these mountains offered hope.

“Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. True repentance begins with faith that Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse, heal, and strengthen us.”3

I had faith in the Savior but wasn’t sure how to connect with His power. I wanted to take the sacrament and be in the temple. Both were out of reach during this time of disappointment, grief, white-knuckled sobriety, and home seclusion.

Over time, even with frequent prayer, I couldn’t cope on my own another day. After another family cancer diagnosis, this time for my spouse, I relapsed and reached for alcohol in desperate escape. I hit my lowest point ever, but all I wanted was to be near Christ. I felt hopeless in my imperfect faith, believed I had sinned terribly, and thought God was disappointed.

At this heartbreaking point, I exercised my last ounce of faith to surrender my will to God. I needed access to His power through the priesthood. I couldn’t move forward on my own.

So in meek faith I requested a priesthood blessing.

Knowing my struggles, friends felt inspired to bless me with renewed capacity and counsel. Through the Spirit, I was told that all my progress hadn’t been lost and that I should seek professional resources in support of my mental health struggles. Most important, I was blessed to realize the healing power of my Savior, that Jesus and God would make up the difference as I put forth my effort with a deepened faith in Them.

Hearing specific priesthood promises gave me hope that God’s power would now set me on a healing course.

“Faith will always propel us forward. Faith always increases our access to godly power.”4

With renewed faith in Jesus Christ, I found that the priesthood blessing—given in His name and by His authority—provided the springboard I needed. I reached for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to strengthen my connection to Them daily. I made immediate and significant progress. God placed resources to support my mental health struggles. Daily preoccupations with alcohol were eradicated. I immersed myself in wholesome media and deep gospel education, honored the Sabbath, improved my language, talked of the Savior throughout each day, and created a sacred space in my home for prayer.

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portrait of Jesus Christ

Detail from Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann

I now understand that the Savior is my advocate, my friend, my champion, my encourager, and my healer through His atoning gift of love. This was my game changer in connecting with Him. He helped me reprioritize, leaving behind the cares and habits that weren’t serving my soul. Miraculously, as I’ve made prayer and spiritual habits more meaningful, I’ve received personal revelation! I accept increased guidance from the Spirit for how my family can keep moving toward Him.

“He works miracles today, and He will work miracles tomorrow.”5

Since April 2021 conference, these promises have proved true as I’ve helped my family faithfully follow God’s path. The heavens are opened, and miracles have been showered upon us:

  • Fear is replaced with safety through the healing power of Jesus Christ.

  • I’m blessed with influence to bring a more nurturing presence to our lives.

  • The Holy Ghost is present in our home. Our children delight in daily scriptures, family prayer, Christian music, and pictures of Jesus and temples.

  • My husband, Jason, has been baptized, holds the Aaronic Priesthood, and is preparing to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.

  • Preoccupations with unhealthy escape have lessened. My past self, doing her best at the time, would reach for chemicals to cope. Now I come in prayer for strength.

  • I have received my temple endowment and now attend the temple regularly. Jason is preparing to receive his endowment, and our goal is to be sealed as a family sometime in 2022.

  • Our birth son is grown, has been accepted to pre-med but has decided to serve a mission first, and is enjoying the relationship between our two families.

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    young man with birth mother and adoptive mother

    Mindalyn (right) with her birth son, DJ, and his adoptive mother, Stacy, on the day DJ received his temple endowment.

    Family photographs courtesy of the author

  • In an ongoing process, I’m in programs to address mental health, where God has shown His hand throughout.

  • Despite ongoing trials of family deaths, layoffs, cancer, and sobriety, I now realize that I have access to God’s tenderness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  • The promises of power through priesthood blessings strengthen my life exponentially.

  • Mercifully, I’ve grown a sincere relationship with my Savior and Eternal Father.

“The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power.”6

How generous and true is this prophetic teaching from President Nelson! I used to think the gospel was complicated. I’ve now learned through experience that even with imperfect faith, I have access to His divine power, which will move our mountains of trials—what a gift!

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family gathered outside a temple

Mindalyn with family and friends outside the Redlands California Temple.

It’s crystal clear that God and Christ love me. They see each of us as worthy for rescue! As we desire to reach for Him, the Savior’s grace is sufficient for all. I’m grateful for our living and cheerfully loving prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, and the heavenly revelation he shares with us. He is God’s prophet on earth. Following our prophet’s teachings has changed my life forever. I share my witness from experience that “faith is the power that enables the unlikely to accomplish the impossible.”7

The gospel of Jesus Christ is one of power, of grace, of love! What is required from me is continued desire to reach for Them and show up with my imperfect offerings. Christ, through His Atonement, will make up the difference.

The author lives in California.