2021
“Is This the Liahona?”
January 2021


“Is This the Liahona?” Liahona, January 2021, U8–U9

“Is This the Liahona?”

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translators working

A kind voice with an accent asked, hesitantly, “Is this the Liahona?”

I had walked into the Liahona offices in Salt Lake City where I worked and discovered a ringing phone. It was early morning, and I probably wasn’t at my best. But grateful the caller spoke some English, I replied with whatever cheer I could find, “It is. How can we help you?”

He explained that he was president of a stake several time zones away. Another Liahona editor had contacted him months earlier, asking for more information about a member of his stake who had submitted an article. He explained that he hadn’t known the stake member the editor had called about. The man seemed to have never attended church in his stake. He must have fallen out of Church activity after submitting his article.

The stake president explained that he had been uncomfortable once this member’s name was brought to his attention. So he went to the rescue. He found the man. He and others fellowshipped him.

All these months later, the potential author was now active and progressing in the gospel. And the stake president had called to let us know.

In my 16 years working on the Liahona magazine, I saw many miracles:

  • General conference issues published on a timeline so tight it could not be accomplished without divine intervention.

  • Translators who worked above and beyond to make that publication possible.

  • Articles that touched readers’ hearts.

  • Inspiration drawn from interaction with the words of Church leaders.

  • Tears shed by members when they received such words in their own language.

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young woman reading magazine

So why does this simple phone call stand out among so many miracles? Because it taught me in a tangible way that the Lord is aware of individuals, including those who may have stepped off the covenant path. Working with whatever He can—an article, a missing member, and a dedicated stake president—the Lord uses the Liahona magazine and other means to point unto each of God’s children “a straight course” back to Him (Alma 37:44).

And sometimes all He asks of us is to answer a ringing phone in order to glimpse the majesty of His plan at work in the lives of His children. Acknowledging that plan can turn an ordinary, hectic workday into an unforgettable miracle—one I’ve been grateful for ever since.