“Stay Connected to the Savior,” Liahona, Mar. 2025.
Latter-day Saint Voices
Stay Connected to the Savior
As we began to descend from the summit, suddenly my dad and sister were thrown off their vehicle!
Illustration by David Miles
One summer my family went on a vacation to southern China, where we rode all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) through a rainforest. When we arrived at the ATV camp, we were surprised when guides gave us full-body protective suits with massive helmets and goggles. It seemed a bit much for amateur riders on such a hot, humid day, but we wore the gear anyway.
After receiving riding instructions, we took off and eventually reached the summit of our journey. There we stopped to drink water and wipe the sweat from our faces.
Our guide then explained that going down would be trickier. We would need to stay close together and form an ATV train, with each ATV touching the vehicle in front and behind to stabilize the group.
As we began to descend, we called to one another to coordinate our descent. We slowly separated, however, leaving a gap between my vehicle and the ATV ridden by my dad and little sister, Vivi. Suddenly Vivi and my dad were thrown off their vehicle! My dad jumped on top of Vivi just in time to protect her from the ATV rolling over her.
We were incredibly relieved when we saw my dad and Vivi stand up and brush the dirt off their pants. Thanks to the protective gear they wore, my dad sustained only minor injuries. Vivi was terrified but uninjured. When we regrouped, the guide reminded us in a firm voice that we had to keep our ATVs connected if we didn’t want to tumble down the hill again.
In life we are sometimes tempted to think we can do things on our own. We think we don’t need to put on the protective armor of the gospel, which can feel uncomfortable. Likewise, we may find it difficult at times to stay connected to our Heavenly Father. When we fail to do so, we risk navigating the scary and treacherous paths of the world on our own, prone to severe spiritual accidents and injuries.
If we use the protection the gospel offers and stay connected to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we can face the challenges that lie ahead in our lives. No matter how scary or daunting the path, with Them we can succeed.