What are you willing to sacrifice for your faith in Jesus Christ? What are you willing to do to stand firm in your testimony of the restored gospel?

I just finished a remarkable book. Titled "Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines" and subtitled "Stories of Courageous Saints around the World," it's a compilation of stories about men and women who held strong to their faith under the most horrifying of circumstances. Many of these stories gave me chills, some of them made me cry, and every one of them caused me to stop and think. How strong is my testimony? If it were put in trial in some life-threatening way, would I be able to remain firm?

Some of the stories are familiar, such as the two girls who saved the pages of the Doctrine and Covenants from being destroyed by the mob, and the mother who packed her son's hip full of lye after he was shot point-blank at Haun's Mill and saw him reach a full and miraculous recovery. Some of the stories were completely new to me, and I'd like to share two of those with you now.

First is the story of Anna Berg, a lady in Norway who wished to be baptized. She had one request - that the water in the font be warm. She had a heart condition and was worried that a chilly font would be too much for her. The morning of the baptism, the elders went to check on the font, which was downstairs from their apartment, and found that the water heater had stopped working and the water was icy. The elders ran up and down the stairs several times, carrying buckets of hot water from their apartment down to the font, but it still wasn't very warm by the time of the baptism. When the elder entered the water, he hoped it wouldn't be too much for Anna, but she wasn't looking at him. She was gazing off over his shoulder. When he finally got her attention, she walked right in the water without a single qualm and was baptized. She told him later that she had seen the Savior standing behind him, motioning for her to walk forward, and to "Come unto me." She felt no fear and didn't even notice the water.

Second is the story of Laura Phelps. Her husband, Morris, was present at many of the key events of Church history, including the moment in the Richmond jail when the Prophet Joseph Smith rebuked the guards for their evil speaking. Later, many of the other man were able to escape, but Morris was still in prison when it came time for the Saints to leave Iowa, and Laura had to get all their things together and drive the wagon herself. When it came time for her husband's trial, she decided to return and see if she couldn't say something to soften the judge's heart, but it was no use. So, she did the next best thing - she participated in a jail break. This story really is quite remarkable.

I greatly enjoyed this volume and recommend it highly for your LDS bookshelf. You will find it inspirational, faith-promoting, and a wonderful addition to your home.