An alcoholic who discovered that recovery starts with Christ, an 18-year-old young woman who wanted to visit the local LDS temple before she died and an expectant mother who turned to prayer when she learned she had breast cancer are among the many people who faced trials with faith and inspired DeseretNews.com readers in 2015.
Our editors have compiled a list of 10 such stories that have appeared on DeseretNews.com since Jan. 1.
1. Wright Words: Why Thanksgiving is special for this Utah father, entrepreneur and recovering alcoholic
On Thanksgiving night in 2008, Taylor Richards of Sandy sat in his dark car a few miles from his parents’ home. He was exhausted, cold, 25 years old and a raging alcoholic.
He was also alone.
This wrong kind of silent night was interrupted by a phone call from his brother Spencer. A few minutes later, they sat together in the front seat of his Subaru wagon and ate turkey and stuffing on paper plates.
“I knew I needed to do something,” Richards told me during a recent interview, “but getting and staying sober and happy seemed about as likely as building a space shuttle out of the few belongings I had in my car and then orbiting the Earth.”
With the help, Richards learned to pray, meditate and finally believe that recovery starts with Christ.
2. Afton strong: LDS teen spends final days at church and temple, caring for others
When doctors told Afton Wallace, then 17, there was nothing else they could do to save her life, Wallace spent time grieving with her immediate family. But on the car ride home from the hospital that day in May, Wallace, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had already turned her thoughts to helping others.
"We were all crying," said Afton's father, Robert Wallace. "It’s the worst news that you could have. Then she said, ‘Dad, can I go to the temple?'"
The request initially took Robert Wallace by surprise, but when Afton Wallace explained that she believed she would be better prepared to serve those on the other side if she received her endowment, he was reminded of his daughter's selflessness.
3. Chris Williams shares about the power of forgiveness
Although Chris Williams misses his loved ones dearly, countless lives have been blessed as a result of his response to a tragic accident.
That’s how the Salt Lake City native feels eight years after he lost part of his family in a car accident involving a 17-year-old drunken driver. By choosing to forgive the young man, Williams has been able to heal and help others learn about forgiveness along the way.
“Whenever I ponder it, the Spirit whispers to me that I have no idea how many lives this has touched,” Williams said in an interview with the Deseret News.
Williams’ story is portrayed in a feature film titled "Just Let Go,” which premiered in September.
4. In stark video, Elizabeth Smart shares kidnapping details, says 'Faith Counts'
In a stark and personal new video clip released Feb. 5, Elizabeth Smart explains how faith lessons taught by her mother helped her survive when she was kidnapped in 2002 at age 14.
"I realized that I still had value," she said, "that this was something that nobody could ever take away from me, and it was that faith and that knowledge in God that he would always love me that helped me survive the next nine months. And it continues to help me survive to this day."
5. Mormon Channel releases gritty videos of real addicts in recovery process
The real, raw, gritty examples of the challenges and triumphs of drug, alcohol, sex and food addicts are the core of a new video series from the LDS Church.
The dozen videos in the series "12 Steps to Change" are part of a broader awareness campaign about the 12-step Addiction Recovery Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
6. Wright Words: Twice-paralyzed Boise man learning to soar again
Just when Nathan Ogden was beginning to overcome a tragic accident that left him paralyzed, the unthinkable happened. Today he seeks to inspire others through his unbelievable story.
“While in the hospital, and then throughout my home, I’ve had pictures of the Savior," Ogden said. "In my lowest of times and most painful and debilitating health, I have looked at those images and thought to myself, 'As intense and grueling as this is, I know it's nothing compared to what our Redeemer suffered. I can get through this.'"
7. Mormon mom battling breast cancer during pregnancy relies on LDS faith
Lunch time had just ended, and Heather Choate, 29, was sitting on the deck in the backyard of her Colorado home one summer afternoon, watching her five children play. Choate, then 10 weeks pregnant, used the time to ponder the adventures that would accompany adding another member to the family. But a phone call quickly brought Choate to her knees in prayer as her thoughts turned to the safety of her baby and whether she would be around to raise her children at all.
Earlier that week, during her first prenatal checkup, Choate had expressed concern about a lump she had found three months earlier. An ultrasound was conducted, along with a biopsy of the lump. A few days later, on that summer afternoon, Choate learned she had stage 3 breast cancer.
8. Lexi Hansen forgives driver who hit her (+video)
On Feb. 26, 2014, Lexi Hansen, an 18-year-old BYU student, was hit by a car while crossing a Provo intersection on her longboard. She was given less than a 5 percent chance of survival. The next day, Hansen's mom contacted Karson Pasker, the driver who had hit her daughter, to let him know she understood that accidents happen.
Lexi Hansen and Pasker share the emotions they experienced after the accident and explain how they became friends in a video published March 24.
"God really does care," Hansen said in the video.
9. The accident: One family's story of miracles, forgiveness and healing
The holiday season has brought special feelings of gratitude, peace and healing to the home of Jason and Lisa Summers this year.
Over the past two years, three of their five family members have faced life-threatening situations, and all survived thanks to superb medical care, tremendous community support, great faith and endless prayers.
The most recent adversity came in September when the Summers’ 13-year-old daughter was seriously injured in an auto-pedestrian accident. Yet through a series of faith-promoting events, she is doing well today and on the road to recovery.
10. Wright Words: 36-year-old terminally ill father says everyone has two stories
Paul Moore, 36, of Farmington, Utah, sits across from me on an oversized couch with his head resting against a pillow.
"We all have two stories to tell," he says, stealing a glance at his wife, Joni. "I choose to tell mine in the best way possible — with grace."
I observe closely and take notes on my laptop, balanced on an ottoman near him.
Moore's face is thin, but his eyes are wise. He has a large lump at the middle and top of his chest that's visible through his lightweight, pull-over sweatshirt. His arms are wiry and his legs are tired.
I type the words:
Paul Moore is dying. But his spirit and faith? They couldn't be more alive.