I listened to this video (see it by scrolling below) last week as I worked on turning some of my thrifted pullover sweaters into cardigans (one of my hygge activities to make winter enjoyable). (This was such a fun thing to do and look forward to doing after our Christmas and New Year’s festivities wound down.) This video is so good! It features Sister Neill F. Marriott, former second counselor of the General Young Women’s Presidency.

In this video, Sister Marriott (photo credit of her above: churchofjesuschrist.org) shares her story of how reading the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ has given and continues to give her peace, comfort, and answers. It all started when she read the Book of Mormon while working as a secretary in an office of the philosophy department at Harvard. She grew up in the Methodist faith, and had had a few experiences with the Holy Spirit as she followed that faith tradition. Yet she yearned for something more that would last longer. While she was a secretary at Harvard, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been coming with the missionaries of the Church to teach her the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. On what was to be the last visit with her roommates and her, the member asked her “Neill, have you read the Book of Mormon?” Neill said “Yes.” Then the member (David Marriott, who would later become her husband), said, “Do you believe it is true?” She said, “I think it might be true.” Then he asked, “What are you going to do about it?

That was the just the question she needed to hear! She prayed to God and got a witness that the book is true. She then felt convicted of the truth that the next step was to be baptized a member of The Church, so she was. Thus began her lifelong journey on the covenant path, following the precepts of the Book of Mormon, experiencing overall peace and joy to help with the trials of life.

In the video she shares how The Book of Mormon helped her husband, David Marriott, and her nurture their family in the Lord. They took seriously the admonition from Elder Marion G. Romney as shown below:

In the video, she shares that they struggled as a family to read the Book of Mormon every day when her children were younger. They finally did it by putting it on a lazy Susan in the center of their dining room table. Every day, as they ate breakfast together, they would read from it. It took them seven years, but they did it! The Book of Mormon got covered with drips of syrup and other food, but at the same time, the truths of it entered their hearts. Now she says that reading the Book of Mormon daily is a regular practice in her life and it gives her answers, comfort, and peace. In fact, she felt challenged to step up her game in reading the Book of Mormon. She used to read it once a year. Then when she was serving as wife to a mission president in Brazil she heard Elder Richard G. Scott say that his wife, before she passed away, read the Book of Mormon twice a year. So that motivated Sister Marriott to step up her game. She now reads it once between each General Conference, to equal twice a year.

The prophecy given by Elder Romney was fulfilled in her family’s life and she is so grateful for it. She says that one time she was pregnant with one of the later ones of her 11 children. It was the summer, and they had no air conditioning, so she was so hot. She remembers lying down, opening the Book of Mormon, and putting it on her pregnant tummy. That simple act gave her immediate relief. She says that opening the Book of Mormon is an act we show to God that we want help. It can give us comfort, even physical comfort, as well as spiritual comfort. She says that the Book of Mormon is also a portal to revelation.

I know this is true! I have seen the prophecy from Elder Romney come true in my life as well. I have seen one of my children make mistakes and then be drawn back to correction because of the seeds of faith in the Book of Mormon that I have planted in this child’s heart in his early years. I have experienced the Book of Mormon being a portal as well. Many times, I have had questions on directions for my life. I have prayed and asked a question of what to do. Sometimes I even write the question down. I open the Book of Mormon and read it. Sometimes I have received glimmers of answers, and sometimes I have received a huge download of an answer. Whatever answer it is, I write it down and then act on it (usually 🙂 ). I am so grateful. I encourage you to do this for yourself. Get the Book of Mormon in app form here. Then read it after you have prayerfully asked a question of God. Then write down your answer. Keep praying, keep reading, keep writing, keep following the answers you get, keep praying and asking for forgiveness of your failures to follow the answers, and ask for more help, and you will be amazed at the results! I promise that this works.

Want more goodness from Sister Marriott? Go here for a summary of a presentation she gave with some of her daughters at BYU Women’s Conference.