W hen I was little, I lived in
Zwickau, Germany. My
grandmother had a friend with
white, flowing hair. Her name
was Sister Ewig, and she invited
my grandmother to church. When
our family went there, we saw
many children. All of us were very
impressed by the music, espe-
cially the singing. One song, “Jesus
Wants Me for a Sunbeam,”* really
impressed me. I felt very close to
Jesus when I sang it. I knew that
He wanted me to be a sunbeam
for Him. I still love that song—and
the testimony that it gave me of the
Savior.
My whole family—except me,
because I was only six years old—
were baptized members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. When I was eight, I was
baptized in a public swimming
pool by my father.
When I was 11, my family
had to leave East Germany. We
moved to Frankfurt, West Germany.
I attended the Frankfurt Branch,
which was not as big as the one
in Zwickau. The Frankfurt meet-
inghouse was small, and we had
classes in the basement. The mis-
sionaries taught us important
gospel principles.
One missionary, Elder Stringham,
impressed me very much with his
lessons on the Pearl of Great Price,
especially where Moses is being
taught that he is a son of God
(see Moses 1:3–4). Elder Stringham
also taught me the scripture that
says, “If God be for us, who can
be against us?” (Romans 8:31). This
gave me comfort and courage,
because at that time the future
looked bleak in Germany. The
city of Frankfurt was in ruins with
bombed-out buildings. That teach-
ing has stayed with me throughout
my life. It taught me that I need
to be on the Lord’s side. I cannot
afford not to be on the Lord’s side.
I challenge you children to follow
the words of the prophets. When
you do, you will find the answers to
your questions, whether you are 6, 9,
11, 19, or, like me, 69 years old! ◆
From “Friend to Friend,” Friend, June 1998, 6–7.
*Children’s Songbook, 60.
By President
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Second Counselor in
the First Presidency
Come Listen to a
Prophet’s Voice