Friend January 2021 “Talking to My Heavenly Father” Action Rhyme

Why Pray

Friend June 1987 A boy is given the assignment to move a rock. He tries everything except asking his father for help.

Friend April 2024 “The Prayer Question” Xóchitl wondered why we need to pray and what would happen if she stopped praying. She decided to try it. Weeks then months went by and she didn’t feel any different. When summer was about done and school was about to start, she realized she was feeling scared to go. Then she remembered her parents taught her that she could pray for help and comfort. She tried praying for several nights but didn’t feel any different. Then she started telling Heavenly Father her feelings. She felt a strong feeling of peace wrap around her. So this is why we pray, she thought. To feel Heavenly Father’s love. It was an amazing feeling. For all those months she didn’t pray, she had been missing out on that feeling.

What Should a Prayer Contain

Friend February 2022 “Jade Says a Prayer” The steps Jade follows to say her prayer. (Activity: Find some of the things Jade is thankful for in the picture.)

What to Pray for

Friend June 2016 “Caleb’s Bedtime Prayer” Caleb learns what to pray for.

Pray for Our Leaders

Friend March 2019 “Prayer Power” Lucy and her family hear a talk by President Eyring about supporting their leaders and praying for them. They all decide to pray for their branch presidency. In the next sacrament meeting the branch president thanked everyone for their prayers and said they could feel strength from them.

When to Pray

Friend January 2018 “I Can Pray” Action rhyme

Family Prayer

Friend July 2018 “Arturo’s Family Prayer” Arturo’s dad asks the family members what they need help with before saying the family prayer. He then prays for those things.

Friend October 2021 “Ana’s Family Prayer” Ana’s family has night time family prayer before Ana goes to bed and before Ana’s father goes to work.

Is Heavenly Father Listening

Friend November 2017 “Even if You Can’t See Him” Allie feels like she’s is talking to an empty room when she says her prayers. Her Primary teacher uses an object lesson to help her see that Heavenly Father is there even if we don’t see him.

Heavenly Father Loves Us

Friend March 2018 “Heavenly Father Listens” Parents love us and are interested in our lives and so is Heavenly Father. He always listens when we pray but answers our prayers in different ways. Elder Clayton felt the love of God as a teen when he prayed about some worries. (Activity page included: Find the hearts in the room of the girl who is praying.)

Answers to Prayer

Peace

Friend November 2019 “Please Bless Ace” Zach’s dog, Ace, has to have surgery and Zach is worried about him. Zach prays that Ace will live. After his pray, Zach felt the worried feeling leave. He remembered that peace throughout the day. When he got home, he found out that his dog was okay. The family gave Ace extra care that week. Then Ace got sick again and he died. Zach had wanted Ace to live, but he was glad he had been given extra time to spend with him and show Ace how much he loved him.

Friend November 2023 “Someone Who Understands” Blair is embarrassed because she can’t go play at a friends like she said she would because she doesn’t feel good. She has Crohn’s disease and feels sick a lot. She prayed and told Heavenly Father how she was feeling. During the prayer she felt like she was getting a hug, and then the thought came into her mind that other’s may not understand what she is going through but Heavenly Father and Jesus do.

Thoughts that come to Mind (Still, Small Voice)

Friend February 2020 “Riding to the Rescue” When their cow herder friend Marcus gets hurt while they are out on the range, Sterling and Glen don’t know what to do. Sterling steps behind a pile of rocks and says a prayer and asks for help. The words “ride north” come into his mind. He listens and is able to find a truck with sheepherders that can take Marcus to a hospital.

Friend February 2020 “Show and Tell” On our way driving home from a swim meet, it was dark and snowing. My mom was worried and asked us to pray. I remembered how Jesus taught us to pray when we need help. So I bowed my head and closed my eyes to pray to get home safely. After I prayed and opened my eyes, I felt a warm feeling in my heart. Then I heard a still, small voice whisper, “Everything will be all right.” Peichi C., age 10, Massachusetts, USA

Friend February 2020 “Brave on the Bus” Some kids were using bad language on the bus and it made Natalie and her friends feel uncomfortable. Natalie said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to please make them stop. The thought came to her to talk to the bus driver. She listened, and the bus driver helped fix the situation.

Friend November 2023 “Felipe Finds the Way” Felipe and his mother were lost in the jungle forest. Felipe said a prayer and asked for help. A thought came to his mind to look for coconut trees because that was where villages are.

Not in the Way Expected

Friend July 2020 “Prayers and Planes” Vern prayed every night for a model plane, but it never arrived. He decided to build one himself from an old wood box he found. He realized later that his prayer had been answered, just not the way he expected. Heavenly Father helped him figure out how to build his own. When he grew up, he fixed and flew planes for a living. (After reading the story, have everyone make paper airplanes and fly them outside.)

Friend November 2019 “A Prayer in the Fog” When the fog becomes so thick that it is hard to see the lines on the road, Henry says a prayer asking Heavenly Father to make the fog go away so they could be safe. When he opened his eyes the fog was still there. But just then, the lights along the freeway came on. They were able to follow the lights and find their way home. Henry thanked Heavenly Father for helping them be safe.

Answered in Lord’s Time and Way

Friend September 2019 “The Diabetes Dilemma” Joe prayed that his sister didn’t have diabetes.  When they found out she did have diabetes, he was devastated. He didn’t understand why Heavenly Father didn’t answer his prayer. His mom explained that answers to prayers don’t always happen the way we want. Sometimes, instead of taking something hard away, He answers by giving us peace and helping us be strong. Joe then realizes that Heavenly Father was blessing his sister and family with peace.

Friend March 2019 “Faith and Raindrops” A girl has faith that her prayer for rain will be answered, but she learns that we also need to have faith in God’s timing.

Friend September 2017 “Bear Cave” Ben prays for angels help when he becomes afraid in his new room in the basement. He feels like his prayer isn’t being answered, but then his mom shows up. She felt the Spirit telling her to check on Ben.

Friend October 2016 “The Loose Tooth Test” Tessa says a prayer that her loose tooth that is bothering her will  fall out. Tessa learns that sometimes the answer is to wait.

Friend January 2017  “Don’t Forget to Pray for Erik” Kari doesn’t understand why Heavenly Father hasn’t answered their many family prayers for Erik to come back to the gospel.

Heavenly Father Sometimes Uses Others to Help Answer Prayers

Friend October 2019 “The Little Red Harmonica” Katie uses her music points to get two harmonicas. She gives one to her little brother. She loved seeing how happy it made him, but then he became devastated when he lost it.  Kaity helped him look for it, but no luck. Ryan says a prayer asking for help in finding it, but still no luck. Katie prays for her brother and an idea comes to her. She gives her harmonica to him. Katie told Ryan that Heavenly Father was letting her help him answer Ryan’s prayer.

Listening to Answers

Friend November 2017 “Prayers and Pumpkins”  Rachel loses her family during a pumpkin walk in Nauvoo. She prays for help and is inspired to talk to a missionary couple. The couple she finds turns out to be Elder Perry and his wife, and they helped her find her family.

Praying for Others

Friend September 2020 “A Cup of Warm Water” Minjun’s friend Jungmin was getting baptized, but the water heater wasn’t working in the font and it was ice cold in the winter. Minjun prayed to know how to help his friend. The idea came to fill hot water in a bowl and a cup in the kitchen. Pretty soon everyone was helping, and his friend was able to be baptized.

Friend March 2020 “Praying for Uncle Dan” At bedtime Isabelle’s family prayed together. They always started by talking about people who might need extra blessings. This time dad asked them to pray for Uncle Dan who had lost his job. Every day they prayed for him, and eventually he started making progress in finding a new job.

Friend September 2019 “Praying Like Alma” Joplin got hit by a tornado and Isaac wants to go help,  but he’s too young.  While learning about Alma’s prayer for his son, Isaac got the idea to pray for the people of Joplin. He said prayers for them everyday.

Praying for Help

(Also see adversity stories)

Friend April 2024 “Lions in the Woods” When Elder Kyle S. McKay was young, he and his brother got lost in the woods and he imagined there were lions in the bushes. They prayed, and their father found them. He told them, “We need to pray again to thank Heavenly Father for His help.” This time Elder Mckay closed his eyes and wasn’t afraid of lions.

Friend April 2024 “Road-Trip Trouble” As Emma’s family travelled in their camper van to Italy for a vacation, they got a a flat tire. They prayed about what they should do and felt the Holy Ghost guiding them. They prayed again to find a replacement tire and the Lord helped them.

Friend January 2024 “Papa’s Perfect Party” Alex wanted his grandfather’s birthday party to be special, but the weather turned bad and he was worried. He said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to bless the rain to go away in time for the party. In a few hours, all the clouds were gone! They were able to have the party. As soon as the party was over the clouds and rain returned.

Friend March 2023 “Just Lillian” Lillian was excited to go into Young Women’s, but then she learned she would be the only one in there, her and the teachers. She prayed for help, and her prayers were answered when her mom said that her young women’s leader was her best friend. Maybe that would happen for her too. And then a new girl moved into the ward too.

Friend March 2023 “The Earthquake Prayer” Violet woke up when she felt an earthquake. She and her family ran to the kitchen and crawled under the table. They had practiced what to do in an earthquake, but Violet was scared. She said a prayer, and felt like someone was giving her a hug. She was glad Heavenly Father helped her feel peace.

Friend August 2022 “Ready to Ride” Quade doesn’t know how to ride a bike, but he wants to learn so he can ride with his friends. The only problem is that the wobbly bike is very scary. He says a prayer asking for help. After several more attempts, he is riding without help. He keeps practicing and soon he is able to ride with his friends.

Friend May 2022 “A Prayer in the Storm” Alexis was scared of the thunder in the storm and didn’t feel safe. She found her dad and asked if they could say a prayer. After the prayer she felt peaceful and wasn’t afraid anymore.

Friend January 2021 “Just One Taxi” Ellie’s family was trying to get to church, but it was too stormy to walk to the bus. They decided to take a taxi, but became concerned when there wasn’t a taxi in the first and second spots. Ellie and her little sister decided to say a prayer, and they were able to find a taxi and get to church.

Friend January 2021 “Jaechan’s First Day” Jaechan was excited to start school. But after his mom dropped him off at the gate, he got lost in the school halls and couldn’t find his classroom. He was scared and said a prayer asking for his mom to come find him. A few minutes later his mom came around the corner. She had a feeling she should check to make sure he made it to class okay.

Friend December 2020 “Praying for Max” Max, the family dog, got nervous when a lot of noisy children were running around and he disappeared. The family couldn’t find him anywhere, so they said a prayer. Right when they finished they heard a bark from the closet.

Friend July 2019 “Prayer at the Market” While looking around at all the interesting things, Valerie loses her mom at the market. She says a prayer, and then she hears her mother calling her name. She says thank you to Heavenly Father.

Friend July 2019 “Lost in the Amusement Park” A boy loses his mom and sister at an amusement park and prays for help.

Friend May 2019 “Keeping the Orphans Warm” George Muller, a Christian, served God by helping orphans. He had strong faith that God would help him help them. Once, when the heater went out in one of his orphanages, he prayed that a warm wind would come to keep the children warm and that the workers would have a desire to get the work done quickly. His prayer was answered.

Friend March 2019 “Who Will Come to My Party” Enzo is excited to plan his future party and inviting his friends until he remembers that he will live in a new place when it happens. He worries about making new friends, so he prays for help to find friends. During his prayer he remembers that he already has a great friend there because his uncle lives there. Heavenly Father answered his prayer.

Friend March 2019 “Missing Mom and Dad” Dylan’s mom and dad were going on a trip, and he was going to stay with his grandparents. He loved staying with his grandparents, but for some reason he was scared about being away from his mom and dad for so long. He decided to pray for help, and he received comforting thoughts and feelings.

Friend January 2019 “Dolphins to the Rescue” Lisa and a friend paddled their raft in the ocean but drifted too far out. Then a shark appeared. They prayed, and dolphins came and stayed by their raft until they were back to shore.

Friend October 2018 “Canyon Prayer” Carsen and some family members get lost in a canyon while hiking. Carsen knew that Heavenly Father knew the way out so he suggests they pray. He then receives a prompting on which way to go, and they are able to quickly find their way out.

Friend July 2018 “Allie’s New Class” Allie has to change kindergarten classes and she is worried, but she says a prayer, and she knows she can be brave because Heavenly Father will help her.

Friend May 2018 “Finding Floppy” Sam’s big sister helps him look for his lost stuffed elephant, Floppy. When they can’t find Floppy, she suggests they say a prayer. After finding Floppy she suggests they say a prayer of thanks.

Friend April 2018 “Lost and Found” Cael knows Heavenly Father answers prayers because when he found himself alone and scared on a mountain trail, he prayed. His father felt the Holy Ghost telling him to go look for his Cael.

Friend October 2017 “Show and Tell”

I had a hard time learning how to ride my bike without training wheels. I became scared to ride my bike because I had crashed a few times. I said a prayer on my bike and was able to learn how to ride it without being afraid. I’m grateful Heavenly Father blessed me.

Reese H., age 6, Utah, USA

Friend September 2017 “Chief on the Run” Max accidently let his best friend’s dog out. He chased after Chief but couldn’t catch him. Afraid of Chief becoming lost, Max said a quick prayer for help. Chief ran into a neighbor’s fenced in back yard and Max was able to get him.

Friend August 2017 “Prayer for Speedy”   Ashley’s kitten, Speedy, becomes lost, so Ashley prays for him.

Friend February 2015 “A Prayer in the Attic” As refugees during World War 2, Renate and her family are in constant danger from soldiers, but Heavenly Father helps them and answers their prayers and keeps them safe.

Friend February 2015 “There’s Always Time for Prayer” Flynn prays for help because he’s scared about starting a new school. He prays every morning, and when things get good he continues to remember to pray and express his gratitude.

Friend January 1989 “Lost, But Not Alone” Megan becomes seperated from her parents in a Korean market. She prays and is impressed to stay where she is, and she is helped by some Latter Day Saint Korean’s.

Friend January 2017 “Goats on the Run” Evelyn’s new goats jump the fence, and Evelyn is afraid they might not come back, so she says a prayer and the goats return.

Friend November 2016 “Henry and the Corn Maze” Henry and his mom and friends get lost and tired  in the corn maze and say a prayer for help.

Friend September 2016 “Heavenly Father Hears Your Prayers” Small stories. One about a girl praying to know if Heavenly Father knows her and knows about her troubles. And one about a brother praying for another brother because he knew the brother was worried about soccer. Also a story about a mother praying for her son to find a friend.

Friend February 1987 “Tough Spot” A boy learns he can’t always fix things himself and he does need the Lord’s help in his life.

Friend February 1986  “The Power of Prayer” Admiral Byrd prays for help when the door on his Antartica shelter froze closed while he is outside.

Friend February 2016 “Olvera Street” A girl loses her family while site-seeing and prays for help.

Friend July 2015  “Finding Tinkerbell” Mia and her family pray for help to find Mia’s bedtime stuffed animal.

Friend August 2015 “Shelly’s Race”- Girl from divorced home learns she can talk to Heavenly Father when she needs help.

Friend May 2016 “Under the Stairs Prayer” Boy prays for help when he and his sister get stuck in a closet.

Pray with Faith

Friend July 2015 Boy tries to pray like Jesus so heavens will be open.

Friend October 1986 “A Prayer for Uncle Alban” Jamon prays that his uncle will recover from a heart attack, but he doesn’t. He learns that the Lord knows what is best and we need to have faith in his judgment.

 Friend May 1988 ” Sharing Time: Seeking Guidance Through Prayer”  Story of Enos praying with faith and the story of two brothers who get lost in the woods and their prayer and answer.

Prayer Requires Effort

We have to do our Part

Friend February 2017 “Multiplication Master” Luca wants to become a multiplication master, but he isn’t doing well enough on the tests. He prays and expects to do well, but he doesn’t because he hasn’t practiced. He learns he has to do his part.

Friend April 1986 “I Forgot” Matthew keeps forgetting his responsibilities and he prays for help, but he still forgets. He learns he must do his part, and he makes a plan.

Friend January 2021 “Oliver the Brave” Oliver has a bad dream about monsters. He prayed, but it didn’t go away. His parents tell him he needs to do more than just pray. So he thinks of other things he can do such as singing “I am a Child of God”, and it worked.

Friend June 1983 ” The Secret Weapon” – Boy prays to do well in baseball game but doesn’t.