Therefore this is thy gift; apply unto it, and blessed art thou, for it shall deliver you out of the hands of your enemies, when, if it were not so, they would slay you and bring your soul to destruction. . . .

Therefore, doubt not, for it is the gift of God; and you shall hold it in your hands, and do marvelous works; and no power shall be able to take it away out of your hands, for it is the work of God.

— Doctrine and Covenants 8:4, 8.

My husband and I are serving a welfare mission in Quito, Ecuador. For us to be effective in our calling, we were told, we would have to drive, which can be an adventure. We were taken by the missionaries to get our licenses, then leaders in a stake in Esmeraldas asked us to come and teach their members how to make square-foot gardens so they could be more self-reliant. We were given permission to take two of the sister welfare missionaries with us, but that meant we would have to drive five to six hours. I was the delegated driver.

The night before we were to leave, I could not sleep. I realized I was to drive in a country I had never driven in before, a vehicle I had not driven before, to a place I had never driven to before, and I was afraid.

Finally, I got out of bed and went into the living room. I did some stretching exercises and decided to pray. I knelt by the sofa and prayed for help. When I finished praying, I noticed a Spanish triple combination near me on the sofa. I decided to read a few scriptures. I turned to and read Doctrine Covenants 8:3-11. I knew the Spirit had directed me to those verses. Verses 4 and 8 especially touched my troubled spirit. I felt an incredible peace come over me and knew we would be all right.

I was able to go back to bed and feel the peace of the Spirit I needed. I realized I was a little person on the 10th floor of an apartment building in a city of over a million people in a country far from home and family, and my Father in Heaven knew where I was and what I was going through, and I was grateful.

— Sister Lizanne Huntsman,

Ecuador Quito Mission.

"Living by the Scriptures" is another in a series of Church News reader response articles. Was there a time when a particular scripture touched you, when it offered comfort, guidance and much-needed support? If so, please describe your experience in 250-300 words, giving the scripture reference and telling how it affected you. Send your submission to Church News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. Fax No. (801) 237-2524. Internet E-mail:churchnews@desnews.com