By August 17, [1998, Elder Oaks] had decided to write a history of June's life. "June often asked me to write her history," he penned in the preface to the volume. "I always told her she should do it herself. But soon after her death on July 21, 1998, I realized that I must do this; not only because she requested it, but also because this was necessary for me. Writing her history would be a healing experience as I relived our years together and as I kept faith with her wish that our posterity would know her as they would know me."

On August 21, one month after June died, Elder Oaks went through an endowment session in the Salt Lake Temple and "felt her presence with a young June's voice in my mind in the celestial room." He resolved, "I will go again." On October 1, in the endowment session that preceded the Thursday temple meeting, "I felt June's presence," he wrote again, "and had two thoughts communicated peacefully and clearly to my mind from her: 1) she is busy and happy and 2) she knows why she died at this time. I was comforted."

Near the end of the month, as he was returning from nearly two weeks on assignment in Africa, he had another comforting experience. "While in flight over the Atlantic en route home, I felt June's presence so strongly—comforting me and expressing her love—that I had a strong flow of tears," he wrote. "At that same time, I had a free flow of ideas about how to research and write her history that was pure inspiration. I made notes."

On November 21, the four-month anniversary of June's death, Elder Oaks again attended an endowment session in the Salt Lake Temple. "In contrast to earlier times," he recorded in his journal, "I did not feel her presence in the celestial room. I did feel a thought she had left for me, somewhat like a written message: 'Your needs are not so great now, so I will not visit you on a regular basis, but from time to time as you need.' I felt the correctness of this, just as if she had said, 'You are a big boy now and can walk to school alone.'" Elder Oaks wrote that he "went away strengthened for a new era in my life."

[W]hen we join in the solemnity that should always accompany the ordinance of the sacrament and the worship of this meeting—we are qualified for the companionship and revelation of the Spirit. This is the way we get direction for our lives and peace along the way.

We live in a time when some misrepresent the beliefs of those they call Mormons and even revile us because of them. When we encounter such misrepresentations, we have a duty to speak out to clarify our doctrine and what we believe. We should be the ones to state our beliefs rather than allowing others the final word in misrepresenting them. This calls for testimony, which can be expressed privately to an acquaintance or publicly in a small or large meeting.