The Daily Deseret — Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026

🙏 "It Was Not a Coincidence"

On Saturday, Troy Sariah (@BlackBlessedLDS) shared on X that his sister-in-law, working her way back to church, had prayed with her boyfriend, who is taking missionary lessons, for a sign she was on the right path. Soon after, they ran into Elder Gerrit W. Gong. Before leaving, he took her hand and said, "This wasn't a coincidence!" She told Troy, "It felt like Christ himself was speaking to me!" (X).

On Monday, Elder Gong replied: "It was not a coincidence we could say hello and speak of our Savior Jesus Christ this weekend. His atoning love is infinite and eternal" (X).

Troy Sariah@BlackBlessedLDS

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“THIS WASN’T A COINCIDENCE.”
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@GerritWGong, I know you probably won’t see this, but I wanted to thank you. My sister in law FaceTimed me just now with tears of joy after having met you.

She’s been inactive for a while.
She’s been trying to go back to church.
Her boyfriend decided to start taking lessons recently as well.

They met with the missionaries recently and she wrote in her journal as well as prayed for a sign that what she is doing is right. If she’s on the right path of going back to church. If all this even matters.

Then you ran into her and her boyfriend shortly after that. I won’t share the rest on here, but I know what she felt; she will always remember.

Then before you left, you grabbed her by her hand, looked her in the eyes and said: (Her name), this wasn’t a coincidence!”

She said, “Troy. I know he spoke to me, but it felt like Christ himself was speaking to me!” I told her as Christ’s anointed, He was. He did. Through you!”

Thank you for recognizing and ministering to “the one.” Or in this case, two.

Oct 24, 2026 · View post on X ↗

Gerrit W. Gong@GerritWGong

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@BlackBlessedLDS Troy, your sister-in-law (L.) and her boyfriend are very special people. It was not a coincidence we could say hello and speak of our Savior Jesus Christ this weekend. His atoning love is infinite and eternal.

Oct 26, 2026 · View post on X ↗

🏈 Cougar Corner: Fix the Tackling

- Moving on: "I've moved on, it's not really going to do much for me to cry about it," Kalani Sitake said Monday. Pro Football Focus charged BYU with a season-high 18 missed tackles in the UCF loss (Deseret News).
- Next: No. 8 BYU hosts Arizona State on Saturday. Cornerback Evan Johnson likely won't play, Sitake said (same source).

💬 Prophetic Words

"May we mark this temple dedication as an invitation to go to the spiritual frontiers in our own lives. As we do, I promise that we will become who the Lord needs us to become."
— Elder Clark G. Gilbert, Cody Wyoming Temple dedication, Oct. 25, 2026 (Church Newsroom)

📜 On This Day

Oct. 27, 1838: Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs signed an executive order saying the Saints "must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary." Under its threat, the Saints left en masse for Illinois. In 1976, Missouri Governor Christopher S. Bond rescinded it, expressing "deep regret for the injustice and undue suffering" it caused (Church History Topics).

📖 Doctrine Deep-Dive: "What lack I yet?"

A young man who had kept the commandments "from my youth up" asked Jesus, "What lack I yet?" The Savior invited him to give to the poor "and come and follow me," but "he went away sorrowful" (Matthew 19:20–22). At Cody, Elder Gilbert said asking that same question will "take us to our spiritual frontiers" (Church Newsroom).

Reflect: If you asked the Lord "What lack I yet?" today, what might He show you?

🏛️ Temple of the Day: Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple

Lehi's neighbor in American Fork turned 30 this month: President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated it on Oct. 13, 1996, praying it would be "a beacon of peace and a refuge to the troubled." About 38,000 people attended the first three sessions (official temple page, Church News Almanac).

❓ Daily Trivia

Yesterday's answer: Jehoiakim. Jeremiah 36:23 says the king "cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire," and verse 28 names "Jehoiakim the king of Judah" (Jeremiah 36).

Today’s question: Only one Gospel's account of the rich young man says that Jesus, "beholding him," loved him. Which one?

(Answer in tomorrow's issue.)

🎉 Fun Finish