• Posted on Apr 16, 2026
  • 47min

He Chose to Be Faithful When He Thought Nobody Was Looking (with Elder John H. Groberg)

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About podcast

A 19-year-old missionary was locked in a customs shed in Fiji with pigs and cows. No one knew where he was. No one was coming. He knelt down and heard his mother's voice praying for him from thousands of miles away, and every fear disappeared. That young man was Elder John H. Groberg, the general authority whose mission to Tonga inspired the movie The Other Side of Heaven.

In this episode of Why We Believe, host Nathan Gwilliam sits down with Elder Groberg to hear what a lifetime of faith looks like from someone who has lived it at every extreme. Elder Groberg shares how a testimony meeting interrupted a game of hangman and changed his life, how he nearly starved to death on a tiny island and fell asleep unsure which side of the veil he would wake up on, and how one quiet decision on a wharf, when he thought no one was watching, brought a man and his family back to the gospel years later. He baptized seven people on a small island, and one of those converts now has over 300 great-grandchildren and an entire stake traces back to her faithfulness. Elder Groberg's message is simple: Jesus Christ is your closest friend, and staying faithful is all He asks.

Loved this episode?If this episode reminded you that Jesus Christ knows exactly where you are, please help share it. Leave a rating and review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, add a comment with the moment from Elder Groberg's story that strengthened your faith, and don't forget to download your free guide, 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, at WhyWeBelieve.com to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ.

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