During times of drought, famine, or other crises, the Three Nephites admonish people that if they hold true to their religious beliefs, they will live through the crisis.? At other times, the Nephites warn of impending crisis, telling them that they should hurry and change their behavior in order to survive.?In Los Angeles, one of the old men appeared to the head of the police vice squad to urge him to give up his wild ways.?In San Diego, a Nephite warned a young parking lot attendant about to be seduced by a woman customer “not to ruin his entire life for a few minutes of pleasure.?o:p>

The Mormon Church has thirty-five thousand young people currently serving missions throughout the world.?Reportedly, the Three Nephites have visited numerous communities to prepare them for the message soon to be brought by the missionaries.? Accounts come from all over the world of Nephites escorting missionaries through vicious slums, protecting them from angry crowds, participating with them in street meetings, instructing them in proper proselytizing methods, and cheering them when they are discouraged.? In time of need, the Nephites provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.?Numerous recent accounts abound of Nephites rescuing missionaries stranded with broken cars.

In one such account, two missionaries in Canada were driving home from a meeting.? Their car broke down during a violent storm, and they were unable to repair it.?They worried that they might freeze if they remained in the car, so they decided to start walking down the road.?After an hour or so, they felt that they were near freezing and unable to continue much longer.?Just then, they heard a car driving along the deserted road.?The vehicle stopped, a man opened the door, and they climbed into the backseat.?The missionaries were so tired and cold that they laid back against the seat and hardly glanced at the man, who stopped to let them out at a service station.? The station attendant seemed shocked to see them, asking where they had come from.? When they told him they had come from a car that had just stopped out front, he said, “There haven’t been any cars near my station for hours.?span style="mso-spacerun: yes">? They themselves went out and looked and could find no tire tracks.?Again, this help was attributed to the Three Nephites.

Tales of food. Despite varying physical descriptions, several common motifs bind the stories together. ?/span>Food is a dominant theme in both disaster and non-disaster stories.?It may be delivered by a man recognized as a Nephite, or it may be found under strange circumstances and interpreted as the work of a Nephite.?/span>