Issuu

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E General Conference | E4

| E10

10 quotes and invitations from President Nelson about temples

Temples dotting the earth, maps spanning 5 pages

A look at temples in Utah

Construction continues on the Layton Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints photographed on Tuesday, March 21.

In a state of 2.16 million members, the Church has 14 temples operating and another 14 under construction, under renovation or awaiting dedication

T By Scott Taylor Church News

o date, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 300 temples — dedicated, operating, under renovation, under construction or announced and in planning and design — in 39 states and in 71 nations outside of the United States. Geographically, that’s from Alabama to Wyoming in the U.S., and from Argentina to Zimbabwe across the globe. And chronologically, that’s from the St. George Utah Temple — the Church’s longestoperating temple, dedicated in 1877 and under renovations to extend operations even longer — to the 18 new temple locations announced by President Russell M. Nelson in October 2022 general conference. Since the turn of the 21st century, Latter-day Saints have watched as temples went from the benchmark of 100 operating temples set by the late President Gordon B. Hinckley — and achieved — to the 176 and counting current total of dedicated temples and the aforementioned 300 overall. They’ve seen temples being dedicated over the

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

past 20 years — from Manhattan, Paris and Rome to Haiti, Guam and Cape Verde. They know of the ongoing construction of more than 50 new temples — from five on the African continent to seven on island nations in the Pacific, and from 14 throughout Latin America to more than 20 new U.S. temples just alone in or west of the Rocky Mountains. And Church members have heard announcements of new temple locations — nearly 70 still in planning and design — with future houses of the Lord projected for places such as United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Hungary to Kiribati, Madagascar and five in metro Mexico City. However, this focus instead is on temples close to home for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquartered in Salt Lake City since the mid1800s. Temples in Utah may seem like old news or nonnews, given the 28 temples in various stages of operation, renovation, construction or planning for the 2.16 million Latter-day Saints residing in the state. But there has been plenty of news with current, ongoing and upcoming temple developments in the Beehive State — from dedications to renovations and TEMPLES E4

Friday, March 31, 2023 | Deseret News Weekend

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

In this March 21 photo at the Deseret Peak Utah Temple in Tooele, a sign with the artist rendering, right, is juxaposed next to the under-construction temple, left.

Construction continues on the Taylorsville Utah Temple on Tuesday, March 21.

The groundbreaking for the Lindon Utah Temple was on April 23, 2022. It it shown here 11 months later on Wednesday, March 22.

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SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS STORY AT THECHURCHNEWS.COM

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

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Temples dotting the

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Russia (Site yet to be announced)

ALASKA

world

TEMPLES FROM E1

constructions. About the only thing missing for Utah temples from the different status stages is Utah has no temples in the planning and design stages, since the 10 Utah temples announced by President Nelson — all coming in the first four years of his five-year tenure — are already under construction.

Dedication and open house

Nick Adams, for the Deseret News The Red Cliffs Utah Temple is shown Friday, March 24, 2023 in St. George, Utah.

The next major temple milestone scheduled for a Utah temple is the open house and dedication of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple. As published in late November 2022, the 12-week public open house is scheduled from Saturday, April 15, through Saturday, July 8, excluding Sundays. Online reservations for the public tours became available earlier this month at www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/ featured/saratoga-springs-utah-open-house. President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, is scheduled to dedicate the temple on Aug. 13. It will be the state’s first Latter-day Saint temple to be dedicated in more than five years, since the Cedar City Utah Temple dedication in December 2017. That’s the longest period of time between Utah temple dedications since the 11-year span between the 1998 dedication of the Monticello Utah Temple and the most recent pair in south Salt Lake Valley — the Draper Utah and Oquirrh Mountain Utah temples, both in 2009.

Also, it is the state’s first temple in more than a decade — since the Brigham City Utah Temple in 2012 — to have its public open house at least in part during the summer months. Not only are most schools out of session, but out-of-state visitors to Utah — traveling or visiting friends and relatives — could attend the Saratoga Springs open house sometime through early July. The Saratoga Springs temple open house and dedication will serve as the leader in an anticipated long string of open houses, dedications and rededications over the next four to five years, with three dedicated temples under renovation, two more in the wings and 10 new temples under construction.

Renovation Not all of the headlines for temple news have been about new temples announced or under construction. Plenty of attention has been given to the Church’s four longestoperating temples — all located in Utah, including the iconic Salt Lake Temple. That globally recognized building and the St. George Utah Temple and Manti Utah Temple are undergoing extensive, multiyear renovation projects, as promised when President Nelson announced in April 2019 general conference plans to renovate the Church’s pioneer-era temples. The St. George temple renovation project was announced in May 2019, with renovation TEMPLES E5

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Temples dotting Asia Dubai United Arab Emirates

Temples dotting the Paciﬁc

Sapporo Japan Seoul Korea Shanghai People’s Republic of China Hong Kong Urdaneta Philippines Manila Philippines Bacolod Philippines Phnom Penh Cambodia

Bangkok Thailand

Bengaluru India

Singapore

Busan Korea

Tokyo Japan Fukuoka Japan

Okinawa Japan Taipei Taiwan Kaohsiung Taiwan Santiago Philippines Yigo Guam Alabang Philippines Naga Philippines Tacloban City Philippines Cebu City Philippines Cagayan de Oro Philippines Davao Philippines Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

Laie Hawaii

Tarawa Kiribati

Apia Samoa

Suva Fiji

Temples announced Under construction or scheduled for groundbreaking Operating or scheduled for dedication/rededication Under renovation or scheduled for renovation

Adelaide Australia

Melbourne Australia

Pago Pago American Samoa

Papeete Tahiti

Neiafu Tonga Nuku’alofa Tonga

Port Vila Vanuatu

Brisbane Australia

Perth Australia

Kona Hawaii

Sydney Australia Auckland New Zealand

Hamilton New Zealand

Wellington New Zealand

requires mechanical upgrades and technology that will allow the ordinances and covenants to be administered in multiple languages. No announcement regarding the expected renovation of the fourth pioneer-era temple, the Logan Utah Temple. However, another Utah temple has been scheduled not just for renovations but a major redesign and extensive exterior overhaul. After announcing 13 locations for new temples in his concluding remarks at the October 2021 general conference, President Nelson included mention of the “reconstruction of the Provo Utah Temple after the Orem Utah Temple is dedicated.” In November 2021, the Church released an exterior rendering of the redesigned Provo

Operation Utah is home to 14 dedicated and currently operating temples. In chronological order of dedication, they are: • Logan Utah Temple, dedicated in 1884 and rededicated in 1979. • Ogden Utah Temple, dedicated in 1972 and rededicated in 2014. TEMPLES E9

ER TO T S

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temple, with the extreme makeover similar to that of its sister sacred edifice, the Ogden Utah Temple, which underwent a major renovation and architectural change unlike any other temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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plans unveiled for the temple and entire temple block. The temple closed in early November 2019, with the renovations beginning soon thereafter. Those renovations are in their fourth year, moving beyond the initially anticipated November 2022 completion date. Dedicated in 1877, the southern Utah temple was renovated in the 1970s and rededicated in November 1975 by President Spencer W. Kimball. The Salt Lake Temple’s multiyear seismic renovation efforts and the overall Temple Square renovation project recently completed its third year of projects and progress. The temple, which began operating with its April

1893 dedication, closed for renovations in late December 2019. In April of that year, Church leaders had announced a major, multiyear renovation to include replacing the structure’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The “significant seismic upgrade” — to help the edifice withstand a large earthquake — includes installation of a base isolation system and structural reinforcement. On May 1, 2021, President Nelson announced plans to preserve the “pioneer craftsmanship, artwork and character” of the Manti Utah Temple. It closed in October of that same year. Dedicated in 1888 and rededicated in 1985 after earlier renovations, the Manti temple

TEMPLES FROM E4

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Temples dotting the United States and Canada

Edmonton Alberta

Calgary Alberta

Vancouver British Columbia

Cardston Alberta

Moses Lake Spo ane Washington Washington

Seattle Washington Tacoma Washington Portland Oregon

Missoula Montana Helena Montana

Teton River Rexburg daho daho

Meridian daho Boise daho T in Falls daho Burley daho

Medford Oregon

Feather River California Sacramento California Oa land California Modesto California Fresno California

Reno Nevada

Redlands California orba Linda California Los Angeles California Ne port Beach California San Diego California Smith eld Utah Brigham City Utah

Tooele Valley Utah

Taylorsville Utah Jordan River Utah Deseret Pea Utah Oquirrh Mountain Utah Saratoga Springs Utah Orem Utah Payson Utah

Bismarc North Da ota

St Paul Minnesota

Cody Wyoming

daho Falls daho

Star Valley Wyoming Pocatello Montpelier daho daho

Casper Wyoming

Grand Junction Colorado

Las Vegas Nevada

Nauvoo llinois

Winter Quarters Nebras a

Denver Colorado

ansas City Missouri Wichita ansas

Sno ﬂa e Farmington Ne Mexico Arizona

Phoenix Las Vegas Arizona Nevada Albuquerque Ne Mexico Mesa The Gila Valley Arizona Arizona Gilbert Arizona Tucson Arizona Logan Utah Layton Utah

Draper Utah Heber Valley Utah Mount Timpanogos Utah Lindon Utah Provo ProvoUtah Utah Provo City Center Provo City Center

Vernal Utah

St Louis Missouri

Chicago llinois ndianapolis

Cleveland Ohio Pittsburgh Columbus Ohio Pennsylvania

ndiana

Lubboc Texas

O lahoma City O lahoma Prosper Texas Fort Worth Texas

Dallas Texas

McAllen Texas

Boston Massachusetts Hartford Connecticut Manhattan Ne or Philadelphia Pennsylvania Washington D C

Louisville entuc y

Richmond Virginia

Bentonville Nashville Tennessee Arkansas Memphis Memphis Tennessee Tennessee Birmingham Atlanta Alabama Georgia

Houston Texas

Halifax Nova Scotia

Montreal Quebec

Palmyra Ne York

Detroit Michigan

noxville Tennessee

Austin Texas San Antonio Texas

UTAH

Bountiful Utah Salt La e

Toronto Ontario

Grand Rapids Michigan

Fort Collins Colorado

Elko Nevada

Ogden Utah Syracuse Utah

Winnipeg Manitoba

Billings Montana

Columbia River Washington

Willamette Valley Oregon

Regina Sas atche an

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Temples dotting Latin America

Tijuana Mexico Ciudad Juárez Mexico Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Torreón Mexico Monterrey Mexico San Luis Potosi Mexico Tampico Mexico Pachuca Mexico Culiacán Mexico Mexico City Benemérito Mexico Guadalajara Mexico Veracruz Mexico Querétaro Mexico Mérida Mexico Villahermosa Mexico Tula Mexico Cobán Guatemala Toluca Mexico San Pedro Sula Honduras Cuernavaca Mexico Mexico City Mexico Tegucigalpa Puebla Mexico Honduras Oaxaca Mexico Managua Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Nicaragua Huehuetenango Guatemala Quetzaltenango Guatemala Miraﬂores Guatemala City Guatemala Guatemala City Guatemala San Salvador El Salvador San José Costa Rica Panama City Panama

San Juan Puerto Rico Port-au-Prince Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Haiti Barranquilla Colombia

Caracas Venezuela Bogotá Colombia Cali Colombia

Quito Ecuador

Raleigh North Carolina

Columbia South Carolina

Guayaquil Ecuador

Chiclayo Peru Trujillo Peru

Jac sonville Florida Baton Rouge Louisiana

Tallahassee Florida Tampa Florida

Orlando Florida

Maceió Brazil

Lima Peru

Cusco Peru

Arequipa Peru La Paz Bolivia

Fort Lauderdale Florida

Red Cliffs Utah

Belo Horizonte Brazil

Santa Cruz Bolivia

Ribeirão Prêto Brazil

Anchorage Alaska

HAWAII See Paci c map for temples

Temples announced Under construction or scheduled for groundbreaking Operating or scheduled for dedication/rededication Under renovation or scheduled for renovation

Concepción Chile

Temples announced Under construction or scheduled for groundbreaking Operating or scheduled for dedication/rededication Under renovation or scheduled for renovation

Campinas Brazil

Salta Argentina

Curitiba Brazil

Porto Alegre Brazil

Buenos Aires Argentina Mendoza Argentina

Buenos Aires City Center Argentina

Bahía Blanca Argentina

Vitória Brazil

Rio de Janeiro Brazil Santos Brazil São Paulo East Brazil São Paulo Brazil

Asunción Paraguay

Córdoba Argentina Santiago Chile Santiago West Chile

St George Utah

Cochabamba Bolivia

Antofagasta Chile

ALASKA

Salvador Brazil

Brasília Brazil

Londrina Brazil

Monticello Utah

Fortaleza Brazil

Recife Brazil

Lima Peru Los Olivos

Ephraim Utah

Cedar City Utah

Belém Brazil

Manaus Brazil

Lorem ipsum

Manti Utah

Montevideo Uruguay

Friday, March 31, 2023 | Deseret News Weekend

Temples dotting Europe

Oslo Norway

Helsinki Finland Stockholm Sweden

Copenhagen Denmark

Freiberg Frankfurt Germany Germany

Birmingham England London England Brussels Belgium

Kyiv Ukraine Vienna Austria

Paris France Bern Switzerland

Madrid Spain Lisbon Portugal

Kumasi Ghana

Abidjan Ivory Coast Accra Ghana

Budapest Hungary

Rome Italy

Barcelona Spain

Temples dotting Africa

Praia Cape Verde

Monrovia Liberia

Russia (City yet to be announced)

The Hague Netherlands

Preston England

Freetown Sierra Leone

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Benin City Nigeria Lagos Nigeria

Nairobi Kenya

Aba Nigeria Eket Nigeria

Kananga Democratic Republic of the Congo

Brazzaville Republic of the Congo Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of the Congo

Harare Zimbabwe

Temples announced Under construction or scheduled for groundbreaking Operating or scheduled for dedication/rededication Under renovation or scheduled for renovation

Beira Mozambique

Antananarivo Madagascar

Johannesburg South Africa Durban South Africa

Cape Town South Africa

P H I L A N T H R O PY. FA M I LY ST Y L E . After Harold and Kathleen Stuart sold their home for more than they had expected, their financial planner told them, “Money is worth nothing unless you do something with it.” The Stuarts had been giving to multiple causes for years. But this time, they wanted it to mean something more. The Stuarts established a donor advised fund (DAF) with Deseret Trust Company to create an endowed scholarship fund for students studying special education at Brigham Young

• philanthropies.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/donorfund

University. The fund honors their son James, who passed away in his early twenties. James was autistic and endured multiple serious health issues, but he also achieved many great things, including serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Numerous special education teachers made a difference for James, and the Stuarts hope that their gift will support future special education teachers who will bless the lives of others like James.

• daf.deserettrust.com

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The public open house for the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple begins on Saturday, April 15. It is shown on Wednesday, March 22.

TEMPLES FROM E5

• Provo Utah Temple, dedicated in 1972 and scheduled for reconstruction. • Jordan River Utah Temple, dedicated in 1981 and rededicated in 2018. • Bountiful Utah Temple, dedicated in 1995. • Mount Timpanogos Temple, dedicated in 1996. • Vernal Utah Temple, dedicated in 1997. • Monticello Utah Temple, dedicated in 1998 and rededicated in 2002. • Draper Utah Temple, dedicated in 2009.

• Oquirrh Mountain Temple, dedicated in 2009. • Brigham City Utah Temple, dedicated in 2012. • Payson Utah Temple, dedicated in 2015. • Provo City Center Temple, dedicated in 2016. • Cedar City Utah Temple, dedicated in 2017. There are as many Utah temples under construction, under renovation or waiting to be dedicated — 14 — as there are operating temples in the state.

Construction While the Saratoga Springs temple will be Utah’s first dedication in more than five years, over the next five years, there will be at least 10 temple dedications in Utah. That’s because 10 temples are under construction throughout the state — eight of them within a 100-mile radius of the Saratoga Springs temple. The groundbreaking dates range from May 2020 for the Layton Utah Temple to October 2022 for the Heber Valley Utah Temple, making for plenty of Utah temple open houses and dedications over the next several years.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

The 10 Utah temples under construction, in chronological order of their groundbreakings, are: • Layton Utah Temple, May 23, 2020. • Orem Utah Temple, Sept. 5, 2020. • Taylorsville Utah Temple, Oct. 31, 2020. • Red Cliffs Utah Temple, Nov. 7, 2020. • Deseret Peak Utah Temple, May 25, 2021. • Syracuse Utah Temple, June 12, 2021. • Lindon Utah Temple, April 23, 2022. • Smithfield Utah Temple, June 18, 2022. • Ephraim Utah Temple, Aug. 27, 2022. • Heber Valley Utah Temple, Oct. 8, 2022.

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E10

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‘SPIRITUAL STRENGTHENING’

10 invitations, promises and quotes from President Nelson President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tours the renovation work at the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City on May 22, 2021.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News By Scott Taylor Church News

The 2023 Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction broadcast concludes with 10 teachings, invitations, promises and blessings from President Russell M. Nelson on the Savior Jesus Christ, the house of the Lord, covenants and ordinances.

Jesus Christ at the center “Because Jesus Christ is at the center of everything we do in the temple, as you think more about the temple, you will be thinking more about Him.” — “Go Forward in Faith,” April 2020 general conference

Spiritual strengthening and tutoring “After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sacred covenants with God, each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is only possible in the house of the Lord.” — “Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints,” October 2018 general conference

The most important cause “Heavenly Father has sent His children to earth for more than six millennia. Most of those people have not yet received the ordinances that would qualify them for eternal life. That is why temples are so significant. That is why the gathering of

Stop PAD: The Silent Killer

Israel on both sides of the veil is the most important cause on earth today.” — “Choices for Eternity,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 14, 2022

Children of the covenant “Everything we believe and every promise God has made to His covenant people come together in the temple. … Those who make covenants with God and keep them are children of the covenant.” — “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” October 2021 general conference

PRESIDENT NELSON E11

“PAD is often called the silent killer because you may have it and not even know,” says Dr. Ryan O’Hara, MD of Comprehensive Integrated Care (CiC). People often dismiss the symptoms of this dangerous diseaseas ‘just a sign of getting older’. But it’s not. “If you find yourself needing to rest because your leg cramps when you walk a short distance, or at night you need to stand up to relieve a cramp in your foot, that’s your legs and feet telling you they need help,” he says. Peripheral artery disease (PAD)restricts blow flow to the legs and feet. It’s often confused with neuropathy as the symptoms are very similar and include difficulty walking without taking a break, burning, tingling, numbness, or pain. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to diagnosis the condition that’s causing the pain,”says O’Hara. Often times, with these symptoms, it’s PAD. PAD is a build-up of fatty material inside the arteries whichlimits the amount of blood thatpasses through them. “Blood brings oxygen and nutrients toyour legs and feet which theyneed to stay healthy,” explains O’Hara. “If an artery is blocked, oxygen and nutrients can’t getto cells causing them to die.”Without proper blood supply, your nerves and muscles start burning, tingling, or cramping. The good news is that PAD is treatable. Specialists like Dr. O’Hara are able to perform aminimally invasive procedure in an office setting. “Using image guidance, through a tiny nick inthe skin we’re able to see if there is a blockage, PAD is caused by the buildup of fatty material inside the remove it, and then blood flow improves,” explains O’Hara. Patients arteries, limiting blood flow. areable to get back to their every-day lifestyle with almost no downtime. Medicare as well as most insurances cover treatment. O’Hara says, “I want patients to know that they don’t have to live with these symptoms. This is something we can fix.” Dr. Ryan O’Hara is an interven-tional radiologist who uses min-imally invasive techniques tocare for conditions that affect the nearly every organ system in the body. They include PAD, Enlarged Prostates, Liver Cancer, PVD, and Uterine Fibroids. He can be reached at 801-810-2999.

Tell neuropathy pain, “later alligator.” If traditional neuropathy treatments haven’t given you the pain relief you’ve been seeking, it’s time to start asking questions. YES / NO

Could I have been misdiagnosed with neuropathy? If I do have neuropathy, is poor circulation making my symptoms worse? Is medication the only option to treat neuropathy pain? If you don’t know the answer to these questions it’s time to start asking the doctors at CiC questions about how we can treat your symptoms in the comfort of one of our Valley wide locations. Call CiC today to schedule an appointment. Dr. Ryan O’Hara 5343 S. Woodrow St, #200 Murray, Utah 84107 visit us at utahcic.com

(801) 810-2999

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E11 President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, walk on the Washington D.C. Temple grounds in Kensington, Maryland, on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. He rededicated the temple on Aug. 14, 2022.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Living inside temple covenants

PRESIDENT NELSON FROM E10

Helping to gather Israel “Anytime you do anything that helps anyone — on either side of the veil — take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.” — “Hope of Israel,” Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018

Safety, solace and revelation “If you don’t yet love to attend the temple, go more often — not less. Let the Lord, through His Spirit, teach and inspire you there. I promise you that over time, the temple will become a place of safety, solace and revelation. — “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” October 2021 general conference

“Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants.” — “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” October 2021 general conference

The power of Jesus Christ “Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and temples — and keeps them — has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth. The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power — power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations and heartaches better. This power eases our way.” — “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” October 2022 general conference

Spiritual doors will open “I plead with you to seek — prayerfully and consistently

— to understand temple covenants and ordinances. Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven.” — “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” October 2021 general conference

Spend more time in the temple “My dear brothers and sisters, construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely will. In that spirit, I bless you to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more time in the temple. I bless you with greater harmony and love in your homes and a deeper desire to care for your eternal family relationships. I bless you with increased faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and a greater ability to follow Him as His true disciples.” — “Let Us All Press On,” April 2018 general conference

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General Conference

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General authorities and general officers of the Church

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Readers respond: Favorite hymn, Primary song, conference tradition

163 VIDEOS LATER

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Sam Petersen as Lemuel, Jackson VanDerwerken as Nephi, Mace Sorensen as Laman, and Cooper Sutton as Sam act in the Book of Mormon Videos series during filming near Goshen, Utah, on July 7, 2017.

From 1 Nephi to Moroni, see which sections are part of the Book of Mormon Videos series — and those that are to come

W By Church News staff

hen The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints completed production on its Bible Videos series in 2016, it wasted no time in getting started on its next big video endeavor — the Book of Mormon Videos. Seven years later, the 163 videos published at BookofMormonVideos.com have collectively been viewed more than 23 million times. The channel on YouTube has 315,000 subscribers. The videos have been viewed many more times than that on the Church’s website and in the Book of Mormon app.

1 Nephi The launch of the Book of Mormon Videos began with scenes of Book of Mormon teachings and events from 1 Nephi through Enos in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr., a General Authority Seventy at the time, led

the project’s steering committee and said he was excited for people to see the first videos after two years of production. “We’re just so overjoyed to share with the Church and with the world what we’ve been experiencing the last few years,” Elder Curtis said. Those first videos were originally scheduled to be released in September 2018, but the decision was made to postpone that release by a year to more closely coincide with the 2020 “Come, Follow Me” curriculum that focused on the Book of Mormon. This allowed families and teachers to supplement their class preparations with videos that pertained to the first four books of the Book of Mormon. Sister Reyna I. Aburto was second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency when the first season debuted. “This is going to make such a big difference in so many lives, because the truths that are contained can change lives. These videos are going to help with the process, because they hopefully are going to bring people to the book,” Sister Aburto said. VIDEOS F4

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General authorities and general officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints MARCH 2023 FIRST PRESIDENCY

Henry B. Eyring Second Counselor

Russell M. Nelson President

Dallin H. Oaks First Counselor

QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES

M. Russell Ballard

Jeffrey R. Holland

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

David A. Bednar

Quentin L. Cook

D. Todd Christofferson

Neil L. Andersen

Ronald A. Rasband

Gary E. Stevenson

Dale G. Renlund

Gerrit W. Gong

Ulisses Soares

PRESIDENCY OF THE SEVENTY

Patrick Kearon

Carl B. Cook

José A. Teixeira

Carlos A. Godoy

PRESIDING BISHOPRIC

Paul V. Johnson

Brent H. Nielson

S. Mark Palmer

W. Christopher Waddell First Counselor

GENERAL AUTHORITY SEVENTIES

Gérald Caussé Presiding Bishop

L. Todd Budge Second Counselor

GENERAL OFFICERS

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

RELIEF SOCIETY

Marcos A. Aidukaitis

Rubén V. Alliaud

Jose L. Alonso

Jorge M. Alvarado

Ian S. Ardern

Steven R. Bangerter

W. Mark Bassett

David S. Baxter

Jorge T. Becerra

Randall K. Bennett

Hans T. Boom

Shayne M. Bowen

J. Anette Dennis First Counselor

Mark A. Bragg

Matthew L. Carpenter

Yoon Hwan Choi

Craig C. Christensen

Valeri V. CordÓn

Joaquin E. Costa

Massimo De Feo

BenjamÍn De Hoyos

Sean Douglas

Edward Dube

Kevin R. Duncan

Michael A. Dunn

Mark D. Eddy

Eduardo Gavarret

Jack N. Gerard

Clark G. Gilbert

Ricardo P. Giménez

Patricio M. Giuffra

Taylor G. Godoy

Brook P. Hales

Kevin S. Hamilton

Allen D. Haynie

Mathias Held

Matthew S. Holland

Camille N. Johnson President

Kristin M. Yee Second Counselor

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Milton Camargo First Counselor

Mark L. Pace Jan E. Newman President Second Counselor

YOUNG WOMEN

David P. Homer

William K. Jackson

Jeremy R. Jaggi

Kelly R. Johnson

Peter M. Johnson

JÖrg Klebingat

Joni L. Koch

Erich W. Kopischke

Alfred Kyungu

Hugo E. Martinez

James W. McConkie III

John A. McCune

Michelle D. Craig Bonnie H. Cordon Rebecca L. Craven First Counselor President Second Counselor

Kyle S. McKay

Alvin F. Meredith III

Peter F. Meurs

Hugo Montoya

Isaac K. Morrison

Thierry K. Mutombo

Marcus B. Nash

K. Brett Nattress

S. Gifford Nielsen

Adrián Ochoa

Adeyinka A. Ojediran

Ryan K. Olsen

Adilson de Paula Parrella

Kevin W. Pearson

Anthony D. Perkins

Paul B. Pieper

John C. Pingree Jr.

Rafael E. Pino

James R. Rasband

Carlos G. Revillo Jr.

Michael T. Ringwood

Gary B. Sabin

Ciro Schmeil

Jonathan S. Schmitt

YOUNG MEN

Ahmad S. Corbitt Steven J. Lund Bradley R. Wilcox First Counselor President Second Counselor

PRIMARY

Evan A. Schmutz

Vaiangina Sikahema

Denelson Silva

Vern P. Stanfill

Benjamin M.Z. Tai

Brian K. Taylor

Michael John U. Teh

Juan A. Uceda

Arnulfo Valenzuela

Moisés Villanueva

Juan Pablo Villar

Takashi Wada

Amy A. Wright Susan H. Porter Tracy Y. Browning First Counselor President Second Counselor

Taniela B. Wakolo

Alan R. Walker

Scott D. Whiting

Chi Hong (Sam) Wong

Kazuhiko Yamashita

Jorge F. Zeballos

MARCH 2023

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Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Anthony Butters, who plays Jesus, prays during a scene as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ production of the fourth season of Book of Mormon videos is filmed near Springville, Utah, on July 26, 2021.

VIDEOS FROM F1

Helping people learn about the Savior and read the Book of Mormon were two goals of the series. Sister Aburto said she hoped the project would help viewers “learn about Jesus Christ and about His mission, His ministry, His doctrine, His teachings, which are teachings of goodness and love for every life. This is such a needed message, right now; this message is so needed in the world.”

2 Nephi – Enos This series of videos focuses on the prophets Nephi, Jacob and Enos. Producing the films while maintaining accuracy and integrity to

the scriptural accounts and time in which the people lived was an important part of the project. “This allows us to put a face to the names and the stories and allow you to see these people who really lived,” said Bill Elliott, media director of the project. “They breathed, they walked the land, and these stories are real.” Elder Curtis was impressed with the storytelling that went into the Book of Mormon Videos to help illustrate and convey the gospel principles written about in the Book of Mormon. “Good teaching and powerful teaching carries an echoing effect through the generations,” he said.

In a special screening of the videos for children in December 2019, President Joy D. Jones, then Primary general president, spoke with some children to see what they felt as they watched the depictions. “These videos are such a blessing from Heavenly Father to individuals, to families, to the Church and to all the world,” said President Jones after the event. “I hope that this could expand the opportunity for families and children to be aware of them, and to want to sit down and actually view them. “Because once they view them, the Spirit will speak to their hearts, and they’ll feel something.” VIDEOS F7

“

Good teaching and powerful teaching carries an echoing effect through the generations.”

— Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr., emeritus general authority

Friday, March 31, 2023 | Deseret News Weekend

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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HYMN?

939 responses

“I Am a Child of God”

”I’m Trying To Be Like Jesus”

“My Heavenly Father Loves Me”

”I Love To See the Temple”

“I Feel My Savior’s Love”

”We’ll Bring the World His Truth (Army of Helaman)”

34 28

“Popcorn Popping”

27 27

”He Sent His Son”

25 23

2 ”The Spirit of God”

3 “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”

4 ”I Stand All Amazed”

5 “How Great Thou Art”

6 ”Be Still, My Soul” 7 “I Believe in Christ”

37 33

8 ”Let Us All Press On” 9 “Abide With Me!”

Special breakfast/brunch

162 106 83 42 40

10 “When He Comes Again”

883 responses

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GENERAL CONFERENCE TRADITION? Gathering with loved ones

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PRIMARY SONG? 925 responses “A Child’s Prayer”

From a survey on Church News social media earlier this month

1 “How Firm a Foundation”

10 ”If You Could Hie to Kolob”

160

916 responses

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GENERAL CONFERENCE BREAKFAST FOOD?

289

Cinnamon rolls

Crepes

Watching in pajamas

Pancakes

After-conference meal/treat

Eggs

Conference bingo

Waffles

Snacking

French toast

Cooking/baking

48 34

German pancakes

40 32

Taking notes

Don’t eat breakfast

Relaxing

30 26

Monkey bread

22 21

10 Building a tent or pillow fort

10 Breakfast casserole

DESERET NEWS GRAPHIC

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VIDEOS FROM F4

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The eight episodes of Season 2 of Book of Mormon Videos cover more than 200 pages of content in the book — going through Mosiah and most of Alma. One of the producers of the videos, Jaelen Petrie, said the videos are full of learnings from the gospel of Jesus Christ and the prophecies, teachings and testimonies about the Son of God, as well as His mission and ministry. “This has changed my understanding of the Savior and His love for all people,” Petrie said. “The Savior is involved in every story.” Among the individuals from the Book of Mormon whose stories are told in this season are King Benjamin, Abinadi, Alma the Younger,

Amulek, Ammon and King Lamoni. This season of videos saw its first episodes launch just as COVID-19 caused worldwide disruptions as the pandemic spread. While the videos for this season were released, production on remaining seasons largely came to a stop before conditions improved to resume filming. The following week, on Sept. 13, 2020, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Melanie Rasband, answered questions from young adults in a Face to Face event on the Church’s production set in Goshen, Utah. That set was used for both the Bible Videos and Book of Mormon Videos. In the face of the many challenges posed throughout 2020, Elder Rasband offered these

words of comfort to those watching that event: “Through Book of Mormon times and other times, the people of God have always seemed to face trials. ... ” Elder Rasband said. “And yet we can take comfort and confidence that the Lord Jesus Christ loves this Church and loves this people. As He has said numerous times, if you stand on holy ground, you need not be troubled.”

3 Nephi A silver lining on the COVID-19 cloud came when the Book of Mormon Videos production team had an extra year to refine the scripts related to the Savior’s appearance to the Nephites as described in 3 Nephi. VIDEOS F8

“

As [Christ] has said numerous times, if you stand on holy ground, you need not be troubled.”

— Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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Spenser Heaps, Deseret News Zoe Moss, 5, of Tooele, Utah, checks out props from Book of Mormon Videos, including the large plates of Nephi, after a screening at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City on Dec. 7, 2019.

VIDEOS FROM F7

From the set used for scenes in the land of Bountiful, Elder Curtis said, “This is a really important season of filming.” Sister Aburto agreed. “We all feel this is the central part of the Book of Mormon because it contains the words that Jesus told those people,” she said. “It contains His teachings and His doctrine.

The sole purpose of this project is to testify of Him and to increase faith in Him.” Anthony Butters, a native of New Zealand, received the script more than a year earlier and used that time to memorize his lines and study the words of the Savior before stepping in front of the camera for such a pivotal role. That time with the script paid dividends for Butters as he was able to shoot many scenes without the need of a script or off-screen

assistance. Elder Curtis said one of his favorite scenes of the entire project came from this time of production. “Third Nephi 17,” Elder Curtis said without hesitation. And with a tearful emotion, he explained: “The experience of Christ changing His schedule to stay and be with the people. And to heal them. And to bless the children. And the angels coming and ministering to the

children. To me, that’s as spiritually powerful as anything.”

Special episodes Two episodes were released outside the normal cadence of seasons. The first tied together the end of the Book of Mormon with its revealed discovery hundreds of years later.

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VIDEOS F9

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Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks with Tuliloa Pauga, left, Zeka Nichols and Joseph Andelin during filming of Book of Mormon Videos on June 17, 2022.

VIDEOS FROM F8

The second required most of the seasons’ filming to be complete in order to show a vision from the beginning of the Book of Mormon. Both required careful planning and production spanning the better part of a decade. In September 2020, the Church released one video depicting a combination of

historical events pertaining to the Book of Mormon. First, was Moroni burying the plates in the Hill Cumorah 420 years after the Savior’s birth. Second, was Joseph Smith finding them. This episode was released as the Church commemorated the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision from 1820. “We are pleased to release this episode from the series to add to the bicentennial

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celebration of the first appearance of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith, a historic event that resulted in the publication of the Book of Mormon,” Elder Curtis said. John Munoa played the role of Moroni in the video. He said he studied Moroni’s Christcentered teachings and spiritual experiences as he prepared to portray the prophet. He described Moroni as “a spiritual giant.”

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

“If I had to choose one thing about him that stood out the most, it would be his testimony of Jesus Christ,” Munoa said. The other episode to be released not in chronological order had to wait until most of the series’ filming had been completed. Chronologically, it fits with the storyline of the first videos released about 1 Nephi. But VIDEOS F10

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Laura Seitz, Deseret News Director Adam Anderegg works on the filming of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ production of Book of Mormon Videos, at the Church’s Motion Picture Studios on June 17, 2022.

VIDEOS FROM F9

in terms of production, a lot had to happen before this episode could be released. One of the producers of the series, Aaron Merrell, said a lot of preparation and patience went into this specific episode. “Portions of Nephi’s vision were filmed during the first season of Book of Mormon Videos while we had the original cast,” Merrell said.

That first season began filming in summer 2017, nearly six years ago. “The vision sequences of later events were filmed throughout subsequent seasons, resulting in later finishing and release of the episode. We are thrilled that audiences are now able to experience both Lehi’s and Nephi’s visions together,” Merrell said. The fifth season of the Book of Mormon Videos will also feature videos that won’t all

follow each other chronologically in order. A full list of anticipated episodes has not yet been released. Casting for those new videos is ongoing and ends April 4. The videos are expected to shoot later this spring.

How to watch, share Over the past nearly 200 years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members have used and shared hundreds

of millions of physical copies of the Book of Mormon. A decade after the initial release of the Book of Mormon app, the use and sharing of the Church’s sacred volume of scriptures are being enhanced with new digital features and content — including ways to watch and share the Book of Mormon Videos. VIDEOS F11

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F11

Sam Petersen, who plays Lemuel, laughs between takes on the set of Book of Mormon Videos, at Motion Picture Studios South Campus near Goshen, Utah, on July 7, 2017.

VIDEOS FROM F10

When the app was first launched in 2012, the initial version merely replicated the text and offered basic search and scripturemarking capabilities. With the app available in more than 100 languages, the Book of Mormon app improvements include the addition of “Discover,” “Watch” and “Share” tabs.

The Discover tab is the gateway to additional content, the Watch tab opens to the full library of available Book of Mormon Videos segments, and the Share tab provides a quick-response, or QR, code to share with smartphones in the 100-plus supported languages. “From the time of its first printing over 192 years ago, the commission from the Lord has been to flood the earth with the Book

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of Mormon,” said Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi, a General Authority Seventy who chaired the Scriptures Committee in the Church’s Priesthood and Family Department when these features launched in 2022. “In the digital age, the Book of Mormon app helps us fulfill this divine mandate. The app is miraculous. It allows us to be better instruments in sharing God’s word with His people, wherever they are, in whatever

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

language they speak.” “Jesus Christ’s visit to the Americas after His Resurrection is a favorite part of the Book of Mormon for many,” said Sister Michelle D. Craig, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency. “The beautiful visual representation of these events will give us another way to share our witness that Jesus Christ lives and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of His divinity.”

Friday, March 31, 2023 | Deseret News Weekend

F12

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G General Conference | G2

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General conference activity page: bingo, matching and more

Ref lecting on Joseph Smith Papers as project nears its end

‘BELOVED FELLOW MISSIONARIES’

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News Missionaries listen and take notes while Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

What Apostles and others have said in MTC devotionals over the last 6 months

W By Mary Richards Church News

hen President M. Russell Ballard spoke to nearly 900 young full-time missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints at the Provo Missionary Training Center in February, he emphatically and tenderly called them “my beloved fellow missionaries.” President Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, served as a young missionary in Great Britain more than 70 years ago and as a mission president in Toronto, Ontario, about 50 years ago. But the connection to today’s full-time missionaries is current. “I use the term ‘fellow missionaries’ because, guess what? Apostles are missionaries, too — full time, until we

die,” said President Ballard, who was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1985. “And what is our message? It is the same as the message you’re going to carry to the world as missionaries of the Lord Jesus Christ.” President Ballard repeatedly emphasized the importance of teaching and testifying of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith. “We are so blessed as missionaries to be able to carry this glorious message out into all of the world,” said President Ballard, thanking the missionaries “for your courage, your faith and your willingness to serve.” President Ballard’s remarks on Feb. 28 were broadcast to the Church’s MTCs worldwide — one of many devotionals the Apostles speak at for missionaries who are training to fulfill their assignments and callings around the world. Following are more examples of these teachings from Church leaders at MTCs in the last six months. DEVOTIONALS G3

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Scriptures

Service Tithing

Missionary

Jesus Christ

Music

Sabbath

Temple

Faith

Sacrament

Free Space

Home

Pioneer Resurrection

Russell M. Nelson Dallin H. Oaks Henry B. Eyring M. Russell Ballard Jeffrey R. Holland Dieter F. Uchtdorf David A. Bednar Quentin L. Cook D. Todd Christofferson Neil L. Andersen Ronald A. Rasband Gary E. Stevenson Dale G. Renlund Gerrit W. Gong Ulisses Soares

Love Word of

Commandments

Minister

Joseph Smith

Priesthood

Prophet

Baptism

Wisdom

Marriage

Prayer

Family

Prayer

Marriage

Scriptures Prophet

Commandments

Faith Temple

Home

Sacrament

Baptism

Love

Free Space

Jesus Christ

Music

Pioneer

Minister

Word of

Resurrection Tithing

Wisdom

Sabbath

Service Priesthood

Joseph Smith

Missionary

Family

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England MTC

Provo MTC México MTC

Philippines MTC India Service Support Center

Ghana

Lima MTC

Brazil MTC

New Zealand MTC

South Africa MTC

DESERET NEWS GRAPHIC

DEVOTIONALS FROM G1

President Ballard and Elder Stevenson at Mexico MTC ‘Declaring to the world that Jesus Christ is the Savior’ President Ballard and Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed missionaries at the Mexico Missionary Training Center on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. President Ballard testified of the “privilege of declaring to the world that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Redeemer of all mankind.” After surveying the Church’s 90acre campus, President Ballard told the missionaries they are on the “steppingstone” of the greatest experience they will have in their life: “to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Elder Stevenson, who serves on the Church’s Missionary Executive Council, spoke to the missionaries about using the

President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Elder Gary E. Stevenson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wave to missionaries after speaking to them at the missionary training center in Mexico City, Mexico, on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.

missionary toolkit — the scriptures, “Preach my Gospel” and the booklet containing missionary standards. “We diligently search the scriptures to understand the truth,” he said. “We feast on them because they open the door to revelation and show us what we need to do and become.” The learnings from “Preach My Gospel” are “essential” and will bless missionaries every day of their life, said Elder Stevenson. And “every time you are obedient to the rules and guidelines that you find in your handbook, you get a blessing.”

Elder Bednar Learn the importance of sequences and ‘put Christ first’ Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Provo. Through the covenants and the ordinances of the gospel, said Elder Bednar, “we are DEVOTIONALS G4

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

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DEVOTIONALS FROM G3

yoked to and with the resurrected and living Lord Jesus Christ. That is more than just a relationship; it is a personal covenant connection.” Elder Bednar illustrated how progressing along the covenant path often may be perceived: baptism, going to the temple and going on a mission, with Jesus Christ at the end of the sequence. “Put Christ first,” Elder Bednar said, and it changes everything. When young men and young women put Christ first in their lives, they will want to enter into sacred temple covenants. They will want to go on a mission. When they put Christ first, they begin to understand the ordinances and covenants they are making with the Savior, and they will want to do His will and be more like Him. “Do we understand that we have an ongoing opportunity to retain a remission of our sins?” he asked the missionaries. “When we offer the sacrifice He requires — a broken heart and a contrite spirit — we are promised that we may always have His Spirit to be with us. And by the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can obtain and always retain a remission of our sins.”

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks at a devotional at the missionary training center in Provo, Utah, on Nov. 8.

their lives, the Savior and the blessings of His Atonement. Gratitude and humility are intertwined, said Elder Cook. “We live in a self-centered age. It has never been more important to be grateful and humble. Those who possess these attributes express appreciation for their blessings as they follow the Savior’s example.” Elder Cook concluded with what he called “The Four Loves of Missionary Work,” adding “These four loves have always been important — and they may be even more important today.” 1. Love your companions. 2. Love the people. 3. Love your mission president and his wife/companion leader. 4. Love the Lord.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News Quoting from scripture, Elder Quentin L. Cook speaks during a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center on March 14.

Elder Cook Approach missionary work with urgency Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered a powerful promise to missionaries at the Provo MTC on Tuesday evening, March 14. “Everybody that you love will be blessed because you are serving as an emissary of Jesus Christ,” he said. “It will bless your parents and your siblings. It will bless your future spouse, and it will bless your children and your grandchildren.” Elder Cook, who chairs the Church’s Missionary Executive Council, invited missionaries to read and study the words to the hymn “The Morning Breaks, the Shadows Flee.” “I want you to think about the urgency [Parley P. Pratt] felt … the urgency of sharing the gospel and how important that was to them,” said Elder Cook. Recalling his own mission to England, Elder Cook spoke of his many missionary companions. “As I look back, I’m so grateful that we felt a great urgency during the time that I was serving. And I’m grateful for them and the influence that they had upon me,” he said.

Deseret News archives From left to right, Provo Missionary Training Center President Benson L. Porter; his wife, Sister Kerry L. Porter; Sister Mary Cook; and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles walk around the Provo Missionary Training Center to greet sick missionaries on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022.

Elder Cook Messages, music and ministering on Thanksgiving Love, humility and gratitude highlighted the spoken and musical Thanksgiving Day messages of Elder Cook and his wife, Sister Mary Cook, as they participated in the Nov. 24, 2022, morning devotional at the Provo MTC. Elder Cook encouraged the 1,050 sisters and elders at the MTC during the holiday week to contemplate and be grateful for their parents, those who have helped them to this point in

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Elder Christofferson The Book of Mormon is ‘the ultimate tool’ for missionaries Saying the Book of Mormon has a unique capacity to convert, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited missionaries to give it a special place in their service. Speaking at a Tuesday, Jan. 17, devotional, Elder Christofferson underscored that the Book of Mormon has to be “the ultimate tool in your missionary toolkit” in gathering Israel, sharing the scripture 3 Nephi 29:1, which states that the appearance of the Book of Mormon is the sign that “the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel ... is already beginning to be fulfilled.” DEVOTIONALS G5

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Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Elder D. Todd Christofferson holds up a Book of Mormon while speaking during a devotional in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, Jan. 17. DEVOTIONALS FROM G4

Quoting President Russell M. Nelson, Elder Christofferson emphasized that the Book of Mormon clarifies many plain and precious truths that were lost for centuries and provides a full and authoritative understanding of Jesus Christ’s Atonement. Referencing President Nelson’s counsel from his October 2017 general conference talk, Elder Christofferson invited missionaries to ponder what their lives would be like without the Book of Mormon and to ponder what the Book of Mormon affirms, what it refutes, what it clarifies and what it reveals. “This is today,” he said. “This is our life. This is real. This is what we’re experiencing. This is to us. This is speaking to us right now for the circumstances in which we find ourselves right now.”

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Missionaries hold up their scriptures during a devotional at the Mexico Missionary Training Center in Mexico City, Mexico, on Dec. 9, 2022.

You reflect the light of Christ and shine brightly. What a glorious opportunity is yours to lift, teach and testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ and of His loving Father, our Heavenly Father, and of the divine nature and potential of every one of us. We are all God’s children.” Mission assignments are key to interactions with others, she said. “Your divinely appointed orbit will put you in an intersecting orbit with people who need you and people from whom you will learn. I hope you will recognize your assignment as by divine design. … I hope you will let your lights shine to illuminate those who are in your orbit and discover for yourselves the reason for your assignment.” President Johnson encouraged the missionaries to see untapped divine potential in everyone they meet — and to teach it when they share the plan of salvation.

President Lund Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson speaks during a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Centeron on Jan. 3.

President Johnson Missionaries are in a divinely appointed orbit Full-time missionaries are like stars in a divinely appointed orbit of influence, said Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson during a Tuesday, Jan. 3, devotional. “Elders and sisters, you are stars — placed in an orbit orchestrated by the Creator, our Savior, Jesus Christ,” she said. “You are in your divine orbit because of your faithfulness.

‘Shortest and surest pathway to happiness’ is through the covenant path On Tuesday, Jan. 24, Young Men General President Steven J. Lund told missionaries that some people don’t believe the Savior’s path will bring the most happiness. “We sometimes think that a little disobedience is going to make us happier. So we step off the path into the weeds, distancing ourselves from God, where we experience less joy and the eventual consequences of our misdeeds that bring us pain.” He testified that contrary to this flawed belief, the “shortest and surest pathway to happiness” is found through the Savior’s doctrine, His Church and His covenant path.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News Young Men General President Steven J. Lund speaks during a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center on Jan. 24.

“Jesus is happy Himself because He is one with the Father’s plan of happiness. That is where we’re going to find happiness too.” The Lord will join His disciples in this journey, said President Lund, but they must first act in faith. “Like the children of Israel crossing the Jordan, they had to get their feet wet first to see the water divide.” The Savior’s miracles both relieve suffering and grow capacities of those who follow Him in faith.

... Plus 30 More

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Missionaries sing the opening hymn in sign language during Elder Quentin L. Cook’s devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News Sister J. Anette Dennis, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, speaks during a devotional Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. DEVOTIONALS FROM G5

Sister Dennis ‘Always remember who you are’ Sister J. Anette Dennis, the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, shared her testimony to missionaries of their origins as children of Heavenly Father who were reserved for this time in history. “You have been sent to this earth during the final years of the final battle between good and evil, when the stakes are critically high,” she said during the Nov. 15, 2022, devotional. Looking ahead to the end of their missions, Sister Dennis invited the missionaries to not return home and take a seat on the sidelines of life. “You are some of our Father’s most valiant spirits, and you can’t just sit on the sidelines observing this battle or be persuaded to join the opposing team, especially after you return home from your missions.” She said Satan will tempt them “to think you are of no worth,” but having their identity as a child of God imprinted on their hearts will help them to remember they are actually of great worth.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News Missionaries take notes during President M. Russell Ballard’s devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News

Mark Lineback Bishop L. Todd Budge, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, teaches missionaries about the two great commandments.

Bishop Budge Loving your neighbor ‘is a choice’ Love has less to do with emotions than one might think, said

Bishop L. Todd Budge on Tuesday, Feb. 7. “It’s something that you do,” he said. “It’s more than something that you feel. You can love someone even when you don’t feel love for them. It’s a choice. Love is a choice.” Bishop Budge, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, said love and charity require action. Saints develop Christlike love as they give of themselves and serve others. “Any time you do anything for anyone to help them come closer to Christ,” said Bishop Budge, “that is an act of love. That’s a choice that you make.” The two great commandments, as found in Matthew 22:36-

40, are to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart” and “love thy neighbour as thyself.” To explain how people can show God their love, Bishop Budge read Doctrine and Covenants 42:29. “If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments.” Loving God requires both serving Him and keeping His commandments. “He gave us commandments. Have you ever thought of that? God loves us so much that He gives us commandments because he knows that if we follow them, we’ll be happy. And He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, because of His love for us.”

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invitations from October 2022 general conference

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Attendees walk into the Conference Center for the Sunday morning session of the 192nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

By Sydney Walker Church News

At the conclusion of five sessions of Christ-centered messages inviting all to draw closer to the Savior, President Russell M. Nelson expressed his hope that those who listened or watched will act on the impressions they recorded. “Our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ,

stand ready to help you. I urge you to increase your efforts to seek Their help,” said President Nelson, Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was the final speaker of October 2022 general conference. President Nelson announced 18 new temple locations, including four in the Mexico City metropolitan area, and invited all to focus on the temple. “I promise that increased time in the temple will bless your

life in ways nothing else can. ... My dear brothers and sisters, may you focus on the temple in ways you never have before,” he said. Here are 15 invitations extended by members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during October 2022 general conference. INVITATIONS G8

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Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gestures to attendees during the Sunday afternoon session of the 192nd Semiannual General Conference on Oct. 2, 2022.

INVITATIONS FROM G7

‘Overcome the world through your covenants’ “My plea to you this morning is to find rest from the intensity, uncertainty and anguish of this world by overcoming the world through your covenants with God. … I call upon you, my dear brothers and sisters, to become this righteous people. Cherish and honor your covenants above all other commitments. As you let God prevail in your life, I promise you greater peace, confidence, joy and, yes, rest.” — President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church, “Overcome the World and Find Rest”

Be more aware, appreciative of others’ service “Despite all that our Church does directly, most humanitarian service to the children of God worldwide is carried out by persons and organizations having no formal connection with our Church. … As members of the restored Church, we need to be more aware and more appreciative of the service of others. The Church of Jesus Christ is committed to serving those in need, and it is also committed to cooperating with others in that effort.” — President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, “Helping the Poor and Distressed”

Represent the Lord in ministering “When you sit with someone as their ministering sister or brother, you represent the Lord. Think of what He would do or say. He would invite them to come unto Him. He would encourage them. He would notice and praise the beginning of the changes they will need to make. And He would be the perfect example for them to emulate.” — President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, “Legacy of Encouragement”

‘Follow Jesus Christ with faith in every footstep’ “Let us follow Jesus Christ with faith in every footstep. We need to serve the Lord and serve one another. We need to strengthen ourselves spiritually by keeping and honoring our covenants. We should not lose the sense of urgency to keep the commandments. ... Please remember that if anyone should lose their way, we will never be lost to our Savior. With the blessing of repentance, we can turn to Him.” — President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Follow Jesus Christ With Footsteps of Faith”

‘Follow Him everywhere’ “To be a follower of Jesus Christ, one must sometimes

carry a burden — your own or someone else’s — and go where sacrifice is required and suffering is inevitable. A true Christian cannot follow the Master only in those matters with which he or she agrees. No. We follow Him everywhere, including, if necessary, into arenas filled with tears and trouble, where sometimes we may stand very much alone.” — Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Lifted Up Upon the Cross”

‘Put your trust in Jesus Christ’ “When you have important choices to make, Jesus Christ and His restored gospel are the best choice. When you have questions, Jesus Christ and His restored gospel are the best answer. When you feel weak, Jesus Christ is your strength. … You need to put your trust in Jesus Christ. He will lead you the right way. He is your strength.” — Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Youth”

Evaluate priorities “Each of us should evaluate our temporal and spiritual priorities sincerely and prayerfully to identify the things in our lives that may impede the bounteous blessings that Heavenly Father and the Savior are willing to bestow upon us. And surely the Holy Ghost will help us to see ourselves as we really are.” — Elder David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Put On Thy Strength, O Zion”

‘Be true to God and His work’ “In Alma’s day, in Heber [C. Kimball]’s day, and certainly in our day, we all need to seek our own testimony of Jesus Christ, bridle our passions, repent of our sins and find peace through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and be true to God and His work.” — Elder Quentin L. Cook, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Be True to God and His Work”

Leave judgment to the Lord “Let us leave judgment in the Lord’s hands and those He has commissioned and be content to love and treat each other the best we can. Let us ask Him to show us the way, day by day, to ‘bring in … the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind’ — that is, everyone — to the great feast of the Lord.” — Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Doctrine of Belonging”

Separate yourself from the world without isolating “Seeking with all our heart to know and love the Savior, we separate ourselves from the world through covenants with God, being distinct, uncommon and special, as we honor Him

and His teachings without isolating ourselves from others who believe differently.” — Elder Neil L. Andersen, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Drawing Closer to the Savior”

Share the Book of Mormon “I invite you, this day, to give a Book of Mormon to your friends and family, your associates at work, your soccer coach or the produce man at your market. They need the words of the Lord found in this book. They need answers to the questions of everyday life and of eternal life to come. They need to know of the covenant path laid out before them and the Lord’s abiding love for them. It’s all here in the Book of Mormon.” — Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “This Day”

Bear testimony in word and deed “I invite you to seek opportunities to bear your testimony in word and in deed. … When a moment like this comes, grab it and embrace it. You will feel the warmth of the Comforter inside you when you do.” — Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony”

‘Claim personal revelation for yourself’ “I invite you to have the confidence to claim personal revelation for yourself, understanding what God has revealed, consistent with the scriptures and the commandments He has given through His appointed prophets and within your own purview and agency. I know that the Holy Ghost can and will show you all things that you should do.” — Elder Dale G. Renlund, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “A Framework for Personal Revelation”

Draw closer to the Savior in His House “May we draw closer to our Savior in the holy house of the Lord, and may He draw us closer to God and each other as we knit our hearts together in Christ-given compassion, truth and mercy in all our generations — in time and eternity, happy and forever. In Jesus Christ, it is possible; in Jesus Christ, it is true.” — Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Happy and Forever”

‘Work together in a true and equal partnership’ “I testify to you that as we — women and men — work together in a true and equal partnership, we will enjoy the unity taught by the Savior as we fulfill the divine responsibilities in our marriage relationships.” — Elder Ulisses Soares, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “In Partnership With the Lord”

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Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Attendees look over the Christus in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City during the 192nd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

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HISTORY

Reflecting on Joseph Smith Papers as project nears its end

Richard E. Turley Jr., then an assistant Church historian, holds a document that belonged to Joseph Smith while discussing the Joseph Smith Papers project Dec. 1, 2008.

By Trent Toone Church News

After decades of research and scholarship, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on the verge of publishing the final two of 27 volumes of the Joseph Smith Papers. The intensive project, completed with the expertise of skilled historians, scholars and volunteers, has produced 7.5 million words, 50,000 footnotes and nearly 19,000 pages, as well as a resourceful, informative website. Each document was subject to a rigorous review process to determine validity and accuracy. The Joseph Smith Papers project has not only benefitted scholars who are researching the Church and its history, but it also has provided newly discovered insights that have

enhanced other Church projects, such as “Saints, Vol. 1: The Standard of Truth.” Why was it important for the Church to take on such an expensive, time-consuming project? First and foremost, because of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling, which testifies of Jesus Christ, said President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Why do we do it? Because he is a Prophet of God, and he restored the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said President Ballard, who shares ecclesiastical and blood ties to Joseph and his brother Hyrum Smith. “We should honor him. We should thank our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that they gave to us Joseph Smith, to restore the fullness of the gospel that gives us light and knowledge. ... How blessed we are

Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News

to know what we know about Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the dispensation of the fullness of times.” President Ballard was one of several individuals, including Church leaders, historians and scholars, who reflected on all aspects of the Joseph Smith Papers project and its future influence in recent Church News interviews.

Why preserve the Joseph Smith Papers? The Church went to great lengths to preserve the Joseph Smith Papers to build faith in Jesus Christ, to document his life as the first Prophet of the Restoration and to be transparent, said Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy who serves as the Church’s historian and recorder. JOSEPH SMITH PAPERS G10

“Why do we do it? Because he is a Prophet of God, and he restored the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. … We should thank our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that they gave to us Joseph Smith.” Deseret News archives Elder Marlin K. Jensen, an emeritus General Authority Seventy and former Church historian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, addresses the media during a press conference introducing a volume of the Joseph Smith Papers Project, Sept. 22, 2009, in Salt Lake City.

— President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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Voluminous history

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News President Russell M. Nelson looks through the Joseph Smith Papers “Revelations and Translations, Vol. 5: Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon” in the Church Administration Building on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

JOSEPH SMITH PAPERS FROM G9

“If you study his life and come to know him, then hopefully you will come to know with greater certainty that Jesus is the Christ. That is the primary focus,” Elder McKay said. “Joseph Smith was the first Prophet of the Restoration, so we give an appropriate emphasis on his life. There is also a great effort to be transparent in what we are doing. The Joseph Smith Papers, I think, are perhaps the best example of transparency that we have in modern history.” Those who study Joseph’s papers will see evidence of how the Lord worked with an imperfect human being. “It is a testament to me that maybe God can use me, mistakeprone as I am,” Elder McKay said. Another reason the Church decided to undertake the Joseph Smith Papers was to have a “better intellectual grasp on everything about him,” said Matthew J. Grow, managing director of the Church History Department. “He left behind a voluminous number of documents. For the Church to really understand its early history, its spiritual legacy, how revelation works, we needed to understand those documents at a much deeper level than we then did,” Grow said before citing the list of previously mentioned statistics of words, footnotes and pages. “All of this to understand the Prophet Joseph Smith, the early Church better, and all of this to say that our history can withstand the most intense scrutiny.”

A primary resource for scholars The Joseph Smith Papers have created a new foundation for early Church history that didn’t exist before the project, said Elder Marlin K. Jensen, emeritus General Authority Seventy

and former Church historian and recorder, who oversaw the first half of the project. Many biographies have been written about Joseph Smith over time that did not did not have the opportunity to research his papers. Going forward, for any future biography to have credibility in any scholarly community, it will have to go through the Joseph Smith Papers. “Joseph Smith, without a doubt, was a major Prophet. ... To complete a project that encompasses essentially his body of work, in written form, is a phenomenal accomplishment,” Elder Jensen said. “Our hope, from the very beginning, was that the project would be of such a caliber that no one again in the future would ever be able to write about Joseph Smith in a credible way without using these papers as the primary source. That is happening.” John G. Turner, an author and history professor who is writing a new biography of Joseph Smith, has described the papers as “a historian’s treasure trove and a researcher’s dream.”

Advantage of resources Documentary editing projects like the Joseph Smith Papers generally exist at universities where funding is always a problem. Heads of those projects often spend most of their time fundraising and writing grants. The Joseph Smith Papers has had the advantage of an editorial staff and editors — a “real team operation” — to ensure the highest quality work thanks to generous funding by the Larry and Gail Miller Foundation and the Church. “Together, we have been able to do things on the Joseph Smith Papers that are very unusual for these documentary editing projects,” Grow said. “Those resources have enabled us to scour the country to find every Joseph Smith document;

they have enabled us to bring together historians and editors who are the top of their craft; they have enabled us to print beautiful volumes and create an amazing website. ... We have just had the amazing blessing of having funders who believed in the project.” These resources have allowed the Joseph Smith Papers to publish volumes at an accelerated pace, which sets it apart from other premiere papers projects, such as the Thomas Jefferson Papers or the Benjamin Franklin Papers, which have been going on for decades and sometimes publish one book every couple of years. The Joseph Smith Papers decided early on to publish two volumes per year. Maintaining that schedule was one of the project’s biggest challenges. It often required late nights and extra work by the whole staff to keep up. The bulk of the project has happened in the last decade, Grow said.

Core documents in the Joseph Smith Papers Theoretically, if it became necessary to grab the most important Joseph Smith Papers documents and run to safety with them, what would they be? Richard E. Turley Jr., former assistant Church historian and recorder, said he would rescue the following, all of which have been published as part of the papers project: • The original Book of Mormon manuscript. • The printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon. • An original compilation of Joseph Smith’s revelations called the Book of Commandments and Revelations. “To me, the most important parts of the papers, and the most important parts of his life, were the spiritual experiences JOSEPH SMITH PAPERS G11

“For the Church to really understand its early history, its spiritual legacy, how revelation works, we needed to understand those documents at a much deeper level than we then did.” — Matthew J. Grow, managing director, Church History Department Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Philanthropist Gail Miller speaks about donating to the Joseph Smith Papers project at the Church Administration Building on Jan. 25, 2022.

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A relatable human being JOSEPH SMITH PAPERS FROM G10

that he had and the materials that flowed from that,” Turley said, “from the Book of Mormon, early in his life, to the temple and its purposes at the end of his life.”

What the papers reveal about Joseph Smith Most of what is found in the Joseph Smith Papers shows the Prophet on a day-to-day basis, including his various roles, personal challenges and mistakes. Readers can get to know him as a relatable human being, “undiluted and unscreened,” Turley said. “The Joseph Smith papers reflect very candidly Joseph Smith’s life. He was chastised by God. He made mistakes. He had family difficulties and he makes no attempt to hide those in his papers,” Turley said. “So when you read the Joseph Smith Papers, you read the unvarnished Joseph Smith. You see him with all of his weaknesses, and that gives hope to imperfect beings like me, who realized that if God can work through someone like Joseph Smith, that perhaps he can do something with me.” Those who study Joseph’s papers will see evidence of how the Lord worked with an imperfect human being. “It is a testament to me that maybe God can use me, mistakeprone as I am,” Elder McKay said. Many have asked Matthew Godfrey, a historian and general editor of the project, how working on the Joseph Smith Papers has affected his testimony, assuming it has been harmful to dig deep into Church history. But for Godfrey, who has worked on the project for 13 years, his experience has been quite the opposite. His faith has been strengthened to see the documents reveal a “sincere” Joseph

Friday, March 31, 2023 | Deseret News Weekend

G11

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News Richard E. Turley Jr., then an assistant Church historian and recorder, speaks to bloggers via video teleconference to announce a volume of the Joseph Smith Papers at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, on March 23, 2011.

who cared about others and whose main life goal was to be obedient to God’s commandments. “To be able to get into who Joseph Smith was as a person, how he came across to people and what he was concerned with has made me admire him even more,” Godfrey said. “When I look at these documents and how Joseph Smith is portrayed in them, he is not someone that comes across to me as an imposter. ... He comes across as someone who truly believes that he has been called of God to be a prophet, that he has been called to restore this Church, and that he is going to do the very best he can to do everything that God has asked him to do.” Anyone with questions or concerns about Church history could learn a great deal from researching the Joseph Smith Papers. “If you are wondering about what happened in the early history of the Church, if you want to know about Joseph Smith’s revelations and what they really say, if you want to see the hand of God operating through Joseph Smith, if you want to see Jesus Christ revealed through Joseph Smith, read the Joseph Smith Papers,” Turley said.

Witnesses of Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith One of the most spiritual moments of Elder Jensen’s life came as he bore his testimony to his wife as they sat on a bench together in the Sacred Grove, where Joseph Smith had his First Vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ in spring 1820. Anyone can come to know Jesus Christ more deeply because of Joseph Smith’s life and experiences. “We personally can have our own witness, our own experiences with deity,” Elder Jensen said. “In the course of my life, through experiences that I could never deny, I have come to know in an unshaken way of God’s existence and the

reality of His Beloved Son, and that those two divine beings called the Prophet Joseph to restore the Church of Jesus Christ in our day. My wife and I have staked our lives on it, and I know we will never be disappointed.” As a young boy, Elder McKay has a vivid recollection of a Primary teacher giving a lesson on the Prophet Joseph Smith that ended with him taking home a picture that he placed on the wall above his bed. The picture sparked a conversation between him and his mother that has stayed with him his whole life. “I said, ‘Mom, one day I’m going grow up and be just like that man.’ I want to be like that man still. I want to know Jesus like he knew Jesus,” he said. “I testify that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. Because of that knowledge, I know with certainty that Jesus is the Christ the Son of a living God. Nothing has brought me closer to Jesus Christ, than the revelations we have because of the Prophet Joseph Smith.”

Final two Joseph Smith Papers volumes The final two volumes of the project come from its “Documents” series. • “Documents, Vol. 14, 1 January-15 May 1844,” is scheduled to be released in April. • “Documents, Vol. 15, 16 May-28 June 1844” covers the final six weeks of Joseph Smith’s life. Despite possible paper shortages, project staff hope this final volume can be released on June 27, 2023, the anniversary of Prophet’s martyrdom.

The Joseph Smith Papers website After the final volumes are published, the Joseph Smith Papers website at josephsmithpapers.org will continue to be a resource that is free and available to all.

“So when you read the Joseph Smith Papers, you read the unvarnished Joseph Smith. You see him with all of his weaknesses, and that gives hope to imperfect beings like me.” Cristy Powell, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy who serves as Church historian and recorder, holds his great-grandfather’s missionary journal in the Church History Library on Aug. 9, 2022. Elder McKay is supervising the concluding volumes of the Joseph Smith Papers project.

— Richard E. Turley Jr., former assistant Church historian and recorder

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Podcasts bring context to the ongoing Restoration

Education projects worldwide: Love for all of God’s children

12th International Art Competition awards

By Jon Ryan Jensen Church News

early 150 pieces of art from more than two dozen countries were displayed from June 2022 to March 2023 in the Church History Museum as part of the 12th International Art Competition. As the show concluded, the Church announced six winners of the Visitors’ Choice Awards. Those who came through the exhibits at the museum or who viewed the art online could vote for their favorite pieces once the display opened. At that time, the 11 Purchase Award winners and 10 Merit Award winners were announced to coincide with the exhibit’s opening.

Art for the show, submitted by more than 850 artists, came in various sizes and formats reflecting the competition’s theme of “All Are Alike Unto God.” The theme came from 2 Nephi 26:33. All of the works can still be seen online on the Church History Museum’s website.

Visitors’ Choice Awards More than 25,000 shells gathered from Alabama, Florida and Mexico create the color and texture along with pieces of driftwood and other items as part of Shelby Stroud’s mixed media piece “I Remember Those Who Are on the Isles of the Sea.” ART H2

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Common Thread,” by Kelsy Lightweave — showing different hands reaching for the iron rod described in the Book of Mormon — is one of six Visitors’ Choice Award winners in the 12th International Art Competition.

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Deseret News archives A detail of “The Tapestry of Rescue and Redemption,” by Joanne McLeish, is pictured during the media preview for the 12th International Art Competition on June 9, 2022. It is a Merit Award winner.

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Stroud found out she had won an award shortly before leaving on a road trip that took her through Salt Lake City from St. Louis, Missouri. This gave her another chance to stop by the museum. As she sat in front of her piece, she observed others looking at it as well. “One couple brought in some kids and made them stand real close and find things like the seahorse and crab and feather,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “They pulled them back to see the whole picture and proceeded to teach them about how the little things matter and add up. It

made me cry.” Esther Hi’ilani Candari’s “As a Loving Parent” shows a child having his hand guided toward the white, glowing fruit of the tree described by Lehi in 1 Nephi 8. That fruit symbolizes the love of God. “I feel inspired by this paternal instinct to guide one’s child to the good, true and enlightening things in this life and the next,” Candari said. Amy Bunnell Jones’ mixed media piece titled “Encircled in the Arms of His Love” also won a Visitors’ Choice Award. In an Instagram post, Jones described this piece as depicting “the world’s largest group hug.”

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The only animator to win for her entry in the competition was Ester Kawai of São Paulo, Brazil. Kawai is an illustrator and 2D animator whose work was also selected as part of Brazil’s International Children’s Film Festival. “This animated short film is an homage and a farewell letter to my grandmother,” said Kawai about her film. She said the video ponders the sometimes-incomplete ways God’s children touch each other in this life and the eternal promise offered in the temple that family relationships can continue forever. The five-minute film can be watched on the Church History Museum’s website. Kelsy Lightweave’s nearly glowing digital

print of “Common Thread” shows more than a dozen hands reaching, holding or clinging to the iron rod as it leads to a shining tree. The scene comes from 1 Nephi 8:19. Lightweave said, “This gift, or common thread, binds us together in love and unity, marching toward the same goal and lifegiving light.” If the piece has a familiar appearance, that may be because Lightweave and her husband, Jesse, won an award in the last international art competition the Church sponsored in 2019. “Finisher of Faith” depicted the moment when ART H4

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Artwork for the 12th International Art Competition is pictured in the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City on June 9, 2022.

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Peter was rescued by the Savior moments after walking to Him on the water. Michelle Franzoni Thorley’s painting won both a Purchase Award and a Visitors’ Choice Award. “Making Space for Us” shows the Savior coming through an archway in the middle of a desert. “Sometimes people will say the desert is ugly, but they have no idea how lush and beautiful and vibrant the desert is,” she said at the exhibit’s opening. “I think the same thing with people. People

can have stereotypes of who others are or where they come from or how desirable or worthy they are,” she said, as she talked about the variety of desert plants in her painting. “The Savior says to all of us” like plants that each bloom in their given environment, “we all belong.” Franzoni Thorley put a lot of her Hispanic heritage into her painting. “There is a lot of my family and my culture and mi gente [my people],” she said, her eyes filling with tears. One of the competition’s jurors, Rose Datoc Dall, said she hopes people will

see paintings like Franzoni Thorley’s and consider the growing diversity of the Church’s membership. “I hope that people who [see] this exhibition will come to appreciate the diverse visual culture that we have in this Church, which is now a worldwide Church and it’s no longer just a pioneer Church in Utah,” she said. Datoc Dall is also an artist and credits the Church’s competition with helping her to have the confidence to continue honing her skills. “I found my voice through this competition,” she said. “I found that I had more to paint in this that was spiritual and sacred subject matter.”

Purchase and Merit awards Artist Steven Newman’s work, “Living Water,” is a reflection of what Newman says was an important moment in current events and the Savior’s life. “The theme came at a very pivotal time in the world,” he said. “I think that theme was inspired.” His painting features water coming forth from a singular source and cascading through a series of hands. ART H5

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“The Invitation,” by Michelle Romano, is pictured during the 12th International Art Competition in the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City on June 9, 2022. It received a Merit Award.

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“I thought of this pivotal moment in the Savior’s ministry of the Samaritan woman at the well,” Newman said. “He told us that living water is available to us all. … This links me directly to the theme that ‘All Are Alike Unto God.’” Newman also won a Purchase Award. Juror Nnamdi Okonkwo is a sculptor and said he was impressed by the quality of technical skill demonstrated by the artists in addition to their spiritual themes. “The pieces have to reflect the theme of the

show — ‘All Are Alike Unto God’ — but the pieces also have to be good works of art,” he said. As he considered almost 1,000 pieces that were submitted, he said some had immediate impacts on him. “I was confronted by pieces of art that made me stop and recompose myself before I could continue,” he said. “It was definitely a spiritual experience.” Curator Laura Paulsen Howe said the competition “seeks to broadcast the lived faith of members of the Church.” “We hope to encourage the creation of

quality art, showcase the breadth and diversity of Latter-day Saint cultural production and purchase art for the Church History Museum collection that helps to represent who we are as a people.” Using fabric and thread, Carol Johnson quilted a piece that depicts 20 pairs of feet as seen under the pews at church. Johnson said she started sketching feet she noticed in church for no particular reason. “And then during the pandemic it did, the idea just came to make a quilt of the feet, and so I wanted to depict all the different people in the world we’ve met.”

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She said she wanted to “depict the love that God has for everyone.” Even though each individual’s full body is not visible, the feet and shoes each tell a story of the person they belong to. Some feet are bare, others have a cane placed next to them, others have military boots — a tribute to the U.S. Marines she and her husband served with while living in North Carolina. And between one pair of feet is a book of scriptures, opened to the competition’s theme verse. ART H6

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Award winners Winners of the competition’s Purchase Awards and Merit Awards were announced June 9, 2022, at a presentation in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. The Visitors’ Choice Award winners were announced on Feb. 24, 2023. Purchase Awards: • Aïsha Lehmann, “All Alike?” • Susana Isabel Silva, “Su Luz Sobre Todos” • Steven Newman, “Living Water” • Nicole Woodbury Preece, “Within the Marrow of Our Bones” • Emma Koepsell, “Inviteth Them All” • Michelle Franzoni Thorley, “Making Space for Us” • Julie Yuen Yim, “Partake of His Goodness” • Joseph Banda, “But This Is That Which Was Spoken by the Prophet Joel” • Megan Knobloch Geilman, “Pietà” • Erica Stenkrona, “He Doeth That Which Is Good Among the Children of Men” • Carrie Ellen Carlisle, “Family Dinner”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Esther Hi’ilani Candari’s “As a Loving Parent” — an entry in the 12th International Art Competition — shows a parental hand guiding a young child toward the love of God, symbolized by the white fruit of the tree of life. It is one of the six Visitors’ Choice Award winners.

Merit Awards: • Ryan Muldowney, “Man of Sorrows” • Christa Gedris, “All Are Encircled in the Arms of His Love” • Loren Brown, “House + Wilderness” • Joanne McLeish, “The Tapestry of Rescue and Redemption” • Carol Johnson, “Pew Shoes” • Diane Hatch, “Lift Up the Hands That Hang Down” • Ryan Moffett, “Not Even a Sparrow” • Laura Erekson, “Cross Section of a Tree No. 1” • Michelle Romano, “The Invitation” • Alyce Bailey, “The Others”

The Church of Jesus Christ or Latter-day Saints “Encircled in the Arms of His Love,” by Amy Bunnell Jones, is one of six Visitors’ Choice Award winners.

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“I took a picture of it, printed it on fabric, and then I really thought about all the people that we’ve been associated with through Church service and serving in the Church and how our Heavenly Father has blessed them,” she said. Of Johnson’s four entries into this and previous competitions, this is the only one to win an award. “I was surprised,” she said about winning a Merit Award. “I usually do fabric landscapes, so this is very different for

me to do this piece. I felt inspired to do it. That’s what Heavenly Father wanted at this time.” Erica Stenkrona lives in Sweden, a place where “you stick out when you are a Christian,” she said. Stenkrona’s submission, “He Doeth That Which Is Good Among the Children of Men,” depicts what she calls “a joyful family.” The mother, father and two sons sit together on one chair surrounded by their favorite things that “give the family happiness and energy, gifts of a loving Savior,” she

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “I Remember Those Who Are on the Isles of the Sea,” by Shelby Stroud — featuring more than 25,000 shells used to make a portrait — is one of six Visitors’ Choice Award winners in the 12th International Art Competition.

said, describing her piece. Stenkrona hopes to continue painting and share her work in churches around Sweden. Her piece for this competition won a Purchase Award. “I want to convey the feelings of spirituality, of hope and love,” she said. “I want to express the love that I feel for my Savior, and have people feel that love when they see it.” Newman said he thinks there will be a piece of art that resonates spiritually with everyone who sees the exhibit. “Art is like music. Some people like country-western,

some people like pop, some people like jazz,” he said. “You’re going to see that represented here with all different styles. … There will be something that you like here.” Seeing what an individual likes from an art perspective is one part of it. But having an opportunity to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost is also a part of the experience, he said. “This is not a Utah church. This is the Church of Jesus Christ for the entire world. You’ll see that represented in the show.”

Church History Museum While the exhibit featuring these pieces of art is no longer available, the Church History Museum has other exhibitions to see when visiting Salt Lake City. The ongoing exhibits of “Temples Dot the Earth,” “The Heavens Are Opened,” “Mormon Trails” and “Presidents of the Church” are all open for visitors to see. The Church History Museum is located just west of the Tabernacle at the corner of North Temple and West

Temple in Salt Lake City and is open Monday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. Admission is free. The museum also maintains many of its past exhibits online for viewers to see around the clock and from around the world. These include past international art competition exhibits, artist exhibits and topical exhibits. One even includes some of the watercolor art created by President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church.

Visitors’ Choice Awards: • Amy Bunnell Jones, “Encircled in the Arms of His Love” • Esther Hi’ilani Candari, “As a Loving Parent” • Ester Kawai, “Batchan” • Kelsy Lightweave, “Common Thread” • Michelle Franzoni Thorley, “Making Space for Us” • Shelby Stroud, “I Remember Those Who Are on the Isles of the Sea”

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129 EPISODES

Diversity of guests on Church News podcast brings context to the ongoing Restoration

Sarah Jane Weaver, left, interviews Davis and Asialene Smith, new mission leaders for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while recording a Church News podcast in February 2023.

By Jon Ryan Jensen Church News

After 2 ¹ ₂ years, 129 episodes and millions of downloads, the Church News podcast has featured interviews with many Church leaders and others who have given unique perspectives on the ongoing Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Typically hosted by Church News Editor Sarah Jane Weaver, the podcast publishes each Tuesday and can be subscribed to on all major podcast platforms. Many of the podcasts also include supplementary articles published on TheChurchNews.com and in the Church News app to give additional context to the topic and people discussed. Below is a list of five podcasts from recent months that illustrate the diversity of topics and guests who have appeared on the show. 1. Three of President Nelson’s children celebrate his 5 years as prophet

KellieAnn Halvorsen

To mark the fifth anniversary of President Russell M. Nelson becoming the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Weaver spoke in Episode 118 with three of President Nelson’s children about the lessons they learned from their father as they were growing up. One daughter, Laurie Marsh, said that she’s never surprised by what he accomplishes. “You know, nothing that my dad does surprises me. Nothing. Everything amazes me, but nothing surprises me,” she said. “He doesn’t look for anybody’s approval but the Lord’s.” Marsh was joined by her sister Gloria Irion and their brother, Russell Nelson Jr. 2. Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder S. Mark Palmer on the growing and influential Church in Africa For the 100th episode of the Church News podcast, Sheri Dew, PODCAST H9

Screenshot from YouTube Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles related experiences on the Church News podcast’s 100th episode.

“Precisely as much of larger culture has grown hostile to a great deal of what people of traditional faith hold dear, different faith communities have found each other.” — Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, senior rabbi, Congregation Shearith Israel Screenshot from YouTube Rabbi Meir Soloveichik shared insights into the Hebrew Bible, religious liberty and being light kindlers in an episode of the Church News podcast.

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executive vice president of Deseret Management Corp. and a former member of the Relief Society general presidency, spoke with Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Presidency of the Seventy about the growth of the Church in Africa. Elder Rasband spoke about the happiness of the people of Africa and why he feels they have found such happiness. “They truly can focus on things that matter most. They can focus on our Savior, Jesus Christ. They can focus on the messages of the Prophet. They have a tendency to order in their lives the things that matter most, and that gives them great happiness, is what I’ve learned,” he said. 3. The Young Men general presidency on how the new “For the Strength of the Youth” guide helps youth choose Christ During the October 2022 general conference, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles announced a new “For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices.” The following week, Weaver was joined in studio by the Church’s Young Men general presidency to talk in Episode 106 about the new guide, For the Strength of Youth conferences, and the 2023 youth theme. Young Men General President Steven J. Lund shared his perspective on the unique mission that today’s youth have been preserved for, as taught by President Nelson. “You are a generation that’s been preserved to come to this time where you have the capacity to be the most influential in this world, because you’re a child of God and God has a work for you to do,” President Lund said of the youth. “That work is the gathering of Israel. So if that is the backdrop we’re looking at, how can I best accomplish that work for which I was preserved to come in this age to perform, the reason of the timing of my existence? So how should I behave?” 4. What members today can learn from ‘powerful’ early

Laurie Marsh, one of President Russell M. Nelson’s nine daughters, joined the Church News podcast, Episode 118.

Latter-day Saint women leaders In Episode 111, Church historians Jennifer Reeder, Lisa Olsen Tait and Cherry Bushman Silver talked about the lives and influence of Eliza R. Snow and Emmeline B. Wells. Reeder said the process of studying the lives of these early Latter-day Saint women has given her some strong experiences. “I’ve had a really personal experience — many really personal experiences — with these women,” she said. “I think it was the year 2001, 2002 I think, where I was reading the Nauvoo Relief Society minutes and I felt their voices whispering to me from their pages. And that is when I think my passion and my sense of mission and purpose in my career and in my life arose — to find and produce and make accessible the words of these great Latter-day Saint women. And that I belong to a heritage of incredible women that have understood their place and role in the kingdom of God. And whatever it is that we contribute, it is vital and it is important.” 5. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on

connecting to other faiths through scripture and shared principles Members of the Church around the world studied the Old Testament in 2022. In the 107th episode of the Church News podcast, Rabbi Meir Y. Soloveichik, senior rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel, offered scholarly and spiritual insight into the importance of scriptural records, religious freedom and connecting across faiths. “In the midst of some very distressing aspects of what is occurring in our society, this is one of the wonderful phenomena that we can really celebrate, which is that precisely as much of larger culture has grown hostile to a great deal of what people of traditional faith hold dear, different faith communities have found each other,” Soloveichik said. “And they found each other, not by denying the real differences between them, but on the contrary, in the realization that we truly believe that truth, capital ‘T’ truth, matters. And that visionary belief of truth is one of the most profound agreements that we can have.”

Screenshot from YouTube

“You know, nothing that my dad does surprises me. Nothing. Everything amazes me, but nothing surprises me. He doesn’t look for anybody’s approval but the Lord’s.” — Laurie Marsh, daughter of President Russell M. Nelson

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HUMANITARIAN

Education projects worldwide show a love for all of God’s children

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints A young woman in Lebanon tries on her new backpack received from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Union of Relief and Development Associations.

By Mary Richards Church News

In a Mozambique village, students were trying to learn in a makeshift mud classroom that flooded every time it rained. Children, teachers, government and tribal leaders had been praying for help in a Malawi village as they met for lessons outside under a large mango tree. Children in parts of Peru didn’t have enough space in their classrooms nor enough desks. Frequent typhoons in the Philippines knocked out power and cut off internet access for many students. After The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints got involved, things changed. In these schools and many others around the world, the Church built new classrooms, donated furniture, gathered supplies and collaborated with local organizations in other ways to improve educational opportunities for tens of thousands of students in 2022. Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé explained to the Church News in the recent Inside Church Headquarters series how collaboration with organizations and planning with Church areas makes more outreach possible. “We want to reach out to the most vulnerable populations, people that really are in need anywhere in the world, regardless of their nationalities, their race or their faith,” Bishop Caussé said. “We have developed relationships with a network of organizations, good organizations, that we can trust in every part of the world. And so this enables us to reach a higher scale.” Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, noted that each of the Church’s 23 geographic areas has a five-year humanitarian plan based on needs in that part of the world. “Then we

work together to meet the needs that are real, everywhere in the world,” he said. One of those areas that does a lot with education is the Africa Central Area, where Elder Matthew L. Carpenter, General Authority Seventy, serves as area president. “One of the sweet things about being in the Africa Central Area is the tremendous opportunity to lift and help others to lessen suffering,” Elder Carpenter said. He said the Church identifies schools that may need repair or have other barriers to education. “In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Kenya and in other countries in the area, the Church coordinates with local education departments to put in latrines at schools, refurbish classrooms and provide desks and school supplies,” Elder Carpenter said. The Church also works to improve childhood literacy and provide teacher training. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Church provided funding and partnered with a Catholic organization called Don Bosco to train teachers and teach literacy to children who could not afford the fees to attend school. “In one particular town, we had 400 children who had dropped out of school. They came to our Church buildings five days a week for nine months,” Elder Carpenter said. “They were taught by members of the Church who were hired by Don Bosco to be teachers.” At the end of nine months, more than 80% of the children passed all of the country’s literacy exams. “We see this as a pattern we’re looking to extend beyond this one city, going throughout the country and likely throughout the entire region. This program is consistent with our humanitarian objectives to help many of God’s children in need,” Elder Carpenter said.

Other educational efforts in Africa On Feb. 1, 2022, children celebrated the completion of four new classrooms at their school in Abeokuta, Nigeria. The Church worked with the Build-a-School Initiative in Africa and Coafrica, the Africa Classroom Coalition. Children and teachers at the Badiadingi Institute in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo received an almost completely new school in May 2022 after refurbishments funded by the Church. A latrine block collapsed at Kenya’s Catholic Nyabondo Boys’ Secondary School in February 2022, and the Church built new, safe facilities which opened on June 15, 2022. In June 2022, the Church partnered with nonprofit organization Windle International Uganda to upgrade six schools in the refugee settlement of Nakivale, Uganda. The schools received classrooms, desks, chairs, textbooks and vocational training materials. By the end of June 2022, the Church and the nonprofit organization No Poor Among Us replaced makeshift classrooms in underprivileged schools in Mozambique with brick-and-mortar buildings. Students and teachers at Mvindeni Primary School in Kenya received desks, remodeled classrooms, latrines and showers, in addition to copies of the Bible and the Quran on July 14, 2022. At the Waya Primary School in Chimbwi, Malawi, in September 2022, the Church funded the construction of eight new classrooms and teacher preparation areas, and provided new desks and textbooks. Heavy rain destroyed school buildings and property in Buyanga and Buwagi, Uganda. Church representatives, school administrators and community leaders broke ground at three schools in November and December 2022.

In December 2022, students in the Democratic Republic of the Congo received a new donation of desks, tables and chairs at the Camp Major Vangu Elementary School.

Education projects in Latin America An agreement signed by the Church in Honduras in July 2022 meant the Food Bank of Honduras would be able to provide food to the Francisco Morazán School — giving the students the food they need during the day to improve their performance in school. On July 21, 2022, the Church donated fully equipped kitchens to three public schools in Palencia, Guatemala. The kitchens include industrial stoves, freezers and dishwashers, as well as two containers and a room to prepare the food. Seventeen schools in the Ucayali department of Peru received new supplies including kitchen utensils, folders, shelves, blackboards, tables, chairs and prefabricated module classrooms on Sept. 17, 2022. In November 2022, the Church donated materials and labor to help finish three schools in the Orange Walk and Cayo districts of Belize. The donations included desks, whiteboards and paint. That same month in Guatemala, the Church donated hundreds of desks, tables, chairs and blackboards for 12 public educational centers in Petén. As part of an effort to improve literary practices and promote cultural development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Church made donations to 46 libraries on Nov. 29, 2022. The donations included books, computers and electronics. In December 2022, the Church donated materials and supplies for water purification EDUCATION H11

“We want to reach out to the most vulnerable populations, people that really are in need anywhere in the world, regardless of their nationalities, their race or their faith.” — Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Students in the Ucayali region of Peru take a picture during a visit with Church representatives who delivered donated supplies on Sept. 27, 2022.

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and filtration systems for three schools in Guerrero, Mexico, working in conjunction with World Vision Mexico. Students in Ecuador faced challenges due to deterioration of school furniture. On Dec. 16, 2022, the Church delivered new furniture for 15 educational facilities in Quito. The Church donated specialized furniture and equipment for young children learning in special education centers and early childhood programs in the Pasco province of Peru on Dec. 22, 2022. In the Piura area of Peru on the same day, representatives from the Church delivered furniture and various items to the Rosa Carrera de Martos educational center. The items would help more than a thousand primary and secondary students at the school with their learning.

School donations in Pacific, Asia, Europe and other areas Children in schools in remote areas of the Philippines have struggled when storms knock out electricity and internet access. The Church in September 2022 distributed 24 new portable and battery-powered servers from World Possible to several schools. The small island of Moorea in French Polynesia only has one library to support reading in seven schools. In October 2022, the library received an upgrade and a donation of books from the Church. Volunteers in Auckland, New Zealand, helped the organization Pacific Assist on Dec. 3, 2022 by loading desks and chairs onto a shipping container bound for schools in Fiji. Local school communities can use the furniture to improve educational experiences for children. Other educational efforts in 2022 included

74 countries AFRICA Benin Cabo Verde Côte d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Egypt Ethiopia Ghana Kenya Lesotho Liberia Madagascar

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Students at Ebenezer African Church Nursery and Primary School in Abeokuta, Nigeria, rejoice during the opening of a new block of classrooms on Feb. 1, 2022.

giving 1,500 elementary school children in Lebanon each a backpack filled with pencil boxes, rulers, notebooks, sharpeners and erasers. The collaboration between the Union of Relief and Development Associations and the Church aimed to help children be better prepared for school. The Church worked with the Center for Youth Integration in Serbia to provide two drop-in gathering places for Roma schoolchildren in 2022. The Church financed

school and hygiene supplies, office supplies, transportation and outdoor activities for the effort.

Following the example of Jesus Christ The Church of Jesus Christ gets involved because it is what the Savior taught, explained Bishop Caussé. “Helping others and reaching out to the people in need is really at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We wouldn’t be the

Church of Jesus Christ if we did not follow or strive to follow His example every day,” Bishop Caussé said. Bishop Waddell expanded upon the commandment to love one’s neighbor. “Who is our neighbor? Everyone is our neighbor. … We reach out to everyone, whatever their circumstances may be, wherever they may be from, whatever race or religion,” he said. “We’re here to bless everyone that we can bless.”

The Church took part in education projects in 74 countries and territories during 2022:

Malawi Mali Morocco Mozambique Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Tanzania Uganda

Zambia Zimbabwe

Philippines Syria

ASIA Cambodia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Jordan Lebanon Mongolia Pakistan

CARIBBEAN Dominican Republic Haiti Jamaica Puerto Rico Saint Vincent and the Grenadines CENTRAL AMERICA Belize

Guatemala Honduras Panama

NORTH AMERICA Mexico United States

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Sabra Richins* is a Reverse Mortgage Specialist

! ld e fi is th in G N I D N A T S who is OU T Let her help you reap the great benefits this program has to offer!

Call or visit her today!

801.281.0205 or toll free 800.808.3066 *NMLS #29202

Ask her about using a Reverse Mortgage to buy a home. We do ALL types of Mortgages! FSI Mortgage • 111 East 5600 South • Suite 102 Murray, Utah 84107 • NMLS #4398 Some restrictions may apply. Some products may not be available.

www.fsimortgage.net

Set sail for a comfortable retirement