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30451

The Ward That Meets by Phone in Alaska

Katharine Lyon - With a renewed focus on Sabbath day observance, many wards and branches have instituted ways to improve their Sunday worship services. From devotionals to bishops' notes in the ward newsletter, the worldwide Church places a strong emphasis on keeping the Sabbath day holy. And for most members that makes getting out of their pajamas and going to church a high priority on their list of must-do Sabbath day activities. However, that's not the case for a branch in Alaska. In a state where the weather gets bad and the roads become unpredictable, members of the Anchorage Bush Branch in Alaska meet over...

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Church Response & Missionary Status Following Massive Earthquake in Italy

Deseret News - At least 73 people are dead following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Italy at 3:30 a.m. on August 24. No missionaries or members were killed, but we are praying for the families who've lost their homes and loved ones.  All Mormon missionaries in Italy and all LDS Church members there are alive and well after a powerful earthquake killed dozens of people in central Italy early this morning. Italy Rome Mission President Michael Dean Pickerd sent an email to families of the missionaries to report that "all our missionaries have been contacted and are safe and accounted for." Meanwhile, leaders...

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NBC News: The Future of the Mormon Church? It's Latino

Katie Lambert - This week, NBC News took a fascinating look at how and why Church membership is growing among Latinos. Membership is growing rapidly among Latino members, according to LDS  Church statistics . Though only 7 percent of Mormons are Latino, according to a  Pew Research  study, Spanish is the second largest language group in the Church with 3.3 members fluent in the language. By 2020, it is even predicted that Spanish will be the largest language group, according to  lds.org .  The reasons for the growth in membership varies, but some find instant ties with the Book of Mormon, which includes a...

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BYU Sends Custom-Made Green Hat to 5-Year-Old with Terminal Cancer

KSL - This 5-year-old BYU fan has something that no one else does: a lucky green BYU hat to help her as she battles terminal cancer. On Aug. 19, 5-year-old Lucy Duersch of Bellingham, Washington, received a package from the BYU Bookstore in Provo. Surrounded by her parents, Paul and Vicky Duersch, and other family members, she opened the box revealing what she had wished for just days earlier: A "lucky" green BYU hat to help her during her cancer treatments. Lucy, who was born on St. Patrick’s Day to two BYU alumni, has had a love for the color green and the...

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Lindsey Stirling Performs on the TODAY Show, Shares How Her Friend's Death Influenced Her New Album

Deseret News - Watch Lindsey Stirling perform live on the TODAY show and learn more about how the death of her best friend and her father being diagnosed with cancer influenced her newest album. Electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling’s emotional roller coaster of a year included the death of her best friend and keyboardist and learning that her father had cancer. Stirling tried keeping busy with work instead of dealing with her feelings head-on. And as she began composing new songs, things weren’t coming together. “At first I was writing the most depressing stuff. … It just wasn’t very great music ... and it didn’t...

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Federal Judge Puts Court Subpoena of President Monson on Hold

Deseret News - After four people brought a lawsuit against the Church in March, their lawyers subpoenaed President Thomas S. Monson to appear in court. Here's the judge's response. A U.S. District judge will decide whether four Navajos' allegations of sexual abuse in a now-defunct LDS Church foster placement program belongs in Navajo Nation court or federal court. Judge Robert Shelby also Monday put a hold on their attorney's attempt to take a deposition from LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson until he has decided the jurisdictional question. ► You'll also like:  Lawyers in Sex Abuse Case Twist LDS Beliefs to Push for President...

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"Studio C" to Answer LDS Youth's Questions in Next Face to Face

Newsroom - There's so much more to Studio C than hilarious and fun comedy. And LDS Youth will be able to find out how their faith influences these famous Mormons on October 19. Youth will be able to ask the cast of BYUtv’s comedy show Studio C questions before and during a live event hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 19, 2016. All 10 cast members, who are members of the Church, will participate with two youth hosts in the worldwide broadcast, which will be available on the LDS Youth YouTube channel beginning at 6:00 p.m. Mountain...

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RM Jailed in Venezuela Sends Letter Detailing His Arrest & "Horrible Nightmare"

Danielle B. Wagner - Returned-missionary Joshua Holt and his new wife, Thamara, were recently arrested after returning from their honeymoon in Venezuela. Joshua Holt returned from his mission in Washington state this January, and shortly after he met Thamara Belen Caleño Candelo through lds.org . On June 16, the two were married in Venezuela, and after a honeymoon on a Venezuelan island, Joshua and Thamara Holt returned to Thamara's apartment in Ciudad Caribia where her two daughters, who are 5 and 7 years old, were waiting. While the couple was waiting for Thamara's visa to come through, Venezuelan police raided the couple's apartment and allegedly...

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Teachings of Howard W. Hunter Lesson 23: "No Less Serviceable"

Kelly Merrill - The object of this lesson is to show us the reality that most people, though never famous or wildly influential, are “no less serviceable” in the eyes of the Lord. His expectations for us do not extend beyond our immediate circle of family and friends. As long as we are covenant making, covenant keeping folks, who look to the Lord, we will have earned our Father’s praise. Think of those whose names appear in the New Testament as the ancestors of Jesus. We know nothing of their lives. It is probably fair to say they all lived in relative obscurity, yet...

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Teachings of Howard W. Hunter Lesson 22: "Teaching the Gospel"

Kelly Merrill - We are all called upon to be teachers, even if we are not teaching in an official capacity. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:122, the Lord puts it this way: Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege. The Lord expects all of us to open our mouths and speak. His parable about the members of the Church being like the members...