3 things to try if you’re intimidated by family history work

"I felt like a failure." "I felt like I let down my friends, my family, my parents." "I didn't want to go to Church." Those are the feelings of many missionaries who return home from their missions early, and often that pain can be compounded by the questions or comments of others.

"The story of the Mormon Battalion is about ordinary people who accomplished incredible things through their obedience, service, sacrifice and faith," Elder Michael F. Hemingway said. "They followed the prophet, even when it was very hard. They went through tremendous hardships, but kept going."

Just 29 days after reaching the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young organized a choir to sing in a conference on August 22, 1847, according to a blog post on the Tabernacle Choir's blog. This small choir blossomed and grew into a 360-member choir that was later dubbed by President Ronald Reagan as "America's Choir" and has sung with world-famous artists like Sting, Yo-Yo Ma, James Taylor, John Denver, and more.

After four rounds of in vitro fertilization and five years of struggling to get pregnant, Josh and Cara Barnett experienced their own miracle. A family reached out to them, offering to give them their remaining frozen embryos from IVF treatments. On Facebook, the family posted,"Each pregnancy of Cara's has been a miracle. This pregnancy is truly unique!!!"

The following was written by Lucy Mack Smith and tells the story of when a Quaker calls upon Joseph Smith Sr. to pay a debt for fourteen dollars. Joseph cannot pay but is given the option to burn some Books of Mormon and be forgiven the debt. Joseph refuses and goes to jail. A large mob gathers to pilfer the Smith home when only Lucy and little Lucy are present. Mother Smith prays that her family will be safe. Son William Smith arrives and immediately breaks up the mob. Samuel goes to help his father in jail. Joseph Sr. works for thirty days in the jail yard to pay his debt, preaches the gospel, and baptizes two people.

Ok, so if you have been a member of the Church long enough to be preparing to serve a mission, you've heard about the MTC plenty. You probably have family members and friends who have shared countless accounts of crazy funny and spiritual experiences there. And if you don't know already you need to know that the Provo MTC has BYU Creamery chocolate milk on tap!

Recently, Studio C created a sketch that shows the hilarious misconceptions people sometimes have about Mormons and their beliefs. Check it out:

“Our loss is painful and agonizing, but it will be even worse for the nation if we don’t stand up and take steps to stop the spread of terrorism," Randy and Laura Butler said. "Aaron felt this way and he sealed this belief with his life. We support our son and the cause for which he died."

The eclipse that passed over Idaho on August 21 blotted out the sun and darkened the sky so thoroughly, stars began to shine and the lights of the Rexburg Idaho Temple turned on for just a matter of minutes. What a beautiful reminder that regardless of the calamity or darkness in the world, the temple is always a beacon and source of light. Check out these stunning photos and video of the eclipse: