Why I’m so grateful someone pushed through awkwardness to serve

The children of Israel were long oppressed in Egypt as strangers (foreigners) in a strange land. Even their ancestors Abraham and Jacob/Israel were Syrians dispossessed from their homeland. This fact was a regular part of an Israelite testimony as expressed during solemn worship services of thanksgiving and gratitude to God at the Jerusalem temple, “A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous” (Deuteronomy 26:5).

Instead of setting the unrealistic ideal of perfection as our goal, we should strive to follow Gordon B. Hinckley's counsel of focusing on a little bit at a time: "Each of us can do a little better than we have been doing. We can be a little more kind. We can be a little more merciful. We can be a little more forgiving. We can put behind us our weaknesses of the past, and go forth with new energy and increased resolution to improve the world about us, in our homes, in our places of employment, in our social activities."

Justin Beber and lullabies? The combination might sound like a strange mashup, but Alex Boye pulls it off wonderfully with this unique song, "Hush Little Baby."

My Dear Boys,

With the opening of The Book of Mormon musical in Australia, the LDS Church launched a campaign featuring clever ads in city centers, prime-time TV commercials, and aseries of videos with Australian Latter-day Saints testifying of the power of the real Book of Mormon, including LDS rugby star Will Hopoate.

Growing up in a musical family, Yahosh Bonner knows how to deliver a powerful message through music. His first original song on iTunes, "Angels Over Me," delivers a powerful message that helps us think of those angels who might be watching over us at this moment. On Facebook, Bonner explains, "Here is a song that really helps us see beyond the physical. We lose people in life, but they are now angels watching over us."

Americans are warming up to Mormons, at least according to a recent Pew Research study "Americans Express Increasingly Warm Feelings Toward Religious Groups."

How can you improve your marriage or your relationships as you are dating? Elder Neil L. Andersen had the perfect advice when he spoke with students at Brigham Young University-Idaho this week.

From the United States to Australia and Peru to Fiji, learn more about the mission presidents called by the First Presidency to serve in these areas.