Unique Nativities to set the scene this Christmas

"In this dedicated and consecrated house of the Lord, we too are explorers, searching not for new lands but for something much more precious,” Elder Andersen said at the dedication of the first temple in Portugal, then quoting John 17:3: “‘This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.’

The celestial kingdom—the highest kingdom of glory and home to our Heavenly Parents and our Savior.

What will the new program for children and youth to be implemented by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 1, 2020, look like? Six Church leaders, including President Russell M. Nelson, speak to the vision and basic principles of the coming program in a 48-minute video that Latter-day Saints worldwide will watch during the second half of worship services on Sunday, September 29, 2019.

At 2:49 pm on January 13, 2019, I got the call no parent wants to receive. It was the bishop’s wife: “Your daughter has been in an accident.” My daughter Erynn, barely 18, was in a car with three other girls, all members of the Laurel class presidency. On their way to welcome a new girl to the ward, the car she was riding in pulled out of the neighborhood and was struck by an oncoming truck, causing injuries to all four girls. Arriving at the scene before paramedics, I was relieved to see them still seated in the car with their eyes open, despite looking very shaken. Unfortunately, my relief was short-lived. Although she appeared unharmed, Erynn would not respond to questions or commands. At the hospital, we were informed that she had a massive compressive skull fracture and bleeding on the brain. She would require immediate surgery.

The following article previously ran on LDS Living earlier this year and is being shared as part of an article series that will highlight the life and teachings of President Russell M. Nelson. Beginning at his birthday week and leading up to general conference, LDS Living will focus on the insights and life lessons we can learn from the Lord's prophet on the earth today.

Latter-day Saint mom Susie Bulloch made it all the way to the finale of Food Network’s newest barbecue-themed show, BBQ Brawl: Flay v Symon. That’s quite an accomplishment considering Bulloch considers herself a home chef who primarily cooks for her family and friends.

As I write this post, it is my mom’s 71st birthday. Three years ago she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s the day before her birthday. Two years after her diagnosis, I was visiting home. I wanted to get some details about the story of my birth from her while I still could. While the two of us were walking along the Stillaguamish River at Cascade Park, I asked her some questions. She didn’t seem to know what I was talking about and just gave some rambling, nonsensical answers. It felt like the memories were all gone and that I’d have to rely on my own memory of what I’d already been told.

The sacrament is an ordinance that we, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, can partake of every week. We take the bread and the water to remember our Savior and to renew the covenants we made with God at baptism. While the doctrine may be clear as to why we take it, does the order of partaking of the sacrament bread and water really matter?

“It was a historic and memorable day for the people of Mali, and for the Latter-day Saints in general, but [especially] for the Saints in Mali,” said Malian resident Yeah Samake, a Latter-day Saint and former 2013 and 2018 Mali presidential candidate.