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

My husband and I recently had our carpets cleaned by a gentleman from Peru who moved to the United States when he was eighteen. After he finished cleaning the carpets, we engaged in what I thought was simple small talk. I asked him about his family, his background, and his transition to the United States. He told me that when he first moved to Utah, he really struggled. There were so many temptations in the United States that did not exist in Peru, he related. “If it were not for the teachings of my mom, I would never would have made it, physically or spiritually.” I asked what his mother did that made such an impact on his life. He responded with a story.

In the January 2017 Ensign, then-President Uchtdorf lovingly prepared a message for members of the Church: “Aiming at the Center.” This message shares a compelling metaphor for how we should focus our lives.

Looking out among 15,000 students in the BYU-Idaho Center here on Sunday, Sept. 22, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles moved his finger across the screen of his iPad and read a question.

The next two weeks of Come, Follow Me cover the book of Ephesians. While a prisoner in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote an epistle to the Ephesians with the purpose of helping the converts grow in their spiritual knowledge of God and the Church. Today, rather than by epistles, we hear the words of the prophets during general conference. This week’s family home evening lesson features a fun activity to help your family prepare to find answers to questions through general conference.

This week’s readings: Ephesians

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Call it a modern-day miracle. Thirteen years after signing the development deal, production of my best-selling novel Christmas Jars is finally coming to theaters on November 4th and coming to BYUtv throughout the holiday season.

In New York City's Times Square, 2-year-old Nora Hendricks' photo flashed across the jumbotron on September 14, 2019. Her bright blue eyes mirror her cerulean dress dotted with hearts. Nora's lips are caught between a laugh and an open-mouthed smile as she claps her hands together, the embodiment of childhood joy.

An exterior rendering has been released showing the planned design of the Feather River California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.