How one couple raised 8 kids to recognize the Spirit for themselves

Years ago, before the Church instituted the three-hour block schedule for our Sunday meetings, we used to go to the chapel for meetings three times every Sunday—once in the morning for priesthood meeting, a second time for Sunday School opening exercises and classes, and finally a third time for a ninety-minute sacrament meeting. When I was a very young man, our ward’s Sunday School superintendent, Brother Marchant, came to our class one Sunday to ask for volunteers who would be willing to give the prayer, the 2½-minute talks, and the sacrament gem (a verse of scripture shared before the sacrament was passed) in the following week’s Sunday School opening exercises. My strategy was to quickly volunteer to say either the prayer or the sacrament gem. I was motivated by the desire to avoid having to give a talk at all costs! Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t the only person in the class with that strategy, and I missed out on my first choice, the prayer. I was quick enough, however, to score the sacrament gem assignment. Given the other alternative, I felt lucky.

There are so many questions we encounter in life it's impossible to count them all. Some are mundane and easy to answer, while others are unique and may take a lifetime to resolve. But the most difficult questions often have to do with own lives, questions like: "What career path should I take?" "Whom should I marry?" "How can I be a better parent/spouse?"

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated $50,000 to the Children's Justice Center (CJC) on June 27 and $25,000 to A Breeze of Hope Foundation in Bolivia that works to prevent sexual abuse and violence against children.

Feeling good about yourself and realizing your worth is always important and, in fact, plays an important role in relationships. It’s very hard to connect with people who are constantly putting themselves down or dismissing the kind things others have to say. Some don’t say anything out loud, but you can get the sense from their behavior or posture that they feel they have nothing good to offer. It’s as though they are determined to prove that there is not a single good thing about them.

When a YouTuber from Taiwan set up a social experiment with his friends, he probably had no idea that these Mormon missionaries would be the only ones to help someone in need. Watch what these six missionaries did while the hidden cameras were rolling.

In 2014 the Ortonfamily purchased a sailboat they had never seen before, flew to the Caribbean, and began living on the 38-foot catamaran for an adventure that would change their entire family. Christening the boat the Fezywig, the family sailed from Sint Maarten to Manhattan on a journey designed to draw them closer as a family, teach their four daughters and one son to "have even greater confidence in their own abilities to navigate life," and provide their children "a greater appreciation for the earth and the people on it,"Emily and Erik Orton said.

As Latter-day Saints, we have access to so many inspiring and comforting accounts of what awaits us after death. And sprinkled among our Church doctrine are many personal accounts of people who have actually seen and experienced that other world.

In my current employment responsibilities, I often meet with homeless individuals. Recently, I met with a man who had been homeless for many years. His clothes were tattered and dirty. He carried all of his possessions in a small backpack. We had met to talk about his mental health condition—specifically, any symptoms that might prevent him from working. He told me he had a history of anxiety and depression. While his anxiety symptoms had become more crippling, the depression had surprisingly lessened over time. I asked him why he believed the depression symptoms had decreased. He said, “I’ve been trying to think about all the good things in my life. Each day I get up and think about the good. I’ve found that makes me less depressed.”

What touching experiences from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that testify of the calling these men hold as special witnesses of our Savior.