Alexandra Mortenson

Latter-day Saint Life

4 things every new mom needs to hear

By Alexandra Mortenson

May 02, 2022 07:00 AM MDT

No matter how much I read, ask, or prepare, I will never know what it’s like to be a new mom until I’m actually there.

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

7 Beautiful commandments we sometimes forget are commandments

By Alexandra Mortenson

March 07, 2020 11:00 AM MST

Here are a few inspiring commandments—ones that may slip our memory or get pushed under the rug in the living of life.

9 Min Read

Fun

Quiz: Book of Mormon Name or Pokémon—Can You Tell the Difference?

By Alexandra Mortenson

September 26, 2019 01:00 PM MDT

The following story previously ran on LDS Living in October 2017.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

8 Latter-day Saint Marriage Proposals You Have to See to Believe

By Alexandra Mortenson

March 29, 2019 05:00 PM MDT

Latter-day Saints are known for marrying young, having brief courtships and engagements, and of course, for over-the-top marriage proposals. Although no stereotype fits every Latter-day Saint love story, here are a few engagement stories that show just how far some will go to ask for the hand of the one they love.

5 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

Jane Manning James and Emma Smith: A remarkable friendship amid deep racial prejudice

By Alexandra Mortenson

March 12, 2019 09:00 AM MDT

The friendship between Jane Manning James and Emma Smith—remarkable in a pre–Civil War era—is documented only in a few scattered lines of historical text.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How a dream of her deceased husband led this convert to become a civil rights activist

By Alexandra Mortenson

January 21, 2019 11:36 AM MST

“This message is my message to young people. They should have it in their hearts. Let us dig the soil of bitterness, throw in a seed, show love, and see what fruits it can give.”

4 Min Read

Fun

Quiz: How Well Do You Know Our Prophet, President Nelson?

By Alexandra Mortenson

October 04, 2018 09:27 AM MDT

It has been almost 10 months since President Russell M. Nelson became our prophet. But how much do you really know about this father, heart surgeon, and servant of the Lord?

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Attending Church on Friday + 17 More Unique Ways Latter-day Saints Worship Around the World

By Alexandra Mortenson

May 07, 2018 09:27 AM MDT

One incredible thing about being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that no matter where you go in the world, you can expect to find a ward or branch of fellow believers worshiping in a familiar way. All across the world Saints gather for a three-hour block, partake of the sacrament, teach and bear testimony to each other, and follow the same lesson manuals in a variety of languages. Ordinances are conducted by the same authority and manner in the Philippines as they are in France.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How a Gladys Knight Concert Changed the Life of a Man Who Was Adamant He Would Never Be A Latter-day Saint

By Alexandra Mortenson

May 01, 2018 10:30 PM MDT

When Daryl Planks married his wife Rachel in 2012, he knew she was a Mormon.

10 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

It's Definitely a Mormon Marriage Proposal If . . .

By Alexandra Mortenson

April 30, 2018 09:00 AM MDT

Sometimes there are dead giveaways that someone is a Mormon, and marriage proposals are no different. We scoured the internet world of marriage-proposal videos and found these dead giveaways.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Remarkable Story of How a Nepali Hindu Found the Church and Gave Up Everything to Follow Christ

By Alexandra Mortenson

April 27, 2018 10:06 PM MDT

“I don’t want to go to school!” 5-year-old Usha shouted at her older brother, pulling his hair. Later she would become one of the first Nepali women with advanced degrees in both medicine and public administration, but as a little girl, she didn’t yet realize what a privilege education was.

14 Min Read

Lesson Helps

5 Ways to Spice Up Your Sunday School Lessons

By Alexandra Mortenson

April 24, 2018 09:25 AM MDT

There’s no denying it: treats are great for capturing the attention of wiggly children or fidgeting, drowsy teenagers during a Sunday lesson smack dab in the middle of the long three-hour church block. And let’s admit it--even us adults get a little bit giddy if one of our teachers brings us something to munch on.

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

13 Creative Ways Kids Can Earn Money for Their Missions

By Alexandra Mortenson

April 18, 2018 07:18 AM MDT

In aNew Era article on mission preparation, President M. Russell Ballard said the following about paying for a mission:

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

TV Host Surprises LDS Family with $120,000 for Their Bunk-Bed Nonprofit

By Alexandra Mortenson

March 09, 2018 03:38 PM MST

Movie actor and TV host Mike Rowe (known for narrating shows on the Discovery Channel such as Dirty Jobs and on the National Geographic Channel such as How the Universe Works and Shark Week) is now hosting a Facebook Watch series called Returning the Favor. In the series, Mike Rowe travels the country featuring stories of those who are giving back to the community and surprising them with opportunities to take their work even further.

2 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

President and Sister Oaks on Ancestor Parties and Other Fun Ideas to Connect with Family History

By Alexandra Mortenson

March 05, 2018 05:55 PM MST

On March 3, President and Sister Oaks sat together as keynote speakers in the closing session of the 2018 RootsTech conference—the largest family history conference in the world.

3 Min Read

Fun

The Mormon Pilot Who Helped Create "Interstellar," "Dunkirk," "Dark Knight" + More Hollywood Blockbusters

By Alexandra Mortenson

March 01, 2018 10:00 PM MST

Craig Hosking is an LDS film pilot and aerial coordinator in Hollywood. Over the years he’s worked on more than 150 films and TV shows, a few of which include Dunkirk, Interstellar, Spectre: 007, The Dark Knight Rises, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Star Trek: Into the Darkness.

7 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

13 Olympians featured in general conference talks

By Alexandra Mortenson

February 15, 2018 01:00 PM MST

Olympians have inspired many over the years, including leaders of the Church. Here are a few whose names and stories have made their way into general conference talks.

4 Min Read

Famous Latter-day Saints

LDS Convert, NFL Player Shares How Diversity Led Him to Join the Church

By Alexandra Mortenson

February 10, 2018 04:00 PM MST

Jamal Willis, former NFL running back for the 49ers, was recently called to be in the presidency for the Church’s Genesis Group. In an interview with LDS Living, he shared his story of embracing diversity and staying true to himself while navigating college, football, and Mormon culture.

9 Min Read

Lesson Helps

To Fourth Sunday Teachers: 4 Ideas for Teaching the Same Topic Each Month

By Alexandra Mortenson

February 09, 2018 03:33 PM MST

Fourth Sunday Relief Society and Priesthood teachers have a fascinating new task presented to them this year—teaching about the same topic for every month between general conferences.

8 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

While Being Tortured, This Refugee's Prayer Was Answered by God and Continues to Be Answered Today

By Alexandra Mortenson

February 03, 2018 02:36 PM MST

Following are the incredible stories of Justin Bisimwa, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Collins family, a family of 15 in San Diego, California, who have now teamed up to create a non-profit organization called New Neighbor Relief that helps refugees in San Diego become self-reliant.

11 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Singer's Voice to Be Featured in Olympic Ice Skating Event

By Alexandra Mortenson

January 31, 2018 03:19 PM MST

Although award-winning LDS singer April Meservy has always loved U2's "With or Without You," she never planned to make her own recording of it. Now, the spontaneous recording, which Meservy sang after a hard breakup, is the song Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford will be ice skating to in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea this month.

2 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Watch: BYU Vocal Point Visits Fan in the Hospital When She's Too Sick to Attend Their Concert

By Alexandra Mortenson

January 23, 2018 01:53 PM MST

Recently, one of BYU Vocal Point's biggest fans, Helen Jamison, found herself stuck in the hospital after an emergency surgery and was unable to use her ticket to attend Vocal Point's concert. One of her family members messaged Vocal Point and explained the situation: Helen had recently torn her aorta and undergone emergency open-heart surgery. Following the surgery, she experienced two small strokes that left her barely conscious and partially paralyzed.

1 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Canoe Racer Stands Up for Her Values, Faith as She Heads Toward the Olympics

By Alexandra Mortenson

January 20, 2018 04:08 PM MST

Kaley Martin, a 19-year-old LDS athlete, is quickly making her way through the ranks of flatwater sprint canoe racing and may soon be one of the first to compete in the first-ever women’s canoe events in the 2020 Summer Olympics to be held in Tokyo.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Dad One of Only 5 to Finish Deadly 1,000-Mile Motorsports Race (+ How the Race Deepened His Faith)

By Alexandra Mortenson

January 15, 2018 04:00 PM MST

On November 14-18, 2017, the Baja 1000 motorsports race hosted its 50th-anniversary event. Nineteen riders signed up to race in the Ironman class as motorcyclists. Only five finished.

9 Min Read