Feature Stories

Editor’s note: This article first appeared as the cover story in the September/October 2021 issue of LDS Living magazine.

Adassa chose to step away from her dream of singing with Disney to pursue her dream of motherhood and a family centered on Christ. And yet God never forgot her childhood wish upon a star.

My complete avoidance of conflict was becoming a problem. I was grateful to realize the Savior showed a better way.

A distraught teenager sought to leave his troubles behind and find relief in the US. He would not only find peace in the gospel but also help introduce it to South Dakota.

Jonathan Monteon’s natural pull to God had waned a bit over recent years, but now something inside was tugging him back.

As NYC fashion photographer Kah Poon chases the perfect moment from behind his lens, he’s grateful for a faith that reminds him to look beyond his camera and see the bigger picture.

Hold on to your tots, this in-depth history of a beloved potato snack is going to be a wild ride.

My grandparents were forced to live in prison camps during Word War II. When they were released, they found their way to Utah where a new community awaited them.

The first Spanish-speaking branch was organized in 1923. By 1946, the branch's women were setting an example for the world.

Nowah's family was one of two families who made up the first group of Latter-day Saints in Togo. His wife Stephanie grew up in Boston and is also a pioneer in her own right.

Mauli Bonner came away from the 2018 “Be One” celebration a changed man with an intense desire to learn more about Black pioneers and to teach others about them.

Marguerite Gong Hancock is a techno-optimist in Silicon Valley whose family roots, faith, and passion for humanity inspire her to bring an abundant life to civilizations worldwide.

I disliked hearing pioneer stories when I was growing up. Stories of crossing the plains seemed to have little to do with me, a young Black girl.

Harry’s search resulted in being baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 5, 1971, at the age of 56.

This Pioneer Day, it is our hope that we can celebrate every kind of pioneer and remember the sacrifices that have been made by so many to make The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints what it is today.

On June 11, 1997, Michael Jordan played his celebrated “flu game” as three Nike execs and a grieving teenager watched from the upper bowl.

I asked my dad about his motives of baptism. I expected a personal miracle. ...What I got was a simple statement: “Because the Church school had more food.”

How can the Book of Mormon be brought to people who can’t read or who have no written language at all?

A fluke complication claimed his leg, but the amputation only drove Gary Weiland to greater heights of athleticism.

In the midst of my emotional distress, the story of Elijah and the juniper tree taught me it’s OK to rest.

“I never would have believed it, but I am seriously grateful that God has blessed me with a gay child.”

“The more I followed this feeling to pursue something bigger, I felt this closeness to my Heavenly Father that I hadn’t before.”

The Church couldn’t get past all the government red tape—until a well-connected local woman had a remarkably specific dream.

Book of Abraham research is hard to do. But for me it also became hard not to do.

Hamilton, Missouri, was once in serious financial trouble. But in a matter of a few years, Jenny Doan and her family transformed the sleepy town into a magical destination. How did the Doans do it? By the power of faith—and quilts.

After Michael threw a chair in frustration, Steve knew his approach to this delicate conversation had to change.

His new ethnically diverse painting was bound for the DC Temple, but his toddlers had a last, unwanted addition to make.

The first open house for the DC Temple in 1974 was an enormous challenge filled with unexpected problems, but also unexpected blessings.

If you or a loved one feel isolated in battling infertility, it’s important to know that you are never alone. Here is some advice from one Latter-day Saint on the topic.

A Coca Cola font, the Trajan Column in Rome, and other inspirations have helped create the Church logo.

It is hard for me to fully imagine what the women must have experienced as they came to the tomb and found it empty.

President Russell M. Nelson has said that new temples will bless countless lives on both sides of the veil.

The ground I was walking on in southern Utah had been baking in the sun for months and it still wasn’t dry, but Moses and his people were able to walk through almost immediately?

Why live a covenant life when most of the world tells you that believing in Christ is sufficient?

After joining the Church in the US, Sahar Qumsiyeh began the difficult journey of living her faith and strengthening the Saints back in her homeland of Palestine.

Violinist Meredith Campbell can’t name all of the famous musicians she’s accompanied in orchestras over the years, but she can list a few.

“I worked with refugees for years, but I never thought I’d be one.”

On an island divided by political and religious borders, about 8,000 plucky Irish Latter-day Saints have discovered a way to find unity through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Self-compassion helps us be more caring, loving, and intimate—and less controlling. So why can it be so hard to be kind to ourselves?

Nnamdi sculpts straight from the heart, and his story might change yours.

As we remember our eternal purpose and identity, we can find hope and put our troubles into perspective.

Lita Little Giddins explores how racism can be a “thorn in the flesh” for those who seek to gather Israel.

Nina Scurtu and her husband, Dima, finally made their way to a bus headed out of Ukraine, only to face the heartbreaking news that he would be forced to stay behind.

As I pulled out the kid-sized table and chair and tried to convince my almost-2-year-old to sit down before the Friend to Friend event, I wasn’t sure how things were going to go.

Q: My father was abusive to me as a child. He’s expressed remorse, and I love him and am working on forgiving him, but don’t really want to be around him. He accuses me of holding a grudge and not letting go of the past. Am I in the wrong?

Understanding the multifaceted meaning of the cross can help us honor those who find deep meaning in the symbol—and increase our own appreciation for the Savior.

It’s been 175 years since the Mormon Battalion was formed, but only in the past year have historians discovered exactly who served with this historic group.

After they first met, President Oaks wrote in his journal, “Sharmon and I met and walked with Kristen McMain, who proved to be attractive, intelligent, faithful, and fun.”

The identity of her father had been a mystery for almost 49 years. And now it was no longer a mystery. It was simply a name.

Kirk knew from his son’s labored, rattling breaths that his battle with cancer was nearly over. But Kirk also knew that Kyle's testimony and legacy would live on.

Thurl Bailey played in a championship victory dubbed by Sports Illustrated as the greatest college basketball moment of the 20th century. But now Thurl’s focus is on what it means to be a champion in life.

At a youth event in Oregon, one teenager asked, “If this is called the plan of happiness, then why am I so miserable?"​

Lehi taught Jacob there must be “opposition in all things”. Fourteen verses later, he taught his son that “men are, that they might have joy”. How do we reconcile those two concepts?

Lisa Valentine Clark was working in San Francisco when she got a call from her husband that brought on the first panic attack she had ever experienced.