Before or after you play: Talk with your kids

Over 650 were killed in the Ecuador earthquake, 11 of those members of the LDS Church. The devastation caused by the earthquake caused millions in damage and left over 8,000 injured. As the country begins to rebuild, the Church is playing a key role in providing humanitarian aid.

“As I sat in the hospital, the realization that this is now my story settled in,” Heidi Swapp wrote on her blog shortly after her son Cory’s death. “I didn’t like this story at all. It’s not the story that I imagined for Cory, or for my family. However, I am a storyteller. I am a memory keeper, and I am a person who believes that good comes from even the worst situation, if you look for it.”

The Church has made huge strides this year in reaching out to the LGBT community and opening up the discussion on homosexuality within the context of the gospel. This article was by far our biggest pot-stirrer of the year, but it is also one that helps spread understanding and compassion. Without proclaiming what is best for others, one man dealing with same-sex attraction, Ty Mansfield, shares his faith-affirming testimony of his experiences that led to his getting married in the temple and starting a family of his own.

Ellie and Jared Mecham's YouTube channelis full of the minutiae of daily life. The two young parents upload vlogs of doctor's appointments, family backyard parties and trips to Babies R Us.

Among the lesser-known attainments achieved by John Taylor, third President of the Church, was his role as the second-longest serving speaker of the Utah Territory House of Representatives, a term that extended from 1857 to 1876, after his election to that lawmaking body in 1853. His service as speaker of the House was recognized February 4, as a portrait of President Taylor was presented to the present-day Utah House of Representatives as it met in session at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City.

Thirty-four Mormon novelists have been nominated as finalists in eight categories for the 2013 Whitney Awards. The awards are for novels written by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 2016, wax figures of Donny and Marie Osmond were revealed at Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum. Donny took advantage of the opportunity to play a little prank on visitors in the museum, and the video went viral. We wanted to reshare this video to give you a few April Fool's laughs.

This story has been removed at the request of the author.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy landed on May 31, 2013, in tornado-ravaged Oklahoma City eager to learn stories of faith and service and to minister to those in need. Elder Rasband also carried a personal message for the Saints from President Thomas S. Monson. Elder Rasband was particularly eager to meet Maylene Sorrels. Sister Sorrels had been at work as a kindergarten teacher’s aide at Plaza Towers Elementary when the category 5 tornado—the most destructive rank possible—demolished the school on May 20. She, with the kindergarten teacher, covered their students with their bodies. Though both women received injuries, no one else from the class was hurt. “When we heard the tornado coming close, I just prayed and prayed that my children (some of whom were also in the path of the storm) and the children we were protecting would be all right,” she said. “The Lord hears prayers. Prayers are answered.” Sister Sorrels’s home was badly damaged, but all of her family and the children with her were safe.