President George Albert Smith noted that as the Church becomes more well known, “its members are esteemed for their virtues,” and critics “are quickly divested of their unjustified prejudices, by coming in direct contact with the Latter-day Saints in their daily lives. … They then judge us by our fruits, from personal observation, and such information, as they impart it, can have but one effect, and that most favorable to us.”1 Smith observed that actually knowing members of our church dispels prejudice about the church. People who know us drop their misconceptions and instead judge us by our fruits—what we actually do. This seems logical to me but I question Smith’s assertion that knowing a Mormon “can have but one effect.” Depending on which Mormon you know, and how that particular Mormon behaves, you might draw different conclusions about the church. Sometimes, we Mormons, like anyone else, can be guilty of producing sour fruit.

In reading a collection of German Mormon WWII stories for a project,[1] I came across a story told by the Uchtdorfs. Both Dieter and Harriet Uchtdorf were not members by birth; rather, their families converted after the war. President Uchtdorf’s grandmother was actually the one to encounter Mormonism first, when she met “a wonderful white-haired lady with a kind expression on her face” while standing in line one day (queuing up for supplies, any supplies, was part of post-war life for many Europeans, Germans included).

Chipboard flowers never wilt and they always look great. This fun, little bouquet of daisy-like flowers is perfect to brighten any corner of your house or office. Even better, make this sweet bouquet to give to a friend or your mother so they know you are thinking of them.

LDS composer Blake Gillette created a new song to illustrate the Young Women's theme called "As Daughters of God." The song was performed by the young women from the One Voice Children's Choir at the Draper Utah Temple and by the Mapleton Utah Stake at Heber Valley Camp. About this song, Gillette says, "The Young Women's values continue to be a guiding light in the world of how to live your life and what to aspire to become."

"It was essential that God’s spirit children have mortal birth and an opportunity to progress toward eternal life,” taught Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “In light of the ultimate purpose of the great plan of happiness, I believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.”

We are all called upon to be teachers, even if we are not teaching in an official capacity. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:122, the Lord puts it this way:

Three-time Olympian Christian Niccum didn’t drift from his Mormon roots because he’d lost his faith.

For the second year in a row, Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah is the most popular national university in America among applicants, according to an analysis of yield (the percentage of students accepted to a school who opt to attend) by U.S.News & World Report. BYU dropped four spots to 75th in U.S. News's 2011 rankings of national universities, which are research-oriented institutions that offer degrees of all levels. That did not deter admitted students from choosing the school—76.9 percent of accepted students enrolled in fall 2009.

In five and a half years, Freebies 2 Deals, a website that provides daily deals and money-saving tips on hundreds of products, has gone from a family blog with several deals a week to reaching hundreds of thousands of people each month.

The Ogden Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will open for free public tours beginning Friday, 1 August, through Saturday, 6 September 2014, excluding Sundays. Reservations for the open house can be made by visiting the www.templeopenhouse.lds.org website (a maximum of 25 reservations can be made at a time) or by calling 1-855-537-2000. Larger group reservations may also be accommodated by calling this number.