Toni Ragsdale was born in Chicago, Illinois. Most of her childhood was unpleasant, and she grew up in poverty. She has three biological children and also raised her sister's children when she became ill and passed away. She works full-time as Manager of the Customer Service Dept for Insure-Rite, State of Utah Insurance Verification Department. Toni is married to one of God's most fabulous creations, Rev. Jay Ragsdale. She and her husband are the founders of the Fill the Pot Ministry. The organization started in Pioneer Park 15 years ago with a captivated audience of 4 people; today, they feed an average of 421 people a week within our community. Toni has served on several community boards and projects. She Loves serving in the kingdom of God. She served many years at Calvary Baptist Church, where she grew, worshipped, and implemented and co-directed the Mentorship program for young women called G.R.A.C.E. She was the Director of the Women Ministry and Children's Church for nine years. Toni enjoys Partnering with other community organizations of all faiths, encouraging sisterhood, and mentoring women. In April 2019, she received the Humans Rights award by the Church Women United Organization. She has spoken at several women's events and events for The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. She has started a Women's Ministry called TINT, which welcomes all faiths and builds a stronger relationship with Christ. She considers herself a sister-soldier, with a reputation of love and integrity, understanding, servant, and excellent leadership. She values growth, self-reflecting, and honesty. Her passion for God is non-negotiable; her love for her family is without measure; her love for her friends and community is without question. She thrives from waking up and, another day, a new opportunity to be used by God.

Emily Farmer and McEwan “Mac” Voorhees don’t have much in common.

Many years ago, a young man (he was only 23 years old) was called to be the new stake president in Tooele, Utah. In those days, stake conferences had two sessions, and at lunch between the sessions, Joseph F. Smith, one of the General Authorities attending, said to the new stake president, “You said you believe the gospel with all your heart, and propose to live it, but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don’t you know absolutely that this gospel is true?”

Back when I was in the Young Women program, I remember being told that “returned missionary” needed to be at the top of my dating criteria list. Supposedly, dating and marrying an RM meant that my husband-to-be would honor his priesthood, love the Lord, and be everything a good Latter-day Saint girl wanted—short of being Prince Charming himself.

Chances are you have heard someone utter the phrase: “the Church is the same everywhere.” I have traveled quite a bit and attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all over the world. In my experience, this statement is absolutely true. Also, completely false.

When a concerned doctor suggested Sandra Munroe* go to the ER as soon as possible, she knew something was wrong. Once there, she discovered her blood pressure was 233/138. “It was amazing that I was even alive,” she said. She started taking medication to lower her blood pressure, but she knew that it was time for a bigger change.

Within one month of being called to the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Ballard was sent to Bolivia to begin a significant period of focused ministerial service filled with love and concern for the Saints in South America.

For most of the thirty-nine years Samuel King [president of the Sudoeste District of the Uruguay-Paraguay Mission] spent as an administrator of a large meat-packing plant [in Montevideo, Uruguay], he was a staunch member of the Church of England. . . .

Patti Howard hails from Spokane, WA and is a disciple of Christ. She is a descendant of faithful Māori chiefs and LDS pioneers. Patti was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and grew up in Orem, UT. She has three brothers, three sons, three grandsons, and one terrific husband. Patti is grateful that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a guide throughout her life. She served in the Georgia Atlanta mission in the 80's with many opportunities to serve since then and now is spending time on the road with her husband in a motorhome seeing the many beautiful places in the world (mainly the faces of grandsons) and playing pickleball when they can.

The famed poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once penned the beautiful words, “Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; Behind the cloud is the sun still shining; Thy fate is a common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall.” Longfellow is right—rain comes at different times to all of us. But his words also remind us that behind the clouds, the sun is always still shining. In this week’s lesson in Matthew 8, Mark 2–4, and Luke 7, we’ll read about when a tempest caught Jesus’s disciples unaware. And we’ll see that just as the physical sun always still shining, so too is the Son of God always there for us.