Photo from LDS.org A combined meeting at general conference time for the Relief Society and Young Women has not been held since 1993, but now after 20 years, the First Presidency of the Church has announced that these combined meetings will resume. Starting in March, 2014, the Young Women’s General Broadcast, usually held in March, and the Relief Society General Broadcast, usually held in September, will be merged back into a semiannual general women’s meeting held the Saturday before each general conference.

God asks that we give thanks to Him for whatever blessings we receive from Him. It is easy for us to become mechanical in our prayers of gratitude, often repeating the same words but without the intent to give our thanks as a gift of the heart to God. We are to “give thanks … in the Spirit” (D&C 46:32) so we can feel real gratitude for what God has given us.

The 25th Ward was on Salt Lake’s west side, with a largely immigrant population and then, as well as now, one of the humbler Salt Lake neighborhoods. It was part of Pioneer Stake, whose budgeting process we recently looked at.

The holidays are here and ‘tis the season for parties, family, food, and the topic of weight loss and diets. Some people put too much effort into obsessing about the exact angle of their body in each picture that will make them look best, while others worry about how all the great food will reflect on the scale. To these individuals, it becomes all about a number, and quickly the joy of the season is crowed out by the worry of weight.

Children from many nations watched in anticipation as Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve and his Excellency Olexander Motsyk, ambassador of Ukraine, continued a Washington tradition Nov. 28 by opening the annual Festival of Lights at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center. With the press of a button, they switched on 600,000 sparkling lights in trees and bushes that light the way to the center's concerts, performances and creche displays throughout December.As they have for 35 years, hosts J.W. Marriott Jr. and his wife, Donna, joined with the Church Office of Public and International Affairs under the direction of Ann Santini to welcome diplomats, their staffs, members of Congress, government officials and area business and religious leaders for the lighting ceremony. The event has become an opportunity to build good will between Church members and representatives of nations as they focus on common ideals of peace and love.

MR says: How can you better fall in love and stay in love with the gospel?

It’s amazing to me that I’m already talking with my youngest child about post-high school plans. I can easily remember when our biggest concern was whether he’d be a pirate or football player for Halloween!

The holidays can be an especially difficult time if you are recently divorced. If you’re facing the holidays for the first time as a divorced person, try the following tips to brighten the season.

On August 28, 2010, more than seven months before the premiere of the irreverent Book of Mormon musical that swept the Tony Awards over the weekend, more than 10,000 African youth staged their own productions of events in the Book of Mormon. Participants came from Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Ghana. Based on the theme of “A Mighty Change,” these productions had the primary purpose of increasing each participant’s testimony of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon.