“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would have my long-awaited newborn in the middle of the largest global crisis our generation has ever known.”

The year was 2001 and Shawn Nelson was ready to throw in the towel on the small business he had started as a student at the University of Utah. After returning home from serving as a full-time missionary in Taiwan, Nelson broke out a giant foam-filled bag he had made pre-mission. The bag was used to sit on at drive-in movies or on camping trips, and it started to catch the eye of neighbors and friends who asked if Nelson would make them one. The bags gave Nelson something to do during college, but they never really made him a profit. So as he entered his final semester of college and in anticipation of moving to China after landing a “dream job,” he decided to close up shop—figuratively speaking.

Editor's note: “Resources to follow Him” curates study resources, teachings, and thoughts to deepen your study of this week's Come, Follow Me.

William T. Bruner represented most religions’ take on the fall of Adam and Eve when he wrote, “There was nothing fortunate about the fall of man. It was a total tragedy for God and man.” However, as Latter-day Saints, our doctrinal beliefs surrounding the fall are quite different. Daniel K. Judd outlined that difference in his piece, “The Fortunate Fall of Adam and Eve”:

Craig Hosking is an LDS film pilot and aerial coordinator in Hollywood. Over the years he’s worked on more than 150 films and TV shows, a few of which include Dunkirk, Interstellar, Spectre: 007, The Dark Knight Rises, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Star Trek: Into the Darkness.

Take a look at these quotes from Church leaders to keep you motivated to stick to your goals so they stick to you.

As someone who has been observing the development of the curriculum for the Children and Youth program, I have been impressed with its focus on transitioning children into responsible adults. I believe all parents want to see their children evolve into responsible adults, though there are as many varied opinions as there are parents on how best to accomplish that goal. Achieving the goal of transitioning youth into adults appears further complicated by the fact that children with different personalities may actually require a parenting approach tailored to their unique strengths and weaknesses. Sister Joy D. Jones, Primary general president shares, “Leaders and parents, keep in mind that you help children and youth best when you support their efforts instead of tracking them.” It’s my hope that all parents will be able to see how the new program encourages children to take personal responsibility for their development and can be easily adapted to the specific needs of each individual child.

I have found myself thinking a lot about you—and realizing there's a lot I never knew.

As we look forward to a new year and a fresh start, there's still time to reminisce about some of the stories and memories that have touched our lives and helped us become better people this past year. Here are some of our favorite Mormon moments from 2016 that we hope will touch your heart once again and inspire you to remember the things that matter most and are worth remembering as you make your New Year's resolutions for 2017.

A great deal has been said and written by Church leaders about the need to get the gospel deeper into the hearts of the people. I believe that modern Israel is as righteous as Israel has ever been, but listening to 10 hours of conference through the years has convinced me that we can do better. We seem to know a lot of the questions about the gospel, and many of the answers, but some of us may have missed the power of real conversion. Benjamin’s people, generally faithful members, heard their king speak and experienced a mighty change of heart. You may remember what Abinadi said to the priests of Noah: