I describe myself as a child of God, a disciple of Christ, a child of the covenant, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a mother to five amazing (and sometimes wild) children, an academy graduate, and a military officer. I am perfectly imperfect in every way and I try hard not to worry about how other people might describe me (always working on that). Any articles I write are done in my own free time and are of my own opinion. My writing does not constitute endorsement by any military branch or the Department of Defense.

Christopher Jones is a father, husband, and historian. A graduate of Brigham Young University (BA, 2007; MA, 2009) and the College of William & Mary (PhD, 2016), he is currently an assistant professor of history at BYU, where he teaches a variety of courses, including Revolutionary America, African American Family History, Slavery and the Slave Trade, Family and Law in American History, and Missions and Missionaries in American History. His research focuses on religion, race, slavery, and family in early America and the Atlantic World, and his work has been published in Religion & American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation, the Journal of Mormon History, and BYU Studies Quarterly. He is currently completing two book projects - a study of Methodism in Revolutionary America and a co-edited volume on Protestant and Latter-day Saint missions in American History. Christopher lives in South Jordan, Utah with his wife, Karim—a content creator, author, and photographer—and their four children. As a family, they enjoy food (both cooking and eating), hiking, reading, travel, and sports.

Emily Cushing was raised in South Jordan, Utah, and met her husband in their middle school math class. Her love of learning led her to become a teacher. She earned a master’s degree in teaching and learning at Brigham Young University and has taught, among other places, in Tonga, Myrtle Beach, and England. She currently teaches in the Education Department at Utah Valley University. She enjoys reading, running, traveling, living in foreign places, and, above all, spending time with her family.

Jenn Knight grew up in Indiana and now resides in Belmont, Massachusetts. She got her BA from BYU in International Politics with a minor in Chinese Studies. She served a mission in Taipei, Taiwan and returned to earn an MLA in Religion, Extension Studies at Harvard. She now majors in early-morning seminary and after-school activities as she stays home with her kids. She is mother to six, two of whom have graduated from this life and are helping out from the other side of the veil. She finds great joy in reading, exercising, Japanese folding techniques, and writing. You can read more of her writing in the book she co-edited called Do Not Attempt in Heels: Mission Stories and Advice from Sisters Who've Been There and on their blog, thebostonknights.com.

Brent and his wife Sharon Kaye have four daughters and Jacob, the youngest. Brent has lived eight years overseas including Germany, Japan, and Brazil where he served a full-time mission. He holds a BA in International Relations and Portuguese from BYU and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. Jacob is a junior at BYU where he studies statistical science among other things and enjoys playing jazz with his trombone. His paper, “The Two Atonements” was recently accepted for presentation at the BYU Religious Education Student Symposium in February 2023.

Howard Collett is a storyteller for Book of Mormon Central. “Everyone has a story,” he says, “and I love to discover real-life experiences and bring them to life.” Howard has published 1,600 articles and hundreds of photos and videos in aviation, medicine, software, education, and religion in national and international magazines and websites. His capstone achievement was the documentation of lifesaving humanitarian aid for LDS Charities on four continents.

Jason was raised in Utah, but has spent the last 7 years in Arizona after marrying his wife Amanda. They currently live in Glendale with their three children. Jason’s love of gospel learning started at a young age but blossomed while taking institute classes at Weber State University after a mission to Santiago, Chile. He enjoys vacationing on cruise ships with his family, building Legos with his kids, and eating ice cream after dinner (or anytime really). Jason works for UPS as a package delivery driver and looks forward to going home as his last (and most important) stop of the day.

Anna Bromley Andrews was raised in Michigan by a faithful artist mom and an agnostic professor father. Anna decided at a young age she was all in with the church. She graduated from BYU in English education with her dreamy husband, Keith, in 1994. She taught adult education for 10 years, authored an art education program for elementary students and now owns her own interior design firm. She is an enthusiastic mother of 7. In her increasingly diminishing spare time, Anna loves to read, write, sew, hike and travel.

Connie Xiaohua Zhang was born and raised in Beijing, China. She earned her BA in economics from Beijing University and MBA from Harvard Business School. She is the founder and CEO of Riley River Consultants, established in 2009. She helps North American green technology companies and medical device companies develop business in China. She is a renowned speaker and instructor who teaches about networking and marriage relationships across multiple key Chinese social media platforms. She is the author of Network Up (2019) and How to Raise Socially Intelligent Children (2020). She teaches online courses and gives talks to broad audiences in China about networking. She also holds a real estate license from the state of Texas, where she manages a broad portfolio of real estate. She enjoys international travel with her husband and two sons and oil painting in her leisure time.