Judy Eror’s children suspected their father might leave the year before he actually did. They tried to tell their mother, but she insisted they were wrong.

Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths and one of the sources of our unity as Latter-day Saints.

“Not everything in life is . . . black and white, but it seems that the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and its keystone role in our belief is exactly that. Either Joseph Smith was the prophet he said he was, who, after seeing the Father and the Son, later beheld the angel Moroni, repeatedly heard counsel from his lips, eventually receiving at his hands a set of ancient gold plates which he then translated according to the gift and power of God or else he did not. And if he did not… he is not entitled to retain even the reputation of New England folk hero or well-meaning young man or writer of remarkable fiction. No, and he is not entitled to be considered a fine teacher or a quintessential American prophet or the center of great wisdom literature. If he lied about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, he is certainly none of these” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "A Standard unto My People," delivered at the CES Book of Mormon Symposium, 9 August 1994, BYU Marriott Center).

Olympians have inspired many over the years, including leaders of the Church. Here are a few whose names and stories have made their way into general conference talks.

Conference Talk:

In 1987, the Palo Alto Second Ward in the Menlo Park Stake noticed the sentiment in the community that Mormons were not Christians, and they wanted to do something about it. Drawing on a tradition a ward member had experienced in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Palo Alto Saints decided to create their own display of nativity, or crèche, scenes. Click here to see a sample of some of the most unique nativities displayed at past events.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” whose opening lines romantically capture the image of a small, quiet town where something wondrous has just happened. Every year around Christmas, families across the world reenact the story of Joseph and Mary traveling the difficult journey to Bethlehem, only to find no room in the inn (see Luke 2). The wise men, too, are remembered for first going to Jerusalem only to learn that it is Bethlehem where the Christ child is actually to be found (see Matthew 2).

Mitt Romney is positioned to become the first Mormon to appear at the top of a major party ticket in a presidential election, but he’s not actually the first Mormon to run for president (that was Joseph Smith). With such a historic event likely on the horizon, LDS Living decided to look back at some other great Mormon firsts.

President Russell M. Nelson is currently touring South America speaking to saints in Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile. As our prophet has traveled the world this year, we have seen how much he cares for God’s children and for the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Nelson has also been able to address the Latter-day Saints in South America in Spanish, which has been a huge blessing for them.