In May, we held a handover for our bee project in Bulawayo. This is the project where we are helping young people who are heads of family. These young people are between the ages of 14 and 17 and have complete responsibility for their younger siblings due to the death of both parents and do not have any relatives to help. Among other donations, the Church provided wood, wire, screens and paint and the kids constructed 20 beehives. They also constructed tables and benches for their classrooms and built platforms to hold the beehives. Along with the building of the hives and physical aspects of the project, they attend training classes on the care and nature of bee keeping as well as training in starting and managing a business. The leaders in the community were invited to the handover and several people from America were in attendance. The completed hives were all placed in rows for the handover and when we lifted the lids, they had baited the interior wood slats and screens with honey and sweets, so as to entice the bees to select their hives. The next step is to take the hives and place them in several fields to start the process of luring bees to their hives. They are hoping that the bees will like the look of their hives and select them for their homes and manufacturing plant. If a queen bee doesn’t select their hives within a few weeks, then there are places to purchase bees. Who knew?

Stephen Mansfield is the best-selling author of “The Faith of George W. Bush” and “The Faith of Barack Obama,” books which plumbed the theological underpinnings of the last two presidents. Now he has written “The Mormonizing of America,” a book scheduled for release next week that looks at the theology and influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – the religion of the Republican presumptive nominee for president. We asked Mansfield some questions about his book, the LDS religion and its most famous political adherent, Mitt Romney.

Dear Dave,

Leaving a general conference session a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a demonstrator holding a sign announcing that Joseph Smith had "lied." Now, I don't buy this for a second. The evidence for Joseph's overall sincerity (including his apparent willingness to die for his claims, but also exhibited in his personal papers and letters, which, though never intended for publication, are now being made available to a general audience) is strong and compelling.

Every mission is unique, but as the Church expands, some missionaries are called to serve in ways that would have surprised their pioneer ancestors.

A couple of recent articles have Mormons thinking about best practices in teaching our children church history and doctrine, and in particular whether we should deliberately acquaint them with the most challenging issues in Mormon experience—issues like historical polygamy, for instance, that are largely absent from official church discourse. Like other observers, I would welcome a more open approach from the Church itself, and that may be coming. But in my experience there's a lot more to a successful inoculation than the institutional pedagogy children encounter at church. Everyday family life fosters or hinders a child's spiritual growth than any Sunday manual ever could.

The warm glow of a kitchen light after dark; a sturdy, solid door blocking a raging wind outside—two examples of comfort and protection that many of us can relate to. In this week’s lesson in John 7–10, we will study the many ways Christ can be our protection, including as a light and a door. We will also read how He is the Good Shepherd who again and again guides us safely back to the peace and rest of His fold.

A theme song on TV immediately clues you in on what you are about to watch. There are themes in the scriptures, too, that hint at what you’ll read in the following chapters—especially the words of Isaiah. This week’s Come, Follow Me study focuses on 2 Nephi 11–19, which quotes much of the early chapters of Isaiah. And by starting at the beginning, we can find a clear theme in these passages: symbols of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

The holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life” tells the story of George Bailey, an ordinary man whose everyday actions changed the lives of others. When Bailey finds himself in a difficult situation, his friends come to his aid, just as he had come to theirs so many times before.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus; at Easter, we celebrate His Resurrection. Is there a holiday that celebrates the Holy Ghost? Yes! It’s called Pentecost.