Jamal Willis, former NFL running back for the 49ers, was recently called to be in the presidency for the Church’s Genesis Group. In an interview with LDS Living, he shared his story of embracing diversity and staying true to himself while navigating college, football, and Mormon culture.

As BYU gears up to play the University of Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl this Saturday, here's a look at BYU's miraculous victory in the same bowl game 35 years ago, as well as other exciting highlights in BYU football history.

Editor’s Note: This article is not intended to be a political statement but rather an introduction to Latter-day Saints who are impacted by this issue.

The story of how the Church came to be in the cold, northern climate of Alaska is truly the story of one man—one man and a series of remarkable firsts.

This article originally ran in LDS Living in 2015. In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Charlie Brown's first mention in a comic strip on May 30, 1948, we wanted to share Charles M. Schulz's legacy of faith with our readers.

On June 1, 1801, Brigham Young was born in Whittingham, Widdham County, Vermont. At the same time, approximately 900 miles southwest of Whittingham, four-year-old Elisha Hurd Groves was growing up on a farm in Madison, Kentucky. No one could guess at the time the succession of events that would bring these two men together as they fled their homes and journeyed halfway across the country.

Oftentimes within the restored Church of Jesus Christ, missionary work can have a negative connotation attached to it, being perceived as an overwhelming obligation rather than a blessing or an opportunity.

Some people dread getting old. They focus on the limitations rather than the possibilities of aging. The actress Bette Davis, seeing few film roles from her agent and more wrinkles in the mirror, famously said to a reporter during a newspaper interview, “Old age ain’t for sissies.”

Jane Elizabeth Manning was born in Connecticut in about 1820. Her mother had been enslaved, but she was emancipated by the time Jane was born. Jane’s father died when she was a young child and, perhaps in part for that reason, Jane began working as a domestic servant for a wealthy white family in the next town over. As a young woman, she was baptized and joined the local Congregational Church, but not long afterward she heard a missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints preach and she was convinced by his message. She was baptized a short time later, and she appears to have persuaded her family to join the Church as well. In 1843, the Mannings joined an interracial group of converts for the journey to Nauvoo. Although they left the Northeast together, the group was separated at some point during the journey. The white members continued to Nauvoo on public transportation; the black members walked. When Jane and her family reached Nauvoo, they were welcomed by Emma and Joseph Smith and stayed in the mansion house for a short time while they found jobs and housing. Jane remained in the mansion house, working for the Smiths as a domestic servant.

Twenty-five years ago, without really knowing it, I had my first experience with religious freedom. Looking back, this shouldn’t surprise me, given the religious uniqueness of my hometown: mostly Catholic, a strong contingent of atheists, and a smattering of other faiths. But as a senior in high school, when I began to explore my own spirituality in an overt way, exposing myself to both ridicule and opposition, religious liberty was a friend and constant companion for which I am only now beginning to show proper gratitude and reverence.