As I listened to the women’s session of the October 2019 general conference, my focus was on a number of things. The talks were inspiring. I was looking forward to the additional information and changes to the Young Women program that had been promised in the previous session. My thoughts drifted from one to the other. Then my mind snapped to attention: Did Sister Aburto just say her father committed suicide? I listened intently to confirm that what I thought I heard was accurate. Indeed, it was true. Quite frankly, it was a bit of a shock. In over 40 years of general conference sessions I’d listened to, I cannot ever recall a brother or sister sharing something so intensely personal from that pulpit. I pondered, what are people going to think? Perhaps there would be some Church members that would think Sister Aburto had overshared, or that general conference might not be the best venue for such a personal experience. My thoughts were, Thank goodness; it’s about time.

As the father of six, grandfather of twenty-nine, and great-grandfather of more than sixty, Dallin H. Oaks loves the family. This has been one of the most frequent themes of his apostolic ministry. In his first year as an Apostle, he spoke at a fireside for parents on “parental leadership in the home.” “We cannot overstate the importance of parenthood and the family,” he said. “The basis of the government of God is the eternal family.” He affirmed “that the gospel plan originated in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our earthly families, and it has its destiny in our eternal families.”1 These principles were reflected in his family teachings, priorities, and practices.

The Church released the following statement on Tuesday morning:

LDS artist Sarah Bertola knows the pain of losing a precious little angel first hand, having lost her niece, Margot, earlier this year. After being born with a chromosomal defect, Margot lived only a short time, but during that time Bertola wrote the song "Until Heaven," something she would sing to her niece often during the last week of the baby girl's life.

We are taught that we all have a personal light from God, so how do we best shine that light so it grows brighter and brighter? Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Ye are the light of the world,” and as we come to know our divine selves, our light grows brighter and brighter.

Over one in three women and nearly one in four men have experienced sexual assault at some point in their lives, according to the CDC. About one in four girls and one in 13 boys experience sexual abuse at some point in childhood. The statistics are staggering, but we may feel paralyzed by our inexperience and unfamiliarity with the topic. But is it possible that, simply by mentioning it as something someone in the room may have encountered, we could aid in the healing of sexual abuse victims?

Incessant rain over the past two weeks has triggered fatal landslides and flooding in areas around Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In what is already being referred to as Brazil’s worst natural disaster in half a century, 540 people have perished across the cities of Nova Friburgo, Teresópolis, and Petrópolis, and scores of others are missing. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have approved funds to purchase large quantities of tarps, blankets, basic food, hygiene kits and especially clean drinking water for those affected by the devastating floods in Brazil.

In June 2024, the Montoya family reunited with the families who introduced them to the gospel 50 years ago.

“Now is not only a time for us to look back, it is the time to look forward with excitement to the future,” said President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a visit to the Republic of Singapore. “What a glorious future is in store for you.”