The moment for me was one of deep reflection, one in which memories seemed to play before my eyes like a series of movie scenes. This cinema of memories occurred as I was seated in a beautiful house of worship in Nauvoo, Illinois (USA)—a temple—a building which members of my faith consider to be the literal house of God. My memories were triggered by an event held just a few days earlier in which I had accomplished one of the most significant feats of my life—graduating with a Ph.D. from a highly regarded university. My wife and I had set the goal when we were newly married and had nothing to live on except for love and Ramen Noodles that I would complete a graduate degree in something, somewhere. Little did we know at the time that our higher education journey would extend for eight years, take us to three different states, and at times, zap every ounce of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy that we possessed.

MR says: Learn about the incredible faith and missionary work happening right now among Native American Latter-day Saints.

You might have missed what went on the last week, but we've put together our list of the week's most popular stories so you don't miss a beat. For August 18 through August 24, 2012, these are LDS Living’s top hits:

When Niankoro Yeah Samake lands in Mali on Friday, following a successful California fundraising campaign, to register as a candidate in the country’s upcoming presidential elections, he will be carrying a lot of baggage. There will be the requisite suitcase stuffed with gifts from the U.S. for his family back home. He will have a sizable check from an American hair-products magnate to help fund his campaign. And he will have his well-thumbed copy of the Book of Mormon, scripture that has been a constant source of strength since he converted more than a decade ago. He is likely to need it. Aside from his wife and children, Samake is Mali’s only Mormon. He’s not even sure which will be more difficult: running as a Mormon in a country that is 95% Muslim, or being President of a nation so weakened by corruption that the past 14 months have seen the government felled by a coup and two-thirds of its territory overrun by Islamist militants. “I am not running for President because of my faith, but my faith will help me be President,” he says, via Skype on a layover in Paris.

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“Now there is a stake in the highlands of Guatemala,” said Elder Renlund. “You realize the Lord is hastening His own work. He’s causing these miracles to happen. He’s blessing the people with the leaders, the faith, and all they need to be established as a stake.”

President Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has extended an invitation to all people worldwide to participate with him for a day of fasting and prayer on Sunday, March 29.

Brigham Young University President Kevin J. Worthen appointed J. Spender Fluhman as the new executive director for the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. He will be replacing M. Gerald Bradford, who became the executive director in 2008.

With 224-mile-per-hour winds, flooding, and at least21 people killed, Cyclone Winston has been characterized as the most powerful tropical storm ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, according toKSL.

“It’s my greatest joy and it always will be. I love being a mother,” Erin Morley says. Learn more about how her faith and family impact her career as an opera singer below.