At the first ever meeting of the Relief Society, Emma Smith said these historic words, "We are going to do something extraordinary."

More than 25 years after the Church received legal recognition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President Thomas S. Monson announced during general conference that a temple is to be built in the capital city of Kinshasa. In a country with a Church membership of more than 23,000, news of the temple is an answer to prayer. "Even after the meeting at which the announcements were made, when asked about it, each member of the Area Presidency would just choke up and be unable to speak for several minutes," said Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Seventy and Africa Southeast Area president. "Our reaction is not unique; the same happens with virtually everyone with whom I have spoken who will be in the new temple districts. The announcement of the Durban South Africa Temple and the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple is an answer to many, many prayers over years. I believe the Lord has revealed His direction and the Brethren have had the faith to press forward even though they know that doing so will be filled with some challenges."

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded to a former LDS bishop who launched a hunger strike over the weekend. Sam Young began the hunger strike Friday night to protest Church policies regarding interviews with children and youth.

One month after the outbreak of World War I, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asked Americans of all faiths to join in prayer, seeking the blessing of peace for Europe and the world. In Salt Lake City, perhaps as many as 10,000 Latter-day Saints gathered in the Tabernacle on Temple Square during General Conference and joined in prayer.

Mr. Romney is a former bishop of the ward in the Mormon Church -- one who has given what is estimated as tens of millions of dollars to its core operations and numerous programs of community service and hopeful proselytizing. With the possibility of such a prominent member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints becoming the 45th President of the United States, taking stock of its temples and meeting houses emerges as one way to understand the unique cultural contribution this native religion has made across the country. However, as the interiors of these various Mormon houses of worship are inaccessible except to members in good standing who present a validating card known as the "recommend," and as the faith's dogma and rituals are cloaked in discretion (born in part from decades of murderous persecution), the exteriors and their placement in the landscape are for many the only source of prospective insight.

The Church recently updated their statement following the deadly events in Charlottesville, Virginia, adding this clarification:

The Church released the following statement from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles regarding President Monson:

Recently, the national wedding website TheKnot featured Bryce Harper and Kayla Varner's elegant wedding, complete with a reception held in a barn they constructed on a polo field just for the event.

Aaron Hall, president of Texas Houston South Mission, recently posted an update on Facebook, sharing how missionaries are serving others during the fallout of Hurricane Harvey.

“We found that during cancer, or during any hard time, really, if you stayed close to God things became a lot easier.” —Lexi Gould Stafford