The water was rising fast. In the darkness of early morning, Amanda Smith moved away from the window to shield her face from the slashing rain. She had shut it just moments before to ward off the raging storm whipping through the palm trees outside.

Following an inspiring General Conference and the Relief Society's "I Was a Stranger"initiative, Huffington Post featured the Church's efforts to help refugees while sharing profound insights from our faith.

Part of the information sent to prospective missionaries is a list of needed clothing, supplies, and incidentals. The Missionary Department is appropriately concerned that missionaries arrive in the field properly equipped for the service they are expected to render. I remember receiving my list in 1965 and I have been with my eight missionary children as they received theirs. My children have generally requested a new suitcase, although we have convinced most of them that such an expenditure is not necessary. We have a nice selection available. Then the shopping begins, as they scour the city for the things they will require for the time of their service in Santiago or New York or Las Palmas or San Salvador or Salvador or Carlsbad or Añasco or White River. My bank account has ached with the abuse it has taken. My Mastercard has been swiped so many times it nearly set my pants on fire.

Two days ago, Natalie Madsen and the other stars of BYUtv's sketch comedy show "Studio C" created a GoFundMe account to benefit fellow cast member Jason Gray and his family after his daughter, Alice, had a brain aneurysm. As of Tuesday afternoon, theGoFundMe campaign is just over $4,000 shy of reaching its goal of $48,300, leaving the "Studio C" family filled with gratitude.

There is an economy in revelation. The Lord does not seem to waste anything, including His words, and expects that His disciples will be of the same inclination. Thus we need not expect that He will reveal things to us personally that He has already revealed to others and that are available in the standard works or the words of the living prophets.

From a young age, Lyndsi Houskeeper has found faith and healing through music. As a cancer survivor, mother of three and recording artist, Houskeeper has kept her faith to bring her messages of hope and inspiration to young and old alike. "My life experiences and trials have greatly inspired my music. I have been very blessed...that through the love of my Heavenly Father, and the cherished blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am a cancer survivor," Houskeeper said, whose CD "Arise and Shine" was recently released.

Trials rarely come with a warning sign, though it would be nice if they did. And when these trials hit us, sometimes they test the strength of our testimony.

Eric Davis landed on his feet when he first arrived in Ireland. The software company where he works organised a penthouse apartment in central Dublin for him, and within a couple of hours of stepping on to Irish soil he had already made friends.

This is a message mothers everywhere need to hear.

When author Heidi Tucker wrote a book about finding hope despite despair, mental illness, or the struggles that might come into your life, she didn't expect it to reach far beyond an LDS audience and even win an interfaith award—one awarded by a panel that includes priests, pastors, and Christian faith leaders.