In two weeks, the Church will release a six-part video series called “Dedicate.”

Ardis E. Parshall became tearful as she walked across the cemetery lawn to see the new monument honoring William and Marie Graves. Although she knew their story, it was like she was meeting them in person for the first time.

All my life I have been taught to accept Church callings, knowing that despite my inadequacies, with the Lord’s help I could do my best. However, in September 2009, the bishop of our ward came over to our home for what my husband and I assumed was a friendly, get-to-know-you-better kind of visit. We were both completely stunned when he asked me, at age seventy-eight, to be the Primary president in the Bloomington Seventh Ward. My first response was, “Bishop, what are you thinking?” Why the surprise? My age aside, I informed him that I don’t see very well, I don’t hear very well, and I certainly don’t breathe as well as I did when I was younger. The bishop explained to me that as he reflected upon a new Primary president, my name kept coming to his mind. Although he tried to dismiss the feeling, after praying about the matter, he still felt impressed to call me. He even went to the temple to pray about who should be Primary president, and the impression continued that I should be called to this position. And so when he came to my home and offered his explanation as to why I was being called, I knew I could not say no. Could you say no, with such an explanation? Of course, when I told my daughter about the conversation, she said, “But did you tell him that you can’t sing?”

With another year coming to a close, it's time to reflect on the stories that influenced us and showed us the power of the gospel. And what better way to do that than by watching these uplifting stories of faith and encouragement? From overcoming the loss of loved ones to learning how to make the members of your ward feel a little more included, these videos are an excellent reminder of the love the Savior has for all of us and how we can better help each other this coming year.

This is a part of a new LDS Living series where we will be highlighting the Church gospel topics essays, which provide insights into often challenging gospel topics and help Church members “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”

Professor Henry Eyring of Princeton University asked a fellow scientist if he would like to collaborate on a chemical kinetics research project. The scientist refused, believing “they would never live long enough to finish the problem.” Henry countered, “That’s true if we don’t learn anything while we are working on the problem.”

I travel to the Middle East on a regular basis and am always learning something new. Learning how to enhance my spiritual life is not what I typically think I’ll be learning about when I travel. As I was surprised to learn from my Muslim friends about a simple act of prayer that draws me into greater supplication to God and faithful expectations of receiving his blessings, I was similarly surprised to learn from my friends how I could enhance my scripture study.

During the women’s session of general conference Saturday night, Young Women General President Sister Bonnie H. Cordon shared an updated version of the Young Women theme. It now reads:

“This inquisitive nature of humans is fundamental to who we are. It sets us apart, this capacity to question.”

“For all of us Black members, this formation of our own group and having our own Black presidency presiding over it was a giant leap toward racial equity in the Church and beyond.”