Editor's note: The views, information, or opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author. Readers should consider each unique situation. This content is not meant to be a substitute for individual, professional advice.

Editor's note: “Resources to follow Him” curates study resources, teachings, and thoughts to deepen your study of this week's Come, Follow Me.

I have been a licensed psychologist for almost 20 years. I often get asked whether I think mental health challenges are on the rise, especially among today’s youth. The answer is complicated and involves a couple of factors: 1) The stigma of mental health concerns is slowly decreasing, creating greater willingness to talk about such issues, and 2) Society has more mental health resources than it has ever had before, particularly in the form of outreach.

Instead of approaching missionary work by telling others that they need the Church, we can let them know that “the Church needs you.”

Let’s delve deeper into the Savior’s teaching that He is “the light of the world” (John 9:5).

By many measures, Edith Florence Papworth Weenig Tanner lived a remarkable life. The daughter of a Methodist minister, Edith was raised in the English countryside before moving to London at age sixteen. There, she served as a secret emissary for the British government, and her adventurous, determined spirit sparked a courageous journey of faith. She eventually crossed the Atlantic Ocean to live in the United States and later the Pacific Ocean to live in Japan. Her autobiography, pieced together from notes she made, chronicles a life of faith and conviction in the face of hardship:

For years, I've been trying to distance myself from being pegged as "that kind of Mormon." You know what I mean—the stereotype we all conjure up in our head and usually describe as narrow-minded, judgemental, self-righteous, naive, and sheltered.

Papua New Guinea is a country rife with rich variety. Over 600 islands make up just 10 percent of the country’s land. Thousands of species abound in the rain forests, highlands, and islands, with more species of birds in this country the size of California than in all of Europe combined. Divided by a diverse geography, each tribe has a unique culture, and over 830 languages are spoken by the 6.2 million inhabitants of the land. The Huli wigmen are known for their vain men who spend their days preening and growing their hair out at wig school before they can associate with women. The Baining fire dancers have a close communion between the spirits and fire, walking through flames to bring good spirits or calm bad ones. But in the cities, life edges closer and closer to modern society while others look on from the fringes of the ghettos, called settlements. Witchcraft, animism, black magic, and ancestor worship are still rampant, but Christianity is the predominant religion, practiced by 96 percent of the population.

Not everyone grows up in an "ideal" family situation. Death, war, financial insecurity, divorce, Church inactivity, there are many circumstances that can shake a family to its core and try each family member's testimony. No one is entirely immune to difficult family situations like these, including the general authorities of the Church.