Justin Osmond, son of Merrill Osmond, has been on an intense training schedule since September of 2014 to run the biggest and longest trek of his life. He isn’t running for himself--he’s running 250 miles to raise awareness and financial support for 25 deaf children living in Southern Utah who will be receiving the gift of better hearing.

I must admit, before my trip to New Zealand over the holidays I had never heard of the Mormon Maori prophecies. I knew that there are many Polynesian church members. I was aware that the most popular religion in the island of Molokai (the spiritual center of Hawaii) is Mormonism, and that there are many Samoan and Tongan church members. As for the Maori, I knew that they were Pacific Islanders. I knew the men danced the haka and the women danced with poi balls. I knew that they once practiced cannibalism (practice makes perfect!) and were considered fierce by early European seafarers who visited the islands. I knew that one of their greetings (touching foreheads and sharing a breath) is similar to the Eskimos (rubbing noses). So I was not a complete noob. And yet, I had no idea that many Maori converted to Mormonism in the 1880s. In the early days, 90% of the membership in New Zealand were Maori. Even as recently as the mid-90s, 60% of church members in New Zealand were Maori. We attended church twice when we were there; in Hamilton I would estimate 60-70% of the ward were Maori. The Queenstown Branch had only six local members in attendance, two of whom were Maori.

MR says: What an insightful look into just how intimidating (in a good way) but also inspiring Relief Society sisters can be!

The relationship between U.S. presidents and the Church hasn't always been friendly. In the early days of the Church, presidents were often viewed more like antagonists than allies to the Church and its cause. However, as the Church has grown and its members more involved in politics, so has its relationship with these important government leaders.

Did you know Deseret Book will be featuring family-friendly content through next week to help you get through social distancing? In hopes of giving you and your family quality, clean content to enjoy together, Deseret Book Live! will air on Facebook weekdays at 6 p.m. MDT. Some nights will be more of a spiritual nature and others, like Thursday’s virtual game night, will be more lighthearted, so there will be something for everyone. Be sure to tune in on Facebook for each episode and stick around until the end, as we will be giving away special prizes each and every night. Winners for each night's drawing will be selected the next morning.

Last year, the Friend started an uplifting initiative to help Primary children around the world find ways to serve in their homes and communities. The children could trace their hands on a piece of paper, write their act of service in the palm of their own traced hand, and mail it in to the magazine. It was a simple, yet powerful way children could both share and learn how we as members of the Church act as the Savior's hands here on earth.

This is part 2 of the KSL series called “A Mighty Band of Youth” presented at KSL.com. This is a series about missionaries in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Part 1 can be viewed here. The personal stories of these youth are amazing.

The article “Inviting Success” in the March 2014 Ensign gives 10 suggestions for sharing the gospel:

If someone were to write my biography, they might title it An Unlikely Mormon.

"It never gets easy to make these decisions, especially when it's so spectacular," coach Adam Levine said after Hanna Eyre's first battle round on The Voice.