When Niankoro Yeah Samake lands in Mali on Friday, following a successful California fundraising campaign, to register as a candidate in the country’s upcoming presidential elections, he will be carrying a lot of baggage. There will be the requisite suitcase stuffed with gifts from the U.S. for his family back home. He will have a sizable check from an American hair-products magnate to help fund his campaign. And he will have his well-thumbed copy of the Book of Mormon, scripture that has been a constant source of strength since he converted more than a decade ago. He is likely to need it. Aside from his wife and children, Samake is Mali’s only Mormon. He’s not even sure which will be more difficult: running as a Mormon in a country that is 95% Muslim, or being President of a nation so weakened by corruption that the past 14 months have seen the government felled by a coup and two-thirds of its territory overrun by Islamist militants. “I am not running for President because of my faith, but my faith will help me be President,” he says, via Skype on a layover in Paris.

I met a former German soldier, Joseph F. Beuchert of Heidelberg, who was a young man when he was conscripted into the German army. He spent four years as a prisoner of war, an experience filled with physical deprivation. In hindsight, he came to regard one of the POW camps as a gateway to an abundant and fulfilling life. In that camp, he found one of his greatest blessings: knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Derek Parra experienced a thrill most of us never will—he earned not one but two Olympic medals in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Yet for this speed skater, having the medals draped around his neck wasn’t the most memorable moment of his Olympic experience. What was? Carrying an American flag that had flown above the World Trade Center on 9/11 into the Opening Ceremonies.

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.

Michael K. Winder is a lifelong student of the American presidency and Church historian. He has an MBA and Honors BA in history from the University of Utah. He also completed an exectuve leadership program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2005, Mike was appointed to the Utah Board of State History by Governor John Huntsman, Jr. He is the author of six books and lives in West Valley City, Utah, with his wife, Karyn, and their three children.

Levi Heperi is Mohawk Native American and Māori. He is the Director of Intercultural Strategy for Deseret Book and oversees the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as well as developing the strategy to take Deseret Book to international markets. His background and life experiences have given him a passion that aligns with Deseret Book’s mission to “improve the lives of all Latter-day Saints at every step of their journey”. He enjoys exercising, eating, and spending time with his wife and kids (though not necessarily in that order).

Ben Spackman has a MA in Old Testament languages and literature, and a PhD in American Religious History. His scholarship focuses on the ancient contexts of scripture— especially Genesis— and the modern contexts influencing our interpretations of scripture. He lives with his wife Christy, a professor of Science and Technology Studies, and together they love to cook, travel, bike, and run.

For the last several years, Americans have spent around $40 billion each year on veterinary care and other pet products and services. And the strain on American pocketbooks is beginning to show. Beloved pets are filling already-packed animal shelters as families can no longer afford to keep up with the costs of the pet industry. But there are ways of keeping pets affordable. Here are some tips for holding onto your pet without letting go of your savings.

As someone who believes that Jews should actively proselytize to non-Jews and become as involved as possible in Jewish life, I was dismayed (though not surprised) at the results of a recent Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Jews that showed an increasing detachment of non-Orthodox Jews -- especially young Jews -- from Judaism. This does not bode well for the future of the American Jewish community, and countless commentaries on the survey’s findings have appeared recently in the Jewish press nationwide. When Jewish life is viewed through Mormon spectacles, it is hard to see how the survey could have turned out otherwise, given the relative lack of religious responsibility placed on young Jews’ shoulders.

This commentary from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Daniel Walker Howe explores a question Mormons often pose, but addresses it from a new perspective.