1. When did the Mormon exodus West begin? 2. When did the advance party of Mormon pioneers arrive in the Salt Lake Valley?

Kaylen Walton Nelson, originally from eastern Utah, graduated from Uintah High School in 2008. She earned her degree in Family History and Genealogy from BYU. One of the most memorable experiences during her education was a semester abroad in Jerusalem, which ignited her passion for scripture and the Holy Land. Kaylen followed in her father’s footsteps and was hired to teach seminary full-time in 2013. Kaylen earned a master’s degree from the University of Utah in Teacher Leadership and Policy. She taught seminary for nine years at Brighton, Olympus, and Corner Canyon High Schools before taking a position on the BYU Religion Faculty as a visiting instructor. Kaylen and her husband Graden reside in American Fork Utah. They recently welcomed their first child, Louis, in early 2023.

If Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination for 2012, President Obama will reportedly have two things to say about him: he's greedy and he's weird. The greed part is based on Romney's work at Bain Capital, which frequently bought struggling companies and laid off workers. The weird part is based on his bad fashion and bad jokes, Politico reports. But Megan Carpentier thinks maybe it's really about Romney being Mormon. Carpentier notes that more than a third of Americans are "somewhat uncomfortable" or "entirely uncomfortable" with voting for Mormons, according to a Quinnipiac poll released in June. Further, Mormonism seems alien to many--the poll found just 25 percent think the religion is very or somewhat similar to their own. Politico's Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin report that Obama's campaign says it's not going after Romney's faith:

At age 19, Mormon men typically leave home to do voluntary mission work for two years. France24.com caught up with one young Mormon, Taylor Johnsnon (pictured), who is doing his mission in France, as Mitt Romney did nearly 50 years ago. Taylor Johnson is a 20-year-old Mormon from Orem, Utah, currently doing two years of volunteer missionary work in France, as per Mormon tradition. First placed in Vannes (in the Western coastal region of Brittany) and then closer to Paris (in Torcy and Antony), Johnson had never previously met the other Mormon missionaries – an international group including other Americans, French, Finnish, and British – with whom he found himself working in France. In accordance with the Mormon Church’s recommendation, he will not return to the US during the two-year mission, or have his family visit him in France.

In 1888, speaking about the possibility of Mormon literature, the church leader Orson F. Whitney made an audacious promise to his fellow Mormons: “We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own.” Yet 125 years later, there is no Mormon Milton. There is no Mormon Milosz, no Mormon Munro.Mormons are, on average, better educated than most Americans, and they have written popular fiction. But Mormon authors tend to cluster in genre fiction, like fantasy, science fiction, and children’s and young adult literature. Orson Scott Card, who wrote “Ender’s Game,” the sci-fi novel on which the country’s current top-grossing movie is based, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So is Stephenie Meyer, author of the “Twilight” series.

Julia Evans loves her parents and her three brothers because they have fun together, support her and all want to be what Mormons call a "forever family."

Recently, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined several other U.S. faith leaders to create a letter sent to President Barack Obama, Sen. Orrin Hatch, and House Speaker Paul Ryan in response to a report issued by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

The Mormons’ adherence to chastity and clean-cut family values has been mocked in a hit musical. But the leading opera singer Bryn Terfel has called for greater tolerance towards the faith after revealing how a musical journey to Salt Lake City resulted in a spiritual awakening. The second-fasted growing religion in American, Mormonism continues to attract hostility over its opposition to gay marriage and suspicion over some of the faith’s beliefs. The Book of Mormon musical mocked the do-gooding naivety of its young missionary protagonists.

On March 3, 2012, Saturday Night Live aired a skit featuring cast members impersonating Mitt Romney and his sons. The actors portraying Mitt Romney’s five adult sons introduced themselves—the first as Tagg, which is Mitt Romney’s oldest son’s name. The other four sons called themselves Tanner, Tictac, Targalack, and Tiggit. (The names of Mitt Romney’s other four sons are actually Craig, Ben, Matt, and Josh.)

Sporting a white shirt, tie, and name tag, Orin Vooheis sat in his electronic wheelchair smiling at people as they entered the American Fork Deseret Industries on July 11. As always, his wife Chartina was by his side.