I was invited to lunch by a friend who wanted to introduce me to another friend, a man who had previously served as a mission president. This man had questions about how best to support elders and sisters from his mission who, during or after their missionary service, had shared with him that they were gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, or queer. As we talked about his missionaries, he asked about my life. At one point, he asked a question that startled me: “Do you think the Lord loves you as much as He does your brother?”

Police are investigating the vandalism of an LDS property in Rexburg, Idaho, following the results of the Nov. 8 election.

PROVO -- Rumors of the sale of the Provo Post Office are almost as epic as Provo city's Google Fiber announcement, but now those rumors are being replaced with facts -- the LDS Church is in negotiations to buy the property. Although it goes without saying the LDS Church would be interested in purchasing the property, as it is contiguous to the Provo City Center Temple, none of the involved parties have ever said much about the church potentially purchasing the post office on 100 South.

The new movie highlighting the relationship between black convert Jane Manning James and Emma Smith, wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comes out in only a few short days (click here for more information on where you can watch it starting October 12, 2018!). The story truly lets you see these two women in Church history with all their flaws and strengths as you watch them grapple with the nuances of their faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ and their love for the martyred prophet during a fictionalized account of a night spent guarding Joseph Smith’s body after his death. While the night itself is not found in the history records, the emotions, stories of Jane and Emma’s previous interactions, people, and much of the dialogue comes straight from accounts left behind by those who lived early Church history, brought to life in the poetic, visual world of film. Here are a few of the true facts from Church history that you will find in Jane and Emma.

Marcus H. Martins holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, masters in Organizational Behavior, and a Ph.D. in Sociology of Religion, Race and Ethnic Relations. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he worked as a systems analyst and project manager for the Brazilian government and as a freelance consultant before moving to the United States in 1990. He served as Chair of the Department of Religious Education at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, and teaches Church Organization and Leadership, Marriage, and occasionally Managerial Leadership. Previously he taught at BYU and Ricks College, and has lectured on a variety of topics throughout the U.S., Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, and Malaysia. Among his topics of interest are: strategic management in a global environment, computer technology, languages, law, politics, and world cultures. His current research focuses on temple symbolism, the implications of the doctrines of the restoration on daily religiosity, and the impact of globalization forces, technology, and immigration on the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints. He wrote the book Setting the Record Straight: Blacks and the Mormon Priesthood published by Millennial Press. Brother Martins joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1972, and in 1978 became the first Latter-day Saint with Black African ancestry to serve as a full‑time missionary in the twentieth century. Since then he has served as a mission president, twice as bishop, six times as stake high councilor, and also as temple officiator, and translator of the Book of Mormon. He married Mirian Abelin Barbosa and they have four children and seven grandchildren. Brother Martin's YouTube Channel: DrMHMartins Brother Martin's Website: DrMHMartins.com

Learn more about this faithful family and how they have found a way to support their three sons while they serve their missions.

The sale this week of 10 acres of land in Oakland Twp., Susquehanna County, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for $2.1 million has rekindled discussion about plans to develop a site that has sacred importance.

The brothers submitted their papers at different times across four months, but then ended up at the MTC together.