It was the conclusion of the last session of April 2020 general conference and President Henry B. Eyring announced that the closing song would be a prerecorded version of “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” by the Tabernacle Choir and six other choirs from around the world.

Throughout the countless hours of hearing the music and lyrics repeated in the background of my day, there are important lessons that I am grateful my son is (hopefully) learning.

Imagine being Sarah, Abraham’s wife. You’ve been faithful through many trials. You and your husband receive a promise that through your descendants, the world will be blessed for generations. But how?

As hurricanes, fires, mudslides, and earthquakes ravaged countries around the world last year, many of us are re-evaluating our emergency preparedness. But while food and water are critical in a disaster, they may not be enough. Recent research suggests that how you react during and after a catastrophe could make the most difference to your survival.

Recently, a friend reached out to me for some advice. Her daughter has received a mission call, but the guessing and celebrating long passed, excitement has given way to worry for this dear mom. And she’s not alone. Her missionary is also struggling with anxieties and doubts—feelings that seem to affect all newly called missionaries.

The Church History Department has been working incredibly hard to publish as much information as possible about the early history of our church and church leaders. Perhaps there is no other religion today trying to be as transparent with their past as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or as encouraging to its members to study their own personal ancestry and history.

Years ago, before the Church instituted the three-hour block schedule for our Sunday meetings, we used to go to the chapel for meetings three times every Sunday—once in the morning for priesthood meeting, a second time for Sunday School opening exercises and classes, and finally a third time for a ninety-minute sacrament meeting. When I was a very young man, our ward’s Sunday School superintendent, Brother Marchant, came to our class one Sunday to ask for volunteers who would be willing to give the prayer, the 2½-minute talks, and the sacrament gem (a verse of scripture shared before the sacrament was passed) in the following week’s Sunday School opening exercises. My strategy was to quickly volunteer to say either the prayer or the sacrament gem. I was motivated by the desire to avoid having to give a talk at all costs! Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t the only person in the class with that strategy, and I missed out on my first choice, the prayer. I was quick enough, however, to score the sacrament gem assignment. Given the other alternative, I felt lucky.

Sister Julie B. Beck was serving as first counselor in the Young Women general presidency when she was called as general president of the Relief Society in the spring of 2007, succeeding Sister Bonnie D. Parkin. Serving approximately six million women in 170 countries can seem like an insurmountable task, but Sister Beck found strength to continue the Relief Society’s legacy of love and service by studying its history and the lives of her predecessors and by relying on the Atonement. In a 2012 interview with LDS Living, Sister Beck shared some lessons she learned during her time as Relief Society general president. In celebration of the 176th anniversary of the Relief Society, we are sharing them again.

There are over 7.1 million members of the Relief Society—the largest women's organization in the world. Though there are many similarities among Latter-day Saint women, like a shared belief in the gospel, everyone has a different background and story. Here are some outstanding women who show the wonderful diversity of our worldwide sisterhood.

Jonathan Monteon’s natural pull to God had waned a bit over recent years, but now something inside was tugging him back.