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Trent Toone

Deseret News

Trent Toone is a journalist for the Deseret News' Faith team with a focus on coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and a published author. In his free time, Trent enjoys being with his family, watching sports, listening to audiobooks on long walks, and family history activities.

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From the Church

Kristin Chenoweth is the RootsTech 2024 keynote speaker—how to get tickets

By Trent Toone

February 15, 2024 04:30 PM MST

Kristin Chenoweth, an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer known for her work in musical theater, TV, and film, is coming to RootsTech 2024.

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Latter-day Saint Life

What became of the oak coffins that carried Joseph and Hyrum Smith after they were martyred

By Trent Toone

June 26, 2023 01:06 PM MDT

Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2019.

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Super Bowl champion and Latter-day Saint Daniel Sorensen says faith in Christ matters more than football

By Trent Toone

May 19, 2021 08:12 PM MDT

For Daniel Sorensen, the experience of winning a Super Bowl does not compare to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

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'Marvelous Stories': A Heritage of Faith and Sacrifice Bring the 100-year History of the Laie Hawaii Temple to Life

By Trent Toone

November 27, 2019 09:07 AM MST

As a 9-year-old girl, Mary Ann Mele Wong Song traveled with her family from their home in Kauai to Oahu for the dedication of the Laie Hawaii Temple in November 1919.

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Latter-day Saint Life

5 Important Themes from the October 2019 General Conference

By Trent Toone

October 21, 2019 06:33 PM MDT

The journey from premortality back to our heavenly home is like a “great adventure,” as told in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novel The Hobbit.

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The Dream That Compelled One Historian to Help His Dying Colleague

By Trent Toone

October 16, 2019 11:54 AM MDT

Not long after Michael H. MacKay took a job in the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, he was approached by William G. Hartley.

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Latter-day Saint Brothers Who Swam the English Channel Share 6 Spiritual Takeaways

By Trent Toone

October 15, 2019 04:00 PM MDT

As they swam from England to France—the Mount Everest of long-distance swims—brothers David and Richard Barnes braved frigid temperatures and treacherous water currents, faced high winds and waves, endured physical pain, tangled with jellyfish, and carried on through other obstacles.

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Latter-day Saint Life

The Only Book of Mormon Ever to Reach the Moon Is Up for Auction and Coming to Utah

By Trent Toone

October 02, 2019 01:36 PM MDT

The only known copy of the Book of Mormon ever to go into space is coming to Utah as general conference approaches.

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Why a Former BYU Dean of Religious Education Decided to Write a Book About the Holy Ghost

By Trent Toone

September 24, 2019 11:56 AM MDT

When author and former dean of religious studies at BYU Robert L. Millet needs an idea for his next book, he goes to a bookstore.

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Emily Belle Freeman Talks Creating "a Christ-Centered Home" and Don't Miss This

By Trent Toone

August 29, 2019 04:08 PM MDT

There’s one teaching of Jesus Christ that author Emily Belle Freeman thinks about regularly.

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Rare Discovery Provides Insight into Apostle's Tour That Changed Missionary Work in South America

By Trent Toone

August 19, 2019 03:21 PM MDT

The discovery was a historian's dream.

5 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How a Jewish Couple Is Helping Church Members Connect with Early Church History

By Trent Toone

August 09, 2019 01:00 PM MDT

For Jonathan and Leslie Bari, homeownership has never been such a "fascinating" adventure.

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Father and Son Rediscover Hidden Arch Named After President George Albert Smith

By Trent Toone

August 08, 2019 06:00 PM MDT

Tucked away in a less-traveled area of Canyonlands National Park, there's an arch few people have seen since it was discovered six decades ago.

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Latter-day Saint Life

"Your Ancestors Are Watching": The Needed Message This Man Received After Converting to the Church from Hinduism

By Trent Toone

August 01, 2019 01:06 PM MDT

On the day Sai Maddali was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he initially emerged from the water with feelings of peace and comfort.

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Latter-day Saint Life

Author Dean Hughes on How His Ancestor Joined the Church After Trying to Punch an Apostle, Polygamy, and His Book "Muddy"

By Trent Toone

July 24, 2019 03:05 PM MDT

One of author Dean Hughes' favorite pioneer stories starts out with his angry, somewhat intoxicated ancestor trying to punch out an early Latter-day Saint apostle.

8 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

The story of these early Black Latter-day Saints coming to Utah is not your traditional pioneer tale

By Trent Toone

July 24, 2019 01:23 PM MDT

It’s not the traditional pioneer story.

4 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How a Faith Crisis and Cancer Inspired One Latter-day Saint Scholar to Write About Her Faith

By Trent Toone

July 17, 2019 12:02 PM MDT

One of Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye's life "crossings" came when she encountered a faith crisis while doing her undergraduate studies at Harvard University.

5 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

"Unspoken Testimony": How the Carthage Jail Continues to Change Lives 175 Years After the Martyrdom

By Trent Toone

June 27, 2019 06:01 PM MDT

Ryan Olsen will never forget his first visit to Carthage Jail.

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Latter-day Saint Life

Graves, Forgotten Stories of Black Pioneers + More from Remarkable Database That Highlights Those "Lost to History"

By Trent Toone

June 13, 2019 01:52 PM MDT

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.

13 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

Tad Callister on What It Was Like to Grow Up the Grandson of an Apostle + What He Learned Writing About the Book of Mormon

By Trent Toone

May 30, 2019 12:46 PM MDT

Brother Tad R. Callister was released in April as Sunday School general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ending more than a decade of service at Church headquarters.

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Returned Missionary Britain Covey Talks How the Faith of His Ute Teammates, Chaplain Makes Him Better + More

By Trent Toone

May 07, 2019 02:28 PM MDT

More than a year has passed since University of Utah receiver and return specialist Britain Covey returned from his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rancagua, Chile.

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How One Latter-day Saint Found Healing in Using Rocks to Create the Stories of Jesus

By Trent Toone

April 18, 2019 03:55 PM MDT

After going through one of the most devastating times of her life, Patti Rokus found healing and inspiration in rocks.

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Latter-day Saint Life

How 2 Street Signs Helped 2 Missionaries Serving 15 Years Apart

By Trent Toone

March 27, 2019 07:43 PM MDT

Greg Trimble was nearing the end of his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2004 when he found himself standing at the street corner of "Elder" and "Trimble" in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

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Finding Eternal Truths in Classic Literature: A Conversation with Author S. Michael Wilcox

By Trent Toone

March 19, 2019 07:27 PM MDT

Some of the most important people in S. Michael Wilcox's life never lived.

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