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Trent Toone

Deseret News

Trent Toone is a journalist and feature writer for the Deseret News and Church News. He was raised in northern Utah and graduated from the University of Utah. He has worked for several newspapers and received a number of awards over his career. Toone is the author of "No Excuses, No Regrets," a sports biography of NFL football player Eric Weddle. Toone served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile, and spent a year teaching seminary. Like his father before him, he is a proud Eagle Scout. Trent and his wife Lisa are the proud parents of four children.

Sery Kone

Stories of Faith

A convert’s full-circle moment at the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple dedication

By Trent Toone

June 11, 2025 02:15 PM MDT

After a life-changing conversion, Sery Kone played a special role at the dedication.

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Stories of Faith

How this Latter-day Saint talks about faith with his NFL teammates

By Trent Toone

May 12, 2025 02:22 PM MDT

“We would always share a scripture and say a prayer,” says Britain Covey.

1 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How many teams does it take to translate general conference live?

By Trent Toone

April 02, 2025 06:00 AM MDT

When a leader speaks at general conference, interpreters intensely focus on translating the message into multiple languages for millions of listeners.

1 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How this Latter-day Saint dad shares the gospel with millions on social media

By Trent Toone

January 27, 2025 01:51 PM MST

Now he's called “The Dancing Dad.”

1 Min Read

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From the Church

We love the faith, conversion story of perhaps the only Latter-day Saint in the NHL

By Trent Toone

April 26, 2024 10:57 AM MDT

Derek Ryan is frequently asked about his faith in the locker room. He knows of no other Latter-day Saints in the NHL as long as he has played.

1 Min Read

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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.

1 Min Read

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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.

3 Min Read

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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.

1 Min Read

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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.

9 Min Read

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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.

7 Min Read

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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.

4 Min Read

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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.

5 Min Read

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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.

2 Min Read

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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.

2 Min Read

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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.

6 Min Read

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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.

5 Min Read

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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.

5 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

Latter-day Saint Journalist Shares Honest, Raw Story of Depression to Bring Hope to Others

By Trent Toone

January 21, 2019 03:47 PM MST

There was a time when Jane Clayson Johnson felt so depressed that she planned her own funeral and secretly searched for a woman to replace her as the wife and mother in her family.

7 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

Latter-day Saint Family with 3 Sons in Wheelchairs Surprised with Customized Bus for Christmas

By Trent Toone

January 08, 2019 03:00 PM MST

Christmas came a day early for the Mark and Sharon Honey family in 2018.

3 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

One Little Boy's Question and a Mission Experience That Reveal God Loves Us as a Father

By Trent Toone

January 04, 2019 02:44 PM MST

It was a ridiculous question for David Butler's son to ask.

7 Min Read

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Famous Latter-day Saints

Brad Wilcox Shares How Being Born on Christmas Changed His Family's View of Mary and Jesus

By Trent Toone

December 18, 2018 03:00 PM MST

"My mom said having me on Christmas definitely changed her view of the whole thing. She went into labor on Dec. 24 and delivered me on the 25th. She knew Mary had painful contractions. She knew that whatever Mary had worn was certainly not clean and beautiful. It surely was stained. Mom said I was in a sterile hospital delivery room; Mary was probably in a cave that served as a stable for animals. It surely smelled. I was blessed to have experienced doctors and nurses. Mary had Joseph.

8 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How One Latter-day Saint Teen Is Using Big Macs to Spread Cheer, Feed Thousands This Christmas

By Trent Toone

December 18, 2018 01:43 PM MST

Most Americans recognize McDonald's Big Mac as two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun.

6 Min Read

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Latter-day Saint Life

How a Community Is Lifting a Latter-day Saint Family with 3 Boys with Muscular Dystrophy

By Trent Toone

November 28, 2018 12:49 PM MST

Mark Honey deeply loves his three sons, but he also knows he can't lift them in and out of their wheelchairs forever.

4 Min Read

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