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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

'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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

6 Min Read

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

Church Raising Awareness, Providing Support for Latter-day Saint Families Facing Rare Diseases

By Trent Toone

August 31, 2018 04:45 PM MDT

Approximately one in ten Americans are impacted by rare and genetic diseases, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is raising awareness and providing support for families who experience these life-changing conditions.

1 Min Read

W.W. Phelps' 1830 Book of Mormon and Family Bible Acquired by Rare Book Collector

By Trent Toone

August 23, 2018 07:52 PM MDT

Before Reid Moon could acquire William W. Phelps' first-edition Book of Mormon and family Bible from his descendants last month, he and his associate Seth Soha had to sweat a bit.

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

When a Mob Failed to Murder the Prophet Joseph Smith—Twice

By Trent Toone

August 23, 2018 01:54 PM MDT

Before indoor plumbing, a man's strategy for slipping out of the house to meet up with his buddies for a night of mobbing and mayhem was to feign sickness and spend the night in the outhouse.

6 Min Read

How Truman G. Madsen's Joseph Smith Lectures Are Still Changing Lives 40 Years Later

By Trent Toone

August 13, 2018 05:00 PM MDT

Of all the letters Truman G. Madsen received over many years from people who read or listened to his Joseph Smith the Prophetlectures, one from a man in Australia stood out to Madsen.

9 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How 3 Mormon Climbers Found Christ, Built International Ties Summiting Iran's Mount Damavand

By Trent Toone

August 09, 2018 12:45 PM MDT

Even as the trio of Utahns stood atop Iran's Mount Damavand, the highest volcanic summit on the Asian continent, there were at least two prevailing factors almost more astonishing than the incredible view.

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

LDS Spear Fisherman Becomes Youngest American to Head to World Competition, Talks Plans to Serve Mission

By Trent Toone

August 08, 2018 01:59 PM MDT

Shortly before leaving with Team USA on July 19 for the XXXI CMAS World Spearfishing Championship in Portugal, Kelston McGuire met with his LDS stake president.

4 Min Read