Come Back Podcast

"A lot of people hear my story and they're like, wow, you used heroin? Like what programs did you go through? And with my story, I'm not recommending this to people that have true addictions, but the gospel was my recovery. It really was. I'm not saying to just read your scriptures and you're fine. Seek professional help, go to AA, NA -- there's all these amazing programs. But for me, I didn't do that stuff. I went back to church. I engulfed myself in the gospel. There's a quote by Elder Packer, he says: studying the gospel will change behavior faster than a study of behavior can change behavior. I'm living proof of that. Again, not saying everybody should do that, but that was my recovery. God can change you. I'm a changed person because of God and Jesus Christ and the gospel. And I am so grateful." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

"As I was going through these years of inactivity and darkness, I was making this list in my phone in my notes app of all these questions and concerns and doubts that I had. It got longer and longer -- it was a long list of things that I was upset about. The first day I went back to church and went to a class, the top question on my list was about patriarchal blessings. I had this question and for hours I had thought about it and tried to come up with an answer and I just didn't. It didn't make sense to me, and it was upsetting to me. In that first class this girl spoke about patriarchal blessings, within 10 minutes she had bore her testimony and explained it in a way that I'd never thought of. It was just this clear, simple answer for me. So I crossed that question off, and it continued that way. Every week I went to church there was another question crossed off. To me, that was just this huge testament that God knew me and He knew my concerns. He was waiting for my effort. It was like, you give me effort, I'll give you answers. I'll give you clarity, and it has continued that way." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

"Going through years of therapy and working through adoption trauma for myself and placing my own baby for adoption has always been a very big pain point for me because I was placed for adoption and didn't have a choice. That choice was my birth mom's choice. And then I turned around and placed my baby for adoption and she didn't have that choice. Even though I felt like that was the best thing to do for us at the time, I still struggle with that. We actually have opened the adoption up more and we have had some deep discussions about what it means to be adopted, what it means to be a birth mom and how hard it can be. It's never that the baby is not wanted. They are always wanted. I always want to reiterate that with her and with all adoptees that might feel that way. That is always a bittersweet part of my story. But there is also joy, you know, what is sorrow and pain without joy and happiness? Even though I love my biological mom dearly and my half siblings, I can't imagine my life without my adopted family, who I'm sealed to. I love the life that I've created and the relationships I have with my siblings and my nieces and nephews and my sweet parents who raised me in the gospel. Who knows if I would have had that without being adopted." @thestoryofjori Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains sensitive content that may be triggering or offensive to some audiences. Parental discretion is advised. "I asked the Lord and said 'if this is your church, tell me in this general conference. I want to know if this is your church.' I had never watched general conference in my life - this was like the Super Bowl for me. So I got my popcorn. I'm over there, got my drink, and ready to watch the conference. I remember President Nelson, he says, 'as we commemorate the restoration of the gospel we revere the Prophet Joseph Smith as a prophet, but this is not his church. And this is not Mormon's church. This is the church of Jesus Christ.' Let me tell you something - that scripture in the New Testament that talks about the Pentecostal feeling of the Spirit overcoming you, man, I had never felt that before. When it came over me, when he said that, I stood up, as if we scored a touchdown. Like if my team scored a touchdown. I stood up and I said, 'hey, the prophet just said this is his church!' I heard the Lord speak to me through his prophet. He said this is his church, right? That was it for me. I got on my knees and said 'thank you Lord, thank you for answering my question. You spoke to me.' At that moment of time I told the Lord that's it - I'm all yours. I'm all yours." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

"I went on a three -day fast like I did when I needed to find answers and on the third morning of the fast I woke up. It was a Sunday morning, I just told the Lord 'I'm not getting up off my knees until you give me an answer.' I asked him because my uncle Owen, he was my dad's brother, was put in charge of the group after my dad was killed. I asked Heavenly Father if he was the prophet here on the earth or if he wasn't the prophet. I was shown a vision of a field, it was dark at night and my uncle Owen was wandering through the field. He had a dark suit on and his countenance was dark and then the voice of the Lord came into my mind and He said, 'by their fruit ye shall know them.' Then I started thinking about all the things that he had done throughout his life and things that were not always the greatest or the best. He had five or six wives and he was living polygamy. He had done some things that I didn't think were very noble or right.I kind of pondered about that for a little bit. Then I prayed again and asked if President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was the LDS church president at the time in 1997, if he was the prophet here on the earth. I was shown the same field only it was noon day, it was bright and sunny and there was wheat blowing in the wind. President Hinckley walked out into the field and he had a white suit on and a white tie and shirt and his face was just glowing and I had the same voice come into my head, 'by their fruits you shall know them.' I was shown the things that President Hinckley had done and everything that I was shown was all good fruits. I just had this burning in my bosom and was on fire from the top of my head to my feet. This was right. He was the prophet here on the earth. And the Lord was giving me that answer. I'd never felt anything so wonderful in my life." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains sensitive content that may be triggering or offensive to some audiences. Parental discretion is advised. "I still have not seen the face of Christ. I still haven't had miraculous experiences, but I've made the choice to follow Him and it's changed my life. I've done counseling. I still sometimes will do meditation - even guided meditation. And those things have helped me so much with some of my mental health struggles. But without the Savior involved in the middle of it. I would still not be who I am or where I am - with the capacity to now utilize our story and our passion for safety to go and try to change some of the culture on the ski slopes. That's being welcomed across the industry in a really miraculous way. But none of that would happen if I didn't come back to the roots of my Savior." snowangelfoundation.org  Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

"One thing that I noticed when I started coming back to church was I put my focus on who I wanted to be - instead of trying to fix who I was. Instead of trying to stop doing all of these things, it was, okay, I want to be this person. I imagined myself being a mom and a wife. I wanted a family and I thought, 'who is the type of person that I need to be to have those things?' I envisioned that for myself. Then my focus just really shifted into the steps that I needed to take to be who that person was." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

"He just went on and on about all the challenges and the different things that they had to do if they could get this aircraft past Pluto. As I was watching it, it was like a stream of revelation to me. Every single word he said was a metaphor for me and what I felt like I was doing. I realized what I was doing was trying to understand this crazy pixelated picture of what I thought God was and what religion is and I was like 'I don't understand anything, there's so many problems that I'm having on this journey of trying to figure out what this means!' He finished his story and miraculously, through so many miracles, they saw Pluto and now we have beautiful pictures of Pluto. I was so rejuvenated and impressed by that. As I was leaving, the answer was like, 'Yes Hailey, just push through. There's so many questions you have and there's so many challenges on your way to figuring out your answers.' I felt deeply that Heavenly Father wanted me to push through, find the answers, and do the work required to receive the revelation that I needed in so many different areas." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

"There is no way, in mortality, to get through it by yourself. You can't push, you can't shove, you can't design, you can't do any of that. Even if you're not on drugs! You must turn yourself over to a loving Heavenly Father and then there is this capacity for the Savior to enable you - he kind of does internal work and changes you. You think 'This is different. I'm different than I was.' And I give them the credit. Luckily, they caught me before I passed away and helped me out." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia

"I just called out to Heavenly Father and said, help. I was very aware that there were angels all around me protecting me, I knew that Heavenly Father was rescuing me. He was hearing my prayer and That black feeling immediately was replaced with warmth, and love, and total mercy. It was like, I've been waiting for you, I got you. And I just was totally honest with Him and I told Him everything that I needed to say. I told him 'I'm so insecure. I don't know how to do this. I don't know who to be. I don't know how to commit to being a good girl. I don't know what that looks like. I'm attracted to all of these things that I don't know how to reconcile.' I just didn't know what to do next, but I knew that I couldn't continue in that life that I was in. I was so honest and submissive and just like, I'm gonna give this all to you and you help me figure out what to do next. And it was beautiful, it was amazing, it was the most sacred thing that's ever happened in my life. Then I felt like I should go see a bishop." Come Back Team: Director, Founder & Host: Ashly Stone Producer and Senior Editor: Lauren Rose Outreach Manager: Jenna Carlson Editor: Michelle Berger Art Director: Jeremy Garcia