Jen Allen, director of events for FamilySearch, shares how RootsTech connects people from all over the world, regardless of religious affiliation, with each other and with their ancestors. She gives insight into how the event has shifted and grown since the pandemic, allowing for more international participation, over 1,500 sessions in multiple languages, and new online features to connect attendees. Jen also talks about how sharing stories of her ancestors has strengthened her children in their challenges and increased her faith in Jesus Christ.   Join us at RootsTech 2022! Visit RootsTech.org to register for the virtual, free event from March 3-5.

Join us as we talk with Lidia Torrance about her journey as a foster care parent and the growth she and her family experienced in their faith, compassion, and acceptance. Lidia shares how her testimony of Heavenly Father’s love for each of His children, including children in foster care and their biological parents, has grown and been strengthened as she and her husband opened their hearts to children and families in need.

Pornography use is a difficult and very important topic, and the objective of this episode is to help provide hope and support through available resources for women who’s spouse has used or uses pornography. Our guest Derek Hagey is a FamilySearch employee, Marriage and Family professor, and one of the subject matter experts who worked on Church’s Addressing Pornography website. He discusses the impact pornography use can have on ourselves and our marriages, how we can address issues and emotions surrounding pornography use, and support and resources for additional help.  Resources:  Addressing Pornography Website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/addressing-pornography?lang=eng His Grace episode - There Is No Limit to God's Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpcUrP0gahw  Recovering from the Trap of Pornography - President Oaks https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2015/10/recovering-from-the-trap-of-pornography?lang=eng Transcript: https://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/2021-03-0096-96-derek-hagey-addressing-pornography-use-in-marriage-eng.pdf

In the scriptures we are taught to “be still,” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16) and “not to run faster than we have strength” (Mosiah 4:27), but also to be “anxiously engaged in a good cause” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–28) and to “serve God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength” (Doctrine and Covenants 4). As busy Latter-day Saint women, how do we balance this seemingly contradictory counsel, allowing ourselves stillness and rest while also engaging with all our hearts in the work of salvation? In this episode, psychologist and author Carrie Skarda teaches how practicing mindfulness can help us develop a more healthy and joyful rhythm between stillness and busyness, while also strengthening our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and improving our prayer and other religious practices. With beautiful examples from the life of Jesus Christ and using helpful visual imagery, Carrie teaches the ways God invites us to stop or pause, spend quiet moments with Him, and be nurtured and guided by the Spirit to better discern our priorities. Resources: Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay Chapter 4 “Elements of Worship” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-david-o-mckay/chapter-4?lang=eng

At Christmas we rightly focus on giving, but learning to be a good receiver is also critical in developing bonds of love with family and friends, Heavenly Father, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. In this episode, listener favorite and Young Women council member Lori Newbold returns to share insights from the life of Jesus Christ and the Christmas story, teaching how we can better accept and embrace Heavenly Father’s blessings and gifts. Lori also draws upon her experience as a mental health counselor to share the importance of receiving in our relationships.   Resources:  Lori Newbold Biography https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/callings/young-women-organization/meet-the-young-women-general-leaders/lori-newbold?lang=eng Past Episode: Lori Newbold | Our Most Sacred and Valuable Relationship https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/collection/latter-day-saint-women-podcasts?lang=eng&track=/media/audio/lori-newbold-our-most-sacred-and-valuable-relationship-0112d26?lang=eng Past Episode: Lori Newbold | Hearing the Voice of the Lord Through the Scriptures https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/collection/latter-day-saint-women-podcasts?lang=eng&track=/media/audio/lori-newbold-hearing-the-voice-of-the-lord-through-the-scriptures-54476e9?lang=eng 2012 Christmas Devotional, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf “The Good and Grateful Receiver” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/article/christmas-devotional/2012/12/the-good-and-grateful-receiver?lang=eng

Have you ever wondered in the middle of a trial or challenge to your faith: “Where is God? Why doesn’t He answer me or help me?” Today’s guest Mihaela shares how she has learned that the witness of God’s love and involvement in our lives comes “after the trial of our faith” (Ether 12:6). Mihaela was born in Romania and migrated to California, USA as a teenager with her family. With enthusiasm and authenticity, she shares how she has faced and overcome trials to her faith, including receiving her own personal witness of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ as a young woman investigating the Church. Mihaela also discusses how she put her trust in the Lord as she pursued education in music, lived in New York City as a young adult, faced the heartbreak and confusion of infertility, and witnessed the miracles that followed, including learning from and loving a son with disabilities. Resources: Disability Resources: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/life/disability?lang=eng Transcript: https://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/2021-03-0093-93-mihaela-ganea-king-after-the-trial-of-your-faith-eng.pdf

“Who can I bless today? How can I reach out?” are questions that Mayavel Amado Pineda, a member of the Relief Society General Advisory Council, encourages us to ask as we seek to better understand ministering and how to go about it. Though ministering may sometimes feel uncomfortable or inconvenient amidst all our pressures in life, we can look to the Savior as an example of caring and connecting, discerning real needs, and receiving direction when we need it. In this episode, Mayavel also shares the blessings that can come from ministering: our lives can be enriched as we make connections and friendships, and our burdens can lifted when we forget about our own worries and gain a better perspective about our own challenges. Resources:  First Observe, Then Serve - Linda K. Burton  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve?lang=eng This is Ministering website https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ministering?lang=eng Transcript: https://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/2021-03-0092-92-mayavel-amado-pineda-ministering-in-the-saviors-way-eng.pdf

Never in the history of mankind have temples been more accessible to God’s children. More Latter-day Saints than ever before have the opportunity of receiving temple ordinances and then returning often. This world-wide blessing unifies Saints with their families, their ancestors, and to the Lord Jesus Christ. In this episode, Church historian Ryan Saltzgiver shares stories from the Global Histories project of pioneering women traveling great distances at incredible sacrifice to gather Saints on both sides of the veil. We also talk with Neelima Surisetty Rayudu, a Church member from India, about her experiences traveling to the Hong Kong and Cebu Philippines temples to be sealed to her parents and then her husband. She recalls her initial reaction to the recently-announced Bengaluru India temple. Resources: Global Histories https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/landing/global-histories?lang=eng Previous Global Histories Episodes: Ryan Saltzgiver | Women of Faith: Stories from Global Histories https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/collection/latter-day-saint-women-podcasts?lang=eng&track=/media/audio/ryan-saltzgiver-women-of-faith-stories-from-global-histories-e8e3535?lang=eng Melissa Inouye | Can You Name Five Women? https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/collection/latter-day-saint-women-podcasts?lang=eng&track=/media/audio/latter-day-saint-women-2021-0070-melissa-inouye-can-you-name-five-women-64k-eng.-9681d31?lang=eng The Nauvoo Temple: A Joseph Smith Papers Podcast https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/articles/the-nauvoo-temple-a-joseph-smith-papers-podcast President Russell M. Nelson; The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/47nelson?lang=eng every promise come together in the temple - everything we do in the church comes back to that New Temples https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/october-2021-general-conference-new-temples The Story of Clara Cooper from Liberia: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/lessons-of-faith-from-church-history-in-africa?lang=eng) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu6TAi_53Hw Transcript: https://media.ldscdn.org/pdf/2021-03-0091-91-ryan-saltzgiver-and-neelima-surisetty-rayudu-women-endowed-with-power-eng.pdf

In sharing her personal experiences of mission service, motherhood, and her early immersion in Church history, Sister Kaylene P. Harding, a member of the Primary General Advisory Council, inspires women to use the power of the priesthood throughout their lives. Kaylene describes a terrible accident involving her grandson and how asking for angels led to incredible miracles for their family. She also shares some various and important ways that women can be involved in the gathering of Israel as they follow the guidance of the Spirit. Resources: Women of Covenant: The ‘profound implications’ of the priesthood restoration: https://www.thechurchnews.com/category/women-priesthood-covenant Spiritual Treasures, by President Russell M. Nelson: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/36nelson?lang=eng Invite Christ to Author Your Story, by President Camille N. Johnson: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/42johnson?lang=eng

Enish Davila was born and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cancun, Mexico and served as a full-time missionary in Puebla, Mexico. When she returned home from her mission in 2016, she committed to grow in the gospel throughout her life and not rely solely on the faith-promoting experiences and testimony from her mission. In this episode, Enish talks about the mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges she experienced as a returned missionary, and how she continued to feel the fire of the gospel as she grew in spiritual and emotional maturity. Enish also shares her experiences as a Relief Society president in a Spanish-speaking Young Single Adult ward, counseling and learning from sisters with various backgrounds, experiences, and challenges.