IR LEJOS, MANTENERSE LARGO, MIRAR PROFUNDAMENTE

Marci McPhee se retiró para cuidar de su madre, que falleció antes de lo esperado. Consultó con el Señor qué hacer a continuación y se ha sentido llamada a un nuevo lugar cada dos años para prestar servicios a la comunidad y aprender.  (Click here to read the interview in English.) ¿Cuál es su biografía? […]

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GO FAR, STAY LONG, LOOK DEEP

Marci McPhee retired to care for her mother, who passed away sooner than expected. She consulted with the Lord about what to do next and has felt called to a new location every couple of years to provide community service and to learn.  (Haz clic aquí para leer la entrevista original en español.) What’s the […]

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SEEKER OF THE DIVINE

Ashli Carnicelli has always been a seeker – she studied many religions to identify the divine. She was adopted as a child and searched for her biological family. In just the past five years, in her late 30s, the pieces have been falling into place. I hear you have an interesting conversion story. I was […]

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CONVERTED OVER AND OVER AGAIN

Fernanda Bollers was a high school student in Brazil when she began dating a member of the Church. After discussing the gospel and attending church with her boyfriend, she was baptized in 2010 and moved to the United States to attend college. Tell us where you were born and a little bit about your country. […]

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KEEPING THE CIRCLE OPEN

Jaynine Thompson was adopted as a child by her extended family, who joined the Church at about the same time. Even with knowing her adoptive parents loved her, she still struggled with feelings that she didn’t belong anywhere. The gospel and the Church have helped her know where she belongs, and she now works to […]

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MANTENIENDO EL CÍRCULO ABIERTO

Jaynine Thompson fue adoptada cuando era niña por su familia extendida, que se unió a la Iglesia aproximadamente al mismo tiempo de la adopción. Incluso sabiendo que sus padres adoptivos la amaban, ella todavía luchaba con los sentimientos de que no pertenecía a ningún lado. El Evangelio y la Iglesia la han ayudado a saber […]

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THE PRETEND INVESTIGATOR

Eileen Velazquez lived in Utah as a teenager but was not a member of the Church. When her high school friends were preparing to leave for missions, she said she would pretend to be an investigator so they could practice the lessons. Less than two years later, she was teaching the discussions herself on a […]

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LA INVESTIGADORA FICTICIA

Eileen Velázquez vivía en Utah cuando era adolescente, pero no era miembro de la Iglesia. Cuando sus amigos de la escuela secundaria se preparaban para partir a las misiones, dijo que fingiría ser una investigadora para que pudieran practicar las lecciones. Menos de dos años después, ella misma estaba enseñando esas lecciones en una misión […]

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SMALL BUT IMPORTANT THINGS

Rhina Toledo was born in the Philippines, lived temporarily in Spain, and is now in Mexico with her husband and their three children. Simple decisions have led her around the world with great impact. (Haz clic aquí para leer la entrevista original en español.)   Tell us a little bit about yourself- where did you […]

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ASK THE UNIVERSE

Megan Spurlock was raised in the Church in Utah, but considers herself a convert because she did not commit to the Gospel and the Church until she was an adult. What was your experience with the Church while you were growing up? Both of my parents come from old pioneer families that crossed the plains. […]

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EDIFICANDO HOGARES Y FAMILIAS EN EL EVANGELIO

Afrodita Reyes fue entre los primeros miembros de la Iglesia en la República Dominicana. Ella y su esposo han escogido enfocar su vida en servicio a otros, ayudándoles a ver que son también hijos de Dios. (Click here to read the interview in English.) Me llamo Afrodita. Estoy casada 31, casi 32 años. Tengo 3 […]

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Building Homes and Families in the Gospel

Afrodita Reyes was an early member of the Church in the Dominican Republic. She and her husband have chosen to focus their lives on service to others, helping them to see that they are also children of God. (Haz clic aquí para leer la entrevista original en español.) My name is Afrodita. I have been […]

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I Know That My Redeemer Lives

On April 6, 1994, the airplane carrying the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi was shot down over Kigali. That moment was like “oil on fire,” setting off the devastating Rwandan Genocide. Yvonne Baraketse’s father, Chief of Staff of the Rwandan army, was also on the airplane and killed in the attack. Yvonne was 14 years […]

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Bravery and Love of Family

The decisions that have shaped María Felipa García Pérez’s life haven’t been made because they were the easy ones, but because they were the right ones. Her love of family and love of the Savior have given her the strength to have difficult conversations with family about her baptism, to serve a mission, and then […]

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Valentía y Amor de Familia

Las decisiones que dieron forma a la vida de María Felipa García Pérez no se tomaron por su facilidad, sino porque fueron las correctas. Su amor por familia y por el Salvador le han dado la fuerza para tener conversaciones difíciles con su familia sobre su bautismo,  hacer una misión, y luego regresar de la […]

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Taking His Name Upon Me

Mary Xavier was born and raised in Bangalore, India. She and her family were introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was a teenager. Mary experienced true conversion while teaching the basic principles and truths of the gospel in Primary where she served as the president. Throughout her life, Mary […]

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Kingdom in the Sky

Leetoane Mats’aba describes herself as “a happy soul filled with promises and blessing of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.” She lives in Lesotho, the Southern African country sometimes called Kingdom in the Sky because of its lofty elevation. After losing both of her parents, she was drawn to the truth of the restored gospel […]

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Building a Future of Hope

Ruth Yeboah is a passionate advocate for women. Born in Ivory Coast, she immigrated to the Bronx, New York as a young teen. Ruth was raised in a religious home where she developed a love for Jesus Christ and a Christian life. She went on to become a Child Protective Specialist, a foster care system […]

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A Culture of Faith

Anne Apuakehau grew up in a religious home in Bangalore, India. Following her third oldest sister’s baptism, Anne listened to the missionaries and gained her own testimony. She and many members of her family were baptized and became some of the first members of the Church in India. Anne became a passionate member missionary and […]

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Straight to the Source

Since she was a small child, Ashley Bryant Miller knew she wanted to be an actor. It wasn’t until young adulthood that she knew she wanted to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Her profession and faith came together when she was asked to be one of the narrators […]

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Running With God

Merrecia James discovered her passion for running at an early age, as she navigated growing up in Jamaica. Running was an escape from poverty and from sexual assault, and provided a door to immigration and education in the United States. Merrecia always had a strong belief in God, but it wasn’t until she was introduced […]

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The Lord Really is Kind

Cecilie Lundgreen, known as CC, is a Norwegian professional golfer. As she was climbing the ranks of European pro golfers, she lost several loved ones in a short space of time. She became friends with two Mormon women golfers from Africa, her coach Reeve Nield and golf pro Laurette Maritz, who offered her a glimpse […]

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Une Vie Pleine de Couleurs

Read this interview in English. En tant que réfugiée de la guerre d’Espagne, Aïda fut élevée en France par deux familles : sa famille espagnole de naissance et sa famille Française, qui l’avait accueillie. Son amour du langage et des Arts l’ont guidée dans une vie riche en créativité. Elle a écrit et illustré des […]

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Trail Blazing in Belgium

When Linda Vergauwen joined the Church in Belgium in 1978, neither she nor her friends and family knew anything about Mormons. Today, Linda is a pillar of the Church in Flemish Belgium and the principal of an elementary school, proving that she has earned her community’s trust despite her membership. Linda describes the challenges of raising children in a community where the Church is small and growing slowly, going to the temple with no preparation, and the joy that comes from a life of dedicated service to the Savior.

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"Prayer Changes Things"

Willie Douglas has weathered some storms. She has been part of many of the tumults in America’s history over the last fifty years. She battled racism while working to integrate her place of employment in New Orleans. She lost one of her sons to fatal illness during the AIDS epidemic. She fled her home in the face of Hurricane Katrina–and then returned to New Orleans to help rebuild her city. But Willie’s faith has sustained her throughout. In the words of her favorite hymn, “The world may crush you, but you don’t have to fret / My God remembers when others forget / One thing I know, yes, I surely know / Prayer changes things.”

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To Be A Vessel

As a young woman, Jamillah Ali-Rashada prayed that Allah would let her live to raise children. In return, she promised that she would serve others for the rest of her life. She’s kept that promise by trying to be a vessel for the Spirit and its guidance. When Jamillah joined the LDS Church three years ago, she found her path leading to new and profound avenues for serving God’s children. “I have been purposed and called to this for such a time as this,” Jamillah says.”If that is the work and the service that I am supposed to perform, then it is my Heaven.”

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An Advocate of Faith

Laura Asioli made two important life decisions before she was ten years old. She decided she wanted to be baptized in the LDS Church, and she decided to become a lawyer. Laura says that as she studied law, she often felt the Spirit confirming to her that justice and divinity are closely intertwined. Today she is a solicitor practicing compliance law in the City of London. In this interview she reflects on balancing her Italian and English cultures, navigating a career while raising her two young children, and realizing that sometimes unexpected blessings come about after unexpected failures.

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Miraculous Ways

A job loss. A family member’s illness. A cancer diagnosis. All difficult trials, made even more difficult when they all happen at the same time. Olivia Luk and her family faced this unimaginable series of events in 2002. They met their challenges with tears, prayers, and faith—the kind of faith that Olivia had developed when she joined the Church as a young woman in Hong Kong. And she found that Heavenly Father responded to her family’s needs in unexpected ways.

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Toujours à Servir et à Aider Les Autres

Bérengère Doby s’est toujours considérée comme altruiste, et elle cherche des moyens de mettre son amour en pratique. Son enfance dans le sud de la France a mené à sa service missionnaire en Suisse et puis une carrière en santé. Récemment elle a mis à côté sa carrière en podologie pour élever ses enfants. Dans cet interview, Bérengère parle des leçons qu’elle avait apprises en tant que missionnaire, qui l’ont préparée au mariage, à la maternité, et à une vie de service.

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To Always Serve and Love

Bérengère Doby says she has always had an altruistic personality, and looks for ways to put love and into practice. Her childhood in southern France led to her mission service in Switzerland, and then a career in health care. Now she has put a career in podiatry on hold to raise her children. Bérengère talks here about how the lessons she learned as a missionary prepared her for marriage, motherhood, and a life of service.

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Une Pionnière à Paris

Lorsque Josiane Lazeras avait treize ans, elle s’est fait baptisée et a rejoint un petit groupe très uni de Saints des derniers jours près de Paris, France. Tandis que l’évangile l’a aidée à se développer spirituellement, Josiane a trouvé également que l’église a encouragé sa créativité et ses talents. En plus, elle a été encouragé à considérer l’importance des “mères en Israel,” un rôle dans lequel l’amour, la spiritualité, et l’action se mélangent. La maternité, dit-elle–comme l’évangile du Christ–est un stimulus: “Ça vous pousse à l’action. C’est quelque chose qui vous permet d’aller plus loin que votre propre force ne vous le permettrait.”

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A Pioneer in Paris

When Josiane Lazeras was thirteen, she was baptized and joined a small, close-knit group of pioneering Latter-day Saints near Paris, France. Even as the gospel helped her develop spiritually, Josiane found that the Church also encouraged her creativity and talents. And it made her consider the significance of becoming “a mother in Israel,” where love, spirituality, and action combine. Motherhood, she says—like the gospel of Christ—is a stimulant: “It pushes you to action. It’s something that permits you to go beyond your strength.”

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PATIENCE AND JOY

A Nigerian mother raising her family in France, Patience Omorodion is inspired by a line that her own mother used to sing, “I will build the house of God before my own.” Patience was baptized at age eighteen and has found the LDS Church to be a home full of happiness throughout challenges and changes. As she lives and shares the gospel, Patience says that her desire to serve comes from, “Just having the love of God in our heart and the love of all mankind. For when you love Heavenly Father’s children you’ll be able to use the language that He has for them. You’ll be able to hear.”

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Rescued From Exploitation

Stephanie comes from four generations of women who were trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Her own mother was sent into the trade at age twelve and had her first child when she was sixteen. But Stephanie’s mother broke the pattern by refusing to exploit her own children, allowing Stephanie to grow up outside the sex trafficking industry and join the Church in high school. Stephanie is now a wife and mother and the founder of two non-profits, Child Rescue and Backyard Broadcast, and she is an activist fighting against human trafficking.

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Just Say Amen Already

Kat S. is a family therapist in New York City and a Jewish convert to the LDS Church. She is also the semi-anonymous blogger behind the popular Tumblr page “Just Say Amen Already,” a light-hearted look at her Mormon experience. Kat says she was prompted to the task of making us laugh at ourselves. Here, she talks about the healing power of laughter and the beauty she finds in life and the Gospel.

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La priorité, c’est la famille – En Francais

Annie Bush est devenue membre de l’Eglise à l’âge de 16 ans, alors qu’elle vivait à Bordeaux en France. En tant que traductrice pour l’Église, elle a passé des années à donner vie au Liahona, aux écritures, et aux manuels de l’Église dans sa langue maternelle. Au cours de tout ce travail, Annie dit que sa priorité a toujours été sa famille.

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The Priority Is Family – In English

Annie Bush joined the Church in her native Bordeaux, France at the age of 16. Working as a translator for the Church, Annie spent years immersed in bringing The Ensign, the scriptures, and church manuals to life in her mother tongue of French. Through it all, Annie says her priority has been her family.

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Cherish One Another

Cathy Stokes is a firebrand, common-sense Mormon. A pioneering member who was baptized in 1979, Cathy’s willingness to speak her mind has shaped her faith and helped bridged gaps among members of the church. Cathy recalls some painful memories of growing up in Mississippi, shares a beautiful reflection on tenderness, recites her favorite hymn, and speaks of the abounding goodness of God and the strength of Mormon women.

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"My Life Changed Completely" – en Español

María Lucia Batioja balanceaba ser a la vez un converso a la Iglesia y un inmigrante a los Estados Unidos desde Argentina. Ella cuenta su historia de ser una niña jugando en los huertos en una pequeña granja en Argentina, su valiente decisión de venir a los Estados Unidos, unirse a la iglesia, y su esfuerzo continuo para construir una vida para sí misma en un nuevo país como madre, un latinoamericano y un mormón.

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"My Life Changed Completely" – in English

Maria Lucia Batioja balances being both a convert to the church and an immigrant to the United States from Argentina. She tells her story of being a young girl playing in the orchards on a small farm in Argentina, her courageous decision to come to the United States and join the church, and her continual effort to build a life for herself in a new country as a mother, a Latin American, and a Mormon.

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Threads Woven Together

Raised with little religion in her home, it was during college when Callie went to Hebrew University in Jerusalem that she first embraced her Jewish heritage and converted to Orthodox Judaism. Despite her full immersion in the Orthodox community and faith, Callie cultivated a private interest in Mormonism, particularly in temples. Callie eventually left Orthodox Judaism to join the Church and raise her children Mormon. Her rich spiritual journey has been thoughtful and deliberate.

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Her Version of Having It All

Marie-Laure Oscarson suggests that “having it all” means something different for everyone. For her—a mother, a university professor, and a convert to the LDS Church—it comes down personal revelation about specific life choices regarding her family, her profession, and her religion. Marie-Laure’s path has included the Catholic faith, French existentialist philosophy, a curiosity about the Amish lifestyle, and the Mormon missionaries who helped rekindle her faith in God’s love.

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The Shining Light of Oakland

Betty Stevenson grew up in an African-American community near San Francisco. After spiraling through abusive relationships, drug dealing and jail, she joined the Church. Betty served for many years as the Relief Society president of the newly formed Oakland Ninth Branch, composed of some of Oakland’s poorest neighborhoods, and she is the founder of an organization that hosts free football camps. In addition, Betty is raising her three great-grandchildren.

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Banding Together As A Family

Married to Brandon Flowers, the frontman of an internationally-known rock band, Tana and her husband spend much of their time apart. To combat the common consequences of a public career, mother their three boisterous boys, and maintain intimacy in her marriage, Tana builds upon the skills she learned during her conversion to the gospel six years ago by asking the Lord and listening to the Spirit for answers to the questions in her everyday life.

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The Heart of His Servant

Siu Man has been a member of the Church in Hong Kong for about 40 years. Despite a congenital heart defect that has kept her homebound for most of her life, Siu Man learned how to read from the Book of Mormon. Today, Siu Man serves her family by caring for aging family members, researching her ancestors and sharing her handiwork crafts with others.

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An American Education

Raquel Johnston is a former Cuban refugee who came to America at age 10. Among the blessings she discovered in the United States, Raquel learned the value of education and became converted to the Church. She has passed both of those legacies on to her seven children.

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Humbled Through Affliction

Elizabeth Perry’s evangelical upbringing caused her to loathe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An eating disorder she developed in college helped soften her heart. An LDS boy from her high school introduced her to the Church; she later embraced the gospel, then married that boy.

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Fostering A Love of Science

Crystal came from a tumultuous upbringing, passed from foster home to foster home before settling with her grandparents as a teenager. It wasn’t until she was a young single mother that the missionaries knocked on her door and brought a whole new light into her life. Now she is a successful cellular molecular biology professor, a devoted mother, and advocate for women. Crystal embraces every opportunity to teach others the joys of science, of being a woman, and of the love Jesus Christ has for them.

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Honoring Her Heritage

Janice was born into a Christian Palestinian family, but didn’t gain a deep appreciation for her heritage until she was a young adult. Now, as the Curator of Education for the Arab American National Museum in Michigan, Janice has daily opportunities to educate others about her culture. Balancing her Arab identity with her spiritual life as a Mormon, however, has been a challenging and isolating journey, even with the Lord’s continual presence in her life.

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Away From Polygamy, Towards A Deeper Understanding

As one of her polygamous father’s 47 children, Vilate Nielsen was never lonely. But as a young adult, Vilate chose instead to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which she felt has manifestations of truth that were absent in the religion of her childhood. Although she’s had to get used to not having her large family around her and sometimes being lonely, Vilate today wouldn’t exchange her church membership for anything.

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Personal Revolutions

As the 19-year-old daughter of a Communist leader, Rostya defected from Czechoslovakia in 1969 after the country was invaded. Although raised atheist, a powerful conversion experience while living in Brazil has led Rostya to a lifetime of dedicated service to the church abroad, culminating now in her position as Director of National Director for Public Affairs for Czech Republic. From Prague, Rostya vibrantly describes her life of faith and revolution.

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Always In Style

Trained as a doctor, Jenny Sato abandoned her medical practice when she left her native China to marry her Japanese husband. Now in Yokohama, Jenny is engaged in volunteer work and lending her varied talents to the expatriate community there. She focuses on her new membership in the Gospel and her 12-year-old son.

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Flunking Sainthood

Jana Riess was baptized in her final year of study at Princeton Theological Seminary. Her career plan to be a Protestant pastor derailed by her conversion, she now is an editor for a religious publishing house, teaches college, and writes about religion. Her most recent book, Flunking Sainthood, is a memoir about a year’s journey through spiritual practices.

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A Measure of the Spirit

Although born and raised in Lebanon, Joumana left Beirut for Paris to complete her studies as an artist. But it was when she joined the Church, through a friend in Lebanon, that she came into her own as an artist. Today, Joumana’s stunning paintings are infused with gospel symbolism and a measure of the Spirit that makes them undeniably moving.

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Une Empreinte de l’Esprit

Née et élevée au Liban, Joumana a quitté Beirut pour poursuivre ses études d’art à Paris. Mais c’est en découvrant l’Église par une amie au Liban qu’elle a trouvé sa propre voix d’artiste. Maintenant, les œuvres éblouissantes de Joumana sont imprégnées d’un symbolisme et d’une mesure d’Esprit qui leur permet de toucher les cœurs des gens. Comment avez-vous avez […]

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So Many Miracles

As a Protestant growing up in Northern Ireland, Florence Slease experienced first hand the extreme conflict between people of her faith and the neighboring Catholics. In her highly engaging conversational style, Florence describes her lost Catholic friend, her abusive early marriage, the miracle of joining the Church and the joy and triumph that has blossomed from her colorful childhood.

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…Somewhere He Opens A Window

As an ambitious young lawyer pursuing her doctorate at The Hague, The Netherlands, Dagmar was introduced to the Church through her roommate. After serving a mission at age 29, Dagmar landed her dream job on the Yugoslavia Tribunal at The Hague, only to give it up when she was specifically recruited to work instead in the Church’s public affairs department for Europe. Now as a mother and wife, Dagmar still works part-time as a general counsel to the Church in Frankfurt, Germany. It has sometimes been painful and lonely for her to follow those doors that have been opened to her and leave behind those that have been shut, but she believes the Lord is aware of her and is making use of her tremendous skills.

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Snapshot Portrait: Merinda Cutler

The first time I realized Heavenly Father loved me was when… I was in college, attending classes during the summer term when campus was quiet, slower, and a little lonely. In that extra time on my own, I started wondering if everything I had been taught all my life was really true, or if I’d just been brainwashed. I wondered if there was a God at all.

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From Sea to Shining Sea

Missy Martz, a former atheist, is married to a marine who has been deployed five years out of their eleven-year marriage and is presently stationed in Okinawa, Japan. She talks about her incredible conversion as she traveled around the country in search of meaning, and then discusses how the gospel has balanced her life and supported her during difficult times while she is far from home and family while her husband is deployed for long periods of time.

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A Different Kind of Pioneer

Bindu Sabbavarapu joined the church in her hometown of Visakhapatnam, India, in the face of cultural and familial barriers. She married another Indian Mormon and together they are striving to pursue lives that bear witness to their families of the goodness of the gospel. Soon after her marriage, Bindu immigrated to the United States, where she and her husband are pursuing advanced degrees and raising their 10-month-old baby girl. Although the gospel transcends culture, Bindu’s interview reflects the challenge of practicing a religion in a nation where Christians and Mormons in particular are a significant minority.

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No Time To Stop

As an early member of the Church in Moscow, Tatiana was an essential contributor to the establishment of the gospel in Russia. For seven years, she led a choir of church members that sang hymns and folk songs, toured with their performances and recorded albums. Tatiana speaks astutely about the impact of Russian culture on spirituality in her country and about the tremendous work she’s put into building the Church in her homeland.

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To Smile and Talk Again

Agnes is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Although a witness to devastating horrors, Agnes has embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ taught by the first missionaries in Rwanda, Brother and Sister Andrus, and is working to forgive those who killed her family. Agnes recently graduated from university and works as an accountant in a hotel in Kigali.

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A Savior To Her Family

Susan Anneveldt knows that, even though she is the only member of her family to join the Church in this life, her passion for family history work has led her deceased extended family members to the gospel through temple work. As a single woman caring for aging parents and living far away from her local branch in the Netherlands, Susan combats the plague of loneliness with her understanding of the gospel’s worldwide community and the assurance of eternal families.

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Embracing A Culture of Faith

Julia Klebingat grew up in Riga, Latvia, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Introduced to the Church when Brigham Young University’s Legacy Dixieland Band performed in her hometown, she married at 19 and attended Ricks College. Julia recounts the culture shock she experienced getting married, joining the Church and moving to the United States in such a short time, and the blessings that have come into her life since that time. She is preparing to move from Frankfurt, Germany, to Kiev, Ukraine, to serve alongside her husband, who will preside in the Ukraine, Kiev mission.

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A Pillar of Faith in New Delhi

Swarupa Katuka was born and raised in India, joined the Church in 1988, and currently lives in New Delhi. In 1995, as the mother of two children, Swarupa decided to give her third child to family friends who couldn’t have any children of her own. In this interview, she shares an intimate look into her daily life, the state of the Church in India, and the relationship she has with her adopted daughter.

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Your Trial Is Your Greatest Treasure

A popular speaker to LDS youth and women around the world, Barbara Barrington Jones shares the events and lessons of her life that have allowed her to touch so many in her 24 years of public speaking. After a career as a ballet dancer and twelve years in an abusive marriage, Barbara married a much older man with whom she found the Church. With her trademark faith, strength and wit, Barbara tells her remarkable story and shares her pearls of wisdom.

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The Way Already Prepared

Shu-Chih grew up in Taiwan, came to the United States by herself as a teenager and joined the Mormon Church. She had to overcome many obstacles, including family disapproval, living in a foreign country and raising three kids as a single mom. Shu-Chih is an accomplished artist and owns her own art school where she teaches a growing Chinese population in Irvine, CA.

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A Special Mother for Special Needs

Although Nancy McNabb lost a 22-month-old daughter to SIDS, her greatest challenge has been raising her autistic son Stewart. Nancy describes her tireless work with her 19-year-old son, her secrets to staying happily married with a special needs child, the role the gospel has played in her journey, and her work at the University of Illinois in autism education.

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From Jehovah’s Witness to Latter-day Saint

Arleene was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness in Southern California. Her parents converted to the religion after they moved from their home in Moroleon, Guanajuato, Mexico to the United States. She studied the Mormon faith for two years before being baptized, an action considered taboo by her family’s religion. She shares her experiences as she transitioned from her childhood thoughts and beliefs to her current testimony of the gospel. Along the way she has held on to her continued love of family and has found that the knowledge of the gospel has opened her mind and brought her new blessings.

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Enthusiasm and Endurance

Introduced to the gospel as a teenager in her native Hungary, Ildikó had to wait four years to be baptized due to her family’s disapproval. Ildikó discusses the challenges of joining a community that is still small in Hungary, marrying another Hungarian member and raising her three children in the Church there. She expresses confidence in the Savior’s role as head of the Church, the practical and spiritual safety that comes from living by its principles, and benefits of raising her children in the gospel.

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Bearing Her Testimony in a Different Way

After graduating with her master’s of public health degree from Yale, Trang Thach moved to Romania to research drinking water with the aid of a Fulbright Grant. Her search for a career, along with her family history and temple work for ancestors from Vietnam, has helped strengthen her testimony of God’s love and mercy.

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Peace Through Conflict

Raised near Bethlehem, only a few blocks away from the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Sahar Qumsiyeh intimately knows places that are considered holy by many religions. However, this significant area is marked by conflict and war, and as a Palestinian, Sahar faced barriers (both figurative and literal) to joining the Church. In this interview, Sahar describes how her introduction to the Church and understanding of the gospel enabled her to overcome the feelings of anger and frustration that accompanied her life in this turbulent region.

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"Listen and Obey"

Teruko Nakayama was raised in a Japanese family in Hawaii and although her parents practiced Buddhism, she never had any formal religious training. Giving birth to her first child, though, motivated her to seek for truth. Now in her 80s, Teruko and her husband have served three missions for the Church.

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Coming to Know Him Who Suffered

On June 10, 1990, Galina Goncharova became the first member of the Church to be baptized in Moscow, in what was then the Soviet Union. In this interview she describes her journey to the Church, the ravages of alcoholism on her family, and how the gospel has helped her to forgive and given her power to change her relationships with others.

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More Than Skin Deep (with Photo Essay)

Kimmie is featured in our first photo essay. After a difficult childhood, Kimmie joined the Church in Korea. Now a successful business owner, Kimmie talks about how the healing properties of the algae supplements from her cosmetics company help people overcome debilitating illness. She has started a non-profit to help those who can’t afford the treatments have access to their benefits.

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Ties That Bind

Pauline Sanchez was born in her grandmother’s hogan on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. From the age of eight until graduation from high school, Pauline spent her school years living with a white family in northern Utah as part of the church’s Indian Placement Program. Pauline describes feeling lost within different worlds and how her native language helped her understand the value of her experiences. She is on the Advisory board at The Anasazi Foundation, a wilderness treatment program for troubled teens and their families. She, with her husband Ezekiel, were honored as the 2001 Arizona Parents of the Year, and in 2002 received the National Excellence in Parenting Award.

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Nothing Short of A Miracle

From Dublin, Ireland, Gina talks candidly about her struggle with infertility. A lawyer by training and a convert to the Church, Gina overcame a fear of doctors and hospitals to complete IVF treatments, resulting in the birth of her daughter Ella. Gina reveals a deep gratitude for her supportive husband, although not a member of the Church himself, and their precious daughter.

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Help This Child

Vicki Dalia is the mother of eighteen children, eight of whom are adopted. She also runs a family business and a non-profit orphanage in Guatemala. She sees the hand of the Lord guiding her work helping children. In this interview, Vicki tells of the trials and rewards of establishing the orphanage and offers a helpful perspective on parenting and living a gospel-centered life.

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I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go

As her name suggests, Ruth epitomizes wise, eternal choices: After being the only one in her family to join the church in her native Bolivia, Ruth came to the United States to pursue additional training as a dentist. The death of her first child was crushing, but she chose to endure two more pregnancies, each resulting in a healthy child although requiring months of bed rest. She is currently pregnant a fourth time. Ruth discusses how she uses her time while on bed rest, how she uses her dental skills for good, and how she appreciates being able to spend time with her children.

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A Better Doctor, A Better Christian

After serving a mission in her native Venezuela, Ines Pinate married another returned missionary only to have the marriage end three years later in a divorce. Now, with an 8-year-old son, this single mother is attending medical school. In her interview, Ines expresses her love for her Heavenly Father and explains how being a doctor helps her be a better Christian.

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Finding Refuge in the Saints

From 1975 to 1981, Saroeun Eav fought for her life and the lives of her children as she suffered under the rule of the Khmer Rouge in her native country of Cambodia. In this excerpt from her life history, Saroeun tells of death-defying escapes, bearing children in labor camps, and, eventually, her escape to the United States where she joined the Church and raised her children in the gospel.

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As Joseph in Egypt

In 2000, Thérèse Kanyanga was living in the Republic of the Congo as a wife and the mother of seven children when her husband, Gilbert, mysteriously disappeared. Thérèse discovered he had been accused of treason and exiled to South Korea. For the next six years, Thérèse raised her children alone. In 2006, she was able to join Gilbert in Seoul where she was baptized into the Church.

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A Boundless Conversation

Raised as a Catholic in Rhode Island, Stephanie Soper experienced a powerful communication with God that led her to join the Church twenty years ago. Since then, she has developed her gifts of communicating with God and has used these gifts to provide intuitive readings and emotional healing work for others in the Church.

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The Cycle is Broken

After two sets of twins and a divorce, Myrna sought solace with her family. But she found little comfort at home: she fell prey to the family’s drug dealing business and lost 27 years of her life to heroin addiction. Three years ago, at the age of 51, she fell to her knees and felt the Lord’s loving embrace. She discusses the effects of her baptism on her ravaged body, her repentance process and the effect her conversion has had on her children.

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"They Came!"

A 1983 issue of Reader’s Digest introduced Dominique Lam-Yam to the Church while she was living with an abusive father on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean. She spent the next three years searching for the Church organization, with no success. Finally, two missionaries knocked on her door, launching her on a path of hope and triumph over challenge.

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A Road to Redemption

For almost four years Brittney has been writing about the 18 months she spent in Venezuela as a missionary. While she was there, her father, who was excommunicated from the Church when she was 14 and from whom she had been estranged for years, began sending her letters, photocopies from the journal he kept as a missionary in Colombia between 1973-75. This began a reconnection and reconciliation of their relationship which, by the end of her time in Venezuela, would become the most poignant and enduring conversion of her mission.

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Protected: Turning to the Atonement

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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The Small World of the Gospel

The first time Faustina Otoo went to church, in Nigeria in 1985, the members’ love made her feel like she was in a “wonderland”. Since that day, Faustina’s journey in the church has taken her back to her native land of Ghana where she now serves as the front office receptionist at the Africa West Area office complex at the Accra Ghana temple. As the single mother of two children, Faustina is especially proud that her daughter is about to graduate from college.

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Lost in Learning

As a teenager in Sophia, Bulgaria, Eva sought for truth and found the restored Gospel. Now a mother of three living in the United States, Eva’s passion for learning continues to drive her personal and professional pursuits: “Lost in Learning”, the culmination of her work as a professional photographer, features the original manuscripts and objects used by the world’s great discoverers as they too sought for truth. Eva homeschools her children so that they can share in her search for knowledge.

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Spirit in the Law

Robin joined the Church after September 11, 2001, when she reasoned that “if there could be such a force of organized darkness in the world then there has to be an equal opposite force of organized good.” That same year, at age 22, she married a member of the Church and cemented her life to the Gospel. Since attending law school, Robin has worked in energy regulation in Washington D.C. while passionate about resource and environmental issues.

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Faith Unto Salvation

In December 2004, Patricia’s oldest son was charged with murdering his girlfriend. Tormented with grief and unable to sleep, Patricia saw a late-night infomercial for the Church on television and called for a Book of Mormon. What she has learned about forgiveness, compassion and the warm embrace of the Saints has carried her through the crushing experience.

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The LDS Women Project

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