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Trent Toone

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.

President Spencer W. Kimball and his wife, Sister Camilla Kimball, at the Peter Whitmer Sr. Farmhouse in Fayette, New York.
History Revisited
President Spencer W. Kimball journals are now available online. Here’s how to access them
President Spencer W. Kimball was one of the great advocates and examples of keeping a personal journal. Here’s how you can read the Church leader’s journals.
Elder Walker Lyons smiles at his family upon entering the MTC in Provo.
Members
Why top recruit Walker Lyons is stepping away from college football to serve a Latter-day Saint mission
Walker Lyons is holding off on college football and NIL deals worth millions to serve a two-year Latter-day Saint mission in Norway. Here’s why he’s doing it.
Actor, songwriter, singer, comedian and narrator Kirby Heyborne will emcee the in-person RootsTech 2023 event on March 2–4, 2023.
Members
Actor, comedian, narrator Kirby Heyborne announced as official emcee at RootsTech 2023
Kirby Heyborne, an actor, comedian, narrator and songwriter, will serve as the official emcee at RootsTech 2023. Here’s what he will do.
American Fork’s Daniel Simmons takes the tape as 6A runners compete in the state high school cross-country championships.
Members
Latter-day Saint runner named Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year
Daniel Simmons, a Latter-day Saint from American Fork, Utah, has been named the 2022-2023 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year.
Thousands attend RootsTech at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
Global
What online and in-person participants can expect to find at RootsTech 2023
RootsTech 2023 organizers hope to see its virtual growth continue while returning to host an in-person event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Church-endorsed chaplains Capt. Grant Arnold, 1st Lt. Jenna Carson and 1st Lt. Hyrum Miller graduate from the Air Force Chaplain Corps College.
Members
3 Latter-day Saints graduate from the Air Force Chaplain Corps College in Alabama
Read about the three Latter-day Saint chaplains who graduated from the Air Force Chaplain Corps College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
Matt Heiss of Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints looks for the meetinghouse in the Chyulu Hills area of Kenya.
Living Faith
How the Church of Jesus Christ is gathering its global history and why it matters
Matt Heiss of the Church History Department tells about recording Church history over his career, how it has changed and shares meaningful experiences.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks at the Weber State Institute.
Leaders & Ministry
‘Jesus Christ will be with you,’ Elder Uchtdorf promises young adults at Weber Institute
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke to young adults at the Weber Institute and counseled them to never lose hope and find strength in Jesus Christ.
These quilts were recovered by from a flooded Kentucky home by Latter-day Saint volunteers who then cleaned and preserved them to give to the family.
Living Faith
How quilts recovered from a flooded Kentucky home comforted a grieving family
Read the story of how a Latter-day Saint couple and others helped salvage and preserve 16 hand-stitched quilts in a flooded Kentucky home to give to the family whose mother died in the flood.
Researchers using the Church History Catalog now can now search and gain access to new records.
History Revisited
Church History Library announces release of dozens of newly digitized records
Researchers using the Church History Catalog now can now search and gain access to new records and collections.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey (18) reacts to the win following the NFL football game against the New York Giants.
Members
See a list of Latter-day Saints playing or coaching in the NFL playoffs
Several members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are playing or coaching in the NFL playoffs. See a list.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong Apostles and Sister Susan L. Gong speak at RootsTech’s Family Discovery Day from the islands of Hawaii.
Leaders & Ministry
RootsTech 2023 Family Discovery Day will feature keynote by Elder and Sister Gong
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will be the featured keynote speakers at RootsTech 2023 Family Discovery Day.
Irene Caso films a segment in Spanish for RootsTech 2023.
Members
Why FamilySearch is incorporating localized ‘sideline reporters’ into RootsTech 2023
RootsTech 2023 will feature 15 emcees who will act like sideline reporters for its online audience and provide localized content and guidance for different areas of the world.
Jordin Sparks, American Idol Season 6 winner, will be a keynote speaker at RootsTech 2023.
Global
This former American Idol winner will be a keynote speaker at RootsTech 2023
Jordin Sparks, a multi-platinum recording artist, American Idol Season 6 winner and actress, will be a keynote speaker at RootsTech 2023.
Former Utah State Aggie Sam Merrill (5) of the Cleveland Charge shoots a 3-pointer during the game against the Westchester Knicks on Jan. 3, 2023.
Members
See a list of Latter-day Saints who are playing professional basketball around the world
Several Latter-day Saints, including many who served missions, are playing in the NBA’s G League and for teams in foreign countries. Here’s a list.
Shelly Skougaard holds a dog tag that belongs to her husband Martin Skougaard, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient.
Living Faith
The remarkable story of how a lost dog tag was returned to a Latter-day Saint Vietnam veteran 56 years later
Martin Skougaard lost his dog tag in a foxhole grenade blast. Here’s how his dog tag was returned to him by a kind stranger more than half a century later.
President Russell M. Nelson sits down with a puzzle in his spare time.
Leaders & Ministry
What 3 of President Russell M. Nelson’s children have learned from him as a father
Three of President Russell M. Nelson’s 10 children tell about growing up in a home with the world-renowned heart surgeon and Church leader, and his role as a father.
FamilySearch will provide new features in 2023.
Members
What Latter-day Saints can expect from FamilySearch and the Family Tree app in 2023
Along with RootsTech 2023, FamilySearch patrons can expect free access to more of the world’s genealogy records, new search capabilities, more technological innovations and new Family Tree App features.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shares a photo on social media containing a wise saying found in a fortune cookie.
Leaders & Ministry
New Year’s Day on social: Elder Holland on finding hope and the wise saying for 2023 that Elder Uchtdorf found in a fortune cookie
Elder Holland writes that “we have every reason to hope,” Elder Uchtdorf opened 2023 by imparting wisdom he found in a fortune cookie and Elder Gong testifies of the Resurrection.
A photo of President Russell M. Nelson deep sea fishing.
Leaders & Ministry
President Nelson offers 3 deep sea fishing lessons to help improve lives in 2023
For President Russell M. Nelson, deep sea fishing has been “infrequent but instructive.” Here are three lessons he shared in a new years social media post.
A Church video depicts Jesus Christ teaching his apostles and others using parables.
Living Faith
BYU scholar offers 4 keys to help understand the New Testament parables of Jesus
BYU professor Gaye Strathearn provides four tips for understanding parables as Latter-day Saints prepare to study the New Testament in 2023.
Utah safety R.J. Hubert (11) tackles USC quarterback Caleb Williams (13) during the PAC-12 championship game in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 2, 2022.
Members
Utah’s R.J. Hubert reflects on lessons learned in adversity, faith before return to Rose Bowl
Before making big plays for Utah this season, Utes’ safety R.J. Hubert, a Latter-day Saint returned missionary, battled back from two serious knee injuries.
Gladys Knight was among a group of five honorees who received Kennedy lifetime artistic achievements awards.
Members
Gladys Knight receives Kennedy lifetime artistic achievement award
Gladys Knight, America’s “empress of soul” and a Latter-day Saint, was among a group of distinguished names to receive a Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements.
Heather Seely-Roberts, a Latter-day Saint, is the first female to coach boys varsity basketball in the state of Oregon.
Members
How being the only current woman to coach boys’ hoops in Oregon has been a ‘blessing’ for this Latter-day Saint
Latter-day Saint Heather Seely-Roberts is believed to be the first woman to coach high school boys basketball in Oregon since the 1930s. The best part was getting to coach her twin-tower, all-state sons.
Elder Matthew S. Holland spoke at the memorial service for Mike Leach.
Living Faith
The heartfelt tribute that Elder Matthew S. Holland gave at Mike Leach’s memorial service
Elder Matthew S. Holland, a General Authority Seventy, was one of 12 speakers at Mike Leach’s memorial service. Here’s what he said about the college football coach and family man.
Miss Rodeo America 2023, Kennadee Riggs, of Arizona, speaks during the speech portion of the competition.
Members
Lessons learned as a missionary prepared this cowgirl to win Miss Rodeo America 2023
Kennadee Riggs, of Queen Creek, Arizona, was crowned Miss Rodeo America 2022. Here’s how serving a mission provided the Latter-day Saint with everything she needed.
Creedyn Foulger is a Latter-day Saint returned missionary and sophomore defensive tackle playing for the Navy Midshipmen this year.
Members
One Latter-day Saint football player’s unexpected journey to this year’s Army-Navy game
Injuries, a Latter-day Saint mission during the pandemic and other unexpected changes have led Creedyn Foulger to play football for the U.S. Naval Academy.
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Leaders & Ministry
How the tradition of Nativities remind that Christ is ‘the greatest of all gifts,’ Elder Teixeira explains
“Re-centering our focus on Christ during Christmas will provide us a more significant measure of His love in our lives, and a greater capacity to love and serve others,” Elder Teixeira said.
Latter-day Saints have been encouraged by Church leaders to find ways to naturally share the gospel, including the Book of Mormon app.
Living Faith
Trent Toone: What I learned in Georgia about sharing the gospel and the Book of Mormon
Latter-day Saints have been encouraged by Church leaders to find ways to naturally share the gospel. It’s easier than you think.
Latter-day Saint youth participate in the first MeetUp in the South America South Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Global
The fun, spiritual event that united thousands of Latter-day Saint youth across 4 South American countries
The Church’s South America South Area held its first “MeetUp,” a one-day youth conference, simultaneously in more than 100 locations in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Here’s what happened.