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In case you missed it: President Ballard rededicates the Columbus Ohio Temple, Elder Soares ministers in South America, plus 7 more stories

Here are 9 stories from the Church News the week of June 4-10

During the week of June 4-10, President M. Russell Ballard, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, rededicated the Columbus Ohio Temple. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ministered across southern South America, including in Uruguay and Chile. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave an update about recent health challenges and his slow return back to work.

Bishop Gérald Caussé dedicated a new Global Distribution Services Center that will provide and distribute Church materials to members around the world. Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon addressed Latter-day Saint cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Primary General President Susan H. Porter spoke to students and faculty gathered during a BYU–Idaho devotional.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints addressed political participation, voting and the political neutrality of the Church in a June 1 letter. The Yigo Guam Temple suffered damage during the downpour and 140 mph winds of Typhoon Mawar, including saturated carpets and furniture, damage to trees and landscaping. Historians Richard E. Turley Jr. and Barbara Jones Brown joined the Church News podcast to provide context and understanding to one of the grimmest episodes in Church history.

Read summaries and find links to these nine articles below.

1. President Ballard rededicates the Columbus Ohio Temple

A man in a white suit waving.
President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, waves to people outside the fence between the first and second sessions of the Columbus Ohio Temple rededication on Sunday, June 4, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

President Ballard rededicated the Columbus Ohio Temple on Sunday, June 4. “I testify that the temples are the houses of the Lord. It is here where Heavenly Father instructs His children and helps us prepare to return to His presence,” President Ballard told Church News.

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2. Elder Soares ministers in South America

Uruguayan leaders meet with Latter-day Saint leaders
Elder Ulisses Soares shakes hands with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Elder Joaquin E. Costa, General Authority Seventy; Marcelo Chappe, the Church’s director of communications in Uruguay; and Alfredo Salas, the director of communications for the South America South Area, also attended the meeting. | Christina Smith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Elder Soares ministered across southern South America, speaking with the Uruguayan president to “do something to bless the people” and, while in Chile, teaching of the importance of learning of Christ and following the prophet.

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3. Elder Holland shares update on closer to the Lord

President Jeffrey R. Holland stands with his wife, Sister Patricia Holland.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Patricia Holland, pose in their home in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 14, 2022. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Elder Holland gave an update about recent health challenges and gave thanks for the prayers and many expressions of prayers and well wishes for him and his wife, Sister Patricia Holland. The Church News revisited a video of the Hollands speaking about their health concerns and how they’ve drawn closer to the Lord. “I have felt like everything I have done that’s been a challenge has driven me closer and closer to the Lord — everything. I don’t think you can have light without having darkness, and that kind of hope carries you,” Sister Holland says.

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Elder Holland shares an update on his health

4. New Global Distribution Services Center will provide and distribute Church materials to members around the world

A man in a black suit standing in a factory.
Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé talks about the new Global Distribution Services Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, June 8, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Bishop Gérald Caussé dedicated a new Global Distribution Services Center in Salt Lake City that will provide and distribute Church materials to members around the world, which, according to Bishop Caussé, will “help in the great and holy work of saving souls.

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New Global Distribution Services Center will provide and distribute Church materials to members around the world

5. President Cordon addresses Latter-day Saint cadets at U.S. Air Force Academy

Left to right: Second Lieutenant Joshua T. Sorensen, Second Lieutenant Elisabeth R. Lopez, Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon, Brother Derek Cordon and Elder Richard S. Hutchins, Area Seventy, at Doolittle Hall at the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 27, 2023.
Left to right: 2nd Lieutenant Joshua T. Sorensen, 2nd Lieutenant Elisabeth R. Lopez, Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon, Brother Derek Cordon, Elder Richard S. Hutchins, Area Seventy, at Doolittle Hall at the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 27, 2023. | Peggy Kinnaird for the Church News

Young Women General President Bonnie H. Cordon addressed Latter-day Saint cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, saying, “I’m so impressed with who you are and what grand things the Lord has in store for you. I hope you realize that you are loved and known.”

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6. What the metaphor of ‘a cloud of witnesses’ means to President Porter

A woman in a blue suit coat posing for a picture with a family.
Primary General President Susan H. Porter poses for a photo with a BYU–Idaho student and her family following a devotional in the BYU–I Center on the Rexburg, Idaho, campus on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. | Mike Lewis, BYU–Idaho

Primary General President Susan H. Porter spoke to students and faculty gathered during a BYU–Idaho devotional on Tuesday, June 6, in the BYU–I Center on the Rexburg, Idaho, campus. President Porter taught that In times of spiritual drought, remembering past witnesses can provide rain for parched souls.

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7. First Presidency letter emphasizes Latter-day Saints’ participation in elections and civic affairs, reaffirms political neutrality

A sign inside a building reads, “vote here.”
Voters line up at Trolley Square in Salt Lake City on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. | Scott G Winterton

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints addressed political participation, voting and the political neutrality of the Church in a June 1 letter that is being read to Latter-day Saints in the United States in their ward and branch sacrament meetings.

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First Presidency letter emphasizes Latter-day Saints’ participation in elections and civic affairs, reaffirms political neutrality

8. Yigo Guam Temple, several meetinghouses remain closed due to damage from May 24 typhoon

Volunteers clean up fallen trees outside the Yigo Guam Temple after Typhoon Mawar.
Volunteers clean up the grounds at the Yigo Guam Temple after Typhoon Mawar hit the island of Guam on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Yigo Guam Temple suffered damage during the downpour and 140 mph winds of Typhoon Mawar, including saturated carpets and furniture, damage to trees and landscaping. Cleanup efforts at the temple and local meetinghouses have been underway for more than a week.

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Yigo Guam Temple, several meetinghouses remain closed due to damage from May 24 typhoon

9. ‘And the truth shall set you free’ — historians discuss the Mountain Meadows Massacre and its aftermath

A headshot of a man in a black suit and tie talking.
Richard E. Turley Jr., former assistant Church historian and recorder and managing director of the Church History Department, and co-author Barbara Brown Jones join the Church News podcast to discuss the Mountain Meadows Massacre and its aftermath. | Screenshot from YouTube

Historians Richard E. Turley Jr. and Barbara Jones Brown joined the Church News podcast to provide context and understanding to one of the grimmest episodes in Church history.

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Episode 139: ‘And the truth shall set you free’ — historians discuss the Mountain Meadows Massacre and its aftermath
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