During the week of Feb. 5 to Feb. 11, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to Portuguese-speaking members in Utah. The Europe Central Area presidency offered a statement of empathy and support following the quake that devastated Turkey and Syria, and The Church of Jesus Christ sent relief to quake victims. Bishop L. Todd Budge, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, spoke to missionaries at the Missionary Training Center.

Three general authorities offered remarks at different Church schools: Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy, at Brigham Young University devotional; Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, General Authority Seventy, at BYU–Idaho devotional; and Elder José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy at a BYU–Pathway devotional. Davis and Asialene Smith, founders of Cotopaxi — an outdoor gear company, were featured on the Church News podcast as they prepare to be mission presidents in the Brazil Recife North Mission.

The Church News posted an article looking at what to expect from RootsTech 2023, including keynotes speakers, Latter-day Saint leadership instruction, localized ‘sideline reporters’ for different parts of the world and more. It was also announced that Kirby Heyborne will be the official emcee for the in-person RootsTech 2023 event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A dedication date for the Helena Montana Temple was announced. The Church released a new augmented reality map of the Holy Land to enhance users’ scripture study. The Church News published a feature about members of a Church branch in Niue, a small, remote island country in the South Pacific, who traveled 1,700 miles to the New Zealand temple in January.

Read summaries of these nine articles below.

1. Find shelter in Christ from life’s tornadoes, Elder Soares tells Portuguese-speaking members in Utah

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles greets visitors during a Utah Area devotional for Portuguese speakers at the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah, on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.

Ryan Sun, Deseret News

In the first devotional of its kind for Portuguese-speaking members in the Utah Area, Elder Soares was joined by his wife, Sister Rosana Soares, and Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Sister Monica Godoy, each of whom spoke. About 3,500 attended the devotional at the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse on the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, Utah.

2. Europe Central Area presidency offers statement of empathy, support following quake in Turkey, Syria; how the Church is sending initial relief

Emergency team members pause for a moment as they search for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. A powerful quake has knocked down multiple buildings in southeast Turkey and Syria and many casualties are feared.

Khalil Hamra, Associated Press

The Europe Central Area presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement of empathy and support in response to the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, Feb. 6

Published the same day on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the statement is signed by the three General Authority Seventies who comprise the Church’s Europe Central Area presidency — Elder Massimo De Feo, president, and his counselors Elder Erich W. Kopischke and Elder Rubén V. Alliaud.

On Feb. 10, the Church reported it is sending an initial shipment of food, clothes, blankets, medical supplies, medicines, shelters, water, sanitation kits and other items to the victims of the back-to-back quakes of 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude.

3. Loving your neighbor ‘is a choice,’ says Bishop Budge to MTC missionaries

Presiding Bishopric Second Counselor L. Todd Budge speaks during the Provo Missionary Training Center devotional Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Provo, Utah.

Mark Lineback

Bishop Budge addressed missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center on Tuesday, Feb. 7. His wife, Sister Lori Budge, gave brief remarks as well. Their messages centered around loving others, sharing the Savior’s light and inviting others to repent.

4. Church leaders counsel at school devotionals

Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy, speaks during a BYU campus devotional in the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.

Christi Norris, BYU

Elder Bragg shared a message focused on leadership, as illustrated by Jesus Christ, during the Brigham Young University weekly devotional on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

In a devotional address to BYU–Idaho students on the same day, Elder Meredith used the process of calling a new stake president to teach principles for making decisions based on revelation.

Quoting President Russell M. Nelson, Elder Teixeira invited listeners to “make time for the Lord” and to “build a firm foundation that can stand the test of time,” while speaking at a BYU–Pathway devotional on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

5. Episode 122: Cotopaxi founders Davis and Asialene Smith on stepping away from their company to serve as mission leaders in Brazil

In Episode 122 of the Church News podcast, Cotopaxi gear founder Davis Smith and his wife, Asialene Smith, share about their call to lead the Brazil Recife North Mission.

Screenshot YouTube

Leaving Cotopaxi and other interests behind, the Smiths will lead the Brazil Recife North Mission, beginning July 1, 2023. They share how their calling was extended, what consecration means to them, what they are doing to prepare for full-time missionary work, and how the Lord has shaped and directed their lives.

6. What online and in-person participants can expect to find at RootsTech 2023

Thousands attend RootsTech in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. RootsTech 2023 will offer both in-person and online options.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

RootsTech 2023 organizers hope to see its virtual growth continue while setting a modest goal for in-person attendance in the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, March 2-4, said Jen Allen, director of events at FamilySearch.

Kirby Heyborne, actor, songwriter, singer, comedian and narrator, will be the official emcee for the in-person RootsTech 2023 event in Salt Lake City, Utah, FamilySearch announced Wednesday in a blog post.

7. Dedication, open house dates set for Helena Montana Temple

Exterior rendering of the Helena Montana Temple. The temple was announced April 4, 2021. The rendering was released less than three weeks later.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has scheduled a June 18 dedication date for the Helena Montana Temple — just under two years since the temple’s groundbreaking and less than 27 months after a temple for Helena was initially announced. 

8. Enhance your ‘Come, Follow Me’ New Testament study with this new AR map of the Holy Land

A new augmented reality study tool for the New Testament brings to life key events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in the Holy Land.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church’s new augmented reality map of the Holy Land allows users will find links to scriptures, videos, articles and/or images to enhance their study. The tool is available at virtualtours.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/lifeofchristmap in 24 languages through the end of the year.

9. For the first time in nearly 30 years, Latter-day Saints from the remote island of Niue organize temple trip

Members of the Lakepa-Toi Branch in Niue, a small island nation in the South Pacific, gather for a photo outside the Hamilton New Zealand Temple in January 2023. The temple trip marked the first time in nearly 30 years the branch was able to organize a temple trip.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This past month, a group of Niuean youth and individuals from the Lakepa-Toi Branch were able to travel the 2,484 km, or about 1,700 miles, to the Hamilton New Zealand Temple — the first branch temple trip in 27 years.