This will be the state’s first house of the Lord for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As announced in February, the Rapid City temple is projected to be a single-story structure of 11,800 square feet.

It will be built on a 4.86-acre site at the northeast corner of Mount Rushmore Road and Moon Meadows Drive in Rapid City, South Dakota. Also planned for the grounds is an accompanying ancillary building.

The rendering was released Monday, May 11, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

On April 6, 2025, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Rapid City. It was one of the last 15 temples he announced as Prophet, before his death later that year.

Among those thrilled to hear the temple announced was Rapid City South Dakota Stake President M. Troy Nesbit. “We are so happy to have a temple near us and to be able to share this blessing with our community,” he told the Church News in April 2025.

President Nesbit added that local Latter-day Saints would take quarterly bus trips to the Bismarck North Dakota Temple, a five-hour ride each way. “The bus leaves the stake center at 3:30 in the morning. The bus is full and has been for years.”

Missionary work began in South Dakota in May 1883. A branch was established in October 1924 in Rapid City, which is also where the state’s first stake was created in 1972.

Before the end of the decade, a second stake was created, in Sioux Falls in November 1979.

Today, more than 12,000 Latter-day Saints live in South Dakota, meeting in about 30 wards and branches.

Rendering updated for 2nd temple in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rapid City’s Light the World float shines at Festival of Lights Parade

Read more Church News coverage of temples

“It is in the temple that eternal covenants are made that bind us and our families to our Heavenly Father and to one another for eternity,” he wrote.

On Friday, May 8, President Oaks visited Salt Lake City’s historic house of the Lord with his counselors — President Henry B. Eyring and President D. Todd Christofferson — as well as Sister Kristen M. Oaks and Sister Kathy Christofferson.

They were joined by the members of the Presiding Bishopric — Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, Bishop L. Todd Budge and Bishop Sean Douglas — who manage the temporal affairs of the Church.

Information about this tour was also published in a May 8 news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

According to the news release, this tour came the month after President Oaks had a hip replacement surgery on April 15. He said the tour was a welcome part of his ongoing recovery, noted the news release.

Ongoing recovery normally lasts from three to four months but allows him to continue working in office and other assignments. President Oaks also expressed gratitude to the doctors who have attended to him.

“The opportunity to tour the temple today was a welcome chance to be with my brothers in the First Presidency in a place we cherish,” President Oaks said. “I have been looking forward to this opportunity to see firsthand the progress of this important project.”

On social media, President Oaks mentioned the Salt Lake Temple Celebration and open house, planned for April through October 2027.

“We look forward to teaching about the sacred purposes of temples throughout the world. In the temple, faithful men and women receive divine instruction, sacred responsibilities and spiritual power,” he said.

About Salt Lake Temple renovations

The Salt Lake Temple was closed on Dec. 29, 2019, to undergo extensive renovations for three main reasons: to upgrade the building seismically, preserve the historic craftsmanship and double the capacity of the temple.

In the October 2025 general conference, President Oaks testified that “essential to our doctrine on the family is the temple. The ordinances received there enable us to return as eternal families to the presence of our Heavenly Father.”

On Monday, May 18, the Temple Square Visitors’ Center will open to the public. The facility focuses on the Savior, with elements designed to help individuals understand the purpose of houses of the Lord and their role in the plan of salvation.

‘We’re being led by the Spirit’: How divine guidance and prophetic direction have guided Salt Lake Temple renovations

See photos of the First Presidency touring the Salt Lake Temple in December 2025

Read more Church News coverage of Salt Lake Temple renovations

In a video message shown during the April 30 commencement ceremony, Elder Rasband invited the semester’s 9,506 graduates: “Diminish what you may consider the bad in people, and build up their good points, and you will always be blessed in return by how you treat people with love.”

A senior leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Rasband was one of three honorary degree recipients at the ceremony — alongside Clark Ivory, CEO of Ivory Homes, Utah’s No. 1 homebuilder for more than 30 years; and Meeche White, who has advocated for disabled athletes and access to adaptive athletics throughout her life.

According to the college’s website, University of Utah President Taylor Randall said: “Clark, Ronald and Meeche have built, led and served in ways that strengthen communities, expand opportunity and change lives. They represent the kind of leadership we hope our graduates will carry forward, grounded in purpose, driven by innovation and committed to serving others.”

Katie Eccles, chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of Utah, presented Elder Rasband with the degree on behalf of the college. She said it was “in recognition of his critical support of Utah’s public and private higher education institutions, his long career as a business leader in the community and with appreciation for his compassionate work as a world faith leader.”

A full-circle moment

For Elder Rasband, this honorary doctorate brings him “full circle.”

While attending the University of Utah his senior year, he received a job offer from Jon M. Huntsman Sr. to work at Huntsman Container Corporation, now known as Huntsman Corporation. So, Elder Rasband left college in 1976, before completing his degree, to take the senior marketing position in Ohio.

He worked at the company for the next 22 years, including as president and chief operating officer for nine years. He would later be called as a mission president in 1996 and has served as a general authority since 2000.

Having not received his degree as a young adult, “I have felt that that side of me has been deficient,” he said, according to the U of U website. “Even though I was given a great opportunity to go with the great entrepreneur Jon Huntsman, I have always had a little bit of a sad part of my heart.”

He added that now receiving a degree from his college is a humbling experience. “For the University of Utah to offer me an honorary doctorate means so much because I had to leave when I was within sight of getting my degree.”

Elder Rasband has supported Utah’s education institutions, including serving on the advisory boards of the U of U’s International Center and BYU’s Marriott School of Business. He also served as the chairman of the executive committee of the Church Board of Education, where he oversaw all education facilities and operations.

Looking back, Elder Rasband offered this advice to graduates: “Love who you are called, assigned, chosen to work with, serve with, marry, raise up as children. Love your fellow man. Look for the good in people.”

2025: Who is J. Clifford Wallace, BYU’s honorary doctorate recipient?

2023: ‘Get understanding,’ Elder Gary E. Stevenson says as he receives honorary doctorate at Utah State University

2021: President Nelson receives honorary doctorate from the University of Utah

On this episode of the Church News podcast, Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Family History Department and FamilySearch International, joins Church News reporter Mary Richards to discuss how tools, resources and growing interest are helping connect families on both sides of the veil.

Elder Bragg reminds listeners that Latter-day Saints are promised greater blessings, understanding and a bolstered testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement as they gather family names to bring to the house of the Lord.

Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript:

Elder Mark A. Bragg: You know what I would love to see? As we add what we know, add photos, how great would it be that when you go into the baptistry, not only does the name of the individual that you’re being baptized for, their photo comes up, right? Maybe a little bit of information about them. You know, I think technology is getting to a point where we could probably do something like that. And it’ll just develop even a greater connection with our ancestors or with the individuals for whom we are performing those ordinances.

0:30

Mary Richards: This is Mary Richards, reporter at the Church News. Welcome to the Church News podcast. Today, we are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Bragg, when you think about RootsTech being such a global event and really with such glad tidings, I think, is such a way to frame this event.

What do you think about why it is so widely attended and so widely loved?

1:00

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Well, I mean, the simple answer is that it’s a manifestation of the Holy Ghost. Sometimes we call it the spirit of Elijah, but it does touch hearts. I think that in a time where people are able to just isolate themselves with games, with the internet, just in their room, I think they long for a connection. And so here you have this great event that comes along, and they’re able to go on and hear about how they could find out about their families. They can do some fun things like, “Do I have other relatives that are attending this event?”

And so I just think that it’s twofold. It’s the spirit of this great work moving forward, the Holy Ghost touching hearts, prompting people to connect. And then that longing to connect, to belong. When we’re teaching the gospel, we always say, “Well, where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going?” Well, that question, “Where do we come from?” it also applies to: Where do we come from globally? Where do we come from in our family? And I think that it is an eternal question that really resonates with people. And I think that’s why it has taken off as much as it has. I think it’s an opportunity for people to connect.

2:31

Mary Richards: Yes. That theme from 2026, “Together,” really encompasses that. And I think about the themes from previous years: “Discover,” “Remember.”

Can you expound on those themes?

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah. I love that we keep it simple. And it’s one term, one word, but it can mean so many things. So “Together” — this year, together — together we find our ancestors. Together, members of the Church can take their ancestors, accompany them to the temple, do the work for them together. They can celebrate together.

I think that is another really, really important part of this message, that you’re not alone. You’re never alone. And I love it. I love it when you have new converts that will say, “Well, I’m the only member of the Church in my family,” and we have this opportunity to say, “You’re probably not. You’ve got ancestors on this side of the veil who have heard about the gospel. Maybe they’ve accepted it. Maybe they’ve had the work done. But you can guarantee this by going in and doing the work for your ancestors.”

So this together, meaning you’re not alone. And together we can find, and I think this is important to think about the records custodians and the archivists. We can’t do this without them. So the message to them is: Together we can work together to preserve these sacred memories.

3:55

Mary Richards: Yes. Tell me more about records historians and archivists. What a role they play.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: I was just traveling through Europe, and we visited numerous archives. And the work that they do, and sometimes in darkrooms down in a basement, the way that they preserve and the way that they so lovingly collect their documents. We work with all kinds of records custodians, archivists, to help them preserve records at risk, to help them preserve digitally vital records. And we do that to help them, but it also helps us as we try to build this tree of humanity, get the records, get the vital information, so that we can continue to build this great tree.

And I think that is the ultimate gift that we could give our Heavenly Father, that we have remembered all of His children, that we have connected all of them. And I think everything that we can do, that’s what’s important.

Can I tell you a story? We were just in an archive in Vienna, a Lutheran archive, and the archivist is really supportive, and so we’re digitizing. And they took me down quite literally to the basement, where these two sisters, volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they were down there in a room half the size of the room we’re in, no windows. And they’re just digitizing eight to ten hours a day for 18 months. And they feel like they’re in heaven.

These two sisters had been going on missions. They met each other, they didn’t really know each other, they met each other about 10 years ago. They said, “Yeah, we ought to go on a family history mission.” So they went down to Australia, loved it. So then they came here to Salt Lake and did another mission. Then they went to the Midwest, did another mission. And then they heard about this opportunity in Vienna. They don’t speak the language. They said, “This would be fantastic.”

So for the last decade, quite literally, almost nonstop, they’ve just been serving a family history mission. And so then we ask the archivist, “How do you like them? They get along? Everything going OK?” And he’s just like: “These are the greatest people I’ve ever met in my life. They are so captured by this work.” And he says, “It inspires me to want to do more.” So, we can’t do this work without them, and we can’t say enough how appreciative we are of all that they do.

The other thing, we get to go to these archives, and we get to see these treasures. I always ask, “What’s your greatest treasure?” And last week, we were in Marburg, Germany, and St. Elizabeth is from Marburg, Germany. And they showed us this decree, I think it was from Pope Gregory, from the 700s, canonizing Elizabeth, and it’s just right there in your hands. It’s incredible the things that are captured in the world today, and we just never want to lose them.

7:16

Mary Richards: And we’re working together on all of that.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah, exactly.

Mary Richards: You might be inspiring some people to want to serve a mission.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Well, I hope so. We need them.

Mary Richards: Those who are listening, that’s something to think about, and the work that can be done.

I think, too, about how: I’m not a professional, but what is my part to play in family history, temple and family history?

7:34

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah, so this is the great question. And I want to answer this the right way. The best thing you can do is just go onto FamilySearch and add what you know. Start with the Savior. This is His work. He’ll lead you. He’ll inspire you. This is His, as He says, His work and His glory (see Moses 1:39).

But then you just go and add what you know — photos, documents, just start that — and that will touch your heart. And then if you’ll just go on to Ordinances Ready, all the work that’s being done by members and individuals throughout the world to build this tree, what we’re doing with artificial intelligence to help build the tree, you’ll see, you’ll go onto Ordinances Ready, and you’ll see members of your family, ancestors that need ordinances.

So the one thing I talk about is as glorious as this effort is to find our ancestors — and I love it, and it’s important — the finding does not exalt them. It’s the ordinances performed in the house of the Lord that allow them to progress and to be linked for eternity and to be with us in the celestial kingdom.

So I sometimes fear that we might fall short in our vision where we say, “OK, the finding is everything.” No, the main thing, what we say here in the Family History Department a lot, is the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is helping our ancestors receive the ordinances necessary to make the covenants that are required and to live a life that will allow them and to learn the things that they need to do and understand to be able to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

9:29

Mary Richards: This is why so many temples, so many houses of the Lord are being built closer to the people for their own saving ordinances, but for those on the other side of the veil, gathering Israel on both sides of the veil.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah. And that is the glory that we’re experiencing right now. We’re entering into this new, really incredible phase. So, what does the Lord know that we don’t know? He inspired President Monson and President Nelson in particular and is inspiring President Oaks to announce temples and build temples and dedicate temples.

But if we just continue to do things as we did in the past, we’d never be able to have enough names to take to the temple. But in His wisdom, He allows for the discovery of artificial intelligence and other scientific advances with DNA and other things that someday will play a big part in all of this.

But I just marvel at the timing. He inspires His prophets to really accelerate the building of temples worldwide, getting them close to the people. And knowing that we would have to be able to catch up to that, keep up with that, and even get ahead of that, He allows for the creation of artificial intelligence and other advances that will allow us to create this great tree, to stitch together this disparate information into trees.

We can buy a book that has just a dense book of family history information in a farmland in Germany — it’s literally what we’ve done — and we can scan it, upload it. And there’s programs now that can scrape that information and populate a tree that we can then put into the FamilySearch tree, which we couldn’t even imagine doing five years ago, but we need it now. And so that’s what we’re doing.

11:37

Mary Richards: I love that. And I want to go back to what you said, because it was at RootsTech in 2025, we heard Elder Neil L. Andersen and President Jeffrey R. Holland talking about adding what you know. And that really stuck with me.

And the Ordinances Ready, whenever my boys — I have three young men at my house and a returned missionary at BYU — and whenever we go to the temple, it’s immediately: “What names? Who is this?” and “I want to learn more about them, this name of somebody that I’m taking to the temple that came from FamilySearch.” And it just connects us so much. And you think about who came before.

Tell me more about this idea of getting the youth involved. How do we make it more — I mean, I’m trying with my boys. What other ways can we help get the youth more involved?

12:22

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Well, before I answer that — and I’ll come back to that, OK? This add, which you know is so important, and I’ve been a beneficiary of this. I had some information. I added it to my family tree on one of my ancestors. I put down the information that this ancestor literally told me — well, his son told me — this is where he was born, this is where he died. And I put that information in. I hadn’t found it, but I put it in.

And because we have other people that can look at your tree and add to your tree and can help you out, this one individual did the research, found birth records and death records, and I was wrong. So this family tradition that we had always heard, “Here’s where he was born, and here’s where —” it was incorrect. And so you add what you know, and then others will be inspired to help you out in your journey. So I love that.

Now, with the youth. We talked about Ordinances Ready. I think that’s a really important thing for the youth. I think the ability of a young woman to, as she’s walking up the stairs to the temple, she can go onto Ordinances Ready, find all of her ancestors that need the baptism and go in and do those baptisms for her ancestors. So I think there’s an immediate connection.

Back in 2011, Elder [David A.] Bednar spoke about the blessings of family history, particularly for the rising generation. And he talked about how it would increase their testimony, it would protect them against the challenges of this world, it would help them in every aspect of their life, spiritually and temporally. So it’s important that we get them involved.

And I think we talk about the weekly coordination meetings in the wards for missionary work and for temple and family history. And so in those coordinating meetings, they’re supposed to have the youth, the young men and young women, in both of those, to help them help their peers get involved in the work of salvation and exaltation on both sides of the veil.

So I just think that we try to make it interesting. I mean, there are some fun things you can do on FamilySearch. And there’s a balance there. We want to have people go and enjoy their time on FamilySearch. And so you can find your connection to famous people, or you can upload your photo and it searches all the photos in your family tree to see who you look like.

Mary Richards: I love that.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: You like that?

Mary Richards: And I looked like my grandma, and I was so happy.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Oh, how great is that?

Mary Richards: I loved her.

15:10

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Oh, well, you’re lucky. Mine wasn’t as flattering as that. So, we do some things like that to make it interesting. But again — and I learned this from President Eyring — let’s not take our focus off the really important part of this. And the really important part of this — the fun things are great, and maybe it’ll bring you in — but the important thing is developing, is having our hearts turned, having our hearts turned to our ancestors.

And I’ll tell you this: I guarantee you, I guarantee you, their hearts are already turned to us. They’re thinking about us. They’re praying for us. You think of an individual, and you’ve heard this a lot, our good friend Paul, who’s in the room, he’s a convert to the Church. Only one in his family. And you see this all through the world. Only one in their family. Well, I am convinced that it’s ancestors on the other side of the veil praying for the missionaries or for the members to talk to someone that they know has an open heart and they’ll accept the gospel so that they will do their work in the temple.

We’re in an unprecedented time of baptisms, convert baptisms. But every mission president, every missionary can set a baptismal date. You can do it, and you can be pretty much guaranteed you can go use the font anytime. You set it anytime, any date, and you’ll get it done. Those on the other side of the veil are waiting for us. They cannot set their own baptismal date. We have to do that for them.

This is why I know their hearts are turned to us. We don’t have to worry about that. We just need to make sure our hearts are turned to them and find them and love them and accompany them to the house of the Lord.

Mary Richards: Yes. My son, on his mission in Bolivia, I think when he would speak to people about our Church and the gospel and covenants and sealings, that really, really spoke to their hearts. Don’t you think there’s just something, like you said, it’s the Spirit touching them? “This is truth, and I want to be a part of this.”

17:15

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah. I will never forget: It was either the first or second general authority — or not general authority, excuse me — leadership meeting around general conference that he had as Prophet of the Church, President of the Church. And he made a comment, something like, “The ultimate reason, the real reason, why anyone would want to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to be sealed to their family forever, for eternity.” And that hit me. That’s the real reason.

And we talk about other things, but in the voice of a Prophet, the real reason, if we explained it properly, the main reason why anyone would want to join the Church would be so that they could be sealed to their family for eternity. And that’s powerful.

So, of course, if that’s the highest desire of the Prophet, you know it’s the highest desire of the Savior and our Heavenly Father. So, when you speak that truth, like you just said, when you speak that truth, it resonates. It is impactful. And it changes lives.

18:23

Mary Richards: Yeah. This is so beautiful because I think about how everything you’ve been talking about, but I’ll ask it to you, I guess, formally.

How does everything ultimately tie to the Savior and making covenants with Him and with Heavenly Father?

18:38

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Well, it all ultimately ties there because everything we do directs people to the house of the Lord, to the temple. So everything that we do. In President Oaks’ last conference talk, it starts by saying the purpose of the Church is to exalt families. And the prophets always point us to the temple. We have to realize what that means, that everything that we do should lead us to gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil. And that’s always going to lead you to the temple.

So, what I learned — you and I had a couple of opportunities to work together — and as president of the North America West Area, I had this beautiful opportunity for four years to work with Elder Bednar. And Elder Bednar, I remember I was going to do the media day at the Feather River [California] Temple. And so I had an assignment with him the weekend before, and then this was on Tuesday, the following Tuesday. So I was just going to stay up in the Bay Area and do this in Yuba City.

And I asked him, “What should I say? Give me some counsel.” And he said, “The best thing you can do is that when you’re giving your remarks, you refer to the temple as often as you can as the house of the Lord.” And I thought, “That’s not helpful at all.” I just didn’t think that was great advice. But I was obedient, and so I went, and in my comments, I think I went seven for 11. I think seven times I said “house of the Lord,” and a couple of times I said “temple.”

But it’s true. His point is when you say “house of the Lord,” you start to think about what happens in the temple. When you say “temple,” you think of the structure, and it’s a beautiful structure, but “house of the Lord” forces you to think about what goes on inside.

And the great thing there was as I mentioned that, the next speaker was a city councilman, not a member of the Church. He referred to it almost exclusively as the house of the Lord. And then the mayor, who was not a member of our faith, did the same thing. And even the Sacramento Bee referred to it as house of the Lord. So there is power in doing that. So I had to go back and say, “Listen, I doubted you. I apologize. It was great advice.”

Mary Richards: You repented.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah, I repented very, very quickly.

21:15

Mary Richards: We were in Maui together after the fires there, and you spoke to the youth. And I remember you said that to them as well. This was before a house of the Lord was announced for Maui, but they wanted one. I remember that they — I think everybody wants one — but that I remember you telling them, “Refer to it as the house of the Lord,” and then that’s where your mindset goes, like you explained.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: That’s right.

Mary Richards: And now they’re getting one in Maui.

21:40

Elder Mark A. Bragg: They are. And they’re so excited about it. But that’s how we tie everything that we do. So, in the Family History Department, you can start to focus on a lot of different metrics — associated with FamilySearch and what’s going on in family history — but if we focus on, again, keeping the main thing the main thing, if we focus on Ordinances Ready names, if we focus on taking our ancestors, accompanying them — I like to use the word “accompany” them to the temple — to help them receive the ordinances that they need for exaltation, then it’s always naturally going to turn to the Lord, because that’s the focus.

22:21

Mary Richards: Yes. And turning our hearts to our ancestors. And I think, too, I tend to like to look for studies. I don’t know, I feel like it kind of helps justify my thoughts. And I’ll see studies that are done saying how much family history and knowing about where you came from helps your own sense of identity. And maybe that’s a secular study, but it’s all scriptural. It’s all doctrinal, this idea that when we know where we’re coming from and we’ve connected to our past. And now, like you said, we accompany them to the house of the Lord, there’s a strength in that that we’re getting from each other.

22:56

Elder Mark A. Bragg: I love that, because I think there are times where we say, “Oh, gosh, that study, that’s doctrinal.” It shouldn’t surprise us, because the doctrine is pure. The doctrine is truth. It’s eternal. So we should never be surprised when a study supports what we believed all along. But I do the same thing.

But the interesting thing about — there’s a study, Emory University, and the impact of family history on the rising generation, the youth. And what they determined was it does. It does give you this sense of belonging. It strengthens them. But there’s another nuance to it. It’s learning about the ups and downs of our ancestors, the challenges, the resiliency of our ancestors that allows us to say, “OK, I can do this. I can get through this.”

Going back to another experience, one of the archives we visited was in Warsaw, Poland. And we asked that question again: “So, tell me, what’s one of the treasures in this archive?” And you know what she brought out? She brought out the maps that were drawn up after the city of Warsaw was just absolutely decimated; 80% of the city was destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people killed towards the end of the war. And her treasure was this was the map that was drawn up to say, “Here’s how we’re going to rebuild the city.”

And she talked about her ancestors that lived through that and some who died in that. And you could just see the strength that she got from that. And all of the people in that part of the world, that they said, “We can get through this. Whatever’s in our way right now in 2026, we can get through this because we have this in our DNA. We got through something much, much worse.” And I think that’s the key, is not only knowing the names but knowing the people. I think that’s key to this.

25:05

Mary Richards: Oh, I love that. And as well, as we join as more and more — my dad was a convert but I feel connected also to the broader Church as well, not just the pioneers who crossed the plains, but pioneers in every land who are learning from that resilience. They’re resilient themselves.

What advice do you have for those — and we’ve talked about this a little bit already — who are new to the Church, and they think, “Well, other people, they know how to do this.” Does it go back to adding what you know?

25:32

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah. Well, I think it’s two things. It absolutely is add what you know. Now, in the very first week, they can have their interview with the bishop and get their temple recommend, and the bishop at the same time can go on to Family Name Assist, which is on the system, or any member of the ward council can go on and help them get their FamilySearch account and put information in about their ancestors and literally go and do the work right away. So I think that’s part of it.

But I think we have so many wonderful people, temple and family history consultants throughout the world, that can help with this. And the key is to not complicate it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. It’s faith, it’s repentance, it’s baptism, it’s gift of the Holy Ghost, and it’s enduring to the end. And everything else kind of falls in that.

And I think that sometimes our love of family history research sometimes makes us complicated. It shouldn’t be that complicated. Just add what you know. And then, I think there’s a great deal of humility when we allow others to help us. So then, allow others. You don’t have to have the responsibility to do all of this research. We have experts that can help you.

So, what we’re seeing in Europe, for example, they’ll get a new convert — and I just presented this to the Quorum of the Twelve — there was a new convert in Aberdeen, Scotland, and he got baptized. And within a really short period of time, the temple and family history consultant met with him, got as much information as he could; wasn’t a lot, enough. And then the consultant went away for about two weeks and then came back with this tree of over a hundred names and then said, “Here, Paul” — that’s his name — “Paul, you just go and do this glorious temple work for your family, for your ancestors. Don’t worry about finding it and researching it. This is our gift to you. So you only have to focus on that.”

And I think we can do more of that, help our new converts, help people. And then they’ll get it. They’ll want to get more involved in it. But let’s not bog people down. Certainly, in particular at the beginning, I think we can help them find and, most importantly, take their ancestors, accompany their ancestors, to the house of the Lord.

28:10

Mary Richards: Yes. You’re making me think immediately of the fact that we have people who are called and set apart. There’s a power that comes with being set apart for that calling.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Absolutely.

Mary Richards: Yes. And then they can be a part of that with you. And like you said, I think there’s probably a study somewhere that our new converts, if they are in the house of the Lord often, that’s just a beautiful thing for them and their testimonies.

28:33

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Well, it is; for them, for their spirituality and for their sense of connection to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And so their retention is much, much higher. The sooner we can get them — again, it’s not complicated — get them a calling. If they’re male, get them the priesthood. Get them a temple recommend. And get them into the house of the Lord, doing work for their ancestors. Then those roots really start to develop.

29:07

Mary Richards: And same for our longtime members. Don’t just think, “Oh, that’s for somebody else.” Everybody can be doing this.

Elder Mark A. Bragg: That’s right.

Mary Richards: And those ancestors, like you said, are maybe paving the way, opening, softening some hearts, getting it ready.

29:19

Elder Mark A. Bragg: No doubt. And that’s why we’ve — I know we’ve spoken about it a couple of times, but that’s why Ordinances Ready is so great, because anybody can get on FamilySearch, open up Ordinances Ready, and the algorithm will find someone in your tree. And if there’s not someone in your tree that needs ordinances done — which could happen, but it doesn’t happen very often — then it’ll look at those in your ward who have ancestors, and they’ve submitted these names to the temple that can be done by other people, and they’ll search your ward. And then if that’s not available, then they’ll search your stake.

But certainly in the United States — and it’s growing throughout the world, of course — but certainly in the United States, you’re about 100% hit rate. You’re going to find someone to take, to accompany, to the temple.

Mary Richards: I love doing that. I’ve said to people I love doing that with my boys, baptisms. And it’s just so neat to talk to them about this ancestor, and now they’re going to go, yeah.

30:14

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Listen, I don’t know — you know what I would love to see is as we add what we know, add photos, how great would it be that when you go into the baptistry, not only does the name of the individual that you’re being baptized for, their photo comes up, maybe a little bit of information about them. I think technology is getting to a point where we could probably do something like that. And it’ll just develop even a greater connection with our ancestors or with the individuals for whom we are performing those ordinances.

30:48

Mary Richards: Yes. What do you wish more Church members knew and understood about temple and family history?

Elder Mark A. Bragg: I’ve had this impression since I was so blessed to receive this assignment just last August. I wish people would understand that the Lord is pleased with them, that they’re doing — I might even get emotional about this — that they’re doing great things. And listen, there’s always more we can do. So just add what you know, but I know the Lord would say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Keep doing those great things.” And as you get involved in it and feel that Spirit, it’ll take off, and it’ll be glorious.

But I guess I wish the members would know that they’re really doing great things. And we wouldn’t be where we are without these great members. We’ve spoken about some of them and these temple and family history consultants and these great bishops and stake presidents and Relief Society presidents and elders quorum presidents and youth. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we’re at. So, my prayer would be that they’ll just take a moment and say, “All right, we’re doing OK. We’re doing OK.”

32:05

Mary Richards: Yes. This leads, I think, perfectly to our last question on the Church News podcast, as always, “What do you know now?” And we give our guests the last word, so you’ll have the last word and the opportunity to bear a testimony, if you’d like, about this whole subject we’ve been talking about.

And so I would love to know, Elder Bragg, what do you know now about temple and family history leading us to the Savior, helping us gather Israel and prepare the world for His Second Coming?

32:35

Elder Mark A. Bragg: Yeah, a couple things come to mind. One is — and it came to me, I won’t take the time to look it up, but if you look up Elder [Quentin L.] Cook’s talk from a couple of years ago, “Roots and Branches,” he spoke about Heber C. Kimball’s wife, Vilate, who spoke about hearing for the first time from Joseph Smith about this great work of salvation, exaltation and doing proxy baptisms. And she thought, “This is incredible. I want to do this for my mother.” And she wrote Heber C. Kimball the excitement that she felt.

And I hope we feel that excitement, because I think sometimes we feel guilt. We feel, “Oh, I’m not doing enough. I’ve got to do this. I’ve got to get my family history work done.” And even just saying it, it’s just there’s a burden. And I have loved going back and reading the words of the early Saints as they heard about this work.

And the scriptures, section 124 talks about this was — and section 128 — this work, this effort for our ancestors, was put in place before the foundation of this world. So it was from the very beginning. This wasn’t something that we had to think of, “Oh, what do we do for those that didn’t hear about Jesus Christ?” No, no, no, this was from the very beginning. And so the early Saints, they received it with joy and were like, “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.” And I hope we can be there, because that’s where we need to be. It is joyous.

I’m also — and we started off talking this way — I am amazed at how the Lord leads us. We talked about RootsTech. RootsTech is we’ll probably have 10 million people participating worldwide. And I thought about it. The reason why the internet — well, the reason we can do this is because we have the internet. And the reason we have the internet is to move the work of salvation and exaltation forward. It gets used for a lot of different things, good and bad. But when you break it down, the Lord allowed for the invention of the internet so that we could disseminate the good news more readily, more easily and more broadly.

And so, I have just been amazed, and even in these short number of months, how we’ve reached a crossroads and the Lord’s already there saying, “Here’s the right individual that you need to speak to. Here’s the right technology. Here’s the right company.” And it all just comes together, and then we lurch forward. And so those are the things that I’ve really learned.

And then I can’t emphasize enough the doctrinal nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it’s about individuals. I mean, it’s about families being exalted, but the Lord ministers one by one. And the reason this great work touches us so deeply is because we can help the one. We can literally help the one. And so all of these things have been kind of brewing in my soul as I’ve studied this. And I do; I think the one thing that we have to remember is that as beautiful as this work is, as beautiful as it is to find our ancestors, the glory is in accompanying them to the house of the Lord.

And I guess that would be my testimony, that this is the work and the glory of a loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And They just — we talked about archivists who try to capture all the records and not lose anyone. The greatest at not losing anyone is our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And family history, temple, that is a manifestation of their love for us, that they will never forget the one. And I just bear witness that this is a glorious work. It is the reason why people are starting businesses and reaching out to RootsTech and doing other things, is because the Lord is touching their hearts.

And why? Because He never forgets His children. And so that would be my testimony. I would share with you personally and with anyone else who is listening, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

37:46

Mary Richards: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m Church News reporter Mary Richards. I hope you learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had your faith in the Savior increase by looking through the Church News window as a living record of the Restoration. Please subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; to my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and to others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates about the Church on TheChurchNews.com or on the Church News app.

Listen to more episodes of the Church News podcast

Read more Church News stories about Family History

See RootsTech coverage

On this episode of the Church News podcast, hosted by Church News editor Ryan Jensen, these newly called Church leaders share their testimonies of Jesus Christ, His restored Church and the blessings that come from obedience to His word.

Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript:

Jon Ryan Jensen: Eight new General Authority Seventies and a new Primary general presidency were sustained at the 196th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, April 4, 2026. President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, announced the callings in the Saturday afternoon session of the two-day conference.

I’m Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News. And in this special edition of the Church News podcast, we hear testimonies of these 11 newly called Church leaders as recorded on the Monday following general conference.

0:40

Elder James O. Fantone: Hello, my name is James Fantone from the Philippines, and I am newly called as a General Authority Seventy. And I would like to bear my testimony of the living Christ. I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, lives, and He did what He did for all of us because He loves us. Our Savior atoned for my sins and for your sins. I know that He loves us and He knows us, each and every one of us.

I would also like to bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon. As a young man, I started reading the Book of Mormon, and I have never stopped reading the Book of Mormon. It is indeed another testament of Jesus Christ. Every day, I get the chance to know my Savior even more as I open the Book of Mormon and read it.

I would also like to bear my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that he was the Prophet of the Restoration and that he loves the work of the Lord and that he sacrificed his life so that we can enjoy the gospel even today.

Once again, I would like to bear my testimony that my Savior lives. He lives. He loves each and every one of us. He sacrificed His life, and He taught us how to go back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father has a great plan, and it is called the plan of salvation. It’s a plan of joy. It’s a plan of happiness so that all of us can one day live with Them and experience the life that They truly want all of us to experience, even eternal life.

Once again, I know that God lives, and I share this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

2:24

President Rosemary K. Chibota: My name is Rosemary Khwimani Chibota, and I’ve just been called as the Primary general president. So, the principle of the gospel that has come to the forefront of my mind in the last few weeks since I received this call is the principle of obedience and humility, being teachable. Heavenly Father has taught us in 3 Nephi that we need to become like little children (see 3 Nephi 11:37-38). He actually said that a couple of times, showing the importance to become teachable, just like a little child.

And the other things that have been coming and pressed upon my mind is to build a youth that is firm in the faith and of strong minds, just like the army of Helaman was. And I just am so excited to be able to teach these principles to the children of the Church, both young and old. And I just want to share my testimony. I know that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior. I know that He lives. And I’m so grateful for the events of Easter that we’re celebrating at this time.

I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet and that he saw God the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ. And I also have a testimony that today we do have a living prophet on the earth, who’s President Dallin H. Oaks, and also that we do have other men that work with him who are His Apostles and that receive revelation from our Father in Heaven on how to conduct the affairs of the Church.

I am so grateful for prayer. I do have a testimony that Heavenly Father hears all the prayers that we say, and that He speaks to us through prayer and also through the words of our living apostles and prophets and through the scriptures. I have a deep love for the scriptures. And Heavenly Father continues to talk to me and instruct me through His word that was written thousands of years ago. And I am so grateful to live at a time where we do continue to receive revelation. And I share this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

4:35

Elder Kevin J. Hathaway: My name’s Kevin Hathaway. I’m from Idaho Falls, Idaho. I was born and raised in that area. And from the earliest that I can remember, I’ve always had a love for my Savior, Jesus Christ. And I testify that He lives. He’s my Redeemer. That testimony comes from a lot of very small, tender mercies that I’ve experienced in many different experiences throughout my life.

I have a witness of the Book of Mormon, that it’s true. It’s changed my life. It’s brought a lot of joy and happiness into my life. I also have a testimony of living prophets, from Joseph Smith all the way to Dallin H. Oaks. I know that these men speak for our Heavenly Father, and I love them. And I testify of those things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

5:17

Sister Nina M. Garfield: My name is Nina Garfield, and I have most recently been called to be the first counselor in the general Primary presidency. I was born in Tokyo, Japan, but was there for just a short period of just a few months before I moved to the U.S. with my parents. I mostly was raised in Colorado, and then Minnesota we lived, with my husband, and then on to San Francisco. And now I reside in Orem, Utah.

I am so excited for this new calling. I’m so excited to work with the Primary and to visit Primary children and visit with teachers and also with parents of Primary-age children. One of my goals is to try to help parents and Primary organizations learn to teach children more about Jesus Christ and His life and the love that He has for them and that He is there for them.

I want children and parents and teachers to know about the love of Heavenly Father. I want children to know that they are children of our Heavenly Father and He loves them and is aware of them and is there for them and to guide them. I know these things to be true.

I’m grateful for Heavenly Father. I’m grateful for Jesus Christ. I’m grateful for the restored gospel and for the blessings that it has brought into my life. I am a convert to the Church, and I didn’t attend Primary, so this is a great blessing for me to be a part of the Primary now so I can experience being with children and teaching. It’s such a wonderful blessing in my life.

Again, I’m grateful for this wonderful opportunity to work with such fine women and to work in the Primary organization. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

7:33

Elder Hutch U. Fale: My name is Hutch ‘Unga Papalangi Fale. I am from Muʻa, Tongatapu, Tonga. I was born in Provo but moved back there when I was 5 years old. I attended Tonga Side School and Tonga High School before BYU–Hawaii, and then the J. Reuben Clark Law School and the Romney Institute of Public Administration.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to bear my witness of the reality of the resurrected Christ. Recently, while sharing my testimony, Someone kind of interrupted and said, “You know, or do you believe?” And I said, “I meant what I said.” I know that Jesus lives. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and all of His children. And I also know that They speak through Their living prophets on the earth today.

I know that there is safety in remembering who we are and who our true identities are. I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God who conversed with God the Father and Jesus Christ and that through him, the gospel and the priesthood keys necessary to bind families together forever were restored to the earth.

I know He loves me. I know He loves you. And it’s my hope and prayer that we will never forget that. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

9:12

Sister Theresa A. Collins: My name is Theresa Collins, and I’m humbled to have just accepted the responsibility of Primary general presidency second counselor. We live in Draper, Utah. For the last five years, we have been teaching the missionary purpose, both as mission leaders and as mission prep teachers. What a sacred privilege to be doing this with our missionaries as they go to the world.

But it occurs to me that it is very similar to that which we are being asked to do here now as Primary representatives. In the beautiful song, Primary song, “Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.” Are those same words mirrored? “Teach me [what] I must do to live with Him someday.”

I love that “help” and “receive” end up both in the same message. We have the responsibility, the sacred responsibility — as parents, as teachers, as leaders, as mentors, those who have been entrusted with Heavenly Father’s children, the care of them — to teach them, to lead them, to guide them and to help them to receive their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our children will be introduced to their Savior and be prepared to make covenants with Him. The most important one that will occur during Primary is that of baptism. And that will be the first gateway opportunity for them to partner with Him. It’s my strong testimony that as we do so, He enters into our life and walks with us every single day.

I know the power that children have to receive Him. I myself have had many opportunities to learn, to see, to feel the Spirit of my Father in Heaven from a very young age. I knew that He knew me and that He was aware of me, and the power that that gave me to make good decisions throughout my life and to partner with Him later as I made more sacred covenants with Him.

I know the capacity that children have to feel Him and to know Him. And I’m so thrilled to help guide them in this journey that we’ll partner with Him. I bear my witness that He knows every one of His children — not just the young ones but each one of them — and that He will help us as we walk with Him daily. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

11:40

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu: My name is Elder Christian C. Chigbundu. I am from Nigeria. And I’m humbled and delighted to be a member of the Seventy, having been called and sustained yesterday in the general conference.

To me, it’s an opportunity to continue to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord, even to hasten His work in these latter days. I know with all my heart that our Savior, Jesus Christ, lives. He is the head of His kingdom, and I know with all my heart He loves each and every one of us, notwithstanding our challenges and circumstances. I have felt it in my life. I have seen it. And I want to testify that I also know with all my heart that He atoned for our sins, even the cross of Calvary. He took away our sins, our sorrow, our pains. He knows who we are. He knows us by our names.

I testify with all my heart today that no matter whatever each of us are passing through, look up to the Savior. Trust Him. Believe in Him. He knows you. He will hear you. I know today we are blessed with prophets, seers and revelators. As we hearken to their counsel, they will never, never lead us astray.

I know with all my heart that we are in the right place. This is the restored Church on earth today. I know with all my heart that this gospel brings peace, joy and happiness in each and every one of us that will continue to make covenants and remain in that covenant you have made. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

The Lord ‘owns the work,’ says Elder Chigbundu, new General Authority Seventy from Nigeria

13:45

Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan: Dear brothers and sisters, my name is Jeremiah Morgan. I am a new General Authority Seventy. And I come from Liberty, Missouri, the same Liberty, Missouri, you think of when you think of the Liberty Jail. And I’ve lived in Missouri essentially my entire life, in all of those Church history sites. So, grateful for the opportunity to be here and to receive this calling.

My testimony is of many things, but I’ll just focus on a few for today. One, I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I read — or I should say my mother read to me — the Book of Mormon when I was a young boy, and I gained a testimony right then and right there. And I’ve had it ever since. It is a great, great foundation for me and for my testimony of Jesus Christ.

I also have a testimony of Joseph Smith, the Prophet. My middle name is Joseph after the Prophet Joseph Smith. And I’ve always looked up to him and his teachings, his experiences, what he did, his vision, his energy. All of that was unbelievable. And I know that he was a Prophet of God to lead this dispensation.

I also, of course, have a testimony of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer. It is a testimony that I began with as a young boy but I have cultivated my entire life, and it continues to grow and grow. The changes that it effects in my life, the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the blessings that come from it, and from the gospel of Jesus Christ, is remarkable.

I leave with you, my friends, my brothers and sisters, my testimony that this is the Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth today. And I leave that with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

15:30

Elder Paul H. Sinclair: So, I’m Elder Paul Sinclair. I am a General Authority Seventy. I was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and we currently live in London, England.

I love the fact that section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants describes the Church as a “true and living church” (verse 30), because what it says to me is that when we have a living church, it’s based on the fact that we’ve got a living Savior. We’ve got living scriptures. We’ve got living prophets that walk the earth. And all of that becomes part of my testimony that it’s not just globally true but it’s personally true. Those things are alive in my life as well as being true for everyone on the earth. So the fact that we’ve got a living church and living prophets and living scriptures and a living Savior is my testimony.

I don’t know if there’s any special talent or gift or anything like that. But I do know this from my own experience, that whatever situation we find ourselves in — whether it’s of our own making or circumstances beyond our control — that the Lord can take that, He can lay His hands upon it, and He can turn it into something beautiful. So no matter what some situation has had, what impact it has had, on your life in some way, that the Lord can take that and He can make it a beautiful thing.

Isaiah 61:3 is real doctrine, that He can bring beauty from any kind of ashes, that as they’re presented to Him, He puts His hands on it, and He makes it beautiful. And I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

17:06

Elder Matthew J. Eyring: My name is Matthew Eyring, Matthew J. Eyring. I am from Salt Lake City, Utah. I’m a General Authority Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I’d just like to bear witness of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His pivotal role in God’s plan of happiness. Because of Him, we are able to overcome temporal death and spiritual death. We are able to rise from the grave but also rise individually, each one of us personally, because the Savior suffered for our sins, for my sins, and took upon Himself my burdens, in an unselfish way, that I may be able to become more like my Heavenly Father, become more like the Savior, and I can be able to come back to live with Them again together with my family.

I am so grateful for the Father’s plan and for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the sacrifice He has made for me and for every one of us that we might find eternal happiness. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

18:25

Elder Thabo Lebethoa: My name is Thabo Kula James Lebethoa. I’ve just been called as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I’m from Johannesburg, South Africa.

I would like to bear my testimony that I know that God is our Father in Heaven, that He truly cares for us, that He’s given us His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, that through Him we can be able to return and live with Him in the celestial kingdom. I am grateful for the Savior. I know that He is my Redeemer.

I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that it truly is another testament of Jesus Christ. I also have a testimony of the Holy Ghost. I know that He is a personage of Spirit, a member of the Godhead, who testifies of the Father and of the Son. And I share this thought and testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

19:25

Jon Ryan Jensen: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m your host, Church News editor Jon Ryan Jensen. I hope you learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had your faith in the Savior increase by looking through the Church News window as a living record of the Restoration. Please subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; to my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and to others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates about the Church on TheChurchNews.com or on the Church News app.

April 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

Learn more about the incoming Primary general presidency

Find out more about the Church’s 8 new General Authority Seventies

Listen to more episodes of the Church News podcast

The month before, an open house will be held from Thursday, Sept. 10, through Saturday, Sept. 26, excluding Sundays.

A media day will also be held Tuesday, Sept. 8, and invited guests will tour the sacred edifice Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The Oct. 18 dedication, to be held at 10 a.m., will be broadcast to all units in the temple district and rebroadcast at 2 p.m. A presiding authority has not yet been announced.

Information about the open house and dedication was first published May 4 on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Also on Oct. 18, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Managua Nicaragua Temple.

About the Montpelier temple

President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Montpelier, Idaho, on April 3, 2022, during the April 2022 general conference. It was one of 17 temple locations identified at the conference, including one for Idaho’s neighboring state of Montana.

The next year, ground was broken for the Montpelier temple on June 17, 2023. Elder Ryan K. Olsen, a General Authority Seventy, presided over the ceremony.

“At the end of the day, it really draws back to our individual relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ,” said Elder Olsen at the groundbreaking. “As much as this is a community event, and the neighbors will drive by and see this beautiful edifice, at the end of the day when individuals are able to go in, it’s all about their personal relationship with [Heavenly Father and His Son].”

Montpelier’s temple was planned as a two-story structure of approximately 27,000 square feet. It was built on a 2.6-acre site on the northeast corner of Washington Street and Sixth Street in Montpelier.

The Church in Idaho

Idaho is home to 11 houses of the Lord in various stages of operation, construction and planning.

Seven of those temples are operating: Idaho Falls (dedicated in 1945), Boise (1984), Rexburg (2008), Twin Falls (2008), Meridian (2017), Pocatello (2021) and Burley (January 2026).

In addition to the Montpelier Idaho Temple, a house of the Lord has been under construction in Rexburg since June 2024, the Teton River Idaho Temple. It will be the city’s second temple.

A final two temples are in planning stages: the Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple, announced October 2024, and the Caldwell Idaho Temple, announced April 2025.

In 1855, early pioneers of the Church first settled in Idaho at Fort Lemhi, then part of the Oregon Territory. Fourteen years later, the Bear Lake Stake — Idaho’s first — was organized in 1869.

Church presidents Harold B. Lee, Ezra Taft Benson and Howard W. Hunter were born in Idaho. Current Church President Dallin H. Oaks also lived in Twin Falls, Idaho, for about five years as a child, and earlier this year he dedicated the Burley temple.

Today, more than 482,000 Latter-day Saints meet in over 1,300 wards and branches in Idaho.

President Dallin H. Oaks dedicates the Burley Idaho Temple, a place of ‘much significance to him’

President Eyring dedicates the Lindon Utah Temple as a ‘refuge’ and ‘place of peace’

Read more Church News coverage of temples

I’ve adored the blossoming Bradford pear trees flourishing throughout Salt Lake City. Sure, they smell like rotten fish, but the scent always takes me back to the nostalgia and fond memories of spring breaks past.

I’ve noticed the delicate white blossoms now entirely gone from the trees, and it grieves me that I won’t see my compadres again until next spring.

But I also recognize the beauty of Heavenly Father’s plan through the changing weather.

Our infinitely loving God shows us that every season has its time. This beautiful world is divine proof that we were never meant to stand still in any one phase of life.

Yes, we savored the snowflakes and hot chocolate of winter, but now let’s welcome the rebirth of spring. And yes, we’ll eventually leave behind the tulips in full bloom, but we’ll come to delight in the warmth of summer.

There are moments to cherish now, the seasons teach us, but even greater moments to embrace stepping forward.

There are moments to cherish now, the seasons teach us, but even greater moments to embrace stepping forward.

The author of Ecclesiastes knew this well, it seems. We read in chapter 3, verses 1-7:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

“A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

“A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

“A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

“A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”

Such simplicity of demarcated seasons gets lost in the busyness of day-to-day life. Maybe we’re hesitant to let go of a past grudge or apprehensive about future life decisions. But as we trust the Lord’s plan, He shows us that past, present and future seasons all have a time and a place.

In the April 2026 general conference, President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, testified that continual prayer through life’s circumstances brings the Lord’s peace and abiding support.

“Consistent prayer during joyous times and also during seasons of distress and grief will surely be rewarded according to His will and perfect timing,” he said.

We might let a past mistake or sin or regret or affliction hold us back in a past season. Our Savior’s hopeful example, however, shows us how to move forward into a new season.

Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, also in the April 2026 conference, said: “Jesus Christ knows all about best days and worst days: suffering so great that an angel was sent to strengthen Him, the betrayal of a good friend, the cross on Calvary.

“But His story also has a garden, a stone rolled away and an empty tomb. Because of Him, no matter how bad things are right now, your best days are ahead. Jesus Christ is our strength.”

I remember one winter years back that seemed to last forever.

On a particularly snowy day, I looked nature right in the eyes and tenderly said, “It’s OK — let it go. Winter had its season, but it’s over now. It’s OK to move forward and blossom. Spring needs you.”

A couple of weeks later, I was feeling horrible for a mistake I made in a calling, and I felt like a failure who would never measure up. Then as I looked out the window, what did I see? The once-barren trees now blossoming in their spring glory.

It was as if the flourishing trees were trying to tell me something: “It’s OK — let it go. Winter had its season, but it’s over now. It’s OK to move forward and blossom. Spring needs you.”

Our loving God — He who grows blossoms on the trees and guides the falling of leaves and directs the snowflakes through the breeze — certainly sets times for our own growth into new seasons.

I know that because of our Savior’s atoning sacrifice, we can move forward to warmer seasons, no matter how frigid our winter may have been.

— Joel Randall is a reporter for the Church News.

Jon Ryan Jensen: Seasons under heaven

Joel Randall: Looking back with the gift of remembering; moving forward with the gift of forgetting

Adding to the already busy schedule was his goal to receive a professional accountant certification. This required him to attend lectures, mostly on weekends.

“One of my bosses in the office came to me and said, ‘Christian, you will never qualify as a chartered accountant. Tell them to release you from this calling.’”

Elder Chigbundu told his boss: “The Lord calls in my Church, and the Lord also releases. I will not go to the Lord and ask the Lord to release me.”

It was overwhelming, he said, but “when that stress comes, I look up to the Savior.”

Eventually Elder Chigbundu did receive his certification, still serving as bishop. He’s since carried with him that devotion to God’s work, doing so now as a new General Authority Seventy sustained in the April 2026 general conference.

Because for him and his wife, Sister Felicia Chigbundu, serving the Lord is a privilege.

“I will continue to serve in any capacity He will call us to serve because He owns the work,” he said. “Since it’s a privilege and I’m given that privilege to serve, we will always serve.”

Finding the Savior in the Book of Mormon

Raised in a Christian home, a young Christian Chigbundu sought to be “dedicated in the things of the Lord” and “strived to be what the Lord wanted me to become.”

So when a family friend introduced him to the missionaries as a young adult, he was eager to see if their book testified of the Savior. He determined that if the Book of Mormon didn’t witness of Him, he’d ask the missionaries not to return.

“The cover page said ‘Another Testament of Jesus Christ.’ It touched my heart,” recounted Elder Chigbundu, “and I started to read.”

Although he didn’t understand everything on the pages, he felt “something different” as he read.

“I scrambled and scrambled and scrambled, looking to see something that would make me tell them not to come anymore,” he said. “I didn’t see it. So they continued to come, and they continued to teach.”

After praying to know if the Book of Mormon was the word of God, “I felt something very strong that said, ‘This is true.’ And it was at that point I felt I needed to make that decision.” He was baptized a few days before his 22nd birthday.

Church News podcast Episode 289: Get to know the new General Authority Seventies and Primary general presidency through their testimonies

‘This is where I want to be’

Sister Chigbundu first attended a Latter-day Saint congregation as a teenager, after a friend invited her to church. She was moved by what she felt and saw — the peace, the reverence, the genuine love from members who welcomed her.

“I felt at home. I felt something different,” she said. “I saw myself saying in my mind, ‘This is where I want to be,’ from the first day I got to church.”

When Sister Chigbundu told her mom she wanted to go again, her mom wasn’t thrilled — the family had been attending a different Christian church, and the mom discouraged attending another.

Sister Chigbundu started taking missionary lessons at her older brother’s home, and she got baptized once she reached the age of adulthood. For a while, she would attend her church and her family’s church on alternate weeks.

Then “at one point, my parents could not stop me anymore,” she said. “They knew I was bent on following my heart, and they allowed me. And ever since then, I tell whoever that cares to know about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the difference it has made in my life.”

‘Always extend loving hugs and appreciation’

Elder Chigbundu looks back with gratitude for those who supported him as a recent convert.

After receiving the Aaronic Priesthood, Elder Chigbundu was assigned by his bishop to bless the sacrament one Sunday.

“I thought, ‘This is very simple.’” When he said the sacramental prayer for the water, though, the bishop asked him to redo the prayer to match the precise wording. He prayed again, and the bishop again asked him to repeat the prayer. After the third time, the bishop signaled that it was good.

Elder Chigbundu recalls thinking: “I’ve disappointed many people, so I’m going to leave here, and I’m not going to come back anymore.”

But before he could leave after sacrament meeting, the bishop came to hug him and said, “Brother Chigbundu, you did wonderfully well.” The elders quorum president also gave him a hug and told him he did well.

“A sister also had a handshake of congratulation with me — the sister is my beloved wife today.”

He recalls: “I asked myself, ‘Did I do well?’ I know I didn’t do well. But those hugs, those simple words brought me back the next Sunday.”

Elder Chigbundu now invites the general Church membership to strengthen new converts. “We should always extend loving hugs and appreciation to new members of the Church,” he said. “They need it. It may not mean so much to us, but it means so much to them.”

Starting a family and serving in the Church

Although they were already attending the same ward, Elder and Sister Chigbundu didn’t get to know each other until Sister Chigbundu invited him and his brother to a home evening. The two built a friendship as they kept connecting with each other and attending Church activities together.

He said: “We started dating, and it didn’t last long, and we decided to get married.” The couple was married in 2002, when Elder Chigbundu was serving as a counselor in the bishopric.

Despite the busyness of starting a family amid callings and career responsibilities, the Chigbundus have trusted in King Benjamin’s promise in Mosiah 2:41: “Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual.”

Sister Chigbundu has learned this while serving in callings such as stake Relief Society president, stake Young Women president and branch Primary president.

“We were serving the owner of the whole universe, who owns time, owns money, owns everything and apportions it the way He deems fit,” she said. “So if He calls us to do anything, we are ready to do that.”

They’ve kept that attitude through their calling to be mission leaders of the Nigeria Enugu Mission, starting in 2025. “From the time the call was extended to us, we went to our knees and asked for the support of our Heavenly Father,” said Elder Chigbundu.

He said they’ve been honored to work with their missionaries “side by side with our Heavenly Father,” helping them “understand their missionary purpose and that we are in this together.”

“I feel strengthened, I feel energized, I feel motivated knowing that He has gone before me, He has prepared the way for me, even before calling me.”

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu, General Authority Seventy

‘I want to walk with Him’

As Elder Chigbundu begins service as a General Authority Seventy, he and his wife know a few things unequivocally: Joseph Smith restored Christ’s Church through the power of God, the Savior invites people to become like Him through His atoning sacrifice, and the Lord leads His Church through living prophets and apostles.

“This is the restored gospel of no other person but the Savior Himself,” said Elder Chigbundu. “He is at the helm of the affairs of His kingdom.”

Elder Chigbundu invites Latter-day Saints to comfort and reach out to “the one,” asking each day, “Have I done any good in the world today?” He also bore witness that “notwithstanding your circumstance, whatever you are passing through today, the Lord still loves you.”

When Sister Chigbundu sees her growth from following the gospel of Christ — especially by studying the scriptures and words of living prophets — she recognizes she’s in the right place. “I know that many lives, just like my life has been blessed, will be blessed.”

For Elder Chigbundu, becoming a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ is more than a goal; it’s a blessing. “I feel strengthened, I feel energized, I feel motivated knowing that He has gone before me, He has prepared the way for me, even before calling me,” he said. “In Him I believe, and I want to walk with Him. He will never lead me astray.”

About Elder Christian C. Chigbundu

Family: Elder Christian Chiemezuolam Chigbundu was born Nov. 12, 1974, in Ahiaba Okpuala, Nigeria, to Egwatu Stephen Chigbundu and Oluchi Eunice Nwannunu. Married Felicia Mgbeodi Ugbor in Lagos, Nigeria, on Feb. 14, 2002. They are parents to five children.

Education: Graduate of accounting and finance with a master’s degree in marketing, postgraduate degree in international relations and advanced certificate in law.

Employment: Worked in finance, strategy implementation and mobility services and has served in executive leadership and on professional boards of many companies and organizations in Nigeria and Africa.

Church service: Nigeria Enugu Mission president (2025-26), Area Seventy, stake president, bishop, bishopric counselor, ward mission leader and ward Sunday School president.

How an older sister’s invitation and seminary teacher’s influence were pivotal moments in conversion of Elder I. Raymond Egbo, from Nigeria

Find out more about the Church’s 8 new General Authority Seventies

April 2026 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries, photos, session highlights

“That happiness that you felt in there,” later explained service missionary Elder Matthew Maddox, “that’s the love of God.”

On Oct. 5, Naqshbandi — who has worked as a senior director in the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq for 28 years — toured a full-size replica of the tabernacle that has been traveling around the Utah Area for the past year and a half. The project, the Tabernacle Experience, will conclude in Utah on Thursday, Oct. 12.

Naqshbandi may have been with a translator, but the Spirit testified in the same language to all present.

Elder Maddox and his wife, Sister Julie Maddox, have been the site leaders for the exhibit’s most recent journey to Highland, Utah. The two have been preparing for their area’s reception of the project for six months.

While recently working with a division to promote religious tolerance among youth, Naqshbandi was especially impressed by the youth volunteers who served as tour guides and bore testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ. “I hope my whole country learns what you are teaching,” he told a pair of volunteers.

Visitors of non-Latter-day Saint faiths have not been uncommon. On Sept. 29, the site welcomed two Ethiopian dignitaries — Ambassador Mussie Hailu, representative to the United Religions Initiative on Religious Affairs (Ethiopian Orthodox); and Haji Messau Adem Shifa, deputy director of the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia (Muslim).

While in Utah for the week, these two leaders went to the Church’s Humanitarian Center, BYU’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies and even October 2023 general conference. Yet at the end of the week, Shifa said the visit that stood out to him the most was the tabernacle exhibit. In a comment card he wrote after his tour, he said he was most impacted by “hearing the young kids, knowing that they knew the history, and hearing them bear their testimony.”

About the Tabernacle Experience

“I think we kind of had an idea what it might look like, but I think it’s exceeded all of our expectations,” said Elder Patrick Russell, a service missionary and mission leader of the Utah Tabernacle Service Mission. He and his wife, Sister Kim Russell, have worked with the project since September 2021.

The idea for this event all started with the Meridian Idaho North Stake, which built a full-size replica of the ancient tabernacle in 2015 for a Young Men camp to learn about the Aaronic Priesthood. In 2016, Huntington Beach California Stake leaders set up a tabernacle exhibit in the boundaries of the Murrieta California Stake — which bought 20 acres of land for the site — for a stakewide youth conference.

This California tabernacle was eventually loaned to Utah for usage, and leaders took the tabernacle through Davis County from April to mid-June 2022. Afterward, Elder Kevin W. Pearson — General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Utah Area — formed the Utah Tabernacle Service Mission and asked that the missionaries take the exhibit to other parts of the state.

They made two replicas of the borrowed tabernacle and sent it back to California. Then the new replicas started being used in the first week of August 2022, in Tremonton, Utah. Since then, the seven-days-a-week project has been welcomed to Utah cities like St. George, Provo and Salt Lake City.

The mission’s two replicas of the tabernacle of Moses have been to a combined 32 sites and have seen almost 525,000 visitors. About 220 service missionaries from across Utah have helped lead these efforts, and more than 35,000 youth have been trained to run the project.

The Tabernacle Experience’s season in the Utah Area will come to a close next week, when the exhibit in Highland, Utah (located at 5335 W. 11200 North) will conclude its last tours Thursday, Oct. 12.

With such an iconic display, some faiths have held their Sunday service in the courtyard of the tabernacle model. And Latter-day Saints even celebrated the start of 25-hour-long Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, the one day a year that the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies. At sundown on Sunday, Sept. 24, a young man blew into a ram’s horn, or shofar, a symbolic act done in biblical times to gather the Israelites.

Said Elder Maddox about the exhibit, “You can’t go through this without feeling something.”

Objectives of the Tabernacle Experience

While bringing Old Testament scripture to life, the project has brought to pass several outcomes:

Bring others closer to the Savior. Visitors to the tabernacle replica progress through stages of the exhibit, starting with entering the gate on the east side. They travel through the outer courtyard, through the Holy Place and into the Holy of Holies, symbolic of a progression of fallen beings toward God.

“The temple shows that same thing,” said Sister Maddox, “that God invites us to draw near to Him, to draw into His presence, to seek to become clean, to seek to draw closer to Him. And it’s just been a powerful witness, this whole experience, that there is a God who lives and loves us, that He speaks to His prophets on earth.”

Connect the ancient and the modern temples. Elder Russell said that through the exhibit, “people are making the connection between the ordinances of the ancient tabernacle and our modern temples.”

The mission leader shared with touring dignitaries about having been diagnosed with cancer. Testifying about ancient and modern-day temples throughout this project, Elder Russell has developed a richer, more dynamic faith in the sealing ordinance, a sure knowledge that he will be with his wife through eternity.

“While I probably had an intellectual testimony of that,” he said, “as we’ve participated in this, it’s only strengthened my spiritual testimony of that. And then to be able to bear testimony to them that we believe this and we know this to be true, ... I think the Spirit bore witness to them of the truthfulness of that principle.”

Strengthen the rising generation. Out of the thousands of comment cards written by visitors after following a tour, the most frequent comment has been to applaud the over-35,000 youth for the power of their testimonies in the gospel. “That impresses them more than anything else that they’ve gone through,” said Elder Russell.

The Ethiopian Orthodox dignitary who toured last week, recounted Elder Maddox, “said, ‘I can see we have a great deal of hope for the future with these young people. They learn the scriptures, they have built the faith and they know from inside of themselves. So that gives me a great deal of hope.’”

Sister Russell shared how a high councilor was originally not that excited for the tabernacle exhibit. Then, when he went through it, the leader realized the larger objectives. “He said, ‘This isn’t about the Old Testament tabernacle; It’s all about the youth.’”

According to Elder Russell, Elder Pearson “has said that in his opinion, the Old Testament Tabernacle Experience for our youth is a transformational experience just as important as FSY or trek, and that it’s that transformational with our youth.”

Build interfaith relations. As the books of Moses are canon for many religions, the tabernacle exhibit has seen visitors from several faiths. Around 20 interfaith devotionals held in conjunction with the project have given people of these faiths an opportunity to join together and learn from one another.

Elder Russell said that visitors of non-Latter-day Saint faiths often “walk away saying, ‘We have far more in common than we have different with each other.’ It’s been a really unifying experience.”

Prepare Saints for temple attendance. Elder Russell said, “Stake presidents are telling us that this has been one of the best temple preparation activities they’ve ever had for their youth.”

Seeing the tabernacle in person has especially opened dialogue for those seeking to receive their endowment. In temple recommend interviews, the interviewer can easily connect symbolism in the tabernacle to today’s temples to increase understanding. “They’re connecting those dots, if you will, on how the ancient tabernacle relates to our modern temples.”

Testify of the Restoration of the gospel. Parallels of symbolism and practices between the ancient tabernacle and Latter-day Saint temples today show the truth of the restored gospel, said Elder Maddox.

“It’s all teaching the same doctrine,” he said, “that Christ came and that He died for us and was resurrected. Everything points to Him in the gospel, and to see how Joseph Smith put that together, he couldn’t have done it — nobody knows enough to have put that together — it had to come by revelation, and it had to come from God.”

Sister Maddox said that the whole time she has worked on the tabernacle project, she has felt the Spirit confirming that the gospel has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

“Joseph Smith had this experience where he saw God the Father, and He saw His Son, Jesus Christ,” she said, “and the temple is a training whereby we can learn what God is like and how to prepare to go back into His presence. So it’s beautifully illustrated by this path through the gate, into the more sacred space, into the Holy of Holies.”

Engage in love, share and invite. The project would not have worked without ward and stake help. In addition to being devoted volunteers, local Latter-day Saints have invited their neighbors of various religions to join in with the experience as brothers and sisters.

“One of the things about the tabernacle being an Old Testament experience,” said Elder Russell, “is that it doesn’t matter if they’re Jewish or Muslim or evangelical. It means something to so many different faiths that it is so easy to love, share and invite others to come and see.”

Note: This article was updated on Oct. 23, 2023, when additional visitor information was released.

“We are living in both the majesty of the moment our prophets have described and the perilous times Paul foresaw,” said President Meredith on Tuesday, April 21, in the college’s first devotional of spring semester 2026. He was joined by his wife, Sister Jennifer Meredith, who offered remarks about building intentional families.

President Meredith said: “On one hand, the Lord’s work is accelerating in temples, family history, missionary work and a growing membership. On the other hand, conflict surrounds us, from wars between nations to daily contention on social media.”

What are disciples of Jesus Christ to do in such times? Follow the guidance of living prophets and apostles, said President Meredith. He noted that both the late Church President Russell M. Nelson and current Church President Dallin H. Oaks repeated the Savior’s teaching that “blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).

“If prophets keep returning to this idea of peacemaking, we should ask not only why but also what the Lord expects us to do.”

‘Am I building peace or tearing it down?’

The Lord expects His disciples to make peacemaking personal by asking, “Am I building peace or tearing it down?” said President Meredith. “That question, whether I am personally a builder or a wrecker, is at the heart of peacemaking.”

He said in a world where opposing views often lead to contention, “peacemakers stand firmly for truth while showing genuine love. They choose to disagree without being disagreeable.”

Sometimes peacemaking is less about what someone says and more about what they choose not to say.

President Meredith explained that “as disciples of Christ, we should not add fuel to the fires of contention, particularly in the comment sections of social media. Anonymity is no excuse for harsh or hurtful language.”

Avoid contention

In His visit to the Americas as found in the Book of Mormon, Christ said, “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil” (3 Nephi 11:29).

“Note that the Savior did not say the spirit of contention is of the devil unless you are right,” said President Meredith. “Make no mistake; Satan would be thrilled to have you contend for evil, but he also wins when he can get us to contend for any reason, even when we believe we are defending what is right.”

So, can peacemakers still stand for truth? “There’s a difference between advocating for truth and contending over it. True disciples learn the difference and stand for right without being contentious.”

President Meredith quoted President Oaks, who in his April 2026 general conference message said peacemaking “does not mean surrendering our values.”

Peacemakers are motivated by the pure love of Christ

President Meredith said: “Being a peacemaker is more than simply avoiding contention and harsh language. It is not just about what we don’t say or do. It’s about what we choose to say and do.” Those choices are motivated by charity, the pure love of Christ, extending love to all.

He learned this one day after receiving a kindhearted email. Although it was only two paragraphs, the words gave President Meredith peace and made things weighing on him feel lighter, he said.

“It made me wonder: What if we acted on those impressions more often? What if, when we thought or heard something kind about someone, we simply told them?”

If there were ever a time the world needed peacemakers, it is now, he said. “World peace begins with individuals choosing to be peacemakers.”

President Meredith closed with his witness: “Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. As we follow Him and His teachings, we can become peacemakers and find greater peace in our own hearts.”

Establish traditions and habits to strengthen families

In her remarks, Sister Meredith quoted President Oaks, who said in October 2025 that “family bonds are also strengthened by family stories, creating family traditions and sharing sacred experiences.”

One such tradition for the Merediths was driving 45 minutes to the temple on the morning of their children’s baptisms. They would point out road signs — which brought them safely to the temple — and explain that following the Savior would bring them safely to their heavenly home.

“Then they watched the sunrise, discussing how baptism is like a new dawn. It was a truly memorable morning for each of our children.”

Sister Meredith said that “family life is a mix of the sacred and the practical.” She added an invitation for BYU–Idaho students to follow President Oaks’ counsel to establish traditions and habits that will unite and strengthen their families now and in the future.

“My greatest joys have come from nurturing my marriage and family relationships,” she said. “I testify that as we strive to strengthen our families, the Lord will be with us, and He will magnify our efforts.”

BYU–Idaho president opens semester by inviting students to be good Samaritans

Like a ‘courageous lighthouse keeper,’ BYU graduates encouraged by Elder Soares to share the Light of Jesus Christ

‘Remember the lesson from the shores of the Great Salt Lake,’ Elder Teixeira tells BYU–Idaho graduates

“That’s all a matter of how many youth are in the area,” said Elder Kevin R. Duncan at the temple’s May 7 media day. “And in this area, we have a really high number of youth, and we will for a very long time because of the demographics. And if there’s one part of a temple that’s really busy all the time, it’s the baptistry, it’s the area where the youth go. So this is intended to lighten that load off of some of the other temples.”

Elder Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, was joined by Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, to show members of the media around the Syracuse temple and answer questions about its significance.

Said Sister Yee: “I know that [the Lord] has great things in store for this generation. And the house of the Lord will be a key part in that preparation for His coming.”

Invited guests will tour the house of the Lord on May 8-9, and a public open house will be held May 10-31. The Syracuse temple will later be dedicated in a single session on Sunday, June 8.

Syracuse Utah Temple opens doors to media, invited guests, public

Open-house reservations available for the Syracuse Utah Temple

‘House of hope’

Elder Duncan grew up less than a mile and a half north of the temple site, and his great-grandfather was the first bishop of the Syracuse Ward.

“Can you imagine the joy he’s feeling, having worked the earth here, and here’s where the house of the Lord is?” said Elder Duncan. “We’re connected in our hearts with our ancestors and with our posterity, and I think he’s joyful for them, for us.”

One reason the Church builds more temples is not just accessibility by distance but also accessibility by time. “The Layton temple is not that far away, but it’s hard to get an appointment to worship there.” He added the Syracuse temple will likely see youth from as far as Farmington, Utah, because of this greater access.

The temple is a “place of peace” and a “house of hope,” said Elder Duncan. “Ultimately, this journey through life is to return home to our Heavenly Father. Everything in the temple that we do is designed to help us to do just that, through our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The Lord’s work carried forward

Sister Yee said the Syracuse temple will be a personal place of worship for those who enter its doors. “I am grateful to be here with you here today to witness the Lord carry forth His work.”

Through the temple, “we will continue to watch His hand roll forth across the earth to bless His children in abundance, to gather them into His covenant blessings.”

She testified that God really does have a plan for these latter days, something she has come to recognize more as she sees the strength of the youth, their testimonies, and their desires to follow Him and be in His house.

Heavenly Father desires to bless His children, she said, “to help them to have the strength, power and peace and protection they need to be able to have joy in this life and to return home to our heavenly home.”

Feeling Heavenly Father’s love

Rebeca Gaburel — a 17-year-old from the West Point 15th Ward in Clinton, Utah — is grateful to live just 10 minutes from the Syracuse temple. “I can feel my Heavenly Father’s love so much in this place.”

She continued: “To be able to come here whenever I feel the need to be closer to my Heavenly Father is absolutely amazing. He has given us so many blessings in our life, and I’m so grateful that I get to appreciate this particular blessing even more.”

Through temple attendance, said Gaburel, “you feel happier, everything seems easier, and you feel like you can rely more on your Heavenly Father. And I think that’s something really special that I appreciate a lot from our Heavenly Father.”

Gaburel is eager to see the Syracuse temple bring her community together and closer to Heavenly Father’s love.

‘I’m closer to my Savior’

Eighteen-year-old Parker Lambert — from the Fox Hollow Ward in Clearfield, Utah — said the hardest thing about attending the temple is finding an appointment. Even early in the morning, youth gather in local temples to perform proxy baptisms for their ancestors before school.

“This temple is going to open up so much accessibility for youth to be able to go do baptisms here, and I think that’s such a beautiful, exciting thing,” he said.

When Lambert attends the temple, he finds greater focus on what matters and more motivation throughout his day. “On days that I go to the temple, I’m focused on Jesus Christ, and everything changes because of that.”

Despite a busy high school schedule and preparing to serve a mission in Denmark, Lambert has learned that being intentional about attending the house of the Lord blesses him in everything he does. “I’m more focused, I’m happier and it’s easier to make good decisions. And that’s because I’m closer to my Savior from attending the temple.”

‘There’s so much love’

Seventeen-year-old Kennedy Hadley from Syracuse acknowledged the diligence in local youth and what their temple attendance can mean for this new house of the Lord.

“There’s already been a lot of faith shown by the youth in this community and in this area,” she said. “Hopefully it encourages the younger generations and the new youth to come, and hopefully they feel welcome and more encouraged to come to the temple.”

And more than blessing just the youth, “this temple is going to bring the community together. It stands as a beacon to heaven, a symbol of God and Christ and how much they love us to put a temple in our own city.”

A temple visit changes the rest of Hadley’s day for the better. The opportunity to experience this more in her life is a testament of God’s love for her. “I know that there’s so much love that’s gone into this temple.”

Church opens doors to Layton temple — the 2nd open house to start within the week

The what and why of temple media days

The Church’s efforts to care include both the work of the Church as an organization and the individual efforts of Latter-day Saints around the world. The summary highlights humanitarian aid, volunteer service and welfare and self-reliance efforts worldwide.

On this episode of the Church News podcast, Blaine Maxfield, managing director of the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services, joins Church News reporter Mary Richards to talk about this important work. They discuss how members, as disciples of Jesus Christ, strive to follow His teaching to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39).

Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript:

Blaine Maxfield: As disciples of Jesus Christ, we follow the Savior and the way that He reached out and helped the sick and how He lifted those despondent and how He helped those who were in need of comfort and peace. We follow that same very example. And I’ve seen it done by wonderful people of all faiths all over the world.

0:22

Mary Richards: This is Mary Richards, reporter at the Church News. Welcome to the Church News podcast. Today, we are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Blaine Maxfield, managing director of Welfare and Self-Reliance Services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thank you for joining the Church News podcast.

Blaine Maxfield: Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

0:48

Mary Richards: I want to talk about some of these incredible numbers from the Caring for Those in Need 2025 report. We’ll start off with these, and then let’s talk about them.

So, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expended $1.58 billion in 196 countries and territories to care for those in need in 2025. And the report lists so many numbers. Here are a few of them: 3,514 humanitarian projects, more than 37 million pounds of food donated through bishops’ storehouses, 569 emergency relief projects and 7.4 million hours of volunteer work. All of these numbers just seem so amazing to me.

But I wanted to kind of get your thoughts on this overall picture — but then what has impressed you the most when you ponder these numbers?

Church spent $1.58 billion — exceeding previous year’s record — in caring for those in need in 2025

1:40

Blaine Maxfield: Thank you so much. You know, what really impresses me is simple: It’s people. That’s what matters most to us. And we see how the Savior ministered one by one. And we see the impact that it’s having on people’s lives all over the world — those that are receiving aid, those that are reaching outside of themselves to help others.

You mentioned that 7.4 million volunteer hours. It’s almost a million hours up from last year. You know, when there’s disasters all over the world, I think people know that the Latter-day Saints will come, and they bring friends with them. And it’s a beautiful way to help a community heal. In a time where we see a lot of division that’s going on and divisiveness, an antidote to that is to look outside of yourself and care for another. And so we see beautiful, beautiful things that are occurring, but what catches my attention most is the individual.

2:34

Mary Richards: Each of those numbers, there are people behind them.

Blaine Maxfield: Yes, they are.

Mary Richards: People who are giving the relief and those receiving that relief.

Blaine Maxfield: That’s right.

2:41

Mary Richards: Yes. Are there any stories that kind of stand out to you or a story in particular that has affected you?

Blaine Maxfield: Oh, this is the hardest question ever. Just a few months ago, I found myself in Africa West. And I was able to go visit with a family there. And you can just picture the situation. It is the most meager of circumstances. And then they just told me their story, which is what I wanted to hear. Dad had received some bad news and was unable to work. Mom was dealing with something as well physically and was unable to work. Their daughter’s name was Claudia, received wonderful grades all through high school. Now it was incumbent upon her to care for her entire family. She had thoughts, she had hopes, she had dreams, and she just set those aside and went to the market and began to work.

A neighbor came to them, who was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and talked to them about the Savior. They felt like they needed hope. They felt like they needed healing. And so mom and daughter went to one of our worship services. There, Claudia was connected to a gathering place. In that gathering place, with all other YSAs, young single adults, she went to one of our self-reliance groups. And in it, she learned about education for better work, and she learned about how to start and grow a business. And she applied those principles, taught them to her mom, who went to work.

Now, Claudia learned about some additional experience, and she’s found herself now studying to become a nurse. And she told us this complete story, but you want to know what touched my heart the most? As we went into this house and she’s telling me these stories, she’s testifying of the Savior, Jesus Christ, she’s bearing witness of the President of the Church, she goes and gets this bag that’s full of waters, which I know would have cost her a lot to do. And she’s thinking of us, and she gives us these waters. And I couldn’t bring it home with me, but I’ve kept that cap to that water just as a reminder of her story, and now how she sees others in different ways, and she’s motivated to look outside of herself as she’s on her journey of self-reliance.

4:52

Mary Richards: Wow. I love that so much because the name of your department, Welfare and Self-Reliance Services; so, we’re not only as a Church putting money toward helping those in need and helping maybe lift them, but maybe teaching these skills and giving them — like those self-reliance classes you talked about.

Why is it so important to have this idea of self-reliance and building that for long-term effects?

5:18

Blaine Maxfield: That’s really one of the unique principles that we try to focus on, is to give people a hand up rather than just a handout. And those humanitarian projects, those that teach self-reliance skills, are some of our most wonderfully accepted programs that we do have.

Let me tell you another story. Is that OK? In Central America, in Honduras, I visited with a sister there named Berta. And Berta was struggling. Her family was struggling. Through one of our humanitarian projects we had with one of our implementing partners, we brought people in, and most of them were sisters, most of them were women, and taught them either farming or how to care for chickens and manage eggs. And so she went down the farming route, gathered some chickens. She learned how to care for them. She learned how to move those eggs in wonderful ways to help with protein, to help with their living. And she turned this into a business that is now providing for her family.

But it didn’t stop there. She knew how important it was for her. And so her and another sister created a group that’s called United Hands. And now they’re teaching everybody in their community the same experience that they went through. So first they were receivers, and now they’re givers. And now they’re going out to really try to help others in remarkable ways.

Poultry program in Honduras lifts women through egg production

I love, we love, these principles of self-reliance. And particularly when we bundle that with humanitarian projects, we think that can make all the difference.

Mary Richards: It’s building her own life. It’s changing her life, her family’s life, her community. And it ripples out from there.

6:56

Blaine Maxfield: It reminds me of a scripture, if I can share it. You know, I just think about the experiences with the law of the fast in Isaiah 58. And it talks about the blessings that can come from the law of the fast. And then in that, it talks about those followers of Jesus Christ. And as I look at this, it’s found in Isaiah 58, the scripture says this: “And they shall be of thee that shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations;” — and now when I think of Berta, I think of this — “and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in” (Isaiah 58:12).

And it’s just a beautiful reminder to me of the work that she’s doing. She’s gained dignity. She’s gained hope. And she’s motivated more than ever to help others. And she has eyes to see others who need the help that maybe you and I would not.

7:47

Mary Richards: She’s right there. This also makes me think of the way the Church works with those locally. Local organizations who are on the ground, who know the needs of these communities. Well, and the Church is everywhere anyway already, too, with our local units.

So, how important is that work, as we sit here in Salt Lake City and talk, to know that around the world the Church is working so closely with local nonprofit organizations and our local leaders on some of these issues?

8:15

Blaine Maxfield: We’re just one of many that are doing this work. And we look for ways to accelerate work all over the world to help. One of our key initiatives this last year has been with women and children. And we focus on local organizations that can help with that as well; whether it’s through nutrition for women and children, whether it’s through education efforts that take place, whether it’s through vaccinations, whatever it be, we really want to focus on that and work locally as much as we possibly can, because they know what’s best to help in needs.

We’ll often work with organizations and groups, and we’ll ask them two key questions: “What do you need, and how can we help?” And they know best in that local situation what they need and how we can possibly help.

9:04

Mary Richards: Those conversations happen all the time. This is something that is just a part of your DNA.

Blaine Maxfield: It’s ongoing, really, and we look for problems that are out there and then sustainable solutions. In some of the most complex places around the world, as the landscape is shifting around the world, all it really does for us is strengthen our resolve to know how important it is to help and strengthen our commitment to help.

Can I tell you a story about Haiti?

Mary Richards: You have so many good stories. I want all of your stories.

9:33

Blaine Maxfield: So, in Haiti, we see the greatest things that we work with an organization that is helping us that really knows what the needs are there, and one of the most complex areas in the world and areas of greatest need. We work with farmers as we connected this self-reliance element that says: “How can we help provide you additional seeds? How can we provide you additional tools and classes to improve your yield?”

Now, when that’s improved, you know what we do with that food? We then take it and provide food during school, school lunches for children. Now, we think, “OK, great; we’re helping the farmers, we’re helping the economy,” but what takes place at school is nothing short of a miracle. As we work with those different schools, we’ve found that in some cases, once we started providing food, enrollment goes up by 80%. And now, not only does it go up by that much, they’re fed and they can learn now as a part of their experience.

So it affects their cognitive receptive that takes place with their school, it affects them attending school, and it helps the farmers with their self-reliance. And so it’s just a beautiful cycle of giving and what love looks then that day is food. And it’s just an experience that once you see it, you’ll just never forget it. But you want to know? You don’t have to see it to be motivated to look outside of yourself and really help someone.

11:01

Mary Richards: I love that thought because our Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson has also taught that in ways, for example, in caring for women and children. There are ways that we can, of course, think globally and act so beautifully with those partnerships and collaborations, but also to think locally.

Those 25 ways, for example, that I can get involved in that effort is to look across the fence. My neighbor, how can I care for her? Or what can I do at my school down the road?

Or I guess I would love to ask you, then, because of course the Church is involved and we said all these huge numbers at the beginning, but what also can we do locally in our own sphere?

11:45

Blaine Maxfield: That’s the biggest question that we get, particularly from young single adults: “We want to help. We want to be involved. Where do I even start?” And I love that you said that we can start with those that are closest to us. We didn’t have to be in Haiti, or we didn’t have to be in Africa West, we didn’t have to be in these other locations to look to help somebody that’s close to me.

One of the great ways to get started is to look at JustServe, which is a tool that helps to connect us with volunteer opportunities. And so I would invite anybody to go out to JustServe.org. You can just punch in the zip code that you live in, and you can find projects that you can go and help. And that is just a wonderful, wonderful way to get started.

12:23

Mary Richards: I love just serving my family, because whenever my teenagers are starting to feel a little bit teenager-y — is that a word? — I think, “We might need to serve some other people.” And through JustServe, the app or the website, you can put in by location, by interest, by age. There were some remote service possibilities as well. There really is something for everyone. And that is growing, too. More and more cities are on board. More and more countries have this.

12:52

Blaine Maxfield: Last year, we had our 1 millionth user of JustServe. We have more than 300 high school clubs. Can you imagine this? And so now we have these clubs that we should watch how they take the lead. Can you imagine a YSA gathering place with their JustServe clubs that they would have their JustServe opportunities? Amazing things are going to happen and are continuing to happen because we’re looking outside of ourselves to care for others.

13:16

Mary Richards: Yeah. You talked about how — and there are studies that back this up — that serving others helps you. And what better thing is there for our teenagers, for our young adults, for all of us, really, to give relief? And it’s not just to feel good. This is following commandment, isn’t it? To love God and love our neighbor.

13:36

Blaine Maxfield: As disciples of Jesus Christ, we follow the Savior and the way that He reached out and helped the sick and how He lifted those despondent and how He helped those who were in need of comfort and peace. We follow that same very example. And I’ve seen it done by wonderful people of all faiths all over the world.

Church’s caring for those in need is ‘doing what the Savior would’

In a world that’s never been more connected electronically, there’s many of us that are feeling more and more alone. We need interactive relationships with people, and this service is one great way to do this. We’ve seen this in emergency response events, where there’ll be two neighbors that maybe don’t get along. And before you know it, by the end of the day, hearts, hard and frozen hearts, have thawed and melted. And now they’ve set that aside, and they can come together because they’re working together to help someone else.

Mary Richards: Yes. There’s something about rolling up your sleeves and getting into some hard work side by side with someone, or serving someone helps you grow to love them.

Blaine Maxfield: Absolutely.

14:40

Mary Richards: Yes. This idea is so beautiful. We talk about the reason for caring for those in need to do as the Savior would, but why is that so important? Is it about us becoming more like Him or being His hands on the earth?

Blaine Maxfield: Exactly. We want to become more like Him. We want to follow Him as His disciples. And so we do those things that He has done. Those things that we’ve seen Him do, we should do those likewise.

I saw a little glimpse of something very sweet in Zimbabwe. In one of our first literacy classes that we had there, I met a sister there, and her name was Future. Isn’t that a beautiful name? Future. And as she came in to visit with us, her aptitude for reading was kindergarten level or lower. And she came to six months’ worth of our classes. It was more than an hour walk to get there, and she came to almost every one over six months.

At the end of that six-month period, her reading level is now third grade or higher. And she now takes what she’s learned in our experiences, and she helps kids in her community to learn some of the same principles that she’s learning. She wanted to give back as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and so she was thrilled to let us know that she was recently called to be a temple worker in the newly dedicated Harare Zimbabwe Temple.

And so we just see what she’s doing in the trajectory of her life that’s changing, the trajectory of the kids’ lives that’s learning from her, and her desire to even better follow Jesus Christ as she provides service in the house of the Lord.

16:20

Mary Richards: Oh, that is beautiful. I’m so happy for them to have that temple and to hear the story of her life being changed.

These are all priorities of the Church, right? When I was looking through the 2025 Caring Report, I saw so many of these examples of literacy, of clean water, education, of wheelchairs, of glasses, vision, immunizations. There are so many beautiful ways that the Church is making a difference.

16:48

Blaine Maxfield: As I look at it — we talked just a little bit about this women and children initiative — something that really stood out to me under the direction of the Welfare and Self-Reliance Executive Committee, and really the Relief Society general presidency, with this is: Last year, more than 20 million women and children received vitamins. And we had a goal of about 12 million, so it exceeded that with the work that’s taking place. Of that, more than 200,000 women were cared for who were pregnant or otherwise expecting.

And it’s just an amazing effort that’s taken place. That same effort in the country of Sierra Leone. When we started, almost none of the clinics had the appropriate vitamins, prenatal vitamins, that were needed. And now, almost all of them have them. So we see sweet experiences that are taking place, and it really, really stands out and resonates.

And then there are other more practical things, as you mentioned: 140,000 plus people entered into a self-reliance group. And the way that we’re helping people in various ways, including our Perpetual Education Fund. More than 16,000 students enrolled in our Perpetual Education Program, which is the highest that it’s ever been. And this coming year, this current year, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Perpetual Education Fund.

And so, there are amazing things, but still the most amazing is people and how it’s impacting their lives to either serve, receive aid and then look for ways to help others.

18:13

Mary Richards: Yes, because then, like you said, as they then are lifted and have grown in that self-reliance, then that expands, that grows.

Blaine Maxfield: It’s a beautiful cycle.

Mary Richards: Yes, yes. I’m glad you brought that up about the 25 years of the Perpetual Education Fund. There have been some beautiful stories out of experiences there, too, because it is really one by one. We think about these big pictures, big numbers, big anniversaries, but each of those is a person, a child of God.

18:43

Blaine Maxfield: It really is, yeah. Beautiful experiences that we see with people helping through the Perpetual Education Fund. If you talk about one by one, Mary, you ought to join us at one of our meetinghouses around the world where we’re inviting people to bring their kids in, children 0 to 5, to be measured. And then we help them with education, training and nutritional foods.

In an experience where I was there in Africa West, a dad and mom brought in their little daughter, who’s 18 months old, and she was wasting. And we were very much worried about her experiencing severe malnutrition. And we were able to connect them with local authorities, local medical aid, and also provide them some therapeutic food to help them.

About nine months later, they came back in, and where she was once in our red category, now she was trending towards green. The color of her hair had changed. The color of her skin had become more normal for her. It was just beautiful, beautiful to see how with education, some therapeutic food, It was something that could be treated.

And the trajectory of her life, the future of her life, is hugely different. Mom and dad can now see her for who she is, a divine daughter of heavenly parents who love her. And there is so much ahead for her in her future. It’s a beautiful thing to see.

20:10

Mary Richards: Oh, I love that. Wasting and stunting are a big issue in some populations around the world, in the U.S. and around the world. That’s where — and you were talking about in the red and the green — that’s with that tape measure around the upper arm?

20:23

Blaine Maxfield: Yeah, that MUAC score that we’re doing around the arm, and we’re able to evaluate that. And then we have a process that we go through to help. And one of the great ways that we help is through the counsel of the Church. So, ward council, Relief Society and elders quorum ministering brothers and sisters that are going out and helping and discussing and following up and connecting them with local medical agencies to really help them long term.

In Central America, I was there in one of these clinics, and something caught my attention. Mothers who came in, and they were in great need, but it just was clear how much they loved their children. And I loved it, their little, I guess, paper that they would have that would keep track of their weight and different types of things, immunizations. How they would care for that. They would wrap it in this beautiful plastic bag. And when it was time to show with us, they were just so careful to show this with us.

They cared for that because they knew that it represented health of their children and their future. And so all the things that they may have lacked, what they took great care with was their children and watching out for keeping a record of how to help them.

21:34

Mary Richards: Wow, that’s beautiful. This really is growing, this initiative to care for women and children, because — and it strikes me that President Johnson has said when we care for women and children in particular, we really are caring for our future. Those children that they love so much, that’s their future.

21:52

Blaine Maxfield: It’s their future, our future, and the future of their communities, the future of the Church. It’ll be just a beautiful experience for them individually, can be as they move forward.

And they see themselves, they allow themselves to be defined by their most important — which is their divine identity as sons and daughters of heavenly parents, as I mentioned, and helping them with their dignity. And everyone that I see that is out helping in this way, I go back to that scripture in Isaiah, because they’re all “repairer[s] of the breach” (Isaiah 58:12). They’re helping in special ways because they see that everyone around them is sacred.

22:34

Mary Richards: And, like you said before, we’re not alone in this work. Tell me more about these organizations around the world and some of these nonprofits and such that we collaborate with, that the Church works with and collaborates with.

Blaine Maxfield: We do work with so many. We recognize that we’re one of many that’s doing this work. You mentioned there were more than 3,500 projects that took place. There’s just no way that we could do that all on our own. So we look to other collaborating organizations to help us. We have long-standing relationships with so many, whether larger organizations like the World Food Programme or UNICEF, smaller local organizations that are helping in various ways. We focus from water to food to housing to emotional aid. So, there’s so many that we work with, have a long-standing relationship with.

And then a part of our effort is collectively we’ll go back in before a project starts, while a project is going and after it’s over, and go through a monitoring and evaluation process. So, we want to verify that what we think is happening is happening. And one of the great things that take place is learning. So, what can we learn to do better? Or what could we learn to do different? Or what did we learn that worked wonderfully well in our efforts to help people? And so, we love working with organizations. We take it very seriously. And we monitor it very seriously, because we know the sacredness of the funds that are being used to help God’s children.

24:03

Mary Richards: Yeah. We’ve done some stories in the Church News about some of these large donations and such where the Church has contributed to an organization and to help its needs in particular, meeting those priorities that the Church has. And I love what you said about monitoring and following up and working together. There are times when we are all brought together in the same room and are able to talk together, too, about these efforts.

24:29

Blaine Maxfield: We do, and we noticed that we felt like we could accelerate the work, particularly pertaining to women and children. And so we’ve done something that we hadn’t done before as a Church, which was we brought together eight organizations, and we call it a convening strategy and created four consortia to focus on helping to accelerate the help for women and children in various places around the world, 12 countries in particular.

And we think it’s a model that has been inspired. Particularly with some of the changing landscape that we’ve seen over the last year or two, we think it’s helped us to even show a greater commitment to helping women and children, and we think we’ll continue to do it down the road. We’ve gone through two years with this group, and we anticipate it being at least a five-year program with the goal of helping more than 100 million women and children.

25:20

Mary Richards: This idea that, yes, all these organizations are working in all their spheres, but if we bring them together, if we’re talking amongst ourselves, the impact is going to be greater.

Blaine Maxfield: Yeah. We kind of consider ourselves now more of a conductor of a symphony in bringing them all together with their great parts. Some of them are better with these countries, some are better with these fields. And so we come together, we allow them to know, “Stop competing with each other, and let’s focus on helping God’s children.”

25:49

Mary Richards: I love that. I’d love to get your thoughts, too, on the way that this all connects. All of this work and being a part of caring for those in need helps us and God’s children on the covenant path, this way to return back to Him.

Blaine Maxfield: Yeah, I think that’s a wonderful question. And as we follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, and look outside of ourselves to help others, what we’re really doing is helping ourselves and others with our covenantal responsibility to really care for those that are in need.

I love in 2022, President Oaks gave a talk in general conference. And in it, he referenced the Book of Mormon and said that we’re trying to be like this story in the Book of Mormon. And if I could just read the scripture, it’s one of the guiding things that we look to to help us to remember those things that are important.

It says — President Oaks said — “All of the humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seek to follow the example of a righteous people described in the Book of Mormon.” Now, think about our covenantal responsibilities that we do have.

Now, listen to how the Book of Mormon describes them. And it’s in Alma: “And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, … and they … were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church” (Alma 1:30).

And that’s the real example as we follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, and this righteous group of people that was described in the Book of Mormon, whether inside of the Church or outside of the Church, the special opportunity that we have to care for those in need, the covenantal responsibility that we have.

27:38

Mary Richards: Yes. I was just thinking, too, of that beautiful example from the sister in Zimbabwe, and now she is working in the temple. I’ve had this connected in my brain for a while.

I actually took the emotional resilience self-reliance course from the Church, and how this idea of emotional self-reliance and emotional resilience is tied to our spiritual self-reliance, as we care for those in need and as how we also care for ourselves and become more self-reliant.

Then we are more likely to be spiritually self-reliant, be able to move forward on the covenant path ourselves, to be able to make and keep sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

28:17

Blaine Maxfield: I like that you said that. Can I tell you a story about the title of “Emotional Resilience”? When we prepared it, we were invited to reconsider a new title name. And so we thought about it, and it took us back to the Book of Mormon, when Alma finds himself in Ammonihah and then leaves (see Alma 8). An angel comes to him and says, “Hey, you’re doing so much better than you think.” He goes back into Ammonihah, enters in just a little different way and runs into his dynamic duo partner, Amulek.

And so they see wonderful things, and they see tragic things. And Alma knows that his friend Amulek needs help. And so in Alma 15, there’s a scripture that in essence says that Alma took Amulek into his own home and administered to him. And then this beautiful sentence: “And [he] strengthened him in the Lord” (verse 18). And I often wonder what must have taken place in that home to strengthen him in the Lord, which had to include discussions about his emotional health and well-being.

And so, because of that, we were approved to change the title of the Emotional Resilience manual to “Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience for Self-Reliance.” It is very important, and it’s something that is discussed more now than ever. That manual in particular helps the worried well, that recognizes that we all deal with some kind of anxiety or some kind of depression, but it can give us tools to help us to work through that and also identify those that are still in need of professional help, which is absolutely appropriate, and we should set aside any stigma that goes with that.

29:58

Mary Richards: I think every soon-to-be missionary should take the course, soon-to-be college student.

Blaine Maxfield: Yeah. That course, along with “Adjusting to Missionary Life,” has been wonderfully well to help missionaries in preparation and as part of mission service.

30:11

Mary Richards: Yeah. It’s so interesting how much all of this is tied together. Humanitarian aid, volunteer service, welfare and self-reliance efforts are all tied so closely to our spiritual well-being as well, as we strive to love God and love our neighbor.

Blaine Maxfield: Yeah. It is a part of that, and as we think about these two great commandments, it does start with loving God. And President [D. Todd] Christofferson has said when we do that, we in essence partner with Him, and we’re better able to know how to look outside of ourselves and care for others. And so they wonderfully go together, loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

30:50

Mary Richards: Where can people find out more information about the report and how they can also get involved in this work?

Blaine Maxfield: Yeah, one of the best places to go is go to caring.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and you can find out information on the report and some other great things. There’s an interactive map that’s found in there as well, so that you can see where different projects are taking place all over the world.

And we’d invite people to take some time in the report. There’s more than 130 stories in there, and there’s a question in many of the sections that goes something like this: “What can I do?” And so our hope is that it will motivate you to put your best intentions into action.

31:30

Mary Richards: Well, this leads well to our last question on the Church News podcast. We always ask our guests, and we give them the last word. We like to ask them what they know now.

And so, Blaine, I’d love to know: What do you know now in this work about caring for those in need and caring one by one for God’s children?

31:50

Blaine Maxfield: This is our fifth year of this annual report. And the first year that we did it, we received some great feedback from the report. And in it, we had put labels, outside labels on people, like “vulnerable” or other terms. And I was reminded by the person who was looking it over that said that these are short-term labels, and really, it can perpetuate or diminish their most important identity, which is a son or daughter of God. And then reminded me that, “Can’t I see that everyone around me is a sacred being?” And she was absolutely right.

And so what’s different for me, I hope, is that my ability to see God’s children as sacred beings and the important work that we all have to care for God’s children and to help teach principles of self-reliance, to help them to care for themselves and others in this beautiful opportunity that we have to lift all others and bring dignity to many.

Listen to more episodes of the Church News podcast

This new exterior rendering was first published April 27 on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

As already announced, the temple will be built on a 1.56-acre site on the southwest corner of Avenida Córdoba and Calle Reconquista, in the San Nicolás district of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

On Oct. 2, 2022, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced this second house of the Lord for Buenos Aires. It was one of 18 locations for new temples he identified during October 2022 general conference, including two others for the neighboring country of Brazil.

Argentina’s first temple — the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple — was dedicated in 1986 and rededicated in 2012. It stands about 12 miles southwest of the site of the Buenos Aires City Center Temple.

In addition, the country is home to another four dedicated temples: the Córdoba (in 2015), Salta (2024), Mendoza (2024) and Bahía Blanca (2025) temples.

Besides the planned Buenos Aires City Center temple, a final house of the Lord is planned for Rosario, announced in 2024.

Two German immigrants, Wilhelm Friedrichs and Emil Hoppe, began preaching the gospel in Argentina in 1923. Friedrichs even began publishing gospel messages in local newspapers, and in 1924 he asked the First Presidency to send missionaries to work among the Germans of Argentina.

In December 1925, while in Buenos Aires, Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated South America for the preaching of the gospel.

Today, the country has over 490,000 Latter-day Saints across more than 730 wards and branches.

‘Fulfillment of a long-awaited dream’: Elder Soares dedicates Bahía Blanca Argentina Temple

Renderings released for temples in Austria and Mexico

Read more Church News coverage of temples

Members of the public are invited to tour this sacred edifice from April 30 to May 23. Admission is free, but due to limited parking, online reservations are strongly recommended.

A media day is also being held April 27, and invited guests will tour the building April 28-29.

Leading news representatives for media-day tours are three General Authority Seventies: Elder Takashi Wada, president of the Church’s United States West Area; Elder Mathias Held; and Elder I. Raymond Egbo.

As Monday’s media day began, the Church published interior and exterior photographs of the Yorba Linda temple on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

After its June 7 dedication, the new temple will serve more than 21,500 Latter-day Saints in the Anaheim, Brea, Chino, Hacienda Heights, Orange, Santa Ana, Whittier and Yorba Linda areas.

The 10 a.m. dedicatory session — to be broadcast to all units in the temple district — will also be rebroadcast at 2 p.m. that day. A presiding leader has not yet been announced.

The Yorba Linda temple is scheduled to be dedicated on the same day and at the same time as the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple’s dedication, with the two becoming the Church’s 218th and 219th dedicated temples worldwide.

These two houses of the Lord were also announced on the same day, April 4, 2021 — meaning they’ll have the same timing from announcement to dedication, down to the very hour.

Design and features

The 30,872-square-foot Yorba Linda temple hints at the region’s historic Spanish Mission architecture. Its exterior is composed of structural steel and insulated concrete, clad in white Blanco Macael marble with pink and gray Rosa Porrino granite accents.

Flooring throughout the temple includes decorative tile and custom patterned carpet, with a New Zealand wool rug in the bride’s room and additional area rugs elsewhere. Art-glass patterns use palm elements and rondels inspired by Spanish Mission architecture, along with custom jewels and hues of green, blue, soft white, orange and yellow.

Illuminating the building’s interior are crystal chandeliers and sconces; decorative light fixtures combine crystal with gold-colored metal, satin brass and plated stainless steel with acrylic lenses. Decorative paint integrates colors and patterns inspired by the local landscape and architecture, with 24-karat gold leaf accents in select areas.

The millwork — mostly plain-sliced sapele veneer and plain-sawn sapele solids — includes painted poplar and maple millwork in some areas. Located at 17130 Bastanchury Road, Yorba Linda, California, the temple stands on a 5.46-acre site that has been owned by the Church since the early 1980s.

About the Yorba Linda temple

Yorba Linda’s temple is planned to be California’s ninth dedicated house of the Lord. It will be the second in Orange County, joining the Newport Beach California Temple, which is located about 20 miles south.

On April 4, 2021, the late Church President Russell M. Nelson announced this temple for Yorba Linda. It was one of 20 temple locations he identified in April 2021 general conference.

To start the construction phase of the Yorba Linda temple, a groundbreaking ceremony was held June 18, 2022. Elder Mark A. Bragg — a General Authority Seventy and then the president of the North America West Area — presided over the ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer on the site.

Referencing Yorba Linda’s motto — “Land of gracious living” — Elder Bragg said that “this house of the Lord will represent the highest in gracious living, and those who enter will leave with a higher commitment to gracious living. … We commit to being neighbors of gracious living.”

The Church in California

California — one of the western U.S. states and located along the Pacific Ocean coast — currently has 12 houses of the Lord operating, under construction or renovation, and announced.

Eight have already been dedicated: Los Angeles (in 1956), Oakland (1964), San Diego (1993), Fresno (2000), Redlands (2003), Newport Beach (2005), Sacramento (2006) and Feather River (2023).

Of note, the San Diego temple was closed in July 2023 for extensive renovations and will soon be rededicated on Aug. 23.

The Modesto California Temple is currently under construction, since its October 2023 groundbreaking. A final two houses of the Lord are in planning stages: the Sunnyvale and Bakersfield temples, both announced in April 2023.

Latter-day Saints first arrived in California on July 31, 1846, in what was then Yerba Buena. The company of around 230 people tripled the population of Yerba Buena and helped build it into the prosperous city of San Francisco.

On July 6, 1851, the San Bernardino Stake was organized as California’s first. Eight California stakes were created in the 1930s, five in the 1940s, and 30 in the 1950s.

Today, California is home to nearly 729,000 Church members in almost 1,100 wards and branches. This makes it the second U.S. state with the most Latter-day Saints, after Utah.

California currently has 16 missions. On July 1, three more missions will be created in the state — headquartered in Oceanside, Ontario and Victorville. These three cities are within a 60-mile radius of Yorba Linda.

Yorba Linda California Temple

Address: 17130 Bastanchury Road, Yorba Linda, California 92886

Announced: April 4, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson

Groundbreaking: June 18, 2022, presided over by Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy

Public open house: April 30 through May 23, 2026, excluding Sundays

To be dedicated: June 7, 2026

Property size: 5.46 acres

Building size: 30,872 square feet

Building height: 70 feet (including the spire)

Members and friends of the Church take part in 7-mile journey to construction site of Yorba Linda California Temple

Doors open to Willamette Valley Oregon Temple

Read more Church News coverage of temples

An open house starts this week, running from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, May 9, excluding Sundays. A media day is also being held Monday, April 20, and invited guests will tour the building April 21 to 22.

As media day begins, two General Authority Seventies — Elder Brian J. Holmes and Elder K. Brett Nattress — are guiding news representatives on tours.

To accompany media day, the Church published interior and exterior photographs of the Willamette Valley temple on April 20 at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

After the open house, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf — acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — will dedicate the temple Sunday, June 7. The single 10 a.m. dedicatory session will be broadcast to all units throughout the temple district, and a 2 p.m. rebroadcast is also planned.

The Willamette Valley temple is scheduled to be dedicated on the same day and at the same time as the Yorba Linda California Temple’s dedication, with the two becoming the Church’s 218th and 219th dedicated temples worldwide.

Design and features

Standing on a 10.29-acre site at 300 International Way, Springfield, Oregon, the Willamette Valley temple is a 30,635-square-foot structure made of insulated concrete forms and structural steel.

Design motifs draw inspiration from the lush Pacific Northwest landscape and features the mountain laurel and repeating prism patterns. Art-glass windows highlight the green vegetation and blue water of the nearby McKenzie and Willamette rivers, as well as hues of gold, purple, pink, green and a blue-yellow gradient.

Throughout the temple, soft gold- and green-patterned carpets are used in various areas, with white sculpted broadloom carpet in the sealing and celestial rooms and solid-green pile in the administration area. Stone flooring includes marble from Italy, accented with gold, and green and blue stones from Italy and Brazil. The celestial and sealing rooms also feature White V marble from Vietnam and Italy.

Temple walls feature white and beige tones, celestial and sealing rooms feature vinyl wallcoverings with a fine organic raised pattern, and the baptistry and instruction rooms display horizontal-striated patterns. Crystal chandeliers illuminate the bride’s room, celestial room and sealing rooms, while frosted-glass fixtures with bronze accents appear in all other areas.

Millwork throughout this temple is made of stained cherry wood, with paint-grade maple and poplar in select areas. Interior doors are also stained cherry, with art-glass panels and brass hardware. Ceilings feature gypsum board and acoustic ceiling tiles.

About the Willamette Valley temple

The late Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Eugene, Oregon, on April 4, 2021. The “Willamette Valley” name was announced five months later, a nod to the valley that extends north of Eugene to Portland, Oregon.

Ground was broken for the temple Oct. 29, 2022, with Elder Valeri V. Cordón presiding. Elder Cordón — a General Authority Seventy and then the first counselor in the Church’s North America West Area — pleaded in his site dedicatory prayer that “the temple will be a beacon of hope and peace that inspires this community to come unto Christ, even in its construction phase.”

The Church in Oregon

Once it’s dedicated, the Willamette Valley temple will join the state’s two operating houses of the Lord: the Portland temple, dedicated in 1989, and the Medford temple, dedicated in 2000.

A significant Latter-day Saint presence didn’t occur in Oregon until 1887, when Utah businessmen built a lumber mill on the North Powder River near Baker, Oregon. They persuaded several hundred Latter-day Saint families to migrate there.

Oregon’s first stake was created in 1901. By 1930, about 3,230 members of the Church lived in the state.

On Aug. 4, 1929, 76 members of the Church gathered at the organization of the Eugene Branch. The Portland Stake was created June 26, 1938, and the Eugene Branch was made into a ward on the same day.

Today, nearly 150,000 Latter-day Saints in almost 300 wards and branches call Oregon home.

Willamette Valley Oregon Temple

Address: 300 International Way, Springfield, Oregon 97477

Announced: April 4, 2021, by President Russell M. Nelson

Groundbreaking: Oct. 29, 2022, presided over by Elder Valeri V. Cordón, a General Authority Seventy

Public open house: April 23 through May 9, 2026, excluding Sundays

To be dedicated: June 7, 2026, by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Property size: 10.29 acres

Building size: 30,635 square feet

Building height: 119 feet (including the spire)

Open house begins for Bacolod Philippines Temple, the country’s third to be dedicated this year

Temple announced for Marysville, Washington, in stake devotional

Read more Church News coverage of temples

The 10 a.m. dedicatory session — to be broadcast to all units in the temple district — will also be rebroadcast at 2 p.m. that day. A presiding leader has not yet been announced.

In the weeks prior to the dedication, an open house will be held for the house of the Lord from April 30 to May 23, excluding Sundays. A media day will also be held Monday, April 27, and invited guests will tour the Yorba Linda temple April 28-29.

These dates were first published in a Jan. 12 news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

The Yorba Linda temple is scheduled to be dedicated on the same day and at the same time as the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple’s dedication.

This will mark the first time in Church history that two temples are dedicated both on the same day and in the same time zone.

Before then, the closest this distinction has come to occurring was May 21, 2000, with the dedications of the Nashville Tennessee Temple and Villahermosa Mexico Temple. Although they share a time zone from November to March, they are one hour apart from March to November, when most of the United States observes daylight saving time.

About the Yorba Linda temple

Currently set to be California’s ninth dedicated house of the Lord, the Yorba Linda temple will be the second in Orange County, California. It joins the Newport Beach California Temple, which is located about 20 miles south.

The Yorba Linda temple, planned as a single-story structure of about 30,000 square feet, stands on a 5.4-acre site at the intersection of Bastanchury Road and Osmond Street in Yorba Linda, California.

The late President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Yorba Linda on April 4, 2021. It was one of 20 temple locations he identified in April 2021 general conference, the most temples he announced in a conference. President Nelson would later announce 20 temples in October 2023 as well.

To start the construction phase of the Yorba Linda temple, a groundbreaking ceremony was held June 18, 2022. Elder Mark A. Bragg — a General Authority Seventy and then president of the North America West Area — presided over the ceremony and offered the dedicatory prayer on the site.

Referencing Yorba Linda’s motto — “Land of gracious living” — Elder Bragg said that “this house of the Lord will represent the highest in gracious living, and those who enter will leave with a higher commitment to gracious living. … We commit to being neighbors of gracious living.”

The Church in California

One of the western U.S. states, and located along the Pacific Ocean coast, California currently has 12 houses of the Lord operating, under construction or renovation, and announced.

Eight have already been built: Los Angeles (dedicated in 1956), Oakland (1964), San Diego (1993), Fresno (2000), Redlands (2003), Newport Beach (2005), Sacramento (2006) and Feather River (2023).

Of note, the San Diego temple was closed in July 2023 for extensive renovations and remains temporarily out of operation.

In addition to the Yorba Linda temple, the Modesto California Temple is currently under construction, since its October 2023 groundbreaking.

A final two houses of the Lord are in planning stages: the Sunnyvale and Bakersfield temples, both announced in April 2023.

Latter-day Saints first arrived in California on July 31, 1846, in what was then Yerba Buena. The company of around 230 people tripled the population of Yerba Buena and helped build it into the prosperous city of San Francisco.

On July 6, 1851, the San Bernardino Stake was organized as California’s first. Eight California stakes were created in the 1930s, five in the 1940s, and 30 in the 1950s.

Today, California is home to nearly 729,000 Church members in almost 1,100 congregations. This makes it the second U.S. state with the most Latter-day Saints, after Utah.

California currently has 16 missions. On July 1, three more missions will be created in the state — headquartered in Oceanside, Ontario and Victorville. These three cities are within a 60-mile radius of Yorba Linda.

Members and friends of the Church take part in 7-mile journey to construction site of Yorba Linda California Temple

Bacolod Philippines Temple to be dedicated in same month as another Philippines temple

From 2022: How rare are 2 temple dedications in the same day? It’s been done before. See when

Read more Church News coverage of temples

As those young women learn about and begin to embrace the new names of Builders of Faith, Messengers of Hope, and Gatherers of Light, the Young Women general presidency of the Church rejoices with them.

In this episode of the Church News podcast, special guest host Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News executive editor, speaks with Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman and her counselors, Sister Tamara W. Runia and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus.

Together, they discuss the doctrinal meaning behind each of the three names and the celebrations they hope will take place across the globe. They also explain the divine identity that these new names can help young women feel as they learn about Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation and Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript:

Jon Ryan Jensen: Welcome to the Church News podcast. I’m Church News editor Ryan Jensen. This special episode of the Church News podcast is hosted by Deseret News editor Sarah Jane Weaver as she speaks with the Young Women general presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

0:17

Sarah Jane Weaver: This has been a very exciting week, and we’re here for a special edition of the Church News podcast with the Young Women general presidency. Today, we’re excited to welcome President Emily Belle Freeman and her counselors, Sister Tamara W. Runia and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus. And we’re here because the Young Women has new age-group designations.

President Emily Belle Freeman: We are so excited about this.

0:43

Sarah Jane Weaver: So, let’s just start and have you tell us what they are.

President Emily Belle Freeman: OK, so the young women will now be named for the 12- and 13-year-olds, Builders of Faith; for the 14- and 15-year-olds, Messengers of Hope; and for 16 years and older, Gatherers of Light.

1:02

Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, I think as far as things that will impact young women and their spiritual identity, this is so important and so exciting.

Now, I want to read what the First Presidency said about this announcement. They wrote that the name should “help young women understand their divine place in God’s work, to represent their spiritual dignity as His beloved daughters and to highlight their progression.”

And so, as we start, let’s just play off of that. How do these names play into the spiritual identity of young women across the globe?

1:39

President Emily Belle Freeman: Oh, that is so fun. And I love — this is one of my favorite parts of that statement, were those three things that they talked about, where they talked about their place, No. 1, what is their place in God’s work? Their dignity, which I love the thought of that. And then the last one, their progression. And as we think about each of those things in this name, I’m sure you both will have things that you want to say on that.

But one of the things that I love the most as we think about these names is looking at women in scripture. And they were not quiet women. They were women who were difference makers. They were interacting in everything that was happening. And we talked a lot about some of the women in scripture that we look up to and admire, including Eve and Mary and the woman at the well and Mary Magdalene and Emma Smith. And each of these women were builders of faith. They were messengers of hope. They were gatherers of light. That’s who they were.

And we spent one whole council together talking with the women in our council about, “Let’s list all of the builders of faith in scripture. And let’s list all the messengers of hope in scripture. And let’s list all the gatherers of light in scripture.” And you wish you could have seen the board with all of these names as we counseled about this and as we think about that dignity and their purpose and their place. This is not just this generation that lives today, but we are building on the shoulders of giants who went before.

3:22

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: I want to add to everything that you said, that this is showing a path, and how important is it to have a path? Is it to know what’s next? How can I be prepared to do what things? So I think it will be a blessing for the young girls.

3:37

Sister Tamara W. Runia: We often hear the rising generation described as being on this path but also on this kind of lifelong journey of discipleship, this arc of discipleship. And I think these names will help them as they gain testimony, as they progress, as they draw closer to the Savior.

And I think the thing that I love about the names specifically is that two things can happen, as you say, a Builder of Faith. It’s personal. This young woman can think, “OK, I need to increase my faith in Jesus Christ.” But also, that can be the mirror that she sees, but also a window for her to look out and see others and think, “I can help others build their faith. I can be a messenger of hope. I can help gather Christ’s light and reflect that back to others.” And I think that’s such a beautiful thing, that there are two things that are happening with the names. They’re a mirror, and they’re a window.

4:31

Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, and for many years, the young women have been known by their age or maybe as the older young women and the younger young women, and that was fine. But what process does it take?

How do you go about giving an age designation with a name for young women?

4:51

President Emily Belle Freeman: And I think it’s important to talk about this, because at the time that was done, we look at a Relief Society, and when you look at Young Women next to Relief Society, it makes sense that you would have that designated group name. And that’s important. And we will still have that name of “Young Women.” And that is our group, and that is who we will always be.

But one thing we quickly noticed is we are also in a conjoint program with the Young Men of the Church. And so we’re talking a lot about an age group and a quorum. And as we call out those names, we found it was really important for the young women to have a companion name that also allowed them to have a responsibility and a role and something that they could do and be a part of and a cause.

Sarah Jane Weaver: When you compare those to stewardships and responsibilities and potential, they even become more important.

President Emily Belle Freeman: Yes.

5:55

Sarah Jane Weaver: So, the process, how long does it take? How do you go about naming a group?

President Emily Belle Freeman: Yes. It took a long time. We started talking about this at the very beginning of our presidency and found that the previous presidency had also been discussing this. I don’t know if people realize that this isn’t something that just happened overnight, but this took a lot of prayer and a lot of counseling together. And as we counseled, we had to think bigger than just right here.

This is an international Church, and these had to be names that would work across the entire world. And that filled our conversation on our council. We speak four different languages, and between that and then the AOAs [area organization advisers] throughout the world, as we counseled on each of these words and what they would mean and how they would be translated, that became an important part.

And counseling is such an important part of the work that we do. And so it started small and moved to our council, and then it moved to the Quorum of the Twelve and finally to the First Presidency. And at each step, adjustments came and counsel came, and we would go back and think again. Until finally there came a moment where there just was a confirmation that these names would actually work.

7:25

Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, and there had to be some challenges to finding a name that would work. You mentioned language. Were there others?

President Emily Belle Freeman: Yeah, and so, Andrea, talk a little bit about the languages.

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: So, translation was one. And also cultures, because the Church is global, and so we have different cultures, and we have also different languages. So, we wanted to use a phrase that was easier to convey a concept, and not only one word that you are more tight in order to translate that and translate with everything that we want to convey in that word. So that’s why we were choosing phrases and really prayed for inspiration to do something that it would be fine or able to be translated in different languages with the same meaning.

So, yeah, it was a process, but it was a wonderful process. Counseling also, President Freeman was talking about councils, and I love this phrase from President [M. Russell] Ballard when he said, “When we are united, we are unstoppable.” And we were united. Every presidency, it’s a council, and also with our council, and, well, them. So we were united, and inspiration came.

8:46

Sister Tamara W. Runia: It’s just been a wonderful journey. It’s been exciting, really, to have those different iterations and come back and pray about it and kind of go to the whiteboard. I really wish you had taken pictures of that. Maybe we did, throughout the whole process. But I think there was some historical underpinnings, right? Do you want to talk about that?

9:05

President Emily Belle Freeman: Yeah, so as we thought about names, we wanted these names to be not just something that three women thought of over lunch. We really wanted to put some thought into where we had come from and where we were going.

And at the very beginning of our presidency, one of the very first things that I did was to read everything that I could find about the Young Women program of the Church. And we would sit in those beginning days and go through all of these books and just talk about. Sometimes there is great power if you know where you have come from, and when you can find the roots of who you were, it actually can give life to who you can become.

And in part of the reading of all of these things, there was a moment when I stumbled on names. The young women have been different names for all through the Church. There just have been, at different times, different names. And we kind of looked at each of them and the reason why those were the names at that time. And in the early 1900s, the girls had names that are very similar to what we will be using now. And they called themselves “builders” and “gatherers.”

And when I saw those names, I came and I was like, “Listen, how awesome this is.” They had a work, they had a purpose, they had something to look at and think, “I can do something with this.” And we started there and just thought about, “OK, what would that actually look like today for these girls? What would they be building? What would they be gathering? What would their message be?” And those roots were part of what compelled us to where we got.

That was not the only thing. Then we dove into scripture, like we talked about, and looked at all of the women in scripture. And then we studied the character of Christ and looked at how all of these names would help us to understand that better. And as we did each of those, as we went through that process, we learned things, and we were led. Until finally there was a moment after a lot of counsel and a lot of discussion and a lot of prayer — a lot of prayer — that we arrived at just a sweet moment of confirmation.

And I don’t think any of the three of us will ever forget that day. And one of my favorite parts of that day is we walked out of the First Presidency office. I was in the front, and Tammy and Andrea were right behind me, and they just jumped right on top of me, both of them did, and we just hugged. And Elder [David A.] Bednar was with us on that day, and he said, “There is a lot to remember about this day, but the picture I will keep with me always is the picture of you three standing in the middle of this room in that embrace.” And I think that was a sweet moment for all three of us.

12:36

Sarah Jane Weaver: So, I love that image of an embrace and unity and confirmation from the Spirit, that this was the right designation at the right time.

What can you tell us about that meeting with the First Presidency? They had to also express confidence in these names.

12:57

President Emily Belle Freeman: One of the things that I love the most about President Dallin H. Oaks is how much he loves the women and the young women of the Church. And we have felt that since the very moment he was called to be the Prophet. And as we listened to him speak about these young women and the women of the Church, it is with the highest regard and dignity. And that moment was no different.

As we sat there with him and we listened to him, and as he thought about each of these names and their presidency counseled about these names, what I walked out from that meeting remembering is how much he loves the young women of the Church, but more importantly, how much he believes in the young women of the Church.

13:50

Sarah Jane Weaver: Now, we’re just a few weeks away from sustaining President Oaks as President and Prophet of the Church in a solemn assembly.

What do you want the young women to know and understand about our Prophet?

14:05

Sister Tamara W. Runia: I love this idea that he loves women, he loves Heavenly Father’s daughters. But also, he has an idea, a feeling that they have potential, that they have a future that is bright. And I know that President [Russell M.] Nelson had the same feeling when he talked about them being unusually gifted.

And I have felt that from our prophets, seers and revelators, that these young people, these young women, came to this earth wired for inclusion, for including others, for seeing past differences and outward appearances and present circumstances and just loving like Christ. And I feel like that direction has come from prophets, seers and revelators who trust them, this rising generation, and know their potential, that they’ve been held in reserve to come forth at this time in the winding-up scenes in this last final dispensation.

15:03

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: Well, to be in the solemn assembly was an experience that I will never forget. It was really special in my heart. I felt the Holy Ghost very, very powerful confirming that this is the Prophet of the Church. So I know that we don’t need to be in Salt Lake City to have that testimony of the Prophet. You can have it wherever you live, just by kneeling and asking Heavenly Father about that. But it was a beautiful confirmation one more time that He is my Prophet. Beautiful.

President Emily Belle Freeman: One of my favorite memories from that moment will be sitting and watching the young women stand up all through the Conference Center and imagining them throughout the entire world and thinking to myself, “These are young women who know who the Prophet is and who sustain him and who follow them.” And there was so much strength for me in that moment.

16:08

Sarah Jane Weaver: And we felt that moment. I was in the Deseret News newsroom, a whole bunch of reporters, and we felt it through the TV. We felt a confirmation of President Oaks being the Prophet for this age.

Now, I want to talk about one thing: three words. That’s a lot of words. That’s two more words than one word.

Sister Tamara W. Runia: Yes, well said.

16:32

Sarah Jane Weaver: When you think about it, is there something that makes phrases easier to translate? Is there a reason for three words?

President Emily Belle Freeman: We’re going to let Andrea talk about this. We were so happy Andrea was in our presidency as we went through this process. Because I only speak English, a little bit of German. You’re un poquito español [a little Spanish].

Sister Tamara W. Runia: Yes, solamente un poquito [only a little].

President Emily Belle Freeman: You have some Spanish there, but not enough to realize how important getting these names right internationally would be. And Andrea became for us a steady sounding board from the very beginning of, “No, that will not work because of this, this and this.” It just was a constant — we were waiting for that confirmation from Andrea that, “Yes, I think in this many languages, this would work.” And at the end of the day, the translation is what took the longest, to settle on something that would work. But you are wiser about that.

17:39

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: No, you explained very well. Yes, three words, a concept is much easier to understand than when you have only one word, only one choice. And we need to remember that we have Mandarin, we have Quechua, we have so many languages, and sometimes they don’t have a word, exactly the word to translate and to convey all the meaning that we want to have in that word.

So, well, that was the reason for why we have a phrase. And, well, different cultures, different languages, but only one message that we want to transmit and a very important message that we want the girls to really understand.

18:23

Sarah Jane Weaver: Now, last Sunday was Sunday School. This next Sunday, everyone around the world is going to be meeting for Young Women. And for the first time, young women are going to be able to be together with their advisers and celebrate these new names.

What do you want to have happen on Sunday?

18:43

President Emily Belle Freeman: Oh, this is so fun to think about. And can I —

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: Sorry, you used exactly the word, because it’s a “celebration.” You said that they will be celebrating. This is what we want. We want them to be celebrating on Sunday.

President Emily Belle Freeman: Yes, we do. We want them to be celebrating it. I wondered if I could read a letter that my daughter wrote me the day the names came out. And this was such a sweet experience for me as a mom to think about this. And I don’t know why, but I actually hadn’t thought about Sunday. I had thought about April 20, the day the names were going to be released. And I hadn’t even thought to Sunday until this letter came.

And she said this. She texted this to me: “I wish I had a daughter in Young Women today. And if I did, I would have checked her out of school, and I would have told her about the big announcement. And I would have said, ‘This is who you are meant to be.’ I would have taught her what it means to be a Builder of Faith, a Messenger of Hope or a Gatherer of Light, to learn through doctrine together what it really means to be a young woman in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because today, every girl was reminded that she has a purpose, and this day should be remembered. We would go buy a new dress to wear to church on Sunday to remember this moment. We would have made a poster to hang in her room.

“I’m so sad I was released from serving in Young Women, or I would have celebrated with my girls this Sunday. I would have decorated the room, made posters and taught my girls about women in scripture who represented each of these names. I would have shown how each of these names pointed to a character of Christ. We, as women, are going to show these girls what it really means to be a Builder of Faith, a Messenger of Hope and a Gatherer of Light.

“How we respond to this will be how these girls learn to see themselves. How we embrace these names is how these girls will embrace their purpose in Young Women, and we all need to remember that. We are God’s girls, and He has a great work for each of us. And today is a day worth celebrating with daughters or with the girls you take care of and love. Today is for the girls, God’s girls, Builders of Faith, Messengers of Hope, Gatherers of Light.”

And I finished reading this text, and I thought to myself — my first thought was, “Yes. What is everyone doing on Sunday?” I was so excited to just think about that moment. And it was so cute to have one of my own daughters hear that announcement and immediately sit down and start texting of this day. This day is for the girls. And what a sweet moment that was.

21:52

Sister Tamara W. Runia: And I will probably show up at one of my granddaughters’ wards, just kind of sneak in. I have granddaughters Grace, Margo, Piper and Dagny who are in the Young Women’s program. And especially for Grace, who is a senior, it’s been six years since she has had a name that has purpose and identity. And so I’m so grateful that this is happening before she graduates, that she’ll have this experience on Sunday. And, yeah, this is going to be a celebration, just as you both said.

22:24

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: I will add also that I would love for the girls to feel the love of the Savior this Sunday, this particular Sunday, through the love of their leaders. Through their leaders, to feel that, “Yes, this is it.”

Sister Tamara W. Runia: Well, and I think that’s one of the greatest things about a calling. When you’re called and set apart, I believe that you are entitled to an added measure of God’s love for those that you serve and serve with. And we have been able to feel that so keenly, and it’s a really special thing.

Sometimes I’ve struggled to feel God’s love, but I have felt it in such immense ways for these girls, these young women, and it’s been almost a gift for me to realize, “OK, if Heavenly Father feels this way about His daughters that we have watched care over and their leaders, He must feel this way about me.” And so it has been a gift to feel that love for them.

23:18

Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, I have three daughters. They’re all in their 20s now. But the Church News app push went out, and the family text chain immediately was like —

Sister Tamara W. Runia: Did it just blow up?

Sarah Jane Weaver: “Did you see this? Did you see this? There are names now.” And that meant something to them.

But I want to talk about the doctrinal significance, because it probably should have meant more to them than it did.

23:43

President Emily Belle Freeman: And I think for us, one of our favorite parts of these names was looking into scripture that would support each of these names. And as we read about each of those scriptures that go with these names, we loved the lessons that were coming. And this is true, there are so many scriptures we could have chosen. But as we sat down and counseled together and thought through these scriptures with all of the Church leaders that were counseling together, I love the three that we arrived at and the importance that they teach us.

The Builders of Faith who will build their foundation on Jesus Christ, and we find that reference in the book of Ephesians [2:20]. We see that all through scripture, but that thought about being built upon that cornerstone and Jesus Christ was important to us. You love the messengers of hope.

24:45

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: In Mosiah 18 [verses 8-9], we read about those who “bear one another’s burdens,” “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” and “mourn with those that mourn.” We can be Messengers of Hope and give hope to the people by ministering, by helping them, by comforting them.

So I think that it’s a beautiful scripture that can help us to see, “How am I doing? What else can I do for others? In which way can I help?” And to be a messenger, also, I love that; that, “OK, I have something to do. I can be a messenger of this good news. I can do good for the people in my family, in my ward, at school, in the community. I can do that.

25:30

Sister Tamara W. Runia: And at all times and in all things and in all places. And I love at the end of that chapter when it talks about, “Are you willing to do these things?” And what did those people do? They clapped their hands for joy and said, “This is the desire of our hearts” (Mosiah 18:11). And I hope the young women will have that same sentiment, that “We want to do this. We want to lift those who are feeling down and minister to those who are mourning and all of those things.”

25:57

President Emily Belle Freeman: Yes, as we think about the sacrament covenant, the covenant that we renew every week, and one of the promises that we make in that covenant is to take His name, and another is to always remember Him. And as we mourn and comfort and stand as a witness everywhere, that is the fruits of a covenant to take His name and to always remember Him. And that is part of what we do as Messengers of Hope.

And then you think about our Gatherers of Light. And I love in Doctrine and Covenants 50, verse 24, where it teaches an important principle. And I love this thought for our oldest girls, for our Gatherers of Light, that as you attract light, more light comes. And I love the thought of first what you were saying, that mirror, that they’re going to gather light. They’re going to gather what will increase the Spirit in their life. But then they are going to go forth and reflect that light for others. And what an example that will be for the world as they live up to that purpose and potential.

27:14

Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, and I tell you, when I first heard these, I thought, “Isn’t it amazing?” This is the generation of young women that President Oaks has said can go to serve missions around the world at age 18 instead of 19. And he’s put so much trust in them, and their counterparts, but he’s asked them to build the Church and gather Israel and share a message of hope and light everywhere they go, whether they embrace the opportunity to serve as missionaries or not.

27:47

President Emily Belle Freeman: Yes, I guess this will be what their generation does as we prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And I love the thought of that, that first in those first years, they build that testimony. And then they begin to message what it is they have learned. And then they go forth, and they will gather others with that light that they carry. And that progression, that watching of them learning and growing every year and then giving what they know felt really important as we counseled about these names.

Sister Tamara W. Runia: And I love the idea that that light chases away darkness. And that can be in the daily discipleship when they’re reading their scriptures or saying their prayers. They can be gathering that light, and it really does push back the darkness.

28:42

Sarah Jane Weaver: Yeah, I love that. At the Deseret News, we often talk about how the darkness in the world — and Sheri Dew, who is our boss, has taught us this — but the darkness in the world is our opportunity for anyone who is willing to spread light.

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: And when they are emulating Jesus Christ, when they are doing good things, trying to do good things, they are a light for the world.

29:08

Sarah Jane Weaver: For the past three years, the three of you have had the very unique opportunity to pray for and meet and think about and plead with the Lord for the young women of the Church.

What have they taught you?

President Emily Belle Freeman: Well, I think of a young woman in Micronesia on a very small island. And I’ll never forget when I met her. And they kept saying to me, “You have to meet Zoe.” And when we finally got to her, the woman who I was with said, “Ask her what her calling is.” So I said to her, “What is your calling?” And she said, “Oh, I am preparing to get my mission call. I’ve just turned in my papers, and I am waiting to be a missionary.” And I said, “Oh, that is so exciting.”

And the woman with me said, “But ask her what her calling is.” And I said, “But what is your calling?” And she said, “Oh, I teach seminary to all of the kids on the island. I’m the early morning seminary teacher.” And I said, “That is amazing. Are you a senior in high school?” And she said, “Yes, but I’ve been doing it since I was a junior.” I said, “Every morning?” “Yes.” I said, “So, you do your homework at night, and then you plan your seminary lesson?” “Yes.”

And then the woman next to me says, “But ask her what her calling is.” And I say, “But what is your calling?” And she said, “Oh, I am the Young Women president of my ward, and I have these girls.” And I looked at this young woman who was preparing for a mission and teaching early morning seminary and the Young Women president of her ward.

And in that moment, I just had the Spirit bear witness to me of the capacity of the young women of this generation and what they can do, what they bring to the world. They know who Jesus Christ is. They know His gospel. They are rising up and leading and teaching all over the world. And it was just a remarkable moment for me.

31:21

Sister Tamara W. Runia: I had the sweet experience as I’ve traveled to be outside of temples with Young Women groups and just hearing them testify of their love of the Savior and also the strength that they feel when they enter inside the temples of the Lord and how that house of the Lord is a peaceful feeling that settles on them in a world that may feel dark in other spaces.

I’ve loved hearing the young women of the Church sing about the Savior through the hymns and feel their joy in Christ. And it’s just something that I want to emulate and do better at, is singing with that same joy and that feeling the young women have.

32:04

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: I really think that this generation is amazing. They are really, really amazing. And I love when I teach the devotionals, at the end of the devotional, to sing with them the song, or theme, of that year. So after that, I will ask them, “OK, what is your favorite part in the song?” And I love it because every comment is a small or mini testimony, short testimony, of the Savior. Because they say: “OK, I love this part because of this. I love that part because of that.” And all the hands are up, and it’s so joyful for me. It’s a wonderful moment in that devotional when I see and I’m a witness of the willingness that they have to serve the Lord, to learn about the Lord, to love the Lord. And for me, it’s like a gift.

32:56

Sarah Jane Weaver: Well, and these young women are going to go out into the world and do amazing things. Some of them may get to a point where they question their place in the Lord’s kingdom.

What do you want them to know about that?

President Emily Belle Freeman: Oh, I love that question. And maybe I’ll tell you a story to begin with, that Grace will be sad I’m about to tell. But yesterday morning, I woke up so early, in the 5s, and I had just been thinking about the names that had been released the day before and pondering about them. And all of a sudden, I heard from downstairs, Grace yelled, “Mom, I need help.” And so I jumped up out of bed, and I ran to the stairs, and she said to me, “My alarm didn’t go off. I’m in charge of opening the doors for early morning seminary today. Can you go, and I will be five minutes behind you? Here are the keys.”

So I just threw on my sweats. I jumped in the car, drove down there. I wasn’t even really thinking because it was so early in the morning. I pull up to the seminary, I get out of my car, I start walking, and someone says this: “Is that President Emily Belle Freeman?” And I was like this. I was like, “Wait a minute, why didn’t I think?” And I opened the door, and everyone went in, and I went and sat in Grace’s class till she was going to get there, which was going to be so close.

And someone asked about the names. And I started talking about the great role that women have played in God’s plan since the very beginning of time. And I remember looking at that whole class — some boys and some girls — but right on the front row on the right, there was this girl. And as I spoke and I talked about those women in scripture and these names, I watched her eyes. And they went from early morning seminary eyes to “I just saw this light.” And by the time I was done talking, I just felt this fire burning in her eyes, that she had caught hold of something in that moment.

And as I thought about that and as I watched her, I thought, “This is the moment I want every one of our girls to have.” That moment when that fire just catches hold inside of her of “This is who you are, and this is who you can become. And there is a great work for you. And you come from a long line of women who have been essential to God’s work and the building up of His kingdom.”

35:49

Sister Tamara W. Runia: Beautiful. Beautifully said. I had a Young Women leader in California when I was growing up, Sister Pingree, and I remember she gave me a small booklet. And inside, she wrote this: “Your potential is far beyond your dream.” And that has always stayed with me, because at that time in my life, I didn’t feel like I had much potential. I certainly didn’t have a dream for my life. But I love that idea that these young women have a bright future. And maybe it’s going to take looking with an eye of faith to see that future that maybe they can’t see.

But I really think as we think about testimony that you just talked about and that burning inside them, they will have those moments when they question, when they wonder, “Is this for me? Do I have a place in the kingdom? And is my testimony strong? Is it built on that strong foundation?”

I love Nephi’s humble answer when he’s asked, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” And he just says, “I know that [God loves] his children; [but] I do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:16-17). And that honest reply, I think, is something that has helped me, because not understanding is not the same as not believing. And there are going to be things that they don’t understand. And I’ve had that experience as well. But I still choose to believe. And they can too.

37:13

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: Thank you. When I was in Argentina in my Young Women years, I had a teacher that was wonderful, because every lesson she would finish with her testimony, and always she would have a personal experience about something that she was teaching. So my mind was like, “Oh, can I have that experience? Can I have the same thing?” So all this array of possibilities, my mind was absorbing, “OK, I can have this, and I can have this.”

So, if I can express a wish for these beautiful young women around the world, it will be to have a wonderful leader with a firm testimony, a leader who knows God and loves God, and then trust and love the young women. Because the influence that the leaders can have on the girls is amazing. We cannot tell about that. So the most — I always say the same — the most important leader for the girls is the leader in her ward, in her branch. So, this is my wish, to have that kind of leaders that have fire in their hearts that can transmit all this testimony to the girls.

38:36

Sarah Jane Weaver: It’s now been three days since the First Presidency made this announcement. There’s been all kinds of excitement and talk on social media. Each of you have had a chance to contemplate things. And I’m sure things have settled into your heart and into your mind.

And so, we have this tradition at the Church News podcast, and we usually end with the same question: What do you know now? And so, my question for you is: What do you know now since the Church made this announcement three days ago?

President Emily Belle Freeman: That is so good. Do you want to start?

39:12

Sister Tamara W. Runia: You bet. One of my favorite scriptures — and it was our mission scripture — is from Doctrine and Covenants, I think it’s section 123:17. And in the last three days, I have contemplated this scripture, which I think has kind of informed our experience in working on these names and also when they were introduced.

And it is this: “Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” And I feel like that has been our experience. We’ve cheerfully gone about this work of helping these young women to restore their names and their dignity and their identity, but also now to turn this over to the Lord and to just sit back and watch His arm be revealed and have this work roll forward in this Young Women program and have them hold these names close to their heart.

40:21

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: Thank you. Well, during these three years, we were praying a lot, we were talking about that and really looked for confirmation and inspiration from God to do everything that we were doing. Because this is in our hearts to do the will of the Lord.

So, one night, I remember I was praying to Heavenly Father because I wanted to have a confirmation that everything that we were talking about, that we were counseling about, was really inspiration. And I was asking, “What is the purpose of all these changes and names and everything? What is the purpose?” And I needed a confirmation from God.

So I opened, after I prayed, I opened my scriptures, and my sight was straight to this verse, the part that says, “to stand firm in the day of the Lord.” It was from the Old Testament. So that was my confirmation that the Lord loves so much these youth, and He wants them to be firm in this testimony, to be firm and to be ready to gather, to prepare the children of God for the Second Coming.

So I was very humbled to receive this. And I was grateful to have a very loving and merciful God that can answer our questions and ease our hearts and our minds in the things that worry us. But how beautiful is that He wants His children to be ready and prepared and stand firm in the things that He knows are good for them.

42:08

President Emily Belle Freeman: And I would just add this. I have thought a lot over the past three days. This is a moment that we have looked forward to for years. And April 20 has been on our calendar, and we’ve counted down the days until that moment was going to happen.

And as we have thought about that and we thought about every letter that we’ve received at the Young Women’s office, and we have read every single one of them, of these girls asking for names. And as we prayed about that and thought about that, this was a really important day for us.

And on that first night, I laid in my bed, and I read every comment on every post that I could find. And I listened to the hearts of all of the women who were talking about this and what this was going to look like and what their hopes were and what their fears were and what they were wrestling with at the time.

And as I laid in my bed, I remembered a quote from the books that I had read at the very beginning of this calling. And Susa Young Gates, who wrote about what it looked like to begin the whole Young Women program. And there is a quote that she had that I have carried around with me since the very beginning, our very first day. And I have thought about this so much over the past three days.

She said this: “The sacrifice was big to them” — speaking of the early Young Women leaders of the Church — “The sacrifice was big to them. Small wonder there was shrinking and doubt. The foundation of any great nation or people is always laid by strong and mighty men and women. Only such had the disposition and the capacity to meet and overcome the tremendous obstacles which the beginning of things entails.”

There were giants in those days. And I thought about that quote over and over again and thought about those women who came before us. And they are giants for us. They are women that we talk about all of the time. And they were women who saw the beginning of things. And we stand on their shoulders now. And this is the beginning of a thing.

And I love what Susa wrote: “It came at a time when we needed something to inspire the youth of our people and to prepare them for the greater labor and duty that was before them.” And I just keep thinking about that. And then this last line that she said, “When superior souls fight the good fight and win the victor’s crown, the warfare is made the easier and the better for every soul upon earth and even for the hosts of heaven.”

And I just love the thought for these young women today of this reminder that these names will bring to them of giants who went before, of these women who were at the very beginning of things. And now we stand at a moment in history when all of us, young women and leaders, stand shoulder to shoulder again. And this is the beginning of things for us.

And that thought that it is coming “at a time when we need something to inspire the youth of our people and to prepare them for the greater labor and duty that is before them.” And this feels like a time like that. And how grateful I am to be here and to be with this group of young women and leaders who will bring meaning and substance to these names because of the caliber of women and young women who they are.

46:32

Sarah Jane Weaver: Now, as we leave, we want to give each of you the final word and the opportunity to just share a brief testimony of the Church and of prophets.

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus: So, yes, I have a firm testimony of Jesus Christ, our Savior, and also our Heavenly Father who created this wonderful plan for us to return to Him, to transform our hearts. We cannot go back to Him the way that we are right now. We need to transform our hearts. And everything that we live here, all the experiences that we have in this world, is just for that, to transform and be different and more like Jesus Christ, our Savior.

So I’m so grateful for that opportunity that I have to live at this time that is a wonderful time, because the Church is fully restored, and we have a prophet. We have a prophet, and he has counselors, and the Quorum of the Twelve and all the leaders that can guide us. So my testimony is found in that, in the scriptures and the plan of salvation, and in my personal knowledge.

One day, I was on my knees asking Heavenly Father about this, and I received that confirmation. And because of that, I will live my life preaching and testifying of that. I love Heavenly Father so much, and I love Jesus Christ. And because of that, I’m doing my best effort to love others and to do the best thing that I can do. So what a beautiful opportunity it is to be working for that, for Them, for His children. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

48:24

Sister Tamara W. Runia: Thank you. And before I share my testimony, I just want to express my love for these two sisters of mine, and what a unique and singular experience this has been, especially to be a part of this. We have worked together and cried together and prayed about this and known the desire of the young women and their leaders to have this moment in time, and I feel lucky to have been a part of this process, and we have felt heaven’s help throughout it.

I have a testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I was just reading not that long ago, this is in Alma 5, and it’s when Alma the Younger is talking about his dad’s experience of hearing Abinadi preach. And then in verse 12, he says, “Behold I say unto you that this is all true.” And that’s how I feel right now, is that all of these things that are happening and taking place, that this is real and that the Savior will return.

We were on our mission when President Nelson said, “Time is running out.” And then we were in the Conference Center when he said, “Christ will return.” And sometimes if we can’t imagine how something will look like, we think maybe it won’t happen. But I bear testimony that the Savior will return. And I look forward to that day, whatever it looks like. And I’m just grateful for this experience of being able to point people to Him and testify of Him. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

50:05

President Emily Belle Freeman: And I will just add my witness to theirs. First, that Dallin H. Oaks is the Prophet. He is the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I am so grateful for the opportunity that is ours to be able to be with him. Serving at this time has been such a privilege. And one thing that I have learned and that I know is that he knows the heart and the needs of the people who he serves. And I am grateful for that witness.

I know that we are beloved daughters of heavenly parents who love us. I know that Jesus Christ is our strength. And I know the Holy Ghost will not fail us if we listen and we respond to His promptings. And I am so grateful for a restored gospel that has taught us these truths. And I testify that these truths are real. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

First Presidency announces new names for Young Women groups

See answers to questions about the new Young Women age-group names

See the doctrine and context behind the new Young Women age-group names

Listen to more episodes of the Church News podcast

In this episode of the Church News podcast, Sister Kathleen F. Kelly of the Primary general advisory council and Ryan Eggett, a music manager in the Church’s Priesthood and Family Department, join Church News reporter Mary Richards.

Together, they talk about the power of sacred music to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as strengthen and fortify testimony.

Listen to this episode of the Church News podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, bookshelf PLUS, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Transcript:

Mary Richards: President Dallin H. Oaks, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has taught that “the singing of hymns is one of the best ways to learn the doctrine of the restored gospel.” Sister Kathleen F. Kelly of the Primary general advisory council and Ryan Eggett, a music manager in the Church’s Priesthood and Family Department, join me, Mary Richards, on this episode of the Church News podcast to talk about the power of sacred music to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sister Kelly and Brother Eggett, thank you so much for both being here today. And we’re in a Primary room. You visit Primaries all over. Tell me about some of those experiences being in Primary with our youngest learners.

0:50

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: One of my blessings on the council is to get to visit Primaries. And it is so wonderful to go and to watch the children come in and to hear the prelude music. I remember as a tiny child getting off the bus when it was on Wednesday, going up the hill and into Primary and hearing that organ playing, “Rev’rently, quietly, lovingly we think of thee.” We want the children to hear music that is familiar to them, that can remind them of the Savior, that they can see happy faces, Primary leaders welcoming them and having children feel good about being in Primary through joy. We want it to be a Primary of joy, that they can feel comfortable and see the Savior in everything that they do. That is the focus, is the Savior, Jesus Christ.

1:45

Mary Richards: Ryan, with all your experience with music and everything you’ve done and the choirs you’ve led, what do you feel when you are in Primary singing music with children?

Ryan Eggett: You know, to use the phrase “This is where the magic happens,” I think we’ve heard that before, but we’ve talked a lot lately about the Church is a home-centered, Church-supported organization. And for most, I think for most individuals that grow up in the Church, this is the first time that they actually feel the Church supporting them, is when they’re in Primary. You come in, and it’s the first time you understand the doctrine — not that when you’re 4 or 5 you don’t understand sacrament meaning, but that’s a little bit more difficult.

But here in this room, this is the first time for most children, and they’ll remember this, like you said, they’ll remember this throughout their lives. This is the first time that the Church comes in and really supports and edifies and strengthens what they’ve learned at home. And music is that special moment where it’s so clear and so concise that they can say, “I can tell you what I sang 50 years ago.” I can tell you what I sang 50 years ago.

2:47

Mary Richards: Yes. Let’s talk about that, that power of Primary music to stay with us, to build our testimonies, and then as we grow. So, it’s not just for children; of course it is, but for adults, too. We hearken back to those songs that we sang when we were young, and they come back to us because they’re in our hearts and our souls, really, I guess, would you say it that way?

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: I think they’re very deep, and that sacred music invites the Spirit into the room. So, one of my favorite new hymns is — new sacred hymns is — “Holy Places.” And that beautiful hymn talks about that home can be a sacred place, that my heart can be a sacred place, the temple; but also a Primary room. When we invite the Savior through music into this room, that turns it into, I believe, a sacred place.

3:42

Mary Richards: Yes. Primary singing time on Sunday. For somebody who’s just received this new calling, they might be feeling a little intimidated. I was asked to sub in our ward for Primary music singing time, and I thought, “Oh no, I don’t know what to do.” But there’s help. There are resources.

Should we talk through some of those ways that people can teach Primary music and teach in singing time in a room like this one?

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Yes, and I think that humility that comes with receiving the calling makes us teachable.

Ryan Eggett: Humility is born of terror a little bit sometimes. You receive a calling like that, and you think, “Can I do this?” And that’s what’s so great to have a calling, because you get ordained — or you get set apart — and you receive that blessing, and you go, “This is strength coming from the Lord to be able to do this.” Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you right there.

4:29

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: No, that’s perfect. And President [Thomas S.] Monson taught us that he who the Lord calls, He prepares. He qualifies us to do this work. So I think the humility that comes with feeling a little bit inadequate, any calling I’ve ever received, I’ve felt a little overwhelmed, and it brings me right to my knees, where I can be taught by our Heavenly Father how to do this work.

But we do have wonderful resources, and the scriptures are a great resource. We have Gospel Library, and we have our “Come, Follow Me” manual, which at the back of the manual, there are some wonderful helps. And if you turn to the Appendix C, it has all this instruction for singing time. It says, “Sacred music is a powerful tool to help children learn about Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness and the foundational truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As children sing about gospel principles, the Holy Ghost will testify of their truthfulness. [And] the words and music will stay in the children’s minds and hearts throughout their lives,” just like we were talking about.

But it helps you not only with the sacrament meeting presentation but also songs that they can sing every month that reinforce the principles that are being taught in “Come, Follow Me.” And then also some techniques or methods that you can use, such as reading-related scriptures. We love it when the children bring their scriptures to church and that they are used. Every song has scriptures. And I was in a Primary just last Sunday, and the Primary music leader just pulled out the scriptures and naturally read the verses and had the children come up and read.

It was so powerful that also inviting them to share personal experiences, asking questions, simple hand actions, object lessons, pictures; and then testifying. So as you’re teaching these songs that have gospel principles, and then you stop and you say, “I know this is true because this happened” or you share your personal experiences with the children, and then they have experiences too that they can share so that it’s just a wonderful time to share your experiences.

So we have this, we also have the Friend magazine, we have a lot of resources online, in the handbook. We have our Section 12 in the handbook. We have — let me just take you there to Section 12, and 12.3.4 talks about the calling of being a Primary music leader.

7:43

Ryan Eggett: And we have the song, which is so great. I taught seminary for 27 years, and one of the things that we would, as we’re thinking of all the other things that will help us teach the scriptures, we would always say, “We’ll start with the scripture.” There’s your greatest strength. And I think the song is our greatest strength, to say, “We’ve got the music, and we’ve got the inspired lyrics here.”

And when you start with that and then you bring the other things in to support that, I think — I think we’ve both, we’ve probably all, had the experience where you watch a lot of work being done and then you finally get to the song at the end. And I would say the song is the strength. Come in with the strength, which is the doctrine, the tune, those things that the children are really going to remember, and let all of these other resources strengthen and buoy up that song.

8:31

Mary Richards: Yeah. We have some beautiful songs. We’re getting — and like you mentioned, “Holy Places,” there are some other really beautiful ones coming in the new hymnbook, “Hymns for Home and Church.”

So, these things that we’re talking about using Primary music can also be something we’re doing in our home. There are ways that parents can use these songs, like you said, and have that be such a beautiful part of a home worship, too.

8:56

Ryan Eggett: And I think it’s such a substantial piece of the whole puzzle. Maybe even it’s the centerpiece of this entire puzzle, in terms of saying, “How does sacred music bless individuals, families and congregations?” But if you read the current First Presidency preface in the current hymnbook, it is so brilliant. And I’ve often taught from that. And I see parents kind of light up and think, “I should be using this a little bit more.” There’s at least 20 promises listed, for those who use sacred music, from the First Presidency. And when you go through those, some of them are like: “It will invite the Spirit.” How many times as parents have we all said, “Oh, if I just could have the Spirit in my home.” And right here is a promise from the Prophet saying, “If you use sacred music, that will invite the Spirit into your home.”

One of my favorites especially, since I’ve worked so much with youth, is: “It will help you resist temptation.” Moms, we have two boys who are just coming up through the rising generation ranks right now. And we’ve often talked about the power of sacred music to help those two boys resist temptation, and what that has meant to us and the power. Because sometimes you say, “Oh, let’s read a scripture,” but you read a scripture, and then you can talk about it.

But then there’s this moment. One of the beautiful things about music is you say, “Let’s learn this song,” and repetition is the mother of learning. And so when you learn a song, you’re going to sing it multiple times. And you can sing it again and not have your son say, “Are we quoting that scripture — how come you’re quoting that scripture to me 10 times today, Dad?” But that song, it’s so beautiful with music because people want to sing it again.

You learn music, and you go home from Primary, and you hear them singing it all the time. And you think, “Wow, if repetition is the mother of learning, then learning Primary music is probably the best thing you can do to learn the doctrine, the restored doctrine of Jesus Christ.”

10:59

Mary Richards: Yeah. And music stays with you.

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: It stays with them. And I, as a former mission leader, one of my favorite zone conferences is we took the whiteboard, and we had every missionary say what their favorite Primary song was. And then, “What did you learn from that song?” And it was really exciting to see all these beautiful songs come onto the board, and they remember them. And missionaries, they struggle a little at times.

So, in the song “A Child’s Prayer,” we have beautiful instruction throughout our lives to know that: “Pray, he is there; Speak, he is list’ning. You are his child; His love now surrounds you.” These are important words that have strengthened missionaries to know, “Yes, I learned this as a child, and now I really need to know what I should do.”

And missionaries get answers all the time from their songs. When I go to Primaries, I see future missionaries. Those little children are future missionaries, and they are learning gospel truths that will stay with them throughout their mission, and their life.

12:15

Ryan Eggett: And when you couple that statement, “Pray, he is there; Speak, he is list’ning. You are his child; His love surrounds you,” you take that clear statement, and then you put it with a tune. And all of a sudden, the magic happens. You put it with a tune, and now I can say that 20 times to myself, and that will probably happen to me after we’re done here. I will hear that going through my mind — “Pray, he is there; Speak, he is list’ning.” And that is the beauty of taking simple, clear doctrine and putting it to a powerful tune, is that it opens up the opportunity for this to go from the mind into the heart.

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: And it is just a prayer. “Heavenly Father, are You really there? We need to know that You are there.” And it’s going to stay with them forever.

13:05

Mary Richards: That beautiful combination of the doctrine and those words with a tune.

There’s probably music theory to this that you could teach me, Ryan, that I don’t know. But I just had this thought pop into my brain that maybe people shouldn’t be too afraid. They think, “Oh, I’m not musical. I don’t really sing the hymns in sacrament meeting. I just kind of listen. But there’s a power in singing, right? And like you just said, in listening to get it into our minds and hearts. Because of that, I want to call it magic, but the beauty of a tune and what it’s teaching in addition to the words.

So, people, don’t be afraid to sing, maybe, is my message, right?

13:44

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Right, it is your voice. God gives us all voices. This is a gift from God. And some Primary music leaders say, “Oh, I don’t sing. I can’t do this job.” But it is not about the voice. It is about the gospel doctrine that is being taught that will stay with them.

Mary Richards: I love how you said earlier how grateful you are for that fact that they are set apart. Trust in that power that comes from Heavenly Father for that calling, because it will come to you. And children don’t care. At least, I don’t think they do. My children don’t care that I’m not a perfect singer. I love to sing.

14:21

Ryan Eggett: Well, it gives them license to sing too, right? If every instructor was a perfect singer and somebody that belonged on Broadway, I think you would find that the children would be less likely to sing, because they would think, “I don’t sound like that.” And so sometimes having somebody that is a regular person up there.

Isn’t it interesting that shortly after the Lord restores His Church in 1830, He gives Emma that revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 25? And I’d love to talk more about this, but you get verse 11, where He talks about including music in the Church, and then that famous statement. And I think we can’t underestimate that He says, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart” (verse 12). And He doesn’t say, “My soul delighteth in the song of the voice.”

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Or the perfect pitch.

Ryan Eggett: Yes. He doesn’t say that. He says, “If you’re singing with your heart, that’s where I find the joy.”

15:12

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: And I think when you are set apart, you are blessed with learning to love each child. The blessing of a spiritual gift to love these children is so much more important than being able to sing perfectly, understanding rhythm and dynamics and all the amazing music theory that comes along.

But children, really, our faces are such a powerful teaching tool. If we’re smiling, if we’re looking at them, if we are loving them and asking them to share. When children share their experiences and they raise their hands and they stand as a witness, that is really beautiful, and they will remember sharing that.

16:01

Mary Richards: So, not just Primary music leaders we’re talking to here, but Primary presidencies and teachers and parents, if they’re subbing there that day, get up and do the actions and learn the words and sing with the children. It’s so joyful. I’m in my ward Primary presidency, so that’s why I’m super grateful for this chance to talk to both of you.

Ryan Eggett: How fun. I didn’t know that. That’s wonderful.

16:20

Mary Richards: It’s been a wonderful calling. And my daughter is in Primary with me, and we go home and we tell her older brothers what we learned that day and what we sang, and then they start singing that song too. “Oh, I remember learning that song.”

Or there’s a new song that we’re learning. We’re learning “Build an Ark” right now on Sunday, which is so powerfully teaching us lessons from the Old Testament. So, this can pair hand in hand with our “Come, Follow Me” study as well, music that we’re singing in Primary. But also I hope that those watching will think about that for their own lives, the songs in sacrament meeting too, that can pair with your “Come, Follow Me” study.

It’s all, it really is, it’s not separate, is it, Ryan, these things?

17:00

Ryan Eggett: No, and if you look right now in the “Come, Follow Me” manual — and we will add more of this in future manuals, I can tell you right now — but every lesson or every reference material also has included music now. And so we’re working with that team to say, “Which of these songs really works well with this week?”

And one of the beauties, like you said, you may not be able to follow your children around reading the manual or reading the scriptures, but as they come down in the morning or in the evening or whenever you’re studying as a family or even individually, how easy is it to just hit play and have that music playing? And the entire time that the music is playing — and I hope we understand this — the entire time the music is playing, the gospel is being taught in your home. I think we underestimate the value of that, to say, “How would you like to have the gospel being taught in your home all day long?” It would be pretty easy.

Get some spiritual, religious gospel music playing, and we have lots of different ways you can hear it: “Songs of Devotion,” the Tabernacle Choir, the standard recordings. Anytime that’s playing in your home, the Lord is teaching us that the gospel is being taught in your home, which means you’re going to have an increase of the Spirit in your home. Your children are going to be more fortified against temptation. There’s going to be unity among your family members. Your heart’s going to be touched.

I’m telling you, when I have taught this — it’s funny; I’ve had parents reach back out to me and say, “We’re now playing music all the time. It’s changed the feeling of our home to have the gospel continuously being taught through music.” And it’s such a — I don’t know, it’s such a noninvasive way to have that taught in your home all the time.

18:39

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: I love that. I love that. Those playlists are wonderful. And I’ve been a Primary music leader several times throughout my life. And to be able to stand up in front of these beautiful children and lead them in songs where you are talking about gospel truths, and you feel the Spirit, you leave there feeling the Spirit strongly, and then you can ask them and say: “I feel the Spirit. What do you feel when you sing this song?” And then a follow-up to that is, “Why do you think that Heavenly Father gave you those beautiful feelings?” Because you are learning truth. Those feelings are coming from our Heavenly Father.

So it is such a beautiful place to serve in the Church. And Primary music leaders don’t ever want to give up their calling. They love it so much.

19:33

Ryan Eggett: I have just seen that this week on social media posts. Somebody posted, “I was released after five years,” all these cry emojis after it. But what a beautiful triangle that makes when you have the doctrine, the music and the Spirit. And all of those coming together in one experience, it’s very unique, the opportunity. I’ve often thought, “If this was so great, then why didn’t the Savior do this?” And if you look at the scriptures, He did.

And of all the books of scripture, He quotes Psalms, which was the songbook of His day. He quotes Psalms more than any other book, even Isaiah, He quotes it. And you think, “Well, what about His personal life?” At His birth, there was singing. In Job, we learn at the foundation of the world, there was singing. They will come to Zion in the last days with singing. Just before He walks into the Garden of Gethsemane — we’ve just had a conversation about this recently.

20:26

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: I would love to know what that song was that they sang. Because I’m sure He chose His favorite that would strengthen Him. But it’s a beautiful image of Him.

Ryan Eggett: Walking into the garden to, yeah, to do the hardest thing that would ever be done, the greatest battle that would ever be won, He chose to sing a hymn to strengthen Himself and then goes into the garden. I don’t know if everyone even understands that on the cross, when He says, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” that’s a direct quote from Psalm 22, verse 1. And then when He says, “I commend my spirit, Father, into Thy hands, I commit my spirit,” that’s also a direct quote from a psalm (see Psalm 31:5).

So, the start of His Atonement, He sings. At the end of His suffering, He sings. I think that teaches us that how is He gaining strength for this most difficult thing that would ever happen in the history of humanity was music. And He used it to teach, He used it to strengthen Himself when tempted or weak or in the middle of a trial. And if it’s good enough for the Savior, this is a great way to raise children, then, if that’s what He uses in His life.

21:38

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: The song “Gethsemane” is so loved by the children now, and adults. I’m so grateful that it will be in our new hymnbook next year, that we will have “Gethsemane” right there. And I’ve talked to so many adults who get so much strength from that. After a Primary, I was talking with some children about that song, and a little boy said, “It just blows my mind. It just blows my mind.” And I thought, “That is exactly right.” It is hard for us to comprehend, but that song puts into beautiful words that amazing event.

22:22

Mary Richards: And I will say it is teaching those not of our faith as well. Because last June, I had the opportunity to be in Chile with Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for a ministry assignment. And we went to see the 100th anniversary celebration of the gospel in South America. And a choir sang “Gethsemane.”

And there was a man sitting beside me who had been invited to come who was with, I think, a government or legal entity in Chile, and “Please come to our celebration and learn more about our Church.” And he was very touched by the song. He turns to me, and he says, “What is this? What is this?” And it was just this beautiful moment. And I thought of the power of music to teach anybody, really, about Jesus Christ.

And I loved how you said in the beginning of our conversation about how important it is for a Primary room to have a picture of Jesus Christ, because don’t we want our children to be knowing, “This is the purpose of everything we’re doing here”?

23:21

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: And a picture of Jesus with the children. I love in the Friend magazine for next month, there’s a beautiful picture by Michael Malm which is — I love this picture because you have a child leading a family to the Savior, and she’s pointing, “Look and see.” She wants her family.

It’s wonderful how children now are doing so much in the Church. Children can play prelude. They can, with the help of their presidency, they can conduct the meeting. They can be the Primary music leader, with the help of the Primary music leader. We see them in sacrament meeting. We know that any baptized member can pray or give a talk, and that includes children.

So, the ability that children have to invite and to lead and to carry out is really wonderful. They do a lot of children’s devotionals now in stakes throughout the world, where the children plan it, and they give all the talks, they take the microphone around. They help in every way. They are playing the music. Our children are really not afraid. They have courage and faith to do these amazing acts of service and leadership.

Mary Richards: They are a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: They are. And that’s why when we get that new hymnbook next year, we’ll have the children’s songs with the adult songs right next to each other. And so a child’s job is not just to sit in sacrament meeting and fold their arms and be quiet for an hour; that they’re participating. And we know that when we participate, we feel the Spirit. And when we are speaking or excited about the fact that this book now has my songs in it too.

25:28

Mary Richards: Yes, I love that. They’re side by side, and you don’t have to think, “Oh, we’ll only sing this one in Primary” or “We’ll only sing this one in sacrament meeting.” All of it, at home and at church, can be used.

You’re pretty excited, aren’t you, Ryan?

25:39

Ryan Eggett: Yeah, that is such a wonderful — to have those all together in a single book. So, when I was initially called to work on the hymnbook — or to serve on the hymnbook committee — I was called specifically onto the Children’s Songbook committee at the time. And then once it was all combined, I thought, “This is the right direction.” Of course, it was the right direction, but we could sense it was the right direction in terms of it’s about unifying. The hymns are about unifying. The experience is about unifying.

And when everybody — and we’ve all had the experience, I think, already, even in our short experience here of these new hymns. You’ll see the children playing on the benches or whatever, having their little buffet or playing with their cars or whatever it is. And all of a sudden, one of these Primary songs will come on, and they stand up and turn around, and they’re like, “I’m ready for this, because this is my part.”

26:29

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: “This is about me,” yes. “Jesus loves me. Gethsemane, Jesus loves me.” And they get very involved and excited. And I think as members, we get excited when we see a Primary child giving a prayer or singing from the pulpit, giving a talk. It’s so refreshing. They’re just full of the Spirit. And we can learn so much from them.

26:52

Ryan Eggett: Isn’t it interesting? I love all these things that Kathy is sharing, because they just make me go, “I’m excited about this,” because I have 10 grandkids, soon to be 11.

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Congratulations.

Ryan Eggett: Thank you. I have six children that are growing and grown. And just thinking about, “This is what I want for my kids.” And sometimes as parents — and maybe this is just my family because I’ve worked for the Church my whole life here — but sometimes it’s a little difficult to turn to your child and say, “I want to teach you the gospel. I want to talk to you about Joseph Smith. Sit down here, and let’s talk Joseph Smith,” or “Let’s talk the Restoration” or “Let’s even talk about the Savior and His Atonement.”

Sometimes the moment is difficult to find. But we keep hearing from our Church leadership about sharing the gospel to others, which I think includes our own family, that it should be in normal and natural ways. What’s more normal and natural than having music?

27:48

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Even on the ride to school, you just put on your playlist, and you’re listening to these beautiful songs that teach gospel doctrine. And they — other children can come into the car and hear how beautiful they are. I’ve heard some people say, “Well, what if they take out some of my favorite songs out of the new hymnbook?” And you can still use your old hymnbook at home. There’s no rules that said, “You cannot have any more of that.” No, they’re still loved by all of us, and we’re grateful for these new songs.

I find myself having favorites. “Close as a Quiet Prayer” is one that really has resonated with my heart, that moment by moment, by night or by day, our Heavenly Father is not far away. And that is a beautiful message to all of us to know that we are never alone. So I like that one.

28:50

Ryan Eggett: So, one of my jobs currently, in my current position with the Church, is to oversee all the recordings that are coming out. And just to — I could tell you story after story, even doing the auditions for those. We had “Gethsemane,” of course, is a favorite among so many people. But we had a young teenage girl, maybe 15 or 16, come in, and we’d had lots of people audition, lots of youth audition, children audition, from 4 years old and up.

And so, I was in the booth with this individual in this room, and then behind the glass, there was her mom, and we had five other people listening to the auditions. And she came in, and I said, “I just want you to sing ‘Gethsemane.’” And I think she was 15 at the time. And the music started, and she started to sing. And it was not an audition; it was this 15-year-old bearing their testimony. And it was — I can’t tell you how powerful it was.

By the time she was done, I’m thinking, “Wow, I just had a privilege for two minutes to hear this individual bear their testimony. And I looked behind her in the booth, and just everyone was — they couldn’t even see her face — and everyone was in tears, and it was nice to see at that moment, “You are going to sing on the hymnbook, and you’re going to sing this song. You’re going to be the individual that’s going to sing this song for us.” Because it comes out, it’s not singing; it’s “Here’s my chance to bear my testimony.”

30:19

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: And you asked about the resources for home. And there is a beautiful resource called “About the Hymns.” And at the end of each song of our new hymns, it says, “You can click here and learn about this hymn.” And the stories are so remarkable. Why did the composer, the lyricist, choose to do this? Because there was a little experience. And then also there are scriptures. There are questions, there are inspired questions that you can ask while you’re teaching the song.

Ryan Eggett: Ways to teach your family, activities for families.

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Yeah. A lot of things that you can do at home with them. And I think that is a really great resource for families to have, “About the Hymns”

31:07

Mary Richards: Yes. We’ve been writing about some of them as well in the Church News. And it’s been such a pleasure to meet these composers and authors and say, “What prompted this?” And there’s some beautiful stories. Sometimes they say, “The lyrics just came to me.” And other times it’s a bit of a work through and a process. And so there’s really no one way. And that’s been interesting to learn.

31:32

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Yeah, it’s a beautiful personal devotional to have in the morning or at evening to read through and listen to the song and become more familiar with it. I think we’re at 60 songs right now.

Ryan Eggett: Coming into 60 now, yes.

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Yes, and so, we have a lot of new music to learn and to know the background of the hymn, read the scriptures, think about those questions. It makes it more meaningful. Sometimes in the morning, I notice when I wake up, I actually have a hymn or a Primary song in my mind. And sometimes it’s the answer to the prayer that I have been seeking. So it really blesses our lives in so many ways.

32:14

Mary Richards: I want to talk more about this, this idea of how Heavenly Father speaks to us, and in some ways He’s speaking to us through music, maybe. When a song comes to your mind, it’s something that you need to be reminded of or to remember.

I’ve heard some of our leaders say — for example, our Primary General President Susan H. Porter has said — how important it is to teach children how to know and how to recognize when they’re feeling the Spirit.

And so, what are some ways you can teach us and those listening to know how ourselves — but then also our children, our teenagers, our youth, our young adults — to know and recognize, “Oh, that’s the Spirit. That’s what I’m —

32:55

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Yeah, I was in a Primary, and a little Sunbeam at the end of Primary music time was so excited about this song. And the joy was just coming out her ears, and she was just so excited. She could not contain herself in the chair. And we knew that she was feeling the Spirit. But as a Primary music leader, you feel the Spirit, and then you can say, “I am feeling the Spirit. How do you feel when you sing this song? What do you feel?”

And that can be a wonderful way to start a conversation about how to feel the Spirit, because they do feel the Spirit. I heard a little boy singing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” And he just was beaming. I mean, you could see the Light of Christ in his eyes. And to watch that just made me feel the Spirit.

33:53

Ryan Eggett: Not only is that great doctrine, but it’s a great way to teach it as well. I think too often when we’re feeling something, we assume everybody is feeling the same thing the same way. And it’s easy; we’ve seen this, we’re teaching the missionary force the same thing — not to tell people what they’re feeling and say, “This is what it is,” but to express how I’m feeling and maybe the different feelings I’m feeling and different feelings I’ve felt when I felt the Spirit.

So, just the way you’ve explained that, Kathy, is really fantastic teaching, to be able to say, “I’m feeling the Spirit. It feels like for me right now,” and then we can offer that same opportunity to the children to say, “Is anybody else feeling that same thing?” Or “What are you feeling right now?” And then as they tell us what their feelings are, then it’s easy for us to say, “Those feelings come from Heavenly Father through His Spirit.” And I love that. I hope everybody who listens to this that’s a Primary music leader will say, “That’s a great way to teach that I just learned from Sister Kelly,” yeah.

34:58

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: Well, and I hope that children feel comfort and healing. Some of our children need healing. Things are hard. They come to church seeking for answers, and they feel the Spirit when they’re singing, and it comforts and heals their hearts and blesses them. Those are feelings that they will remember throughout their life, that “I was sitting in Primary.”

I’ll share a personal experience that happened to me when I needed comfort and I was serving on my mission. We went to Dresden, Germany, for a mission conference with other mission presidents. And my mother — well, my grandmother — was from Germany. I didn’t meet her, but my mother had passed away before I served my mission, and she always wanted to go to Germany, but we never did it. And I was rushed, we were rushing from the airport. My luggage had been lost. I was a little frazzled, thinking that for three days I was probably going to wear the same clothes. But I remember we sat down, and they started the meeting, and the song was “The Lord Is My Shepherd.” Well, my mother always sang in her beautiful alto voice. And “The Lord Is My Shepherd,” the melody is in the alto. So I knew, I knew her voice, and I knew this song.

And I’m sitting by my husband, and on the other side, in my ear, my mother is singing, “The Lord Is My Shepherd.” And I said to my husband, “Can you hear my mother singing?” And he said, “No.” But it was a special little miracle to me to know that my mother was with me now in Germany and supporting me on my mission. It was very powerful. And she sang all three verses. And it was pretty amazing. So, a little mission miracle there through music.

37:00

Mary Richards: That music came to you when you needed it. I’m thinking of the same thing when that’s happened to me in my life, and how grateful I was, and how grateful you must have been for that. Thank you for sharing that with us.

This is really just such a beautiful example of what we’ve been talking about, about the power of music, children’s songs, Primary music, sacred music, to comfort, to heal, to testify, to teach.

I think it leads perfectly to: Our last question on the Church News podcast is always “What do you know now?” And I’d love to hear from both of you, and please bear your testimony, if you would like, if it feels appropriate, to tell our listeners what you know now about the purpose and power of sacred music in teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And maybe, Ryan, if you would start, and then we’ll end with Sister Kelly.

37:58

Ryan Eggett: Sure. I absolutely love Doctrine and Covenants 25:11-12. And I think about it every day, even if I don’t read it every day, especially in my current job. But when you get to verse 11 — we often just jump right to verse 12, where the Lord says, “My soul delighteth in the song of the heart.” But if you go back to verse 11, He says to Emma Smith, “It shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church.” And we don’t have a lot of statements like this, where the Savior says, “In my Church, I want this particular thing.”

And when you look at His life of how much He used music, He clearly was a music minister. He used music in His ministry. He used it in His personal life to strengthen Him. He’s continuing to use it in the Father’s plan. And when He says, “And in my Church, I want there to be music.” And then we get, now we get, the beautiful statement where He says, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.”

And when I think of that whole scripture experience, I go, “That’s what I’m still learning every day.” As I read the research, as I watch children, from personal experience to research, I’m seeing the Lord blessing these individuals, and me, as we continue to sing the song of the heart. And I think: What better way to start with newborn babies than to say, “We’re going to raise you on the song of the heart so it becomes this normal and natural way for you to learn the gospel of Christ”?

39:41

Sister Kathleen F. Kelly: I love that. I think as a mother, that new baby, we sing “I Am a Child of God.” That’s their first little hymn that is sung to them. And those words really do stay with them throughout their life.

My experience with — my husband passed from dementia a few years ago. And he had aphasia. He did not speak. But when he went to church, he sang the hymns, and it was such a testimony to me that those words stay with you till the end of your life. Even when you lose your ability to speak, they’re still with you.

I love this scripture that says — it’s from 3 Nephi 11, verse 15 — and the Savior has come to the Nephites. And it says, “And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.”

And so, we know that children learn through their senses. They saw, they heard, they knew, they felt in their hearts. Isn’t that what music does? We hear it, we sing it through our mouths, we see the words, those words are written on our hearts. So I’m so grateful for Primary music and sacred music. It’s just been such a blessing to me throughout my entire life. And really, my testimony started in Primary. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

41:52

Mary Richards: Thank you for listening to the Church News podcast. I’m Church News reporter Mary Richards. I hope you learned something today about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had your faith in the Savior increase by looking through the Church News window as a living record of the Restoration. Please subscribe, rate and review this podcast so it can be accessible to more people. And if you enjoyed the messages we shared today, please share the podcast with others. Thanks to our guests; to my producer, KellieAnn Halvorsen; and to others who make this podcast possible. Join us every week for a new episode. Find us on your favorite podcasting channels or with other news and updates about the Church on TheChurchNews.com or on the Church News app.

Episode 128: ‘My soul delighteth in the song of the heart’ — Ryan Eggett, a music manager for the Church, on the power of music

Teaching doctrine through Primary music during singing time

Primary general presidency: The power of Primary music at church and home

How Primary songs and music teach children truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ

Listen to more episodes of the Church News podcast

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the temple in a single 10 a.m. session, which will be broadcast to all units in the temple district and rebroadcast at 2 p.m.

Prior to the dedication, an open house will be held Sept. 2 through Sept. 19, excluding Sundays. A media day is also scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31, and invited guests will tour the sacred edifice Sept. 1.

These upcoming dates were first published April 20 on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

The announcement came nine days after the conclusion of the open house for the Lindon Utah Temple, located less than 70 miles to the north of Ephraim.

Ephraim’s temple dedication is planned for the same day as the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple’s dedication.

About the Ephraim temple

President Russell M. Nelson announced the Ephraim temple May 1, 2021, in a prerecorded video that was played at a press conference inside the Manti Tabernacle. This was the only house of the Lord that President Nelson announced outside of general conference.

He later recounted that shortly after the April 2021 general conference, he “received very clear instruction” from the Lord that a new temple should be built in Ephraim.

President Nelson — whose mother was born in Ephraim — dedicated the site at the temple’s groundbreaking on Aug. 27, 2022. When he concluded his prayer, rain began to fall. One attendee called out to President Nelson, “These are the tears of joy of our ancestors.”

The first Latter-day Saints entered the greater Sanpete Valley, where Ephraim is located, in the fall of 1849. They established the first stake in the valley in 1877.

The Church in Utah

The Beehive State currently has 32 houses of the Lord operating, under construction, announced or undergoing renovation.

The following 24 temples have been dedicated in Utah: Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Deseret Peak, Draper, Jordan River, Layton, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Orem, Payson, Provo City Center, Provo Rock Canyon, Red Cliffs, Salt Lake, Saratoga Springs, St. George, Syracuse, Taylorsville and Vernal.

Of note, two of those temples are undergoing extensive renovations and reconstruction: the Salt Lake Temple, closed Dec. 29, 2019, and the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple, closed Feb. 24, 2024.

A temple in Lindon just finished its public open house April 11 and is scheduled for dedication May 3. Three houses of the Lord are in their construction phase in Utah: the Smithfield temple (since June 2022), Ephraim temple (August 2022) and Heber Valley temple (October 2022).

That leaves four temples in planning and design stages — in West Jordan (announced 2024), Lehi (2024), Price (2024) and Spanish Fork (2025).

The first wagons of Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Utah Territory on July 24, 1847. Almost 180 years later, Utah is now home to more than 2.2 million Church members across nearly 5,400 wards and branches.

Open house for Lindon temple is an invitation to draw closer to Christ, says Elder Becerra

From 2022: A surprise guest at the Ephraim Utah Temple groundbreaking, President Nelson honors central Utah’s history, pioneers

Read more Church News coverage of temples

Presiding over the groundbreaking was Elder Ciro Schmeil, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Church’s Brazil Area presidency. Elder Schmeil was born in Ponta Grossa, Brazil.

Once built, this will be the first house of the Lord in the state of Piauí, with Teresina being the capital. News about the groundbreaking was reported April 18 on the Church’s Brazil Newsroom.

Elder Schmeil noted in his remarks that temples are a demonstration of God’s love. “The role of the temple is to connect us with the Savior, Jesus Christ, because without Him we cannot return to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father.”

The temple is a place of learning, he continued, where Latter-day Saints can “find peace, receive divine guidance and strength to overcome the challenges of this life.”

In his dedicatory prayer on the site and construction process, Elder Schmeil expressed gratitude for those who sacrificed so much to make a temple in the city possible.

He added a blessing for the construction workers, that they would have the desire, determination and physical and mental strength to work in the best way possible. Elder Schmeil asked that “the spirit of unity and cooperation may prevail throughout the construction.”

About the Teresina temple and the Church in Brazil

The Teresina temple, as previously announced, will be approximately 25,420 square feet. It will be built on a 3.60-acre site at Avenida Cajuína and Rua Pedro Conde, Noivos, Teresina, Piauí, in northeastern Brazil.

On April 2, 2023, late Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Teresina, Brazil. It was one of 15 temple locations he identified at that general conference, alongside a house of the Lord for Natal, Brazil.

Brazil has 24 temples in various stages. Eleven of those have been dedicated: the Belém, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo temples.

With Saturday’s groundbreaking, another six are in their construction phases: the Belo Horizonte, João Pessoa, Londrina, Natal, Ribeirão Preto and Teresina temples. Of note, the Belo Horizonte temple is scheduled for dedication Aug. 16.

That leaves seven in planning stages, for Campo Grande, Florianópolis, Goiânia, Maceió, Santos, São Paulo East and Vitória.

Latter-day Saint missionaries began preaching in southern Brazil in 1928. By the time the São Paulo Brazil Temple — the first in South America — was dedicated in 1978, membership in the country had reached 54,000.

On April 29, 1984, the Teresina Ward was created, and the Teresina Brazil Stake was organized in 1993.

Brazil Newsroom reported that the proposed temple district — covering the states of Piauí and Maranhão — has approximately 18,000 Church members, with more than 30 wards and branches in nine stakes and districts.

Brazil is home to more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints, meeting in more than 2,000 wards and branches.

Ground broken for Guatemala’s fifth house of the Lord

Temple dedications announced in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Brazil

Read more Church News coverage of temples