Recent Event Highlights: Service to Bhutanese Immigrants Unifies Utah Stakes, Reeling from Pair of Natural Disasters, Members Rally in Central America, Four Missionaries Spread the Gospel, Tongan Prince Visits BYU-Hawaii Students, Elder Donald L. Staheli Passes Away, BYU Volunteers Trying to Sow Hope in Haiti, and 98 more...
Created by dlongmore on Nov 19, 2009
Last updated: 06/11/10 at 09:04 AM
When Jan Gow makes her annual pilgrimage from New Zealand to Salt Lake City, it's not to enjoy Utah's ski resorts, red rock canyons, or five national parks. It's for the ribbons of microfilm and endless volumes of maps and cemetery and property records tucked inside the Family History Library.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/2XZu7pAuAR0/ALeqM5h2NVga4uAh3ncJpGKVYFZuuDQfVQ
SALT LAKE CITY | 9 Jun 2010 | More than 700,000 patrons will visit the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in downtown Salt Lake City this year. Summer usage at the library, considered the world's largest holder of genealogy records, is typically high.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/gxGOne0GEac/genealogy-tourists-head-to-salt-lake-for-summer-vacation
SALT LAKE CITY | 8 Jun 2010 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement today in response to media inquiries regarding a proposed fine by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). The fine relates to the Proposition 8 campaign of 2008:
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/dh86ojOi0Lo/statement-regarding-fppc-settlement
The busy street of Gorordo in Cebu City became even busier when the Cebu City Philippines Temple opened its doors to the public on May 21. Elder Keith R. Edwards of the Seventy and president of the Philippines Area, along with his counselors, Elder Won Yong Ko and Elder Michael John U. Teh of the Seventy, each escorted a group of media representatives through the temple prior to the public open house.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/y8nvnzyMS-s/Thousands-tour-Cebu-City-Philippines-Temple-during-open-house.html
Ipswich rugby league star Lagi Setu is about to do what most Queenslanders could never imagine, quit a lucrative career in the National Rugby League to volunteer in an impoverished country for two years. The humble and deeply religious Setu will embark on a Mormon mission to a yet to be decided location.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/LsHfQiUds3E/
Nine pallet-loads of donated blankets, clothes, shoes, toys, and school supplies are heading for orphanages in Africa, thanks to the overwhelming response to a service project by youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/x0YgtZMA2_A/story.html
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no paid ministers, but there is a man who is in charge of leading the congregation and overseeing the programs in the Church. "We all just do our best to serve one another," said Kevin Riley, new branch president of the Church in Miramar Beach.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/db9UHQxpewI/church-13964-overseeing-day.html
History was made with the sustaining of Elder Per G. Malm to the Second Quorum of the Seventy at general conference in April. Through the years, there have been General Authorities with Swedish heritage, but Elder Malm is the first to be called from that land.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/Nh5WXBQexJM/Elder-Per-G-Malm-New-Seventy-is-a-first-for-Sweden.html
Elder Donald L. Staheli passed away Saturday at his home. He was 78. Elder Staheli was serving as the president of the Draper Utah Temple at the time of his death and previously served in the Second Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/dU0QNweQ-lo/elder-donald-l-staheli-passes-away
SALT LAKE CITY | 29 May 2010 | Elder Donald L. Staheli passed away today at his home. He was 78. Elder Staheli was serving as the president of the Draper Utah Temple at the time of his death and previously served in the Second Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Funeral arrangements are pending.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/KDc0wfX6WwI/elder-donald-l-staheli-passes-away
SALT LAKE CITY | 26 May 2010 | More than a century has passed since the public open house was held for the Salt Lake Temple, but an exhibit featuring a 1:32 scaled replica of the Mormon temple opened today that offers an open house experience of the magnificent building. Earlier this morning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unveiled the 88-inch tall, near-identical replica of the temple in the South Visitors' Center on Temple Square. The permanent exhibit will be open to the public starting at 1:30 p.m. today.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/ASUu48IYXJY/scaled-model-provides-salt-lake-temple-open-house-experience
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Jamaica area thought they would never get their own building, but their prayers have been answered. "There was a dream that someday the Church would have its own building,” said David Duffy, stake president of the Church in the Queens area.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/gnWKXVY64GI/doc4bfd381258e79320838613.txt
Growth in The Woodlands
and Montgomery County is causing the expansion of two
churches in the area. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints broke ground on a new church May 15 at
25623 Richards Road, north of Rayford Road in Spring.
Construction is expected to take between eight and ten
months.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/_-tArMMyWv4/ldschurch052610.txt
SALT LAKE CITY | 24 May 2010 | A remote part of the Arizona landscape is now home to the 132nd temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Gila Valley Arizona Temple was dedicated Sunday in three sessions and now serves 21,000 Church members in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/8NZ-DY-DESI/hundreds-gather-for-the-gila-valley-arizona-temple-dedication
People who embark
upon a ministry rightly note that their hours of labour are
long. However, Elder Cade Dopp and Elder Broc Prince, two
missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints who are nearing the end of their two-year placements
in Fredericton, eclipse the work hours of just about any
other servant of God.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/-xnQcrNDJA0/1063441
More than 1,600
youth draped in white capes stood on the football field at
Eastern Arizona College stadium on May 22 and watched as a
replica Angel Moroni—holding his horn aloft—was hoisted high
into the air. The scene was a fitting end to a production
staged to celebrate the dedication of The Gila Valley
Temple.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/ucBpIypZPRE/Youth-celebration-depicts-cultural-history-of-eastern-Arizona.html
A beautiful new
meetinghouse was unveiled in Eagle Springs recently at an
open house for the Houston Texas East Stake of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During the open house
tour guests were ushered through several rooms with specific
purposes for worship, study, or fellowship. The common theme
was an emphasis on the family as a priority.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/gKUxVwoyfAE/article.php
The relationship ended long ago. But for Hilary Taylor, it served its purpose. Because she had an irritating boyfriend who asked relentless questions about her religious beliefs, Taylor finally decided to take the missionary discussions and put this Mormon puzzle together once and for all. Spiritually, she was ready, thanks to a seed planted by a childhood friend.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/h4hR_xlIV_A/
Darion Bevan and Joshua Marsh willingly go to bed at 10:30 every night. For a couple of healthy 20-year-old bachelors, that might seem peculiar in an age of electronic distractions and post-midnight entertainment. Sixteen hours a day, six days a week starting at 6:30 a.m., they are missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/Vu5nSgv7C4o/1349
In Mongolia, the culture, the history, and even the land itself seem very old—even ancient. The Church, however, is a relatively recent arrival and has had a significant impact on many citizens of Mongolia, from the city dwellers in the capital of Ulaanbaatar to the herdsmen and their families who populate the frigid and windswept plains of the Gobi Desert.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/Dp3XPlDwZOU/Baptized-at-age-99-in-Mongolia.html
More than 60 young single adults from the Walnut Creek 3rd Ward, Walnut Creek California Stake, joined homeless youth to make improvements to the Calli House, a facility in Richmond, California, that provides immediate shelter and services in the San Francisco Bay area for runaway and homeless youth ages 14 to 21.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/eBy6DlYRs-Y/Mormon-youth-complete-service-project-at-shelter-for-homeless-youth.html
Around the world, every day but Sunday, in 45 different countries, Latter-day Saint "film missionaries" are working feverishly. Armed with state-of-the-art digital cameras, floodlights, and small portable "gaming" computers, 185 teams of amateur photographers shoot pages of ledgers and record books. The results are millions of vital record images every week.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/I0e-a5gIbLc/
Cebu City, Philippines | 12 May 2010 | The public is invited to tour the newly completed Cebu City Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the first temple in the Visayas and the second in the country. The First Presidency of the Church has announced a public open house beginning Friday, 21 May 2010, and continuing through Saturday, 5 June 2010, excluding Sundays.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/0t17APMJCtc/public-invited-to-tour-cebu-city-philippines-temple
SALT LAKE CITY | 11 May 2010 | Tens of thousands of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dressed in their distinctive yellow Mormon Helping Hands vests and T-shirts, were seen statewide in California 8 May painting, power washing, trail grooming, rebuilding fences, replacing roof shingles and picking up trash.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/lzUYcL8CqgM/mormon-helping-hands-sends-thousands-into-california-parks
SALT LAKE CITY | 7 May 2010 | Rising above the sea of online video offerings on YouTube is a "Mormon Message" from a mother who has an inspiring story to tell. Stephanie Nielson, a popular blogger, is a mother of four who was involved in a near-fatal plane crash in 2008. She survived and, along with her husband, is carving out a life that nearly slipped from their grasp.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/1Nc4l6IcSjM/stephanie-nielson-s-message-of-motherhood-attracting-attention
SALT LAKE CITY | 3 May 2010 | President Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated the Church's 131st temple just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, in Langley on 2 May 2010. Prior to the first of three dedicatory sessions, President Monson and his daughter, Ann M. Dibb, joined hundreds outside the temple for the traditional cornerstone ceremony.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/ugAmazHXKlo/president-monson-participates-in-temple-dedication-in-canada
Ephraim, Utah | 3 May 2010 | Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, addressed Snow College graduates in Ephraim, Utah, over the weekend.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/bwlkqQ3hoT8/apostle-addresses-snow-college-commencement
SALT LAKE CITY | 29 Apr 2010 | Thousands of genealogy enthusiasts filled the Conference Center Thursday, 29 April 2010, to enjoy an evening of music, stirring speeches and moving video presentations as part of the National Genealogical Society 2010 Family History Conference.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/aO8EofgNrpw/-a-celebration-of-family-history-delights-thousands-of-genealogy-enthusiasts
SALT LAKE CITY | 29 Apr 2010 | With severe economic challenges affecting the nation and many parts of the world, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has established ldsjobs.org to assist people in the job market. The new interactive Web site is designed for job seekers, regardless of religious denomination, to locate employment, increase or improve skills through education and start or refine a small business. All the services are free.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/CMPT4Lxixog/church-launches-new-web-site-to-help-unemployed-find-work
SALT LAKE CITY | 27 Apr 2010 | A massive excavation carved 700 feet into a solid granite mountain near Salt Lake City houses millions of feet of microfilm — all historical documents The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been keeping since 1938. The records are being digitized and published through FamilySearch, a genealogical resource provided free to the public.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/7A-Eayp_Xlc/familysearch-shares-plans-to-digitize-billions-of-records-stored-at-granite-mountain-records-vault
SALT LAKE CITY | 23 Apr 2010 | The Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints introduced the latest environmentally friendly construction efforts by the Church at its first solar powered meetinghouse in the Northern Hemisphere. The new building in Farmington, Utah symbolizes the continued innovative use of technology by the Church in its construction design. The roof-mounted solar panels are projected to generate enough electricity to completely power the structure, saving an estimated $6000 in energy costs annually.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/8BC4d0YsjX0/solar-powered-construction-design-gets-green-light-from-church-leaders
OGDEN, Utah | 23 Apr 2010 | President Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, addressed graduates and their friends and families in a morning commencement on the campus of Weber State University.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/d2DcqPb9y6M/president-monson-addresses-weber-state-university-graduates
Speaking to institute students in Sandy, Utah, on Wednesday, March 3, Sister Susan K. Bednar, wife of Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve, emphasized the power and strength found in individuals and Jesus Christ's infinite love. She shared a compilation of random life experiences that have increased her testimony of the Savior and His love.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/QTQ8ozO3dYo/
The beginnings of the Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were rooted in a desire to make the "hoodlum" sons of Utah's first settlers into decent husbands and fathers. Several women played key roles, RoseAnn Benson said during her presentation at the Church History Symposium on Friday at Brigham Young University. They included Aurelia Spencer Rogers, Zina Young, Sara Louise Felt, and Eliza Roxey Snow.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/AVHgPzEsCCY/
Humanitarian missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are working to help rice farmers in Cambodia double their production. The rice fields of Kampong Chhnang province are brown in the dry season, but the farmers who own them have increased production substantially in the last three and a half years.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/9RU5DERr5Qk/
Getting from small-town Utah to Big Ten college athletics is quite a journey. But two highly rated wrestlers made it, even with a two-year detour. Levi Mele is crafting a respectable record in his first season on the mat for the Northwestern University Wildcats. Colton Salazar has improved his record for the third year in a row for the Purdue Boilermakers.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/i-WN1k4U8VM/From-mission-to-mat-in-the-Big-Ten.html
SALT LAKE CITY | 1 Mar 2010 | (This news release was updated on 3 March) Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile are actively assisting in relief efforts and determining how the Church can be of most assistance in the wake of one of the most powerful earthquakes of the last century. With over half a million Latter-day Saints living in the country, the Church has a substantial presence in Chile.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/i6U_6P9oWt0/church-responding-to-chile-earthquake
SALT LAKE CITY | 27 Feb 2010 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement today following the earthquake in Chile: "We, along with the rest of the world, are watching with concern as reports from the massive earthquake in Chile continue to unfold. As with any disaster, immediate details are difficult to confirm. "We have confirmed that all of the Church's missionaries in Chile have reported in and are safe, including the two elders on the Juan Fernandez Island." (This is an update from a report earlier today when some missionaries had not reported in).
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/Vt7d0UFTmxY/church-statement-on-earthquake-in-chile
SALT LAKE CITY | 26 Feb 2010 | An apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints addressed students at the annual Mormonism 101 series convened at Harvard Law School (Read the full transcript of the speech). From the Ames courtroom on the Cambridge, Massachusetts campus, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, discussed the tenets of his Mormon faith seeking to "illuminate several premises and ways of thinking that are at the root of some misunderstandings about our doctrine and practice."
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/RhYn20-OVDk/apostle-addresses-harvard-audience-on-mormon-faith
SALT LAKE CITY | 26 Feb 2010 | In a historic speech given at Brigham Young University before an appreciative audience of many thousands of students, faculty and Church leaders, Cardinal Francis George, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, eloquently argued the need to defend religious freedom. "The question of freedom lies at the heart of modern society's deepest conflicts," Cardinal George said, "because it always lies at the heart of who we are as creatures made in the image and likeness of a God who loves us freely."
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/L7T1_KVqQ3s/commentary-historic-speech-at-byu-by-catholic-cardinal
Young adults from across Cache Valley came to listen to Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak at the 67th annual Joseph Smith Memorial Fireside, held at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on the Utah State University campus on Sunday, February 20.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/2HN2hcH381o/Elder-Robert-D-Hales-Joseph-Smith-Memorial-Fireside-addresses-Mormon-young-single-adults.html
A choir of 350 children from several different faiths, including some performing in American Sign Language, sang together. The event also featured reading from holy books, dancing, bagpipes, and recitations and was hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/tUQ23tbKEgQ/annual-interfaith-music-tribute-performed-in-historic-salt-lake-tabernacle
SALT LAKE CITY | 23 Feb 2010 | Catholics and Latter-day Saints are important partners in the defense of religious freedom in the public square. That was the message His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. delivered today at Brigham Young University to thousands of students, faculty and others tuning in by satellite and on the Internet. Two apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Quentin L. Cook, were present for the address, as was Bishop John C. Wester of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/DAPMxocWhBE/cardinal-george-addresses-religious-freedom-in-speech-at-byu
SALT LAKE CITY | 22 Feb 2010 | A choir of 350 children from several different faiths, including some performing in American Sign Language, sang together. The event also featured reading from holy books, dancing, bagpipes and recitations and was hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Kent F. Richards of the Seventy welcomed all those in attendance. Local news anchor Carole Mikita of KSL Television emceed the program.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/JYh_qbhuwdg/annual-interfaith-music-tribute-performed-in-historic-salt-lake-tabernacle
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve instructed a group of more than 800 single adults gathered at the Midvale Utah Union Fort Stake meetinghouse on Sunday, February 14, about things that can be learned from the different dispensations of the gospel. "Each dispensation seems to teach us some of the doctrines and principles we should follow in our lives," said Elder Perry.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/v0bantBhL9c/Periods-of-history-teach-us-of-Gods-plan.html
Thirty girls in Haiti will have bright, new, colorful skirts to wear, thanks to 9-year-old Sarah Poyner of Choctaw, Oklahoma. In November, Sarah got a sewing machine for her birthday and learned how to sew pillows for cousins and friends as Christmas presents. When she found out about the earthquake in Haiti, she decided to use her sewing machine to benefit those affected by the disaster—children her own age, many of whom are now homeless and parentless.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/NajD2EsMWqM/Skirts-for-Haiti.html
OGDEN, Utah | 17 Feb 2010 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans today to remodel and architecturally change the appearance of the Ogden Utah Temple and its grounds. Elder William R. Walker made the announcement in downtown Ogden with Mayor Matthew R. Godfrey.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/WKfjX1DySJM/ogden-temple-to-get-architectural-facelift
The young men are wearing white shirts and dark ties. They and the nicely dressed young women are carrying scriptures. Many of them can be seen studying. Others talk quietly or play hacky-sack in a courtyard. These young people are Mormon missionaries at the Centro do Treinamento Missionario de Sao Paulo—the Sao Paulo Missionary Training Center.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/W4kYMeKQN1U/
SALT LAKE CITY | 12 Feb 2010 | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is launching an aggressive program to put as many as 600 urgently needed temporary housing kits into the hands of Haitian members before the rainy season starts in April. A single kit includes lumber, corrugated tin for the roof, and hurricane straps for the roof and cement.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/LDSNewsRoomTop15/~3/LkRgjNbdD1g/church-to-build-temporary-housing-in-haiti-before-rainy-season
Wheelchairs have been presented to 100 individuals in three ceremonies conducted by LDS Charities in partnership with Bang Rak Rotary Club of Bangkok. Receiving the wheelchairs were people who have incurable diseases, crippling birth defects, polio, or who are lame or otherwise afflicted.
http://feeds.lds.org/~r/ldsInTheNews/~3/3FBHDJvkN9g/Thailand-Wheelchairs-are-presented-to-100-individuals.html
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