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Fabiola Beauvil holds her 3-day-old baby Klaira Eliska at the LDS Central Ward Chapel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- As the death toll from the Jan. 12 Haitian earthquake soars from tens of thousands to possibly several hundred thousand, little glimmers of light and hope still have shone through in Port-au-Prince. Two such stories were told Tuesday morning at the Central chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the church's emergency-response team of volunteer doctors and nurses arrived to start assessing medical needs and treating the injured and...

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Tuesday at the crack of dawn. That's the anticipated time that the LDS Church's team of volunteer doctors and nurses are expected to finally reach Haiti, and hopefully by late morning reach chapels that will become makeshift clinics and provide critical medical help for those hurting in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake. It has been nearly two full days of on-again-off-again travel for the 18-member team sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and includes 14 volunteer doctors and nurses and two emotional-health specialists, all members of the Mormon...

Houses where they lived have become piles of rubble. People they loved are bleeding and crying for help. For former LDS missionaries who served in Haiti, last week's massive earthquake demolished more than just a place on the map. It crushed a country that, for two years, they called home. "When you serve a mission, you get to know people, and care about them a lot, in a different way than otherwise," said David Cope, who served in Haiti from 1989 to 1991 and visited again in 1995. Cope, a general contractor by trade, is desperately trying to find...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Jeremy Booth, an emergency room doctor from Ogden who speaks French Creole, needed to place only two calls to make the select group. Provo orthopedic surgeon Creig MacArthur -- who learned French as a Mormon missionary a half-century ago -- gladly accepted a surprise phone invitation to join. And Jeff Randle, a Salt Lake City doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, was a natural and willing choice, given his longtime charitable efforts at the group's destination site. They are among the first wave of medical personnel en route to earthquake-ravaged Haiti as part of the...

When the twelve disciples were called in the Americas, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded them: “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.”1 The Savior had recently finalized His successful, selfless, and transcendental mission on earth. This allowed Him to declare with authority that He and His Father, our Father, are the models to be followed by each one of us. From a purely human point of view, at first this seems to be an impossible task. However, it begins to appear possible upon understanding that in order...

We express our sympathy and prayers on behalf of the citizens of Haiti following the recent devastating earthquake. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is immediately shipping humanitarian relief, including personal hygiene kits and supplies for newborns. Efforts are underway to determine further humanitarian response in coordination with government and disaster relief organizations. Donations for relief efforts can be made at http://give.lds.org/emergencyresponse. All missionaries serving in the country are safe, and we continue efforts to account for Church members in the area.

My brothers and sisters, I express gratitude for the witnesses of God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, given by living prophets during this conference and for the teachings of the Holy Ghost. As prophesied, we live in a time when the darkness of secularism is deepening around us. Belief in God is widely questioned and even attacked in the name of political, social, and even religious causes. Atheism, or the doctrine that there is no God, is fast spreading across the world. Even so, as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, we declare that “we...

  We are waist high in vegetation, looking for a track that leads straight off the edge of the cliff, almost 100m above the sea. Everyone had said there are only two ways to get to the uninhabited beach below us, a beach as anonymous to most of the world as it has become near-mythical. One way is through the wadi that spills out onto its deserted beach, which you can supposedly trace, over days, up the mountains and into the interior desert of the Empty Quarter on the other side. The other is by boat from the nearest...

I thought LDS FReepers would find this website interesting. This website is the work of Daniel C. Peterson, Scott Gordon, and Tanya Spackman. Mormon Scholars Testify One of the unique characteristics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is its emphasis on education and scholarship. Studies have shown that among Latter-day Saints (Mormons), higher levels of education are strongly correlated with higher church attendance, and higher levels of devotion. (see footnote)In LDS scripture, Mormons are encouraged to study and learn. In the book Doctrine and Covenants, a book considered to be a collection of modern day revelation from...

I have been impressed to speak about God’s love and God’s commandments. My message is that God’s universal and perfect love is shown in all the blessings of His gospel plan, including the fact that His choicest blessings are reserved for those who obey His laws.1 These are eternal principles that should guide parents in their love and teaching of their children.I. I begin with four examples which illustrate some mortal confusion between love and law. A young adult in a cohabitation relationship tells grieving parents, “If you really loved me, you would accept me and my partner just like...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is continually growing and becoming better known throughout the world. Although there will always be those who stereotype the Church and its members in a negative way, most people think of us as honest, helpful, and hardworking. Some have images of clean-cut missionaries, loving families, and friendly neighbors who don’t smoke or drink. We might also be known as a people who attend church every Sunday for three hours, in a place where everyone is a brother or a sister, where the children sing songs about streams that talk, trees that produce...

In 1833 the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation that contained a strong rebuke to several leading brethren of the Church to set their families in order (see D&C 93:40–50). A specific phrase from this revelation provides the theme for my message—“more diligent and concerned at home” (verse 50). I want to suggest three ways each of us can become more diligent and concerned in our homes. I invite you to listen both with ears that hear and with hearts that feel, and I pray for the Spirit of the Lord to be with all of us. Suggestion Number One:...

One day while serving as a mission president, I was talking on the phone to our oldest son. He was on his way to the hospital where he worked as a physician. When he arrived at the hospital, he said, “Nice talking to you, Dad, but now I’ve got to get out of my car and go save some lives.” Our son treats children with life-threatening illnesses. When he is able to diagnose a disease properly and give the right treatment, he can save a child’s life. I told our missionaries that their work is also to help save lives—the...

Many years ago I walked at dawn through the narrow cobblestone streets of Cusco, Peru, high in the Andes Mountains. I saw a man from a local indigenous group walking down one of the streets. He was not a big man physically, but he carried an immense load of firewood in a huge burlap sack on his back. The sack seemed to be as big as he was. The load must have weighed as much as he did. He steadied it with a rope that looped under the bottom of the sack and circled up around his forehead. He gripped...

Vicki F. Matsumori Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency We can help others become more familiar with the promptings of the Spirit when we share our testimony of the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives.At the end of the day, a pair of missionaries starts toward home when one suddenly turns to the other and says, “I feel we need to stop at this one last place.” A home teacher is prompted to call one of the families he visited just a few days before. A young woman plans on attending a school friend’s party yet feels...

Throughout the ages, many have obtained guidance helpful to resolve challenges in their lives by following the example of respected individuals who resolved similar problems. Today, world conditions change so rapidly that such a course of action is often not available to us. Personally, I rejoice in that reality because it creates a condition where we, of necessity, are more dependent upon the Spirit to guide us through the vicissitudes of life. Therefore, we are led to seek personal inspiration in life’s important decisions. What can you do to enhance your capacity to be led to correct decisions in your...

My beloved brothers and sisters, I extend my greetings to all of you as we commence this, the 179th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How grateful I am for the age in which we live—an age of such advanced technology that we are able to address you across the world. As the General Authorities and auxiliary leaders stand here in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, our voices will be reaching you by various means, including radio, television, satellite transmission, and the Internet. Although we will be speaking to you in English,...

Video On-Demand: October 09 Gerneral Conference TalksClick on desired talk to view

Church members were encouraged to reach out and help others each day during the Sunday morning session of the 179th semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and, figuratively, lose their life, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish — and in effect save their life," President Thomas S. Monson, president of the church, said during Sunday's morning conference session. He stressed that church members should step back from the "busy-ness" of their lives and take a good look at their...

    179th Semiannual General ConferenceThe 179th Semiannual General Conference of the Church will be held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday and Sunday, October 3-4, 2009. For information on worldwide broadcast times and options, see the broadcast schedule.For additional information about general conference, see the Events page.