News

The 11th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormons, states:

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. (Articles of Faith 1:11)

This is something President Thomas S. Monson, the 16th called prophet of these modern times, has taken to heart. In the last General Conference, he stated:

“I would encourage members of the Church wherever they may be to show kindness and respect for all people everywhere. The world in which we live is filled with diversity. We can and should demonstrate respect toward those whose beliefs differ from ours.”

President Monson has made a point of always welcoming and fostering good, solid relationships, as well as friendships, with the leaders of other faiths. He's a good, kind and friendly man. It is a natural extension of who he is and he has asked that Mormons keep in mind the struggle we had, and still have, in being respected for believing in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. In keeping that in mind, it should help us to have kinder feelings and thoughts toward friends of other faiths, for indeed, that is who they are, friends.

Indeed, his counselor, a living Apostle of Jesus Christ, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, also in the last General Conference, reinforced that request with:

“We honor and respect sincere souls from all religions, no matter where or when they lived, who have loved God, even without having the fullness of the gospel. We lift our voices in gratitude for their selflessness and courage. We embrace them as brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father. … He hears the prayers of the humble and sincere of every nation, tongue, and people. He grants light to those who seek and honor Him and are willing to obey His commandments.”

In a news release dated April 18, 2008, the LDS Newsroom reported:

The late Krister Stendahl, emeritus Lutheran Bishop of Stockholm and professor emeritus of Harvard Divinity School, established three rules for religious understanding:

(1) When you are trying to understand another religion, you should ask the adherents of that religion and not its enemies;
(2) don't compare your best to their worst; and
(3) leave room for "holy envy" by finding elements in other faiths to emulate.

These principles foster relationships between religions that build trust and lay the groundwork for charitable efforts. (LDS Newsroom)

Good points for all of us to live by. Indeed, it does us no good, anyone, to fight over the difference in beliefs. It is much more important to unite over our common beliefs. "It is important to note that interfaith cooperation does not require doctrinal compromise." (LDS Newsroom, "Respect for Diversity of Faiths", April 18, 2008)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has united with Catholic Relief Services to relieve human suffering, as well as joining with the Islamic Relief Worldwide and the Islamic Society of Great Salt Lake to accomplish the same purpose. This is something we are always willing to do, and indeed have sent tens, of thousands, of millions of tons of relief supplies across the world. It matters not the country, culture or religious differences, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under the direction of The First Presidency, always steps up when the children of God, regardless of their geographical location or religion, always steps up to fulfill the admonition of Jesus Christ, which is to "Feed my Sheep." The Savior had in mind that His followers teach His Gospel to the world, but He also intended that we care for our fellow man. His prophet simply follows that admonition. It is an added benefit that it is, as stated before, that this is a natural extension of this man that is the living prophet of God today.

President Monson has called on all Latter-day Saints, Mormons, to follow his example in respecting the diversity of faiths which exist across the world. We, as has he, need to reach out to neighbors of all religions and foster friendships while respecting the differences in our beliefs.

The command to "Love Thy Neighbor" did not distinguish between faiths. Jesus Christ simply asked us to love everyone, as has His prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

Source: "Respect for Diversity of Faiths," LDS Newsroom, April 18, 2008

Following the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley, the fifteenth president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as “the Mormons”), a new president and counselors have been announced.

Thomas S. Monson, who had been serving as the first counselor to President Hinckley at the time of his passing, succeeds him as president of the Church. As his counselors in the First Presidency, he has named President Henry B. Eyring as first counselor and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf as second counselor. President Eyring had been serving as the second counselor to President Hinckley at the time of his passing. President Uchtdorf has been serving in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The First Presidency is the highest body of leadership in the Church. It is comprised of a prophet, who serves as the president. Counselors are also called to serve with him, to advise him and help carry out the work of the Church. Usually the president of the Church has two counselors, although the First Presidency may occasionally function with only one counselor. This was the case when President James E. Faust passed away in August of 2007. He had been serving as the second counselor to President Hinckley. President Henry B. Eyring was sustained to the position during the general conference of the Church held at the beginning of October 2007.

There may also be additional counselors to the president of the Church called if needed. One example of this came in 1981 under President Spencer W. Kimball. Presidents N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney were serving as his counselors, but with their age and failing health a third counselor was called to help them – a relatively young apostle by the name of Gordon B. Hinckley.

With the change in leadership, Elder Boyd K. Packer has become the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve and will serve as president of that quorum. Previous to President Hinckley’s passing, he was serving as the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve. President Monson was actually the senior member of the Twelve, and so was president of the quorum, but his duties in the First Presidency necessitated that Elder Packer act as president.

It is important to remember that although the Church has a change in leadership, Christ stands at the head of the Church. The men who lead it for a time bring their own unique talents, experiences, and personalities, but it is Christ who stands at the head and they seek only to serve Him and do His will.

Each of these men called today has proven to be faithful to the Lord and have served Him well. How grateful I am that we have a living prophet on the earth today, and that prophetic leadership does not end simply with the passing of one prophet. I look forward to learning and serving more at the feet of these great men.

For more information on the new First Presidency, including some photos, visit the Newsroom at www.lds.org.

While new temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “the Mormons”) generally draw a media buzz, new chapels are more common – and usually less heralded. Still, open houses are often held in conjunction with completion of construction, and these are wonderful opportunities for the public to see the inside of a Mormon church building. One such open house happened recently, on January 12 of this year, in Twin Falls, Idaho. For more on what Latter-day Saint chapels are, and how they differ from temples, click here.

Chapels are meetinghouses where regular worship services are held. There may be one, or more than one, in your area. The new chapel in Twin Falls, Idaho is not unique, but because of that its story is worth looking at.

Church membership in the area has grown at an estimated 7 percent a year, according to the Twin Falls Times-News (“Mormons invite community to open house at new chapel,” January 5, 2008). In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when a ward (local congregation) reaches a certain size, it’s time to divide that ward into smaller wards. Often a new ward is created from realigning boundaries of two or more wards where membership has been growing, resulting in three (or more) smaller wards. Because the Church has a lay ministry, rather than paid clergy, a ward that is too large places a greater burden on those members trying to lead it. So, as Church membership grows in an area, rather than building a larger building a congregation will simply divide.

The Twin Falls Times-News explained it like this:

"What I'm most excited about is the wards will be of more manageable size and more people will have the opportunity to serve," (Kent) Allen said. "People need to be needed, to know they have something to offer." (Kent Allen is the stake president of the Twin Falls Idaho stake, presiding over a group of several wards.)

Members of the congregation are called to serve in various capacities, from leading Sunday school classes to serving as bishop or bishopric counselor. When congregations are large, there are fewer chances for each individual.

The bishop also likes to spend time with each family in the ward, Allen said, and the larger the ward the more difficult this is, as the bishops are not paid and conduct these visits on their own time. (“Mormons invite community to open house at new chapel,” January 5, 2008)

Of course, having more congregations in an area still results in the need to build. But rather than erecting larger buildings, the Latter-day Saints build more buildings of comparable size. And that’s what was recently completed in Twin Falls. The building was financed through the general Church leadership in Salt Lake City. Allen pointed out to the Times-News that the funds for chapels and temples come from tithing money from around the world. "In that sense, every member of the Church has claim to this building." (“Mormons invite community to open house at new chapel,” January 5, 2008)

Apparently it all began with some fast text-messaging, and it spread like wildfire. President Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) since 1995, passed away on January 27, 2008. And the next day, Latter-day Saint youth all over the United States wore their Sunday best to school to honor him.

Keep in mind that Latter-day Saints have a tradition of dressing more formally for church than many denominations do. Girls and women usually wear skirts or dresses, and men and many of the boys wear button-up shirts, slacks, and ties – and often full suits. So wearing church clothes to school is something that would call attention to these youth, to say the least.

But these youth were glad to be able to do participate. “I could wear my white shirt, my very best, to remember the prophet,” Daniel, a student at Indian Hills Middle School in Salt Lake City, Utah, explained, as quoted by the Newsroom at lds.org.

“A lot of people loved him,” said Morgan Mabey, a student at East High School in Salt Lake City, to the Associated Press. “I know I did.”

“He's the only prophet we've ever known," Chandler Daniels, a student at Murray High School in the Salt Lake City area, said to the Deseret Morning News.

Mark Farmer, also a Murray High School student, told the Deseret Morning News that he first learned of President Hinckley’s death on a TV news bulletin Sunday night, not long after it had occurred. Then the text messages started pouring in: "hey everyone wear church clothes tomorrow to respect president hinkly's death. Like for real. Pass this on."

And the students did. They passed the message on and on. One young woman reported receiving 42 text messages about the dress-up day. According to www.lds.org, the origin of the message is unknown, but participants were noted throughout Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Texas and Washington D.C. Cell phone service providers in some areas noted the increased traffic.

It just goes to show what this tech-savvy generation of youth can and will do to honor their prophet. As President Hinckley’s grandson James Pearce said to www.lds.org, “He loved the youth so much. He really cared about them, and they felt that love. They acknowledged it with their behavior.”

When the statistical report is read during the upcoming general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as "the Mormons") in April 2008, the number of the general membership of the Church will top 13 million for the first time. Church membership is growing steadily, both through convert baptisms and through the births of children into Latter-day Saint families. It is estimated that the Church is growing at approximately 1 million members every 3 years, according to the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

That rate of growth, like the rate of growth of world population, has not always held true. For example, as I remember, in the mid-1980's LDS Church membership reached 5 million members. And there were only 6 official members of the entire church at the initial organizational meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints conducted by Joseph Smith in 1830. ("Chapter Two: Establishing the Foundations of the Church," Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5). It took over 150 years for Church membership to go from a handful of members to 5 million worldwide, but that number has more than doubled in approximately 20 years. The rate of growth is enormous.

Something that the LDS Church does that most other churches do not is keep track of and count individual members. When an individual is baptized, a "membership record" is created for them. These records are kept track of centrally at Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, and individual wards (local congregations) receive membership records for each member in their congregation. When an individual or family moves out of one ward and into another, the new ward will receive their records.

But counting individual members is not the only way to observe the growth of the Church. Chapels, or local meetinghouses, are constantly being built worldwide. The rate of increase is about 10 percent over the past 5 years. According to www.lds.org, there are currently 6,361 chapels in the United States and 8,254 chapels throughout the rest of the world. Church statistics show that growth varies throughout the world but is highest in areas such as Africa. Nigeria has been experiencing a growth of 8.1 percent annually; from 2000 to 2006, membership grew there from over 29,500 to almost 79,500.

The Church announces its current statistics at each general conference. An interesting article about the international growth of the Church can be found at www.mormonwiki.com.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as "the Mormons," has announced the funeral services for beloved prophet and leader Gordon B. Hinckley. The services will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2008, in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time.

The services will also be broadcast via satellite over the Church satellite system to over 6000 LDS meetinghouses worldwide. Additionally, BYU-TV will broadcast the funeral. BYU-TV is available in many cable and satellite packages in the United States. They also provide live streaming video at www.byu.tv. Thus, viewers worldwide have some options from which to choose.

The funeral will not be an official worship service the way Sabbath meetings are, but it will be an opportunity for people worldwide to pay their respects to President Hinckley. Latter-day Saint funerals generally include a few musical numbers, and there will likely be several speakers who will share their memories of President Hinckley and their testimonies of the Savior and His great plan of salvation.

Latter-day Saint funeral are often more hope-filled than those of some other denominations. While we certainly mourn the passing of a loved one who has died, we also have a firm belief in life after the death of our physical bodies. This is why we perform saving temple ordinances for our ancestors and others who have died before us, and why we desire to have our families sealed to us for time and all eternity. Because we believe that there is an eternity, and that this mortal life is in fact only a small part of our existence. Our spirits lived before we were born on earth, and they continue to live on when our mortal bodies die. Later, through the Atonement of Christ, our mortal bodies and our spirits will be resurrected - reunited, never to separate again.

President Thomas S. Monson, currently serving as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained these things to us:

We know each one lived in the spirit world with Heavenly Father. We understand we have come to earth to learn, to live, to progress in our eternal journey toward perfection. Some remain on earth but for a moment, while others live long upon the land. The measure is not how long we live but rather how well we live. Then come death and the beginning of a new chapter of life. Where does that chapter lead?

Many years ago I stood by the bedside of a young man, the father of two children, as he hovered between life and the great beyond. He took my hand in his, looked into my eyes, and pleadingly asked, "Bishop, I know I am about to die. Tell me what happens to my spirit when I die."

I prayed for heavenly guidance before attempting to respond. My attention was directed to the Book of Mormon, which rested on the table beside his bed. I held the book in my hand, and it providentially opened to the 40th chapter of Alma. I began to read aloud:

"Now my son, here is somewhat more I would say unto thee; for I perceive that thy mind is worried concerning the resurrection of the dead. ...

"Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection -- Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, ... are taken home to that God who gave them life.

"And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow." (Alma 40:1, 11-12)

My young friend closed his eyes, expressed a sincere thank-you, and silently slipped away to that paradise about which we had spoken. (Thomas S. Monson, "He Is Risen," Ensign, Apr 2003, 2-7)

Speaking of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, President Monson continued:

As the least of His disciples, I declare my personal witness that death has been conquered, victory over the tomb has been won. May the words made sacred by Him who fulfilled them become actual knowledge to all. Remember them. Cherish them. Honor them. He is risen. (Thomas S. Monson, "He Is Risen," Ensign, Apr 2003, 2-7)

To learn more about our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation, visit www.mormon.org.

Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as "Mormons"), passed away on January 27, 2008 at approximately 7:00 PM in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was 97 years old. A full press release is available at the Church's website at www.lds.org.

The news came as a surprise to many Latter-day Saints, but has spread quickly via the Internet and other media sources. We first heard about it from a friend in our ward (local congregation) who had heard the news and was calling people about it. We also received e-mails from other friends soon after, and LDS-based e-mail groups and message boards were also soon abuzz with the news.

We in turn contacted our local LDS missionaries to let them know the news. But they had already been called by the same ward member who had called us. The mission office had also sent a text message to all of the missionaries, letting them know what had happened.

As we've visited with people about this and read their comments, some overall themes have emerged. We're saddened the death of our prophet. He has served as the president of the Church since 1995, and was heavily involved in the leadership before then. He has worked tirelessly in serving the Lord and building the kingdom of God, and in working for the good of the people worldwide. He has been a beloved leader and we have sustained him as our prophet. We feel a deep love for him and a strong appreciation for his service. We will miss him greatly.

At the same time, we all knew his physical body was growing old and slowing down. After all, he was 97 years old. Most men just don't live to be 97, and those who do will have long since cut down on their workloads. But President Hinckley was still actively leading an entire church. That he was able to do so is amazing.

His wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, had passed in April 2004. He spoke of his great love for her, and while he knew that they would one day be reunited, he still missed her terribly. And now, while members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others who knew and loved President Hinckley will miss him terribly, we can't help but think of what a joyous reunion he must now be having with his dear Marjorie. In my mind's eye I can also picture him reuniting with his parents and other family members and friends who have gone on before him - including President James E. Faust, who served as his counselor in the First Presidency of the Church and who preceded him in death only a few months ago.

And I can picture him in the arms of our Savior, hearing the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant...enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21,23) Truly, he has been a faithful servant of the Lord. His presence here on earth will be missed.

The 125th temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the “Mormons”) was recently completed in Rexburg, Idaho. The temple will be open to the public from Saturday, December 29, 2007, through Saturday, January 26, 2008, excluding Sundays. Tour guides will be available to answer questions. For more detailed information regarding the location of the temple and the hours it will be open, visit newsroom.lds.org.

Regular meetinghouses of the Church, where Sunday worship services are held, are always open to the public. The temples of the Church differ from these meetinghouses in that they are “considered ‘houses of the Lord’ where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. Inside, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and their fellow man.” (“Rexburg Temple Open to Public,” newsroom.lds.org)

Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, explained that temples are “places of learning and instruction” and compared them to “the Lord’s university.” He said further:

(In the temple) we learn about our relationship with God. We learn about the purposes of our life here upon the earth. Questions such as where did we come from? Why are we here? What happens to us after we die? Those questions are addressed and answered in the instruction that’s presented in the temple. We also make promises to live honest, upright and virtuous lives. (“New Temple Reflects Biblical Parallels,” newsroom.lds.org)

Sunday worship takes place in Latter-day Saint meetinghouses throughout the world, but higher ordinances take place in the temples. These include marriages and “sealings” that bind families together throughout eternity and not just their mortal lives. These ordinances are available to those who live righteously and are prepared to make promises to continue to live righteously.

Elder Bednar continued: “Everything in the temple is focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and on our Heavenly Father and the plan of happiness which He provided for us. Everything in the temple is ennobling and uplifting and edifying. There’s a great peace in the temple.” (“New Temple Reflects Biblical Parallels,” newsroom.lds.org)

Following the month-long open house and the dedicatory services that will take place in February, the temple will be open only to worthy members of the Church. Approximately 47,000 Latter-day Saints live within the Rexburg temple district, or the area surrounding the temple.

Elder Bednar further explained why the temple will be closed to the general public following the dedication: “There are pre-requisites in many forms of life. You cannot take advanced courses in chemistry until you have mastered the basics. And the same thing is true of the Lord’s university. You have to meet the pre-requisites. Anyone can come if they are willing to abide by those commitments.” (“New Temple Reflects Biblical Parallels,” newsroom.lds.org)

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “the Mormons”) presented their annual Christmas devotional on Sunday, December 2. The proceedings were available worldwide via satellite, Internet, and BYU-TV which is available in many consumer cable and satellite packages.

The First Presidency is the highest governing body of the Church. It consists of the prophet, who is also considered the president of the Church. He also usually has two counselors to assist him. Gordon B. Hinckley is currently the prophet, and Thomas S. Monson and Henry B. Eyring are serving as his counselors.

I look forward to hearing the inspired words of our Church leaders at Christmas time. Particularly with the world’s overwhelming emphasis on the commercial aspects of Christmas and the constant invitations to spend exorbitant amounts of money on material gifts, I appreciate these men’s emphasis on the birth of our Savior and His example of service to others. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir also performs songs of the season that invite the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit provides us with a peace throughout the season that the world and its material gifts cannot provide.

According to the Deseret Morning News, President Hinckley exhorted all to reach out to those in need, rather than think of their own desires. "'Merry' (Christmas) may be the wrong word. More appropriately, we might say, 'It is Christmastime. What can I do to help you? Are your burdens too heavy to carry? Is your sorrow too painful?' This world is full of sorrowful people. Many of them feel totally beaten down. They are sick. They are impoverished. Life seems hopeless. Even at this season they seem oppressed by these feelings."

The First Presidency also issued a letter, in addition to presenting the devotional. In part, it reads: “We testify that He lives and that He loves our Heavenly Father’s children,” the letter says. “It is our sincere prayer that this knowledge will be a source of comfort and peace to one and all, and that each of us will seek His invitation to come unto Him. May the spirit of Christmas, which is the spirit of Christ, bless and sustain each of us.” (“First Presidency Sends Christmas Message,” newsroom.lds.org)

I am grateful for inspired leaders who go out of their way to testify of our Savior Jesus Christ at this special time of year.

John Longhurst, senior Tabernacle organist for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, officially retired following the weekly Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast on Sunday, November 26, 2007. His career as a Tabernacle organist has spanned 30 years. The Deseret Morning News saluted his years of service in an article that ran on Thursday, November 22 - Thanksgiving. His contributions to the music of the Church are something that Latter-day Saints (commonly called "Mormons") are indeed thankful for.

Brother Longhurst may be best known among Latter-day Saints as an organ accompanist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and for general conferences of the Church where the Mormons gather twice a year to receive counsel from the prophet, apostles, and other leaders of the Church. He is also the composer of the music for "I Believe in Christ", a beloved hymn found in the Mormon hymnal.

The words to the hymn were written by Bruce R. McConkie, (1915-1985) then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As an apostle, Elder McConkie was a special witness of Jesus Christ, just as His twelve apostles were at the time of His ministry. Elder McConkie's heartfelt hymn reflects his deep conviction that Christ is our Savior:

I believe in Christ; he is my King!
With all my heart to him I'll sing;
I'll raise my voice in praise and joy,
In grand amens my tongue employ.

I believe in Christ; he is God's Son.
On earth to dwell his soul did come.
He healed the sick; the dead he raised.
Good works were his; his name be praised...

I believe in Christ; he ransoms me.
From Satan's grasp he sets me free,
And I shall live with joy and love
In his eternal courts above.

Hymns, 134.

Brother Longhurst told the Deseret Morning News about his experience writing the music for this hymn. As the Church music committee was compiling the 1985 version of the hymnal, he was asked to compose music for a poem that Elder McConkie had written. The original text had eight verses. The music committee for the Church gave Brother Longhurst six verses, and he cut them down to four and began work on the music.

Elder McConkie was very ill at the time, so the two did not collaborate. However, Brother Longhurst did learn that Elder McConkie wanted all eight verses included in the final version of the hymn. After learning of this, he revised his composition. The version found in the hymnal that Mormons sing today has four verses, but each of these verses is actually made of two of Elder McConkie's verses. Since the project was on a deadline, Brother Longhurst made what he called "a very desperate maneuver." As he explained to the Deseret Morning News, "You (now) sing through it once and you come to a half cadence. Then you repeat it and come to a complete cadence, and that completes one verse of music that is actually two verses of text."

Regardless of the precise form that the hymn has taken, it has become a much-loved hymn of the Mormon people, expressing the sincere testimony of one called to stand as a witness for Jesus Christ.

Brother Longhurst was involved in many aspects of the Church's music program, many of them unheralded to the public. Members of the LDS Church, as well as countless others who have been touched by the music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, express their sincere thanks for his years of service.

In a news release dated October 11, FamilySearch, the online family history resource of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, issued a call for volunteer indexers for a variety of projects.

The specific projects mentioned are Mexican and other Latin American records. These particular volunteers should be able to read both Spanish and English. However, FamilySearch also needs indexers for many other current and upcoming projects. Those who are interested in helping in these efforts should visit www.familysearchindexing.org. Clicking on the "Projects" tab will bring up links to lists of current, upcoming, and completed projects.

The most immediate goal in the Latin American projects is to index the 1930 Mexican census. This project has been undertaken in cooperation with the National Archives of Mexico. At the present time, the only real way for genealogical researchers to access the data in this census is to sift through 506 rolls of microfilm -- and these are only available in select locations.

Once the information has been digitized and indexed, anyone who wishes to search for information on these records will be able to bring up the information for free on any computer with an Internet connection.

Indexing is a vital part of the process of making the records accessible online. Searching records without an index can be like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. Census records and other records of interest to family history researchers were not necessarily put into any searchable order when they were first recorded. For example, if a census taker originally recorded all of the people in a given neighborhood at one time, the actual names would not be in recorded in alphabetical order. Exactly where they could found today on a set of microfilm rolls or even digitized online would be difficult to pinpoint, unless these names were collected and indexed. That's where the importance of these volunteers comes in.

Without an index, researchers must spend many long painstaking hours sifting through the records page by page until they find the information they need. But with indexes for the records in place, "the records are searchable in seconds, just like looking up a name in a phone book -- except quicker, easier and online," Paul Nauta, manager of public affairs for FamilySearch, said.

Volunteers can make a difference in as little as 30 minutes a week. For more information on this and other indexing projects, visit www.familysearchindexing.org. If you'd like to know more about why Latter-day Saints put so much effort into making genealogical records accessible to everyone, one good explanation can be found right here at LDSBlogs.com, at "The Importance of Family History to Latter-Day Saints."

I have to admit that I anticipated the October 2007 general conference with a little more excitement than usual. I always enjoy listening to the talks over "conference weekend" and the spiritual insights that come from that experience. But, like many Church members, I was incredibly curious as to who would be called to serve in the First Presidency in the spot vacated by the passing of President James E. Faust. And with that change, a new apostle would also likely be called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve left by the new counselor in the First Presidency.

So I was definitely paying attention when President Hinckley read out the names of the presiding officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I remember several years ago when he was about to announce the name of a new apostle, he gruffly added, "And this should put an end to the speculation." The congregation, of course, burst into laughter.

We all know that it isn't really right to speculate on who will be called into Church positions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fills these callings a little differently than the rest of the world might. There is no campaigning or voting; rather, the call comes from the Lord and it is up to those called to accept and fulfill the calling. And it is up to those of us whom these people lead to sustain them.

Still, I'm sure many of us would admit to wondering which of our beloved apostles would be called into the First Presidency, and who would subsequently be called into the Quorum of the Twelve. And I'm sure that there were many Latter-day Saints who were paying close attention when President Hinckley read the names of the general officers of the Church for our sustaining vote.

Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was called as the new second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the First Quorum of the Seventy was called as the newest apostle of the Church. He had been serving in the Presidency of the Seventy.

With the new assignment of Elder Cook, a new Presidency of the Seventy was also sustained in the October 6 meeting. The new Presidency members are: Elder Claudio R.M. Costa, Elder Steven E. Snow and Elder Walter F. Gonzalez. Besides Elder Cook, those released were: Elder Merrill J. Bateman, Elder Charles Didier, and Elder Robert C. Oaks. Elder Bateman was given emeritus status and will serve as the president of the Provo Temple. Elders Didier and Oaks will continue to serve in overseas area presidency assignments.

We welcome our new leaders. As we've raised our hands, publicly indicating that we will do all we can to sustain them, we'll continue to pray for them and follow their counsel. We truly appreciate the sacrifices these brethren are making to serve the Lord.