Elder Dale G. Renlund returns to his 'other homeland' (LDS Church News) (May 25, 2018)
For much of his service as a young missionary in the Swedish Mission, Elder Dale G. Renlund had many assignments that took him to the mission home. The home, located approximately ten miles outside of downtown Stockholm, became a familiar place.

Shepherd Others and Share the Gospel, Apostles Say During Visits to Australia and New Zealand (Church News) (May 25, 2018)
President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met with local leaders throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Harvard professor announced as new dean for BYU Marriott's School of Business (LDS Church News) (May 25, 2018)
Harvard University professor Brigitte C. Madrian will become the ninth dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business beginning in 2019. Madrian, who is the Aetna Professor of Public Policy and Corporate Management and chairwoman of the Markets, Business and Government Area in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University will begin her five-year term on Jan. 1, 2019. She is the first woman to this post.

Mormons Around the World Country Newsroom Websites May 24, 2018 (LDS Newsroom Blog) (May 25, 2018)
The Church’s PathwayConnect program graduated its first 92 students in Nigeria recently. Students took classes consisting of both academic and religious education each semester held at a Mormon meetinghouse.

Fearless Faith: How the Coral Springs Florida Stake found healing in Christlike service after Parkland shooting (LDS Church News) (May 25, 2018)
Danielle Koon had a decision to make. Texts from her daughter hours earlier revealed the horror taking place: “I can hear shots. I can hear people screaming. I think they’re coming closer mom.”

Worker seriously injured after falling from scaffold at Washington D.C. Mormon Temple (WJLA - Washington, DC) (May 25, 2018)
A worker was seriously injured after falling from a scaffold at the Mormon Washington D.C. Temple Thursday morning, according to authorities.

What Islamophobic Politicians Can Learn From Mormons (New York Times) (May 24, 2018)
Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on President Trump’s travel ban, popularly known as the “Muslim ban” because of his statements, like one in 2015 calling for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”

Mesa mayor supports Mormon Temple, neighborhood renovation (East Valley Tribune - Utah) (May 24, 2018)
Mesa Mayor John Giles leaves no doubt that he supports the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ plans to renovate its historic 91-year-old Mesa Arizona Temple and revitalize the surrounding area. When the church’s plans are combined with the city’s proposal for a downtown Arizona State University campus, Giles anticipates a dramatic transformation of downtown Mesa, with several other major projects getting built and light rail fulfilling its promise.

New Church History Library exhibit features 'significant documents' from black LDS history (Deseret News - Utah) (May 24, 2018)
As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints commemorates the 40th anniversary of the priesthood and temple blessings being extended to all races in June, the Church History Library is inviting the public to view an exhibit of 16 items that help bring the history of black Latter-day Saints to life.

Creator of fake LDS apology does his own apologizing, acknowledges causing ‘tremendous pain for black Mormons’ (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 24, 2018)
After spending four days defending his fake apology for the LDS Church’s past racial ban as “satire” or a discussion starter, former Mormon Jonathan Streeter issued his own mea culpa Tuesday. “I caused tremendous pain for black Mormons who have patiently waited for so long,” Streeter wrote in a letter to The Salt Lake Tribune. “I am deeply sorry.”

Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado, a Provo woman missing since 2015, has been found dead in Hobble Creek Canyon, reports say (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 24, 2018)
The body of Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado, last seen on a busy Provo street in 2015, has been found in Hobble Creek Canyon, Utah news outlets reported Wednesday night.

Summary of Church Financial Information released by Presiding Bishop Caussé (LDS Church News) (May 23, 2018)
The following is a summary of the materials provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help clarify how the Church handles their finances...

Bishop Gérald Caussé: The Spiritual Foundations of Church Financial Self-Reliance (LDS Church News) (May 23, 2018)
In a detailed, multi-pronged article released Tuesday, Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé affirmed that providence and principles of self-reliance define and direct the Church’s finances.

LDS Church leaders provide insight into church finances (Deseret News - Utah) (May 23, 2018)
The LDS Church has spent "billions of dollars over the past few years" to meet global welfare and humanitarian needs, according to one of two documents about the faith's finances released Tuesday through its official websites.

Church Transferring 169 Missionaries Out of Nicaragua (LDS Newsroom) (May 23, 2018)
Due to growing political instability in Nicaragua, the Church is in the process of transferring 169 missionaries out of that country. This includes 37 missionaries from the Nicaragua Managua North Mission, all of whom were nearing the end of their service and will return home.

Mormon church transfers missionaries out of Nicaragua due to ‘growing political instability’ (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 23, 2018)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is moving 169 missionaries out of increasingly unstable Nicaragua. A news release Tuesday said 158 missionaries will remain in the Central American country but are being moved to safe areas.

Utah honors Mormon President Russell Nelson, a former heart surgeon, with its highest science award for lifetime achievement in medicine (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 23, 2018)
LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson is now known mostly for seeking spiritual healing of hearts, but Monday he won Utah’s highest civilian scientific award for a lifetime of earlier work as an innovative surgeon who physically healed hearts.

'Let's just serve': Luncheon reiterates unity of LDS Church and NAACP in efforts to serve (LDS Church News) (May 23, 2018)
Following the statement released by LDS Church and the NAACP on Thursday, May 17, which called for unity and greater racial harmony from the citizens of this nation, the two organizations turned their focus to engaging their respective communities. A luncheon was held on Friday, May 18, to further discuss the statement.

Black Latter-day Saint history on display in the Church History Library (LDS Church News) (May 23, 2018)
The Church History Library is pleased to present historic documents from black Latter-day Saint history as we commemorate the 40th anniversary of President Spencer W. Kimball’s announcement that the priesthood could be conferred on “all worthy male members of the Church.”

Unique 'Pioneer Day' event celebrates heritage of Black, Jewish, Native American and LDS pioneers (LDS Church News) (May 23, 2018)
More than 3,500 people in the inland region of Southern California experienced a unique pioneer day celebration on May 5, held in Yucaipa, Calif. Based on the history of the colony in San Bernardino established by LDS Church members in 1851, San Bernardino Heritage Day included music, food and activities with volunteers and visitors representing LDS, black and Jewish pioneers, as well as Native Americans, Spanish rancho families and Polynesians in period dress.

'There is room in this Church for everyone,' Elder Anthony D. Perkins tells BYU-Idaho students (LDS Church News) (May 23, 2018)
Be inspired by and consecrated to "the better cause of Christ and His Church," Elder Anthony D. Perkins told BYU-Idaho students at their weekly devotional Tuesday afternoon.

Church-sponsored humanitarian projects allow hope to fall like rain on parched Mexico town (LDS Church News) (May 23, 2018)
It’s easy sticking a price tag on most natural resources. Online postings list up-to-the-minute values of, say, a barrel of oil, an ounce of gold or a carat-sized diamond. Established markets determine the cost.

Church Leaders Teach New Zealanders and Australians How to Love and Lift Others (LDS Newsroom) (May 22, 2018)
President M. Russell Ballard and Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met with local leaders of the Church in New Zealand and Australia on Saturday 19 May.

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone Remembered as “a Man of Christ” (Church News) (May 22, 2018)
Anyone who shared even brief amounts of time with Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone likely walked away with a life-changing story to tell. President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency spent plenty of time with his good friend and fellow General Authority. And yes, he said, he was blessed for it.

Dedicatory Prayer for the Rededication of the Jordan River Utah Temple (Church News) (May 22, 2018)
Following is the prayer offered by President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in First Presidency, to rededicate the Jordan River Utah Temple on Sunday, May 20.

About Utah: The story behind last week's meeting between the LDS Church and the NAACP (Deseret News - Utah) (May 22, 2018)
Whatever else they might have imagined doing with their lives when they were growing up in the 1960s, they couldn’t have dreamed up this: More than a half-century later, their friendship would facilitate the unlikely bringing together of these two acronyms — LDS and NAACP.

'Sacred Events' exhibit represents 'global nature' of Church (LDS Church News) (May 22, 2018)
Laura Allred Hurtado was first drawn to "The Call." The cubism-influenced painting by Argentine artist Jorge Cocco Santángelo depicts Christ standing before a lake and extending his arm to a boat, where Simon Peter and Andrew are fishing. But it was more than that; Hurtado, who is the global acquisitions art curator at the Church History Museum, found the painting realistic enough to recognize the story while still using complicated color motifs, abstractions and linear lines. This made it stand out from the other entries at the 10th International Art Competition in 2015, an event which Hurtado said is designed to build the museum’s collection.

This week in Mormon Land: What’s this? The LDS Church doesn’t want donations? (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 22, 2018)
It’s not often that a charity tells potential donors: “Don’t give us any more money. We have enough.” But that’s essentially what the LDS Church is urging members who want to contribute online to the faith’s Perpetual Education and Temple Patron Assistance funds.

Jordan River Utah Temple Is Rededicated (LDS Newsroom) (May 21, 2018)
President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, rededicated the Jordan River Utah Temple May 20, 2018.

Youth in Jordan River Utah Temple District “Ready” for Their Temple to Reopen (Church News) (May 21, 2018)
Youth in the Jordan River Utah Temple district gathered for a “once in a lifetime experience” in the Conference Center on Saturday, May 19, to sing, dance, and show they are “ready”—the theme for the event—for their temple to be open again.

Brook P. Hales Called as General Authority Seventy (LDS Newsroom) (May 21, 2018)
Brook P. Hales has been called to serve as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints effective May 17, 2018, at age 62. At the time of his call, he had been serving as the secretary to the First Presidency and will continue in this role. He previously served as assistant secretary to the First Presidency from 1997 to 2008.

Elder Uchtdorf Presents President Gauck of Germany With Personal Family History (LDS Newsroom Blog) (May 21, 2018)
On Tuesday, May 15, 2018, the former president of Germany, Joachim Gauck, met with representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Berlin and received a detailed collection of his personal family history spanning five generations of ancestors.

“Stay Engaged” in Personal Progress until 2020, Say Young Women Leaders (Church News) (May 21, 2018)
Progression is an eternal principle. It is what God’s plan of happiness is all about; it is what we are all about. Alma taught this principle when he said, “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men [and women] to perform their labors” (Alma 34:32).

Seeing the Church through a Global Lens: Church Photographers Exhibit Images Inspired by Member Stories (Church News) (May 21, 2018)
Leslie Nilsson has worked as a staff photographer for the Church for almost 15 years, but one experience—an evening spent with the Omar family in Salta, Argentina—has continued to stick with him.

Saints, New 4-Volume History of the Church, Debuts in Magazine Installments (Church News) (May 21, 2018)
“Lucy and Joseph Sr. both came from Christian families and believed in the Bible and Jesus Christ. Lucy attended church meetings and often brought her children with her. She had been seeking the true church of Jesus Christ since the death of her sister many years earlier.

The power of ministering: How the enduring faith of members overcame 'The Freeze' in Ghana (LDS Church News) (May 18, 2018)
Wielding machine guns in the midday summer sun, the soldiers invaded the mission home. The automatic weapons added fear to the bewilderment felt by mission leadership and staff. Minutes earlier during a lunch break, they learned from a radio broadcast that Ghana’s government had frozen all activities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After a historic meeting, Mormon prophet Russell Nelson, NAACP president call for greater civility and an end to all prejudice (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 18, 2018)
In a dramatic gesture on the 64th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, Mormon church President Russell M. Nelson strolled decisively into a news conference Thursday at the LDS Administration Building in downtown Salt Lake City arm in arm with top NAACP officers.

How the NAACP brass and top Mormon leaders got on friendly terms — and plan to work together in the future (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 18, 2018)
In 1965, the NAACP led an anti-discrimination march in downtown Salt Lake City to protest the LDS Church’s racial policies at the time. A half-century later, national leaders of that historic black civil rights organization are in the Beehive State for a friendly landmark meeting with top Mormon officials.

LDS Church to assist renters displaced by redevelopment near Mesa temple (Arizona Central) (May 18, 2018)
The investment arm of the Mormon church will assist Mesa renters living in church-owned properties in finding new housing after asking them to vacate for planned redevelopment, according to a spokesman for the church's development arm.

How one Utah rare book collector acquired a first edition Book of Mormon signed by Hyrum Smith (Deseret News - Utah) (May 18, 2018)
One year ago, Reid Moon acquired a first-edition Book of Mormon signed by Hyrum Smith, the older brother and fellow martyr of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. The book, still in good condition, is presumed to be the copy Hyrum Smith purchased after it was printed in Palmyra, New York, in 1830. There is no mistaking the handwritten words inside the front cover: "Hyrum Smith's Book."

Defending the Faith: Idolatrous deities and the Book of Abraham (Deseret News - Utah) (May 18, 2018)
As I write, I’m sitting atop the Giza Plateau near Cairo, where the most famous of Egypt’s roughly 80 pyramids have watched over the Nile Valley for nearly 5,000 years. It seems an appropriate place to think about the Book of Abraham.

New Salt Lake City exhibits feature cubist paintings of Christ’s life, photos of Mormons across the globe (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 18, 2018)
The LDS Church’s History Museum in downtown Salt Lake City unveiled two new art exhibits Thursday. The first features the work of Argentine artist Jorge Cocco Santángelo, depicting “Sacred Events from the Life of Christ.” He uses a style called “sacrocubism” to showcase episodes in Christ’s ministry as described in the New Testament.

Utah Mormon jailed in Venezuela begs for help inside prison taken over by inmates (Daily News - New York) (May 18, 2018)
A Mormon missionary from Utah held prisoner in Venezuela for the last two years begged for his freedom, claiming in a pair of videos shared to social media that an inmate revolt has put his life at risk.

She’s worked with Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg; now she’s the CEO of a humanitarian nonprofit for youth (Deseret News - Utah) (May 18, 2018)
Three weeks before Amy Antonelli was scheduled to speak at Brigham Young University-Idaho’s Power to Become conference in October 2014 about her successful career path, she lost her job. Antonelli rewrote her speech about 20 times, trying to “skirt around" what had happened. But nothing felt right, she said, because it wasn’t the truth. Having scrambled to finish a final version at 2 a.m., Antonelli took the stage and shared her story.

No, the Mormon church did not apologize for having a history of racism; hoaxer says he meant fake message to spark discussion (Salt Lake Tribune - Utah) (May 18, 2018)
Utah social media got caught up in an elaborate — and, to some, deeply hurtful — hoax Thursday involving the NAACP, LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson and a fictitious apology for the Mormon church’s former practice of excluding black members from its priesthood and temple rites.

Church Releases Additional Answers to Questions about Ministering (Church News) (May 17, 2018)
The Church has released an additional set of answers to questions members and leaders may have about priesthood quorum changes and ministering announced during April 2018 general conference.

First Presidency Announces 2018 Temple Presidents for Uruguay, Hawaii, Guatemala, and More (Church News) (May 17, 2018)
The following new temple presidents and matrons have been called by the First Presidency. They will begin their service soon.

“Maybe We Can Help”: A Look into LDS Charities’ Efforts to Ease the Pain of Refugees in Rome (Church News) (May 17, 2018)
The bold strokes of Fasasi Abeedeen’s pencil record the story of his tenuous journey across the Mediterranean Sea.

First Presidency, NAACP national leaders call for civility, talk possible future efforts together (LDS Church News) (May 17, 2018)
In a unified global call for increased civility, harmony and respect, the First Presidency joined leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in pledging to explore ways to serve together and lift those in need.

What should Latter-day Saints do in the 19 months before the new youth initiative launches? 'Keep moving forward' (LDS Church News) (May 17, 2018)
A lot can happen in 19 months. Not convinced? • Nineteen months is about eight times as long as Columbus’ voyage to America and nine times as long as the Mayflower’s journey. • Nineteen months is five-and-a-half times as long as the Spanish-American War.