“My dad on third base is my dad in life. He was always willing to do the hard things to make the people around him better by taking one in the shin. You don’t see that much anymore…”
Getting help efficiently and effectively to the people who desperately need it is the toughest part of humanitarian work--especially when a broken country like Haiti is further shattered by a natural disaster. Come and see how a team of 125 Latter-day Saints organizes and does as much good as possible each day.
Text by Maurine Proctor
Photography by Scot Facer Proctor
When I first saw the destruction of Port-au-Prince it was nightfall and we were coming back from a very long day of traveling to remote areas on the Island of Haiti. If someone had told me at that moment that a nuclear bomb had been dropped on Haiti, I would have believed them. I've never seen anything like this.
Little did we know when we set up camp in an obscure field in Haiti that it would be the place where a baby would be born and delivered by an Latter-day Saint nurse.
Bradshaw draws on striking medieval illustrations to contrast Satan’s long-running plan of entrapment with the Savior’s boundless offer of eternal life.
For one High Priest Group Leader, Francy Saint-Preux of the Croix-des-Missions Ward, this devastating earthquake that has hurled his country into crisis has served to reinforce his testimony that we are blessed when we do what we need to be doing.
By Maurine Proctor
Photography by Scot Facer Proctor
When devastation and catastrophe strike at your home, community and entire nation, where do you turn for comfort? In many cases, in Haiti, it is to the parking lot of the ward buildings at night.
If a natural disaster struck, how would you stay warm without power? Get clean water? If you had to evacuate quickly, what would you take with you? Make a plan…it’s crucial!
In literature, there is something called a Point of View Character. What if, when we have been hurt or mistreated, we slip into a different character for a whole new view?
More family disagreements occur because of different expectations about money than about the actual money spent. Head-off contention with communication techniques that include the whole family.
When 125 Latter-day Saints arrive in earthquake-torn Haiti in the middle of the night, they are going to need some help right as they arrive. Come and follow the remarkable story.
What do you do when there is an earthquake in a place you love and you hear the promptings of the Spirit to go help? Come with a remarkable group of 125 Latter-day Saints as they fly to Haiti to offer a helping hand.
Does the New Testament really contain the words of Christ—or did later followers put words in His mouth to elevate their own teachings? Learn more in this fourth section of a seven-part series.
Ever wonder exactly where the two all-important trees stood in the Garden of Eden? A search for answers reveals plenty about our relationship with God.
British soldiers burn Washington. Dred Scott struggles for freedom. A novice sleuth is determined to find a kidnapped child. January’s book review is full of entrancing plots.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote, “Apparently it is necessary for us on occasion to be brought to a white-knuckles point of anxiety so as to be reminded, when rescued, of who our Rescuer is!”
To commemorate Black History Month, the Utah Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) and the Family History Library announce the Seventh Annual African American Family History Research Series.
“Well, if His house in Heaven gets dirty, He'll have to clean that himself!’” (Uttered by 5-year-old Elizabeth Baxter of Manassas, Virginia who has HAD IT with chapel cleaning.) Come laugh with us.
Edited & Compiled by Trisha Manwaring, Assistant Editor,
Meridian Magazine
Many scholars are puzzled by the last 24 hours of Christ’s life. Why didn’t Jesus just walk away to live another day? Learn more in the fifth of a seven-part documentary.
Parley describes seven grueling days in July, 1839 as he is making his way across Missouri escaping from prison. He becomes lost in a swamp, sleeps with a rattlesnake, crosses the Mississippi in a canoe, becomes entangled in a thicket and finally arrives at Quincy.
Edited by Scot Facer Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor
To achieve a poverty-free world, we must first recognize that all things belong to the Lord and that, by covenant, we are stewards of his (not our) property.
At an LDS Church service in Haiti, you might think everything was normal if you didn't know that nearly all the members are sleeping in the street. Come and visit a ward in Port-au-Prince with stories and images you will never forget.
By Maurine Proctor
Photography by Scot Facer Proctor
Parley describes in detail his dangerous journey upon his escape from prison. He also describes the escape of W.W. Phelps and the deep feelings of the anxiously awaiting Mrs. Phelps.
Edited by Scot Facer Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor
President Monson asks, “How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day-to-day living interfered and you’ve left it for others….?”
In these challenging economic times, wouldn’t it be interesting to know what God’s money laws are? Teach your family how to achieve prosperity in the Lord’s way.
Last week, Steve Studdert launched an on-line plea to Church members to volunteer for a 21-day relief expedition to Haiti. Over 1,000 people responded. Meridian travels to Haiti today with the first wave of volunteers.
A series of conversations with outstanding Mormon women show how they do their best to live the gospel while negotiating the deep waters of modern-day life.
The first generation of my family who immigrated to America lived close to each other and were a tight community, but they are long gone, the second generation is dying, and the third generation is spread across America.
An entire chapter is devoted to the description of one day, the Fourth of July, 1839. On this day, Parley's plan to escape his captors is put in place and through faith, strength and some miracles he is able to make his escape with threats of death at every side.
Edited by Scot Facer Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor
The devastating earthquake in Haiti has shattered millions of lives, but the relief efforts and outpouring of support by organizations and individuals worldwide offer hope.
With this first column, we welcome M. Catherine Thomas as a new writer on Meridian. She says that with the gospel we are invited to do more than languish in the ordinary world with ordinary thoughts.
We are quickly organizing to take approximately 150 Church members to Haiti, for twenty-one days. Men and women especially with construction and medical skills, and French/Creole language skills, are needed.
Did Jesus understand, and claim, that he was the Messiah and that He possessed a special mission from His Father, or was He simply a very gifted man whose followers claimed special powers and divine authority for Him? In this third part of a seven-part documentary explores this issue.
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NEW POLL: Besides being a member-missionary, how are you most connected to the missionary program of the Church right now (answers can apply to a single person or couple)? Please feel free to add comments after you answer.
LDS Aid to Peru after Quake 'Beautiful Thing' Aid
PISCO, Peru - Not a day passes that Rosa Maurtua doesn't lay her hand across the solid brick and mortar of her new house, relishing the security it provides.
2 Davis County Medical Personnel Help at Haitian Tent Cities
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Gorilla glue and Gatorade come in handy for a couple of Utah medical personnel who winged their way to Haiti to do some doctoring in the roughest areas in the days following the Jan. 12 earthquake.
Mormon Missionaries Resuming Their Work in Guyana
GEORGETOWN, Guyana - The Mormon church is slowly rebuilding its public profile in Guyana after the government ordered dozens of its missionaries to leave last fall because of outdated documents.
Happiness Can Be Found in Service
In 1909, my great-grandfather, a native German, moved back to Germany after living for a period of time in what was then known as Transylvania.
Young Ambassadors, Alumni Get Set to Celebrate 40 Years
PROVO - To celebrate its 40th anniversary, alumni and current members of BYU's Young Ambassadors are gearing up for a special production of "The New Music Makers' Feb. 11-13.
Learn About Ancestry, Historian Darius Gray Says
SALT LAKE CITY - When Darius Gray speaks of family, there is joy and enthusiasm in his voice. When he talks about conversations he has had with elder relatives over the years, there is love and reverence in words and his tone.
Obama to Invite GOP to Healthcare Summit
Reporting from Washington - In a high-stakes bid to revive his healthcare overhaul, President Obama announced during a pre-Super Bowl television interview that he would convene a bipartisan summit in which Republicans and Democrats would try to forge a compromise while a national TV audience watched.
Saints Rally in Second Half to Win Super Bowl XLIV
Reporting from Miami Gardens, Fla. - The New Orleans Saints, for decades the NFL's lovable losers, used the biggest stage Sunday to answer the question their fans have been asking for 43 years.
Prop. 8 Trial Stirs Questions, Emotions
The trial on the federal constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban, has been in many respects a tale of two trials. The question is, which trial was U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker watching?
Mid-Atlantic Plows, Digs Out of Epic Blizzard
WASHINGTON - Planes were grounded, trains stood still and Greyhound buses weren't rolling in the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday, leaving stranded travelers wondering when they'll be able to escape the icy, gray mess created by a major snowstorm.
Defying The West, Iran's President Orders Boost in Nuclear Enrichment
Reporting from Rome and Beirut - In a move possibly meant to deflect attention from his domestic political woes, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday ordered the nation's atomic energy agency to begin enriching uranium to a higher level of purity to serve as fuel for a Tehran medical reactor.
Lawyer for Americans Held in Haiti Quits
Port-au-Prince, Haiti - A Haitian attorney representing 10 Americans charged with kidnapping for trying to take 33 children out of Haiti told CNN Sunday he has resigned.
Sarah Palin Won't Rule Out 2012 Run
Reporting from Washington - Fresh off her speech to the Tea Party Convention, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Sunday left open the possibility that she would run for president in 2012 and asserted that President Obama would lose if the election were held today.
9/11 Health Lawsuits Raise Credibility Concerns
NEW YORK - As the first cases in a massive battle over illnesses linked to 9/11 near trial, an Associated Press investigation has found that several of the initial 30 suits contain inconsistent or exaggerated claims about how the workers got sick or how much time they spent at ground zero.
Calif. Mudslides Sweep Away Cars, Damage Homes
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. - Thunderous mudslides damaged dozens of homes, swept away cars and pushed furniture into the streets of the foothills north of Los Angeles on Saturday as intense winter rain poured down mountains denuded by a summer wildfire.
Clinton Sees Islamist Terror As No. 1 Threat
Obama administration figures took to Sunday's political talk shows to rebut charges of White House weakness on Islamist terrorism, with the nation's top diplomat saying such networks pose the greatest threat to national security.
Civilians Flee NATO Offensive in South
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -Minivans piled high with mattresses and clothing lined up at checkpoints Sunday as hundreds of civilians fled a Taliban-controlled area ahead of a planned NATO offensive in southern Afghanistan.
G7 Talk on Greece Will Not Soothe Global Investors
The 16-country currency bloc is facing its biggest ever test after concerns about Greece's huge public debt and deficits spread to several other euro zone countries, pushing the euro to a near nine-month low against the dollar.
Costa Rica Could Elect 1st Woman President
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Costa Ricans appear likely to elect their first woman president Sunday as Central America's most politically and economically stable country chooses between a career politician from the ruling party and an anti-taxation Libertarian.
Swine Flu Vaccine Safe, California And CDC Data Show
At the height of fears over H1N1 flu this fall, some vaccination foes claimed it was safer to get swine flu than to be inoculated against it. But data from California show that getting the flu was drastically far more dangerous.
Space Shuttle Fueled Up for Second Launch Try
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Despite more clouds on the horizon, NASA fueled Endeavour for the second straight night Sunday in hopes of sending the shuttle on the last big space station construction mission.
The solutions to life's problems are always gospel solutions. Not only are answers found in Christ, but so is the power, the gift, the bestowal, the miracle of giving and receiving those answers. In this matter of love, no doctrine could be more encouraging to us than that.
– Jeffrey R. Holland, How Do I Love Thee?, BYU Devotional, February 15th, 2000
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