By Leslie Albrecht Huber
In July, many of us turn our thoughts to the pioneers who made their way to Utah during the mid-1800s. When we think of these pioneers, we imagine their journey beginning in Nauvoo, Illinois. But for many of the Utah-bound pioneers, the journey started long before they ever took a step beside a covered wagon. Many had already been traveling for months and for thousands of miles. For thousands of early LDS converts, the journey to Zion began in Western Europe. One of these immigrants was my great-great-great-grandmother, Kerstina Nilsdotter.

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When most people think of “pioneers,” the images that come to mind include covered wagons, dusty trails, women in long skirts and bonnets and men in wide-brimmed hats. While this may be what Mormon pioneer ancestors wore and how they travelled, there is much more to their story. The essence of their story is not the external trappings; it is in their hearts.

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By Dave Ellis
My wife tells me that I don’t sleep normally as I sometimes stop breathing. Basically my sleep mode goes into sleep mode. This startles her as she has taken some medical courses and told me that you need to breathe to live. That course was well worth the money.

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By Danielle Ellis
This Pioneer Day, join the longest-running celebration in Southern Nevada. The North Las Vegas Stake will host its 35th Pioneer Day event, which will feature all of the time-tested food and fun for which the event is known. The festivities are Friday and Saturday, July 23rd and 24th at Stephenson Park, on the corner of Walnut and Carey, Las Vegas.

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By Danielle Ellis
Todd Larkin and Stan Nielson of Las Vegas have just been called as new mission presidents. President Larkin will preside over the Seattle Washington Mission, and President Nielson will preside over the Warsaw Poland Mission. These men aren’t just from the same city, they are from the same stake. In fact, President Larkin was recently released as the president of the Lakes Stake. President Nielson was his first counselor in the stake presidency. His second counselor, John Bunker, was called to preside over the California Santa Rosa Mission a year ago. So the entire Lakes Stake presidency will be serving as mission presidents. The general authority who released the presidency last year told President Nielson recently that he was unaware of any other time when two members of the same stake presidency had been called simultaneously as mission presidents, let alone that all three men had been called.

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By Krista Ralston Oakes
My husband and I have traveled to Washington D.C., visiting the National Mall and taking the sobering steps through memorials that remind us of the price that was paid for the cause of liberty. Among these are the World War II Memorial, with its 4,000 gold stars – each representing 100 U.S. casualties; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which bears over fifty-eight thousand names of lost or missing American heroes on its granite wall; and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, with the faces of unnamed soldiers near the words, “Freedom is Not Free.”

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By Nettie H. Francis
I served a full-time mission in Japan. The volcanic mountains, speckled with terraced rice paddies and sloping steeply down to the blue ocean, were a new sight to a girl from Utah. I quickly fell in love with the beauty of the islands and the many people there. In the less-populated areas, mountain trails—carefully marked and laid with cement pathways and wooden steps—insured that thousands of visitors could reach the peaks to enjoy precious bits of untouched nature. I soon became accustomed to crowded streets and cities, and tiny houses crammed into every feasible living space.

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By Danielle Ellis
For anyone interested in going to college, there are plenty of questions. Which classes should I take now? Where should I apply? How do I pick a major? How do I choose a career? Should I go to a big university or a small college? Is it even worth going to college now?

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One of my favorite memories of my dad was when I was eight years old. My parents had just bought me a pony, and that day we were putting on his new saddle. My dad, feeling a moment of pride in his Iowa farm-boy roots, saddled the pony, hopped on and began to gallop across the field. He had only forgotten one thing: ponies like to suck in air when you put on the saddle. When they walk around, they exhale, and you tighten the girth, which keeps the saddle in place during your ride.

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By Dave Ellis
My wife likes to surprise me. Normally I like surprises, like the time she washed my car or trimmed my toenails while I was sleeping. This time I knew it was going to be a less desirable surprise because she was already bargaining with me before she even told me what it was. 

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Come celebrate the arrival of the first Mormon missionaries to the Las Vegas Valley 155 years ago. There will be a pioneer breakfast Saturday, June 12, 2010, from 8-11 a.m. at the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort (on the corner of Washington & Las Vegas Blvd. N., next to Cashman Field).

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By Danielle Ellis
Just in case you’ve been stuck under a rock, it’s primary election season. And the day of decision is upon us: early voting is going on until June 4, and the actual Election Day is Tuesday, June 8. Now is the time to research the candidates, read the Constitution, and figure out which ones will best support and defend the it.

For those unfamiliar with the mechanics of the election process, the whole initial field of candidates is narrowed down in the primary process. Yet very few voters, as a percentage of the total, actually vote in primaries. So those who take the time to research the candidates, tell their friends, and actually vote in the primaries, can have a huge impact on the results of the election. Just a few thousand votes can change the results of a primary, which of course will have a major impact on the nature of the general election race.

At this critical juncture, please take the time. Mark it on your calendars. As Ezra Taft Benson once taught, “To the patriots I say this: Take the long eternal look. Stand up for freedom no matter what the cost. It can help to save your soul – and maybe your country” (Stand Up for Freedom).

Locally grown produce is available to the public in the Las Vegas Valley. Visitors can pick their own fruits and vegetables or purchase from the fruit stand on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7a.m. to noon at 7800 North Tenaya Way. The orchard also has apple cider which is produced on site. Take US 95 to Ann Road East, then go North on Tenaya.
The orchard is north of Tenaya and Farm Road.

Gilcrease Orchard is a non-profit foundation established to provide the community to learn about agriculture. It is a popular “pick and pay” site for a variety of produce at low prices. The Gilcrease Orchard is one of the oldest farms in the valley, and is also the only remaining agricultural operation in the valley. The orchards span 50 acres, and contain more than 6,000 fruit trees.

By Ken Craig
I was 10 years old the first time I ever saw my father cry.

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by Krista Ralston Oakes
There is an aphorism that says, “Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a daddy.”

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