By Danielle Ellis
When the 7.0 earthquake leveled much of Haiti on January 12, 2010, charitable people all over the world mobilized to help. LDS people, always at the forefront of disaster relief, sprang into action. Thousands of monetary donations poured directly into LDS Church Headquarters; the Church, through LDS Charities, provided tents, food, propane stoves and solar panels, teams of doctors and nurses, and clinical social workers. But the needs were obviously huge, and many people knew they could do more to help.

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By Danielle Ellis
Surround Yourself with Greatness.” This is the commitment a young Chad Lewis made to himself while he was half a world away from home, serving a mission in Taiwan. He read an old talk by Gordon B. Hinckley, “Caeser, Circus, or Christ,” (available at speeches.byu.edu; 1965) and resolved to himself that he could surround himself with great music, great books and great people, and this would help him to become the man he wanted to be.

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By Stephanie McMillan
The room was filled with laughing kids, shushing each other with pointed looks and fingers pressed to lips. Trying desperately to listen, we were often diverted in our best efforts by a more interesting eight-year-old neighbor and the treasures he hid in his scripture bag. Sister Huffaker bravely stood at the front of this melee each and every Sunday, singing out and sharing her love of music with our rowdy crowd.

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By Ken Craig
In the summer of 1988, as a shocking reaction to my dad’s midlife crisis that he insisted he was not having, our family moved to the tiny Hawaiian island of Molokai. People have two reactions when they hear about Molokai: 1) Where? and 2) Isn’t that where the lepers are?

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By Kenneth W. Long
The short December day has drawn to an end. My newspapers are not delivered, my hands are numb and my face is cold. The hand-me-down jacket I inherited from my brother who inherited it from my sister does little to fend off the chill. I am at the corner of 8th and Franklin, having just lobbed the Review-Journal onto the front yard of Jack Scholfield’s house. I have papers to deliver and homework to do, yet I am stopped because I am scared of something I do not understand.

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By Shellee Nihipali
My husband Kaleo and I were married in the Las Vegas temple in 1999 and assumed that children would follow soon after that. They didn’t. We prayed for our family to grow, we searched for answers, and we went through countless tests and doctors’ visits. At times, we would get overwhelmed and feel pretty hopeless. But no matter how hard things got, we could always find peace at the temple. It continues to be a place where we can forget our cares, even if just for awhile, and focus on things more eternal.

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By Kimberly Reid
OYM. Do you know what it means? I didn’t when I first visited an institute in Manitoba, Canada. I went partly as a vacationer visiting a friend, partly as a Church magazines employee investigating why member missionary work had taken off so dramatically in a local branch.

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By Lu Ann Staheli
Men are that they might have joy.” Nephi’s words are true, but as President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said, “We know that sometimes it can be difficult to keep our heads above water. In fact, in our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow.”
We’ve all had moments we thought our burdens have been too much to bear, so where do we find the joy? Elder Marlin K. Jensen says, “. . . within the family we experience most of life’s greatest joys.”

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By Lu Ann Staheli
Husbands are commanded: “… love your wives, even as Christ also loveth the church, and gave himself for it.” (Ephesians 5:25) Perhaps because we were older when we married, or maybe because my husband had good parents, or simply because of the man my husband grew to be from his life experiences; but when it comes to loving husbands, I am truly blessed. I have one of those husbands who gives freely of himself to ensure that I know how much he cares for me.

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Mary Beth Scow
Kimberly Wright
By Danielle Ellis
Mary Beth Scow of Henderson and Kimberly Wright of North Las Vegas have been honored by American Mothers of Nevada as exemplary examples of motherhood. Mary Beth Scow has been selected to be the 2009 Nevada Mother of the Year®, and Kimberly Wright was chosen to be the 2009 Nevada Young Mother®. They will be honored at a brunch on May 9th.

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By Danielle Ellis
You may well be familiar with the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” That’s the one with Ty Pennington, where they send a family on vacation for seven days, demolish their home and build a new dream home to suit their needs by the time they return.

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Alden Stewart has been named as a recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Nevadan award. This is the most prestigious award conferred by the Board of Regents. It is bestowed upon prominent individuals who have made significant achievements that have contributed to the cultural, scientific or social advancement of Nevada. The recipients will be honored at commencements in Reno and Las Vegas in May.

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By Danielle Ellis
A recent moment of contemplation led me to a new understanding of love: what it really is, why we need it, and how it can change our lives now and in the eternities.

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By Danielle Ellis
What’s new for Desert Saints Magazine for 2009? Well, lots, if you’ll help us.
Will you?

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By Jenna L. Consolo
On Christmas Day, in 1995, I was anxiously awaiting the birth of my second child, a son. I was uncomfortable and exhausted, feeling heavy with the weight of a full-term baby. I can remember my thoughts that year often turning to Mary, and how she felt physically what I was now feeling. Her baby stirred within her womb as mine now was. She too was anxious to look into her child’s face for the first time. She would see the face of God.

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