Today's episode features Rob Dean, who is currently serving on our State High Council and is a lifelong disciple of Deep Roots in Germany and a powerful testimony shaped by prayer, obedience, and miracles. Rob grew up in a family that found the gospel when missionaries knocked the wrong door and that providential mistakes set a course for generations. Rob shares a former childhood story, a family prayer and a quiet prompting that led them to leave a sunny fishing spot, only to learn the next day that a flash flood had claimed over hundred lives there.

It's a witness of how prayer and heeding the spirit protect and Called to the Frankfurt, Germany mission, was late later among the first missionaries welcomed into East Germany after decades without proselyting. He recounts checkpoints, sacred meetings with church leaders and the faith of saints who had waited 50 years. You'll hear about cottage meetings, member led invitations and the midnight baptism of a local communist youth leader who found the courage to pray and followed Christ despite real personal risk. Rob's message is simple and actionable: love, share, invite.

From university friends in Freiburg to colleagues in corporate America, he shows how small acts of kindness open hearts to Jesus Christ. Stay tuned to hear how obedience brought miracles, how a hand-written copy of President Monson's Dressed in Prayer was fulfilled before Rob's eyes, and how the fall of the Berlin Wall reshaped missionary work overnight. This conversation will strengthen your faith and give you practical ways to be a peacemaker and a national missionary wherever you are.

Today I'm thrilled to introduce our guest, Monica Shumway. Monica grew up in Sholoway, Arizona as the fourth of 12 children, learning courage and service from her parents. And together her husband, Kurt, raised six amazing daughters and now cheers on 13 grandkids. She served across the church from primary to young women's to the Relief Society, and today supports interfaith and community outreach as our state communications director. She also has a deep love for the temple and for her pioneer ancestors whose faith fuels her own.

In our conversation, Monica shares how seeing herself as a steward of God's children reshaped her motherhood in ministry. A pivotal moment when the Spirit asked, who are you trying to make look good and how that changed how she serves. Beautiful experiences in the temple baptistries such as White Fridays packed with youth that fill her with hope. What she calls holy envy of other Christians who pray on the spot and who are more open with their faith and how we also can be more open, welcoming and bold in our discipleship.

She also shares simple ways to gather, love, and invite, like sitting with someone new, hosting on low-key chips and salsa FHE, or posting activities so neighbors can find them. It's a light, faith-filled, and practical conversation about choosing faith over fear, trusting the Lord of outcomes, and seeing other people through the Savior's eyes. Stick around. Monica's stories will inspire you to act on those small promptings and help you bring a little more light to your corner of the world.

Today I'm speaking with Hannah Hale, who recently returned home from serving in the Texas Houston East Mission. Now, Hannah's mission story isn't your typical 18-month experience - she served for about four months before receiving a clear spiritual prompting to return home early due to mental health challenges, specifically OCD.

But here's what makes Hannah's story so remarkable: in each of her three transfers, she was able to help someone find and accept the gospel, culminating in baptisms that changed lives forever. From Laura, a woman in her 70s who had been taught on and off for eight years, to Howard and Kathy - a couple whose story spans 49 years from first contact with missionaries to finally being sealed as an eternal family.

Hannah's experience teaches us that the Lord's plan doesn't always match our expectations, but it's always perfect. Her mission may have been shorter than anticipated, but the impact was profound - both on those she taught and on her own understanding of faith, the Atonement, and what it truly means to serve the Lord.

Today, Hannah shares these powerful conversion stories and opens up about the difficult but inspired decision to come home early, reminding us that sometimes the most important lessons come through our greatest challenges. Let's dive into her remarkable mission experience.

Today I'm excited to share a conversation with Parker Halbison, a recently returned missionary who just completed two years serving in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.

Parker's mission experience was truly unique - he served across some of the most diverse communities in Utah, spending time in three separate transfers in the Tongan stake, ministering in a Mongolian branch, and starting his mission in a YSA ward in Draper. What makes Parker's story particularly compelling is how he witnessed the gospel's power to transform not just individuals, but entire families and communities.

During our conversation, Parker shares some remarkable stories of conversion and reactivation - from a Hawaiian family who found belonging in Utah's Tongan community, to a family on the verge of divorce who was reunited through the gospel, to his own personal transformation from struggling with negativity to discovering the joy that comes through Jesus Christ.

Parker's insights about bold leadership, the importance of cultural community in missionary work, and his practical approach to staying spiritually grounded post-mission offer valuable lessons for returned missionaries, future missionaries, and anyone seeking to deepen their discipleship.

Just two weeks home from his mission, Parker is already preparing for the next phase of his covenant path - heading to BYU to study finance while planning a future in entrepreneurship, and he'll actually be speaking at our upcoming stake conference about following the Spirit.

Today I'm excited to share a conversation with Fred Zirkle - a man whose life story reads like an adventure novel.

Fred has lived in 13 states and two countries, raised a family, and built successful businesses. But his journey to where he is today wasn't conventional. After playing college football at Duke and being drafted by the New York Jets as "Mr. Irrelevant" - the very last pick in the NFL draft - Fred chose a different path. Instead of pursuing professional football, he dove into the business world, helping grow Keytronics from six employees to 1,500, and later founding Industry Pros, where he's spent nearly 40 years helping companies navigate mergers and acquisitions.

But Fred's most transformative journey began at age 31 when he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What started as a simple call about food storage turned into a complete life change. Since then, he's served a mission with his late wife Sherry, worked in the temple, and found profound meaning in service - from giving priesthood blessings to teaching Pathway students in Uganda.

Today, at 79 years old with 19 grandchildren, Fred has written a book about living a purposeful life and continues to find joy in each new day. In our conversation, we explore his business success, his spiritual journey, and the wisdom he's gained from never wasting a trial.

So let's dive into my conversation with Fred Zirkle.

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Justin Owens, our newly called Elders Quorum President here in the Layton Lakes 3rd Ward.

Now, while Justin is new to this calling, what really drew me to want to sit down with him today isn't his church responsibilities—it's the incredible work he's been doing to build brotherhood and connection among the men in our ward and community. You see, Justin has taken it upon himself to create something pretty special: a men's retreat he calls "Man Camp."

But Justin's story goes much deeper than just organizing camping trips. This is a man who has walked through some of life's toughest battles, including overcoming addiction, and has emerged with a powerful testimony of healing through Jesus Christ. His journey through recovery, including years of 12-step meetings and therapy, has given him unique insights into what men really need—authentic connection and the courage to be vulnerable with one another.

What I love about Justin is that he didn't wait for a calling or permission to start making a difference. He saw a need for men to have real, meaningful relationships—the kind where you can call someone at 2 AM if you need a blessing, or better yet, where you actually feel comfortable doing so. And he decided to do something about it.

In our conversation today, we'll dive into his mission experiences in Argentina, his personal journey of recovery, and how he's working to transform what it means to be part of an Elders Quorum. This is a conversation about brotherhood, healing, and the power of connection in building the community of Christ.

So let's jump right in with Justin Owens.

Today I'm honored to bring you a truly remarkable conversation with Merrilene Pat Osife.

Pat's life story reads like a testament to the power of faith and the guiding hand of providence. Born on the San Carlos Apache reservation and named Merrilene after "Merry Christmas," Pat's journey took an extraordinary turn at age eight when she entered the LDS Indian Placement Program. For nine years, she lived with foster families in Utah, learning English in just one week and embracing an education that would shape her entire life.

But Pat's service to the Lord was just beginning. At seventeen, what was supposed to be a two-month youth mission in New Mexico turned into a year and a half of dedicated service, where she learned Navajo through the gift of tongues and became a senior companion to full-time missionaries at just eighteen years old.

Throughout her life - as a mother of five, a career woman working for the Gila River Tribe, and a faithful member of the San Tan Branch for over fifty years - Pat has exemplified what it means to follow the iron rod and trust in the Lord's plan, even through profound loss and challenges.

Today, she shares her wisdom about staying close to our Heavenly Father, the importance of scripture study, and her powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. This is a conversation you won't want to miss.

In today’s episode, Elder Sam Stanley, one of our remarkable young service missionaries, sits down with Bishop Kirk Halbison. You’ll hear about his childhood split between the Gila River Indian Community and a small northern Arizona town, his memories of a close-knit family full of cousins, camping trips, and good-natured pranks, and the lessons of sacrifice, patience, and faith learned from both his hardworking mother and his gentle, steady father.

Bishop Halbison opens up about the values he hopes to be remembered for—loving his family deeply, being a true friend, and keeping his relationship with the Savior at the center of his life. Along the way, you’ll laugh at stories about “Air Jordans” that weren’t quite what he expected, shocking Christmas lights in more ways than one, and epic orange fights in the Arizona sun.

It’s a warm, personal conversation that reminds us that joy in the Lord’s service often comes from the everyday experiences that shape our character.