When Heber J. Grant was young, his parents were too poor to replace his old, thin jacket. Instead, his mother surprised him with a winter coat she had made by hand. Heber loved it.

One day, as he was playing in the snowy street, he noticed a small boy crouched in front of an exhaust grate, trying to get warm. Heber gave his new coat to the boy, who needed it more than he did.

This Christmas and always, take time to notice the people around you. What can you do to help them? Your service will warm your heart and theirs.

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).

This beautiful, true story was posted on YouTube by the Mormon Channel. 
Download the Mormon Channel Kids App to view the storybook version here:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mormo...
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Like Mormon Channel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mormonchannel
Follow Mormon Channel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mormonchannel

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​Love the beautiful stories of the Christmas season!  

​In this heartwarming classic by Leo Tolstoy a humble shoemaker learns that by trying to help those around him, he is really serving the Savior.  

Great lesson to share with our children!  We can all show our love for the Savior by serving those in need.

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I believe it's significant that the Savior's birth was accompanied by the singing of heavenly choirs.  Sacred music can be an important part of our celebration of His birth as well.  As we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, sacred music can invite the spirit of the Lord into our homes, adding to the peace and joy in our hearts at this wonderful time of year.

This lovely rendition of "O Come, Emmanuel" is illustrated with scenes from the Savior's life.

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On the night of Jesus Christ's birth the stars were brightly shining and angels were rejoicing.  We can celebrate this Christmas with the same light and joy in our hearts.  

This beautiful video was created especially for us by The Mormon Channel (a source of many great LDS family resources).

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The first gift of Christmas was a simple gift given by a father to all his children, to us. He gave us His son, the Christ.  He is the gift.  This is a beautiful video of what truly matters in life. Merry Christmas!  ‪#‎ShareTheGift‬ 

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By the time they reached the shores of America, the Pilgrims had sacrificed much of what they held dear to worship God. They left their native country, family, friends, home, livelihood and many of the comforts of life, and landed in a cold and hostile wilderness.  

William Bradford tells us, “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet  on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.”

But their troubles were far from over. Bradford recounts, “It pleased God to visit us then with death daily, and with so general a disease that the living were scarce able to bury the dead.” More than half of the Pilgrims died the first winter.

And yet, when spring arrived and the captain of their ship offered to return them to England for free, not one Pilgrim accepted his invitation. Their faith in God gave them the strength to persevere.

Governor William Bradford declared, “Thus out of small beginnings greater things have grown by His hand. Who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”

The Pilgrims were willing to sacrifice everything for the freedom to worship God as they believed. In so doing, they laid the foundation for the creation of the greatest nation in the history of the world.

As we enjoy a feast with friends and loved ones, let’s take time to give thanks to God, to retell the story of the Pilgrims and the incredible price they paid to be faithful, and to recommit ourselves to pay the price to be true in our day. 

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

Here are some resources to help your family create happy, meaningful memories.

Watch

• The Mayflower Compact (4:25)
• The Mayflower Story (36:26)
• The Thanksgiving Story for Children  (24:35)
• Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trips

          - Mayflower (19:52)
          - Pilgrim Village (17:54)
          - Wampanoag Homesite (16:51)
          - Plimoth Plantation (30:23)

• William Bradford for Kids (2:30)
• Squanto, the Legendary Friend of the Pilgrims (7:09)
• Pocahontas - Animated Hero Classics (33:58)
• Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving-DTH (5:20)  
• History of Thanksgiving David Barton (6:42)
• True Story of Thanksgiving Rush Limbaugh (14:21)

Do

• Work together to prepare your Thanksgiving feast and to clean up afterwards.
• Do something nice for a military family and tell them how thankful you are for them.
• Help refugees or other immigrants in your community.
• Make or draw "We Are Thankful for You" posters or pictures and deliver them to friends and neighbors. Kids love to make it an anonymous surprise. Tape the picture to the front door or on the windshield of a car, ring the doorbell, and run.
• Take pictures of things you are thankful for and make a "Gratitude Scrapbook."
• The Pilgrims and Indians had friendly competitions.  You could participate in the local Turkey Trot, play games like catch, football, horseshoes, or frisbee golf.  
• Make Pilgrim Hats and Indian Headdresses for the kids.
• Do the Five Kernels of Corn activity.
• Make a Gratitude Craft.
• Do some Plimoth.org: Just for Kids activities.

Read

• The Pilgrims Depart from the Old World
• Pilgrims Arrive in the New World
• Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
• The Story of Thanksgiving
• Stories of the Pilgrims 
• Paying the Price to Be True
• George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
• Abraham LIncoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
• A Thanksgiving Message from Ronald Reagan
• Thanksgiving Quotations

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This article was originally posted on PatrioticMoms.com. It is shared here with permission.
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SALT LAKE CITY — In a video interview Friday in Salt Lake City, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaffirmed the Church’s position on marriage and outlined handbook changes in Church policy affecting same-sex couples and their children. The interview will help Church members, the media and the public better understand the context and purpose of the changes, which have been discussed extensively in the news media, on social media and elsewhere.

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The changes were made this week in the Church’s Handbook 1 (a policy and instruction guide for local Church leaders) and were approved by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The revisions were outlined in a letter that was sent to local Church leaders throughout the world.
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This article was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org. It is shared here with permission.

Learn More:  DeseretNews.com
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Watch Meet the Mormons in English here!

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The official, full-length version of the movie is available on YouTube for a limited time in the following languages: Armenian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch,  English,  Estonian,  Finnish,  French,  German,  Hungarian,  Icelandic,  Italian,  Japanese,  Korean,  Latvian,  Lithuanian,  Mandarin,  Norwegian,  Polish,  Portuguese (Brazilian),  Portuguese (European),  Romanian, Russian, Spanish (European), Spanish (Mexican), Spanish (worldwide), and Swedish.

• Get a free download of the title song “Glorious” in English and Spanish.

• Get your personal copy of the movie Meet the Mormons on DVD or Blu-ray.

• Watch the movie Meet the Mormons on video-on-demand (Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Comcast, DISH, DirecTV, Google Play, Vudu, etc.)

• Learn more about the movie Meet the Mormons.

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• Visit MeetTheMormons.com.

Meet the Mormons is a 78-minute documentary film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The movie tells the story of six individuals from around the world who lead diverse lives but are all devout members of the Church. In addition to various places in the United States, Meet the Mormons takes you to Nepal, Costa Rica, Germany, and South Africa, providing an around-the-world look at Latter-day Saint families who meet their daily challenges with faith in Jesus Christ.

Meet the Mormons was ranked #10 for box office receipts the premiere weekend. The film has since made over $6 million, making it the 34th biggest documentary of all time. (All net proceeds were donated to charity.)

This article was originally published on LDSMediaTalk.com. It is shared here with permission.

SALT LAKE CITY — Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke Tuesday morning at the ninth World Congress of Families being held in Salt Lake City. Several thousand participants have gathered at the Grand America Hotel for the four-day meeting, which features 185 speakers comprised of scholars, researchers and religious leaders.
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“Society, law and popular opinion may change, but we know that society’s version of the family cannot and will not substitute for God’s purpose and plan for His children,” said Elder Ballard in his opening remarks as he outlined “how completely linked [Mormon] theology is to the traditional family.”

“In today's world, where marriage and children are increasingly marginalized, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not stand alone in identifying the traditional family as one of its most important doctrinal elements,” he said, adding that Pope Francis, the Southern Baptist Convention and other churches and prominent Christian leaders have also promoted traditional families.

Elder Ballard explained the Church’s position on marriage, which was outlined 20 years ago in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” He said, “This doctrine explains our strong position on the family. We also believe we are to reach out to all people with understanding, love and compassion.”
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The proclamation, signed by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, states, “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and … the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

Elder Ballard also stressed the significance of temples to Mormons. “Temples are very important to Latter-day Saints because in them couples are married for ‘time and all eternity,’ not just ‘till death do you part.’”

“We must rally all the support we can to strengthen and protect our faiths, families and freedom. Some are actively trying to strip us of these rights,” he said.

Elder Ballard also encouraged those in the audience to “extend a hand of fellowship to those with whom we disagree.” He cited the Church’s support of recent legislation passed by the Utah Legislature that protects LGBT people from being fired or denied housing because of their sexual orientation. The legislation also protects religious freedom.

“By engaging in compromise and extending love to all God’s children, who are our brothers and sisters, we can create a peaceful, diverse tapestry of ideals and beliefs,” Elder Ballard said. “Remember, married or single, that, in the end, we are each a unique part of God's grand plan.”

​The global World Congress of Families has been held in previous years in Sydney, Madrid and Amsterdam.

​This article was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org.  It is shared here with permission.

In his recently released book titled “Lights Out,” distinguished journalist Ted Koppel explores the challenges the United States would have if there were widespread power outages caused by a cyberattack. 

The book includes three chapters discussing the history and efforts of preparedness by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members.

​Mr. Koppel writes, "What distinguishes the Mormons is their extraordinary focus on the integration of self-sufficiency and charity." He adds, "The LDS church has set world-class standards for disaster preparedness and imbued its membership with a sense of individual and group responsibility."

As part of his research Mr. Koppel spent several days visiting Utah including Church headquarters and its facilities. We recognize his significant work to explore, research and gain greater understanding of our faith, organization and efforts to ensure Church members are prepared for all of life's uncertainties.

See more information and context on the Church’s teachings on preparedness.

This article was originally published on MormonNewsroom.org.  It is shared here with permission.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Provident Living
• Church Welfare Plan
• 2014 AP Story
• 2014 Welfare Fact Sheet
• First Presidency Message: Are We Prepared?
• Tithing Topic Page
• Tithing and Charitable Donations
• Fasting Topic Page
• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Food Storage
• Food Storage Topic Page
• All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances
• All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage
• Bishops’ Storehouse

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