This episode is a rebroadcast of a beloved conversation with Daniel Ranson, dedicated to his daughter, Ella Marie Ranson. Ella lived for 20 short months with her parents and three older siblings. She brought joy, laughter, excitement, and optimism into their lives. In this episode, Daniel shares his feelings about Ella’s passing and the hope that the gospel provides. Ella passed away from pneumonia on February 10, 2016.

Daniel grew up in Riverside, California, where he was first introduced to missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a CODA, or child of deaf adults, and his first language was American Sign Language. After joining the church at the age of 12, he moved in with a family from his branch who welcomed him as one of their own.

He served a mission in the Idaho Pocatello Mission and was introduced to the campus of Ricks College, now BYU-Idaho. While on campus, Daniel felt eager to attend the university, which he did after his mission. On his first day as a student, he met Sarah. Seven months later, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Daniel and Sarah are proud parents of eight wonderful children.

Besides his work in accounting, Daniel shares family responsibilities with Sarah, including their kids' music lessons, sporting events, campouts, and regularly shooting hoops in the driveway. Listen to hear Daniel's remarkable journey to find God and family.

Finding Personal Peace, Henry B. Eyring

In John 6:35, we read, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

Jesus is the Bread of Life and the Living Water. Bread and water are simple. Christ uses these symbols to teach us every week at the Sacrament. As the Bread of Life, Jesus provides the essential nourishment that we all need.

What a gift! Feeding and gathering are Christlike characteristics, exemplified by Jesus, who miraculously fed and gathered people.

We, too, can gather and feed God's children. Our guest in this episode, Rhonda Steed, delights in being a disciple by nurturing and feeding those around her in both body and spirit.

In Rhonda's words, "I'm a wife, mom, baker, photographer, collector of recipes, chocolate lover, and small town girl… and I love gatherings."

Rhonda Steed is married to Regan Steed and is a mother to 5 great kids: Alden, Lucy, Eli, Oliver, and Norah. They live in Raymond, Alberta, Canada. She loves collecting Jesus art, baking, cooking, and feeding people. She is also often found hanging out with her husband or reading a cheesy novel. Rhonda is a professional photographer and loves capturing the beauty of other humans. She enjoys serving in her ward and stake and is currently a temple worker and a primary teacher. Rhonda also teaches "mom seminary" in her stake, which is a class she helped create. We are excited for you to hear more about how Rhonda nourishes others in this episode!

In a Worldwide Devotional to Young Adults, President Camille N. Johnson said, "God has prepared a way for healthy living for everyone on this planet, if we are willing to employ our gifts and talents for this good, remain worthy to receive revelation, and prudently use the earth's abundant resources to care for one another."

We can be confident that God will help us know how to care for one another. In that same message, President Johnson taught that we have stewardship for one another. She mentioned the parable of the talents from Matthew chapter 25 as a reminder of how we can use our gifts to help and serve others.

Our guest for this episode is an excellent example of applying those principles. Carrie Kirk has sought to serve and stretch to help others through humanitarian work. As you listen to this episode, we hope you recognize how you use your gifts and talents to bless others.

Carrie Kirk is a devoted wife and mother of five children. Carrie holds a Master's degree in Instructional Technology from Utah State University. Carrie served a Russian-speaking mission in the Baltics, which sparked her lifelong dedication to helping others. She and her family have volunteered annually in Guatemala and Uganda for the past eight years, showing their desire to help underserved communities and their commitment to humanitarian work. Professionally, Carrie currently works as a part-time coordinator for humanitarian trips to Africa through an organization called Family Humanitarian. An adventurer at heart, Carrie loves travel, making new friends, and striving to make the world a better place. You can learn more about Family Humanitarian at FamilyHumanitarian.org.

Our guest for this episode is Mike Madsen. Mike works in the Priesthood and Family Department for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of his responsibilities is working as part of a team to create the Come, Follow Me curriculum.

In this episode, Mike shares how, as a young missionary, he received the Light of Jesus Christ and how, throughout his life, he has sought to share that Light. After graduating from BYU, Mike Madsen dedicated 13 years to teaching Seminary and Institute for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mike's work for the Church extended to creating various print and web products, including Come, Follow Me and other curriculum initiatives, videos, websites, and mobile applications. He led the effort in creating worldwide broadcasts, such as "Face to Face" and "Friend to Friend," and developed programs focused on new convert retention and member missionary work.

Mike has established the Doctrina Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on providing literacy education to children in West Africa and Papua New Guinea.

Mike is known for his love of challenges, particularly those requiring creative solutions. His personal motto is, "I will either find a way or make one." His greatest accomplishment, however, is maintaining a loving relationship with his wife and six children. He also enjoys public speaking, cultivating close friendships, hiking mountains with his dog Piper, and almost any outdoor sport.

Please note that while Mike is an employee of the Church, he does not speak for the Church in this interview.

In his talk "A Plea to My Sisters, President Russell M. Nelson" said, "We need women who know how to access the power that God makes available to covenant keepers and who express their beliefs with confidence and charity. We need women who have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve."

Our guest for this episode is Brenda Webb. When we asked Brenda to be on the podcast, we discovered that we share an affinity for the word "arise." Brenda uses ARISE as an acronym for her thoughts on overcoming fear through Jesus Christ. In this conversation, she shares some insights from her experiences in this effort.

Brenda grew up on the beautiful East Coast and later attended Rick's College in Idaho. After serving on a mission in Brazil, she graduated from BYU with a bachelor's degree in Portuguese and Communications. There, she met her husband, and together, they have four children, two daughters-in-law, and one grandchild whom they all adore and cherish.

Brenda enjoys hiking and being outdoors. She also possesses a creative spirit that includes cooking and sewing. She has cultivated her creativity through writing and sharing new ideas. Brenda treasures her time in the temple as a patron and an ordinance worker. The gospel of Jesus Christ brings her immense joy.

President Russell M. Nelson said, “Please listen to this promise of Jesus Christ to you: “I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” There is no limit to the Savior’s capacity to help you. His incomprehensible suffering in Gethsemane and on Calvary was for you! His infinite Atonement is for you!

I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” (The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again, 2024)

Our guest for today's episode is Tom Moore. Tom shares experiences that led him to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Savior’s capacity to help him in powerful, specific ways. As a young man, Tom served in the army, where he learned to rely on God and value church and family.
In our conversation, Tom explains how the Lord taught him that we are never alone.

Tom enjoys personal growth by challenging himself through hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering. Some of his adventures include multiple summits of Mount Rainier and Mount Whitney, many traversals of the Grand Canyon and the John Muir Trail, and frequent hikes in the foothills near his home. In addition to being an avid backpacker, Tom is a gardener and nature lover. Tom is a lecturer at Utah Valley University. He holds a BS in Technology Education and an MS in Technology.

Beyond his outdoor adventures, Tom’s greatest adventure and highest priority is his family. He and his wife Angie love being parents to their six children and find immense joy in their 12 grandchildren.

Linda Etherington is our guest for this interview. She creates beauty in her art, home, and family.

Regarding creating, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come...trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you.”

A brief sketch of Linda:

"I love love love love love to paint. I love color. And, blessedly, color is everywhere!! I love shape!! And—thank the heavens—everything’s a shape: organic and geometric and all in between. I love space—positive space, negative space, and, mercy me, it’s everywhere I look! How can I be so blessed to have eyes to see color, shapes, and space and live in a time when women are encouraged to paint? It is a feast—every day.

Born in Washington state, I am the fourth of seven children. I grew up on a small 10 acre farm where my dad worked during the day as an engineer but spent his early mornings and late evenings teaching us how to change water lines, milk the cow, feed the sheep, throw bales of alfalfa hay, and tend the chickens. Mom taught us how to keep the house, bake the bread, and get our homework done. My mom also taught me to paint. After years of watercolors, drawing pencils, oil pastels, and crayons, I received my first oil painting set when I was 12. It was beautiful, like shiny candy. But I was so confused what to do. So, we painted. She showed me how to draw with my brush. It made sense to me. I am forever grateful to my mother.

My mom and dad were my biggest fans. I took classes at the college with my mom when I was in high school. Then I was off to Brigham Young University (BYU) where I studied painting with an art scholarship and graduated with a BFA in Painting. Over the next 14 years, my husband and I were blessed with seven daughters and almost as many moves with my husband’s job. Our little girls filled my life with new color, new shapes, new spaces, and new brain challenges. All through it, I worked hard at being a mom, and I worked hard when our neighbor came twice a week so I could sneak away and paint for 3 hours. Sometimes a little one would need me and I would rock them on my hip while I painted. It felt good holding onto my love of painting and my love of mothering.

Now, my family is still growing. I have married daughters and grandchildren. I still love love love love love love to paint. Shapes and colors still call out to me; I sing back to them, and I paint."

To see Linda’s art, visit @lindalovestopaint on Instagram or at lindaetherington.com.

In his talk, Embrace the Future with Faith, President Russell M. Nelson teaches,

“...as turmoil rages around us, we need to create places where we are safe, both physically and spiritually. When your home becomes a personal sanctuary of faith—where the Spirit resides—your home becomes the first line of defense….I invite you, my dear sisters, to create a home that is a place of security. And I renew my invitation for you to increase your understanding of priesthood power and of temple covenants and blessings. Having places of security to which you can retreat will help you embrace the future with faith.”

Our guest, JoAnne Workman Roberts, has taken this prophetic counsel to heart. In addition to serving as missionaries at the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple construction site, JoAnne and her husband, Greg, intentionally create space for their family to gather safely in their home.

In JoAnne’s words, “As long as I can remember, I was taught of Christ and have loved growing up with the knowledge that I was a beloved child of God. I believe that simple knowledge has made all the difference in the trajectory of my life. I am delighted to share our Temple mission experience as part of my covenant path journey and how it has sharpened our focus further to develop a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Greg and I are also parents of seven children. They and their families are the delights of our lives.”