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When Josiane Lazeras was thirteen, she was baptized and joined a small, close-knit group of pioneering Latter-day Saints near Paris, France. Even as the gospel helped her develop spiritually, Josiane found that the Church also encouraged her creativity and talents. And it made her consider the significance of becoming “a mother in Israel,” where love, spirituality, and action combine. Motherhood, she says—like the gospel of Christ—is a stimulant: “It pushes you to action. It’s something that permits you to go beyond your strength.” Read this interview in French: Lire cette interview en français. What was your childhood like? I am Parisian. I was born in a region near Paris and I’ve always lived in the Paris region. I love Paris. I love always going to Paris: going to the museums, walking in Paris, seeing the exhibits and the theater. I’ve traveled the world, but I am always happy to come back. I’m happy to come back to my home. I think it is a wonderful city and a beautiful region as well. I learned about the Church in Paris. It’s a very funny story. The missionaries were going door to door and passed by my house. One of the two missionaries was called David Crockett. When my brother, who was fifteen at the time, saw David Crockett, an American, he instantly thought of cowboys and Indians. That night he said to us, “David Crockett is going to come to our house!” David Crockett did come, but he didn’t talk about Indians or cowboys. He talked about Joseph Smith, the First Vision, and The Book of Mormon. My brother was disappointed and he never converted or was baptized. My younger brother, who was eleven years old, and I (I was thirteen years old), were both touched by the message. We were both converted and baptized at that time. My mother was also baptized three years later. My mother is very religious. When I was young, I saw her praying. I learned to pray. When the missionaries asked us to pray to know if the message of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon was true, for me and my brother, prayer was already something we were accustomed to. Even when we were young, we had the habit to get on our knees and pray. It is something wonderful that my mother passed to us, a spiritual heritage. I’ve done genealogy work for my mother’s Swiss side and I was astonished and happy to see that many of my ancestors were named Isaac, Abraham, Jacob, or Moses. There really has been a spiritual heritage that has enriched me, I think. Then, after my conversion, the Church has enriched me spiritually as well. I was baptized in 1962. At that time, the Church in France was very small. There were only three branches in the entire Paris region: one in Paris, one in Versailles, and one in the southern part of Paris. That was all. Now, there are three stakes (since September 2013). Many people have the impression that the Church hasn’t progressed a lot in France, but when I look back I can see the progress! I grew up when we were very few in number. At school, no one knew about Mormons. My brother and I were the only Mormons there. Josiane Lazeras Was it difficult to be the only Mormons? No, frankly, it wasn’t difficult. There were only a few of us, but we were a very close group and the missionaries helped us quite a bit in preaching the gospel and in our personal progression. We had to walk for miles to go to church because there wasn’t a bus. We were a little like pioneers, I believe. I think if we asked the pioneers of the Church if it was difficult to be a pioneer, they would say “no” because they were supported by the Spirit even if they had difficult moments and many who died. But they were together—they danced and sang together. For me, I never felt that it was hard. We were sure in our testimonies. We were doing well. And we were together. I wasn’t alone. We were a small group, but it wasn’t difficult. In fact, being in the Church pushed us to accomplish things. For example, when the first chapel was built in the Paris region, it was at Versailles. It was necessary for us to contribute financially. We were adolescents and without income, but with the small group of members in our branch we created a show that we performed for every branch we could. We also asked the sisters to make cakes which we sold during the show. All of this was to earn money for the construction of the chapel. We did shows, and trips, and many things. I think it was the Church—the gospel—that pushed us to find ideas, to be inventive, to find things to do, in order to talk about the Church. I had a beautiful adolescence thanks to the Church because it encouraged us to do many things. What were your dreams for the future when you were a child or adolescent? My dream was to marry in the temple, have children, and raise my family in the gospel. It was a dream I accomplished, which is wonderful! I never had grand professional ambitions. I studied, I had goals, I worked, I tried to get to the best possible level of education, but I never had dreams of becoming the President of the Republic. For me, the most important thing is the family. Loving my husband, my children, my grandchildren, my parents, has been most important to me because I know that I will find them again after this life. My home will no longer exist, but my family will—I hope that my family will be there with me. I do everything for that goal. My dream is to have an eternal family. Since my adolescence that has been my dream. Josiane Lazeras and Her Family Do you think that your conversion changed your dreams for your life? I read a comic strip once that I really liked. There was a little boy who was looking at his mother’s wedding pictures with her. She showed him: “This is your grandpa, this is your grandma, this is me…” The little boy asked, “And me, where am I in the pictures?” “You didn’t exist yet” “I didn’t exist? That’s not possible!” When the missionaries taught us the plan of salvation and that we came from a pre-existence, for me that was obvious. For me, it wasn’t possible that we didn’t exist before this life. Even if I didn’t know the gospel, I would still have the feeling that there was a pre-existence. I said to myself, “Yes, this is natural. It couldn’t be any other way.” Without doubt, the reason why I accepted the gospel so easily is because everything seemed natural to me. I don’t think my conversion changed my life at the time. If I was much older, perhaps, it would have changed it, but no, at the time it didn’t change my life or my dreams. What was your experience becoming a wife and mother? I met my husband, who is also Parisian, in the Church. We’ve raised our family by our religious principles. The first time I had a baby, it was very difficult. I had been sick during my entire pregnancy and then my daughter was born a month early with many problems. We didn’t know much. Then doctor told us that it was certain that she would not survive. That was a shock. When I learned that this baby, my baby, a piece of myself was perhaps going to die, I cried a lot and prayed a lot. In my despair, I remember saying, “Heavenly Father, if you take this baby, take me with her.” I wanted to die with my baby because I did not want to leave her. It was very, very difficult. Under the priesthood, she was blessed by my husband and father, and she survived. I realized afterward that I never said, “God does not exist,” or “God is evil.” For me, even in my grief, I knew that my Heavenly Father was there. I wanted to die so I didn’t have to be separated from my baby, but that experience greatly expanded my testimony. I could say to myself, “Even in the worst moments, I know that He is there.” When I was fourteen years old, I received my patriarchal blessing. It said that I would see “the accomplishment of my vocation as a mother in Israel.” At fourteen years old, I said to myself, “What does that mean?” I wasn’t one who liked to babysit. Little children did not interest me. I didn’t have little brothers or sisters or cousins at the time. I said to myself, “What is this, a mother in Israel? I don’t want to live in Israel!” I didn’t understand what it meant. It was marked so each time I opened my patriarchal blessing during the years, I asked myself about it. Yet, those blessings spoken of in my patriarchal blessing have been very present in my life; my role as a wife and mother has really been the most strong and the most important thing for me. If something happens to one of my children, it affects me a lot. Because of this, I am always ready to help if it’s necessary. I had the opportunity, when my daughters were young, to take care of one of my nieces for a month. I realized then that I had developed the same bond with this child as my own. If I had adopted a child, I think I would have had the same love for that child as my own. It’s possible, I think, to have a maternal bond without a biological bond. It depends on the person, of course. But for me, I really believe that I could. There were two languages in your home? I studied English and received a degree in translating and interpretation. When I got married, someone told me, “That’s good! You can teach English to your kids.” But I wasn’t able to, I think, because English isn’t my native language. When you have all your children around you, can you really speak in another language? Things would come spontaneously in French and so I never really spoke to them in English. But I always had a lot of books in English at our house. Now DVDs are in several languages, but when my children were small, there were only VHS videos—Disney videos. I always bought them in English. My children would complain when they watched the movies: “But why? We don’t understand them.” I would say, “You understand the images. You will have the sound of English in your ears.” When my children were adolescents, I realized that they didn’t learn a lot in the language studies at their French middle school. So, when they were around fourteen years old, I sent my children to the United States for four months to live with an American family who didn’t speak French. It was hard for them at first, but when they came back they spoke English! I remember one of my daughters cried on the phone saying, “Mom, I don’t understand anything.” I told her, “Speak with your hands. That will work.” Twenty years ago I realized that English was indispensable in the world and in the Church. I subscribed to the New Era because it was necessary that my children could also read English. I tried to give them lessons in English and I think they’re happy now that I did. It’s useful everywhere. Josiane Lazeras and Her Family Do you feel you are a model for your daughters as they become mothers? I hope so! I really hope so. It’s hard to say because they are all different. Each one has a different life. I try not to give them advice. When I had my first daughter, I was advised to always lay babies on their side. Then, when I had my second daughter, it changed to laying babies on their stomach. After I had my other daughters, it changed to laying them on their back. When my oldest daughter had her first baby she asked me for advice. I don’t know why. I said, “Listen, I don’t want to give you advice. I’ve experienced everything: laying babies on their back, on their stomach, on their side. It changes all the time! You decide with your pediatrician and with your husband. Decide together. I don’t have advice to give.” That is a small example, but my daughters have independent lives. When they come to my house, it’s my house. But their house is their house. I don’t want to interfere—not in the sense that I don’t want to help—I do want to help, but it’s them who observes, who decides, and who acts. I think each woman is different and each woman is going to raise her children differently. I am not sure if I raised my four children in the same way. I think there were differences between the first ones and the last ones. It’s important to love your children, but that comes naturally when you have children. What is your definition of motherhood? It’s not a sacrifice. It’s not a commitment. It’s a bond that is very, very strong. It’s difficult to define. It’s a bond, but it’s more than that. It pushes you to action. It’s something that pushes you to act and permits you to go beyond your strength. There are nights as a mother when you collapse on the bed and ask how you had the strength to go that far. Motherhood is a kind of stimulant that pushes you to act for the well-being of your children. I don’t really know, since it’s hard to define. It’s love. It’s not something material or physical. It’s an emotional bond that is a push to action. Motherhood is love. I will define it as that. What do you think motherhood is for women who don’t have children? My youngest daughter isn’t married yet. She is a teacher and works in an elementary school. She has always loved children a lot. She has had nieces and nephews since her adolescence. I believe she fills a maternal role for the children at her school. I think that we can have a role towards children that approaches motherhood without being married and having children. It may be difficult to not have your own children. But by helping other people’s children, we can love the children on the earth and in the Church as well. Spirituality is part of a maternal role? Yes, it is very important because having children on this earth is wonderful, but life on this earth doesn’t last long. If we don’t prepare for eternity, we won’t have much after. If we don’t work to develop the spirituality of our children in order to be sealed to them in the temple, we will not be sure of having them in the eternity. And life is short. Spirituality for me is fundamental. The ordinances of the temple have such great importance—the sealing for me is essential. Otherwise, what will I have? I will only have a small amount of happiness and then afterward, an emptiness. Developing spiritually is the most important part. The most important. At A Glance Name: Josiane Lazeras Location: Paris, France Age: 65 Marital status: Married since 1974 Children: Four daughters (38, 35, 32, 27) Occupation: Retired translator, current missionary Baptism: September 22, 1962 Schools Attended: Degree in translation and interpreting Languages Spoken at Home: French Favorite Hymn: “Divin Amour” Interview by Ashley Brocious and Lauren Brocious.

Families with trans-racial adopted children are becoming more common, both within the LDS community and without. But what is it like to grow up as that child in a family that doesn’t look like you? This anonymous perspective, from an Asian woman adopted into a white family as a baby, shares the pain and joy of being adopted into a trans-racial family. You were adopted as an infant. At what point did you realize your family was a little different than others? I was adopted by my family before I was one year old. Shortly after birth in my home country, I was abandoned on a doorstep. I came to the US on a plane with several other adoptees, and my mother was waiting at the airport for me. My mother says I realized from an early age that I looked different; I was surrounded by white people, but I still knew I was different. One day, when I was young, I found a picture of an Asian baby in a magazine and carried that picture around with me for weeks. My siblings say they didn’t notice anything different, and just accepted me as part of the family. But, there were moments when we were younger when they were embarrassed about being different from other families or didn’t know how to handle inappropriate questions or comments. People at church – a place where you should feel safe and accepted – would make comments that hurt, like my skin was darker because I was cursed. I felt alienated and hurt. I couldn’t express much of what I was feeling because there was such an outpouring of optimism and expectations of gratitude, like “You’re so lucky to be saved from a bad life in that other country.” It felt wrong to tell people I wished I had another identity. I spent so much time wishing I were white or fit in better with my family, which isn’t something that’s healthy for children. My parents are both white and had grown up in white communities so they didn’t realize things were that different for me. I grew up during a time when people didn’t know that trans-racially adopted children struggled to reconcile competing visions of how they fit in the world and their families. Adoptee families will often say things like, “Race doesn’t matter, we love you no matter what you look like, and we’re all the same on the inside.” There was little dialogue about the need to prepare children for the fact that people, even well intentioned people, frequently comment on trans-racial adoptive families in insensitive and sometimes inappropriate ways. How did you come to terms with your adoption? I had so much anger and hurt built up inside of me about abandonment and the isolation I felt. My family lived in an area that was similar to the ones they grew up in, so there were virtually no other racial groups. Additionally, I didn’t feel like a “real” Asian or Asian-American because my parents weren’t Asian. I had no idea where I fit because I was constantly reminded that I wasn’t white. Because I had no way to understand or articulate the pain I was in for so long, I started making really destructive choices. After college, I had a crisis point where everything became too much and I thought it would be better not to be alive than continue on. At that point, I started learning that my parents loved me and weren’t going to send me back, and that they never thought of me as second best or a substitute for a biological child. I started going to counseling, and my parents went too. Without their unfailing support, especially my mother’s, I doubt I would have made it. We had to work through what it means to be a minority family and learn how to talk about race. We also had to work through abandonment issues just like other families who adopt, regardless of race. Developing my faith and a relationship with God helped me heal. The Atonement came into play for me when I realized that I could be healed from all the anger, isolation, and bitterness I had. I’m friends with a lot of adopted people who carry so much bitterness and hurt with them from their upbringing – they’ve cut off contact with their adoptive families, even moved to other countries, trying to get away from the hurt. But I’m lucky; I haven’t had to do that. How can trans-racial families help bridge the gap and help their adopted children to feel part of the family? Some say all you need is love to raise a child. Others rely on resources like culture camps and so forth. It’s not so much about keeping or adopting cultural practices as the cure-all, but more about helping children feel accepted and part of a community. Some families find groups of other adoptive children and spend time with trans-racial families. This lets their children know that they can be part of another culture and part of the family at the same time. It’s important for many families to have a support network so that children don’t feel like they stand out and stand alone. How has your background affected your parenting style? Becoming a mother changed me. I was a little nervous to have children, because of my history. I want to believe that my birth parents decided to place me for adoption out of necessity and not because they didn’t want me. Once I had children, I realized that it didn’t matter why my birth parents placed me; my adoptive parents chose to raise me and they taught me how to love my own children. Once I had children I stopped worrying that there was some flaw in me handed down from my birth parents. Having children and creating my own family unit healed me of a lot of the hurt I’d harbored my whole life. Race is a big, conscious focus in our family. My husband and I are a trans-racial couple and our kids definitely look like me. When he is out with the children, people assume they are adopted or that he isn’t related by blood to them. People ask questions like, “What are they?” The kids notice difference in race, in our family, and in our community, but we try to explain that being different isn’t bad – it’s just different. We’ve lived in very diverse cities, and in places that are predominantly white; no matter where we go, race comes up. We just work through it a day at a time. It’s heartbreaking having to explain to my children why another child makes faces or teases them about the way they look. At the same time, I’m grateful that I have the Gospel and my own parents’ example so I can teach my children about Christ-like compassion for others. Interview produced by Lyndsey Payzant Wells.

As an early member of the Church in Moscow, Tatiana was an essential contributor to the establishment of the gospel in Russia. For seven years, she led a choir of church members that sang hymns and folk songs, toured with their performances and recorded albums. Tatiana speaks astutely about the impact of Russian culture on spirituality in her country and about the tremendous work she’s put into building the Church in her homeland. What was your religious background before you learned about the Church? I had nothing to do with religion. Nothing at all whatsoever. My parents were rather atheist. It was that kind of a time; everyone figured that God didn’t exist, and we didn’t talk about it at home. I just never thought about it. I only started thinking about it because my husband, Alexei, brought it up. He had been thinking about it, and we started to discuss it. One day we had an active discussion for a long time. We decided that we needed religion somehow. We figured that God existed and we believed in Christ. We realized that we knew God was in heaven and we are here on earth, and we wanted to somehow formalize our relationship with him. We thought a lot about how to do it. We have the Russian Orthodox Church here in Russia, so we decided we needed to be baptized and build some kind of relationship with the Church. That was in 1993. We thought about it for a long time, and then were baptized. It was a completely conscious decision. We were baptized by full immersion in water. We found a very good priest who could discuss things with us, complete immersion in water, all as it should be. It was in a church. Not all churches do it, but we found a church that did it that way, because we knew that there should be total immersion in water. Tatiana Marchenko and Her Husband at the Kiev Temple Had you read the Bible? We read it all, and that’s how we learned baptism should be done by complete immersion in water. After that we were baptized. A month and a half or two months went by, and we met missionaries, Elders Tobias Bradford and Garth Quigley. They saw us on the metro. The whole family was walking together. We had just come out of the Tretyakov Gallery; it was the weekend. They saw us and ran after us in the metro, which was quite crowded. The Spirit probably prompted them and they ran after us. They overtook us and stopped us, panting, and started talking with us, and we became interested. I thought, “We’ll explain everything to them. They just don’t understand. We’ll just explain everything.” So we invited them to visit. That’s how we began to listen to the discussions, and it turned out to be very interesting. We had very strong missionaries. The Lord knew to send them to us. We talked a lot and went through all the discussions. But because we felt that our baptism was true and that we had already done what was necessary, we went a whole year as investigators. We didn’t miss one meeting. We even tried to pay tithing, but they didn’t accept it. We liked everything about the Church. We had English lessons in our home and were always very active. And then a year later, we all got our answers that we all should be baptized again, but into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I got my answer first, but I received an answer that I should listen to my husband. I felt that I wanted to be baptized, but that I should be with him. We were baptized together on May 7, 1994 in the Moscow River. It was very cold, but it didn’t matter. Were there any other obstacles to your joining the Church? No, it was just that we thought that our first baptism was true. We felt that we had made a covenant with God. It wasn’t clear to us why we should do it again. But then something happened. We read more. It wasn’t like someone could just explain that it should be a certain way. No, it had to come from an inner witness that we should commit an act of obedience and join this Church because there was a fullness of the priesthood. We had long before received a testimony that the Church was true and that the Book of Mormon was true. They were very bright, these testimonies. What changes did you see in your life after you were baptized? First of all, our very way of life changed, but that changed after we came to church. After baptism, we had a changed sense of accountability. I felt a great responsibility that I had been baptized and was now accountable. I had made a covenant with God and had to do my part. Because the Church was very young in Russia and we were the face of the Church to some extent, I had to work very hard to create something. Now we have a church building, many active Church members and priesthood holders, many wonderful sisters. But back then there were very few people. There weren’t very many branches then, and there were few people in each branch. Because of this, one person would have many callings, whereas now we have just one calling and they try not to give a second calling to anyone. But at that time I was immediately called as a Sunday school teacher, and I prepared a lesson every Sunday. I was also the music director. At the same time, a little while later, I was an Institute teacher and taught two classes a week. My husband was working for the Church Educational System. It was like full-time employment. And one of the classes was completely in English. It was very difficult, because I’m not fluent in English, and it required a lot of effort. Not that I was special in any way – many people served in several callings. I wasn’t called to do this, but I also organized many different activities: picnics, goodbye parties for missionaries. The missionaries were always very close to us at that time, like members of the family, and it was like tearing out a piece of our heart when they left. A missionary would leave the branch, and everyone would be in tears. This isn’t generally the case anymore. But it was natural then. It was a step in the Church’s development. Tatiana Marchenko with Her Youngest Son at School We also had a choir on and off, and I felt by the Spirit that we needed to start it up again. So I took on that responsibility and in time we grew into a wonderful choir. I led the choir for many years, from 1995 to 2002. I stopped leading the choir when our youngest son was born. Two wonderful conductors, Julia Burykina and Alexander Prach, continued to lead the choir and did great work. We recorded two CDs. It was certainly not the Tabernacle Choir, but we sang the hymns with the Spirit, and recorded them with a strong spirit. We traveled to different cities, including St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, and Khmelnitsky, in Samara. We traveled on our own dime and gave concerts. There was a strong spirit in Voronezh, and after our concerts there were many baptisms. It was such a strong spirit. We also gave concerts in Kharkov and Kiev, in the Ukraine. What kind of music did you sing? Mostly we sang hymns, but we also sang folk songs. This was one of the most wonderful chapters of my life. As a child I sang in a very good choir. It was a professional children’s choir. We rehearsed three times a week for two-and-a-half hours. I never imagined when I finished school that it would someday come in handy. Later, when I started conducting in the ward, I felt that I had a knack for it. We prepared a musical number and it turned out really well. That’s actually why I took up the choir, because I saw that it worked. The Lord gives us these talents when they’re needed. It just opened up to me like the gifts of the Spirit described in the scriptures. It was given as a gift. I never in my life planned for it. I lived my life, and it just happened in such a magical way. How many people sang in the choir? We had about 30 people from various branches. At first the missionaries helped us. After a while they stopped because they weren’t allowed to, but they weren’t necessary. We did have some problems finding male voices, but they turned up. Fewer men in general can sing. The second problem is getting them to come to sing, since they are always busy. We had basses, we had tenors – my whole family sang. My oldest son at first sang soprano, then alto, then he didn’t sing at all, and finally he started singing bass. My daughter also sang, and my husband sang bass. Rehearsals were on Sunday. We all went together from church meetings to choir practice. First we met in an apartment. We always participated in the choir, and my oldest son even found a wife in the choir. She sang alto. She also played the piano, and now they’re married and have two children. So there were many blessings. We even went to Stockholm. The entire choir traveled to the temple there and gave a concert. We had a wonderful concert there. Even the temple president came and gave us letters that we could keep to remember the evening. Everyone loved it. There was a very strong spirit, which was the most important thing; the Spirit was there. The best thing about our choir was the very strong, special spirit with which we sang. It was very cool. I have also been a teacher in the Church all my life. At this time I was still a seminary teacher. I taught my own children. And did you sense that your education as a teacher also prepared you for this calling? Yes. I was an institute teacher, then a seminary teacher. We began on another schedule, so to get on the same cycle as the rest of the Church, we ended up studying the Old Testament two years in a row. It was a special blessing. It became my favorite book. I have such a strong testimony of our church thanks to the Old Testament. I realized this is how things should be, the relationship of a prophet with God and with the people. It’s amazing. All of these prophets became like my close friends, I don’t know how to explain it. Once I was teaching a lesson on the Old Testament in Sunday school. A sister said to me, “You’re talking about David as though he is your friend, as if you drank tea with him yesterday and now you’re telling us about him.” Another time we stopped in at an Orthodox church. Sometimes there is a priest who reads the Bible. He reads it in Old Church Slavonic, but you can still understand something. I heard the priest reading a story about David. I thought, “He’s reading about my David.” I think of him as such a familiar person. Has it always been easy for you to grow in the Church and stay active, or were there any challenges after your baptism? Well, there was just so much to do. We just had to move forward. There was no time to stop. I ran, ran, ran and only stopped when my son Ilya was born. Besides all there was to do, we started taking trips to the temple and became temple workers. It was interesting that we were called as temple workers when we hadn’t even been members of the Church for a year yet. Alexei’s brother, Dmitri, was baptized, too. He was going to the temple to be sealed to his wife, Sveta, but we were still two weeks away from our year mark as members. We were allowed into the temple two weeks early to attend the sealing of Dmitri’s family. On the trip they called us as temple workers. Moscow CES Choir It was such a good period of life. Doing so much can’t and shouldn’t be like that now. Not all people are in a position to serve so much. But at that time it was needed. Because, well, if not us, then who else? And I understand that your husband has also always had many callings. Was it difficult for you to always be so busy? Somehow we just didn’t think about it. It was probably hard. But frankly, we received so much joy and so many blessings from it, I can’t even say it was hard. If it had felt hard, I might not have done it. The Lord probably blessed me in a special way. It was certainly difficult, of course; it took up so much time, but the joy from it was so great. We saw the fruits. We saw the results. I always liked to teach because it was my profession, and here I was actually realizing my potential. I had so much to do; there was no time at all to feel bored. And I realized so many of my talents. Do you think the Church is Russia has distinct characteristics? How would you explain it? I think the Church in any country has its own character because you have your own way of thinking, your own cultural traditions. These inevitably leave a mark. The Church in Japan is not like the Church in Russia, because they have very different preconceptions and understandings. They have a different way of understanding what is good and what is bad because of how they have always lived. Tatiana Marchenko Leading the Primary Choir It’s the same here. Russia has its own peculiarities. Thanks to the Orthodox Church, the Russian people have thought a lot about Christian beliefs in terms of spirituality, and they have a disdain for the material world – meaning that the material world is bad, and the spiritual is everything. This is important. And since everyone can’t be extremely spiritual, they consider themselves inherently quite sinful. Only monks and special priests can be very spiritual. The way they relate to the Church is very complicated because there were so many priests who didn’t conduct themselves worthily, who could be compared to the villains in a Russian folk tale. That’s also part of our national character concerning leaders and government. We don’t feel a need to listen to them. The people and the state are separate. It is a national characteristic. In certain countries, it’s one way, and for us, it’s another. How does this influence the character of the LDS Church in Russia? First, it’s difficult for people to obtain testimonies. It’s more difficult to obtain a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet, because who is that? Then there is the relationship to leadership in the Church. Church leaders should be obeyed. It’s difficult for us to obtain a testimony that we should obey our leaders. We don’t always obey, and it was even a kind of special display of courage not to obey state leaders. It’s always kind of been that way. So, on the one hand, we have deep spirituality, because spiritual things were always revered. But the deepest spirituality is impossible to achieve, we are always sinful, always bad. This belief leaves a psychological imprint. It was very important for the Russian people, and it’s probably because of this that we have such beautiful Russian literature and music. We have very deep feelings, but at the same time there is a big economic gap. On the one hand, people have great spirituality and inner wisdom, and on the other hand, there is great ignorance. How would you say your extensive church service has helped strengthen your testimony? To be a member of the Church is a lot of spiritual work. It’s also like the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. One came earlier, another came later, but no matter when you come, the important thing is whether you endure to the end and preserve your testimony. When people join the Church, they have such euphoria. It’s something new, something interesting. It’s unusual for them, and there are interesting activities and interactions. Then later you have to constantly strengthen your testimony because there are many trials from different directions, things you don’t expect. But there is also a huge sense that God is watching us and that He lets us see life from all sides. Tatiana Marchenko at Her Son's Baptism If you don’t serve in the Church, big temptations come. I especially felt that when I had my first baby. Thoughts like, “I’ve done so much, now I can relax.” As soon as you start thinking like that, you move backwards. It’s not a coincidence. It’s the law of growth. It’s like a plant. If something has a place to grow, it must grow. It doesn’t stop until it’s time, and then other processes start. It begins to bloom, then fades, and then gives seeds. And then it dies, and then rises and grows again in an endless process. We are like that. We can’t stop, ever. We can never relax and say, “Look, we’ve done everything, and we’re so good that now we can relax.” We can’t ever rest spiritually. This is my message, that we always have to strive and we always have to serve. We can’t say, I served, now let others serve. It’s important to serve in everything you can. If you’re a visiting teacher, then be a visiting teacher. It’s a calling. It’s something you’re trusted with. There will come a time when it seems difficult to do even that, for various reasons. They may be objective reasons or subjective reasons. It doesn’t matter. If you do what the Lord has asked you to do, that’s what’s important. And you don’t stop. Even if there are problems, gradually, somehow, things get resolved. You just can’t stop. At A Glance Name: Tatiana Marchenko Location: Moscow, Russia Age: 49 Marital status: Married Children: Three (ages 26, 24 and 7) Convert? May 7, 1994 Language: Russian Interview by Allison Pond.

In keeping with our mission of cultivating and promoting the voices and stories of Latter-day Saint women, we are excited to present a collection of narrative essays focused on gospel principles and topics. We hope that these essays can enrich our study and understanding of, as well as our devotion to the gospel. This series offers a mix of narrative, theology, research, and intuition. Each essay will share a unique woman's perspective on striving toward Christian discipleship. ​ ​ Essays In Discipleship In keeping with our mission of cultivating and promoting Latter-Day Saint women’s voices and stories, we are excited to present a collection of narrative essays focused on gospel principles and topics. We hope that these essays can enrich our study and understanding of, as well as our devotion to the gospel. The stories of Latter-Day Saint women have been the heart and soul of the Mormon Women Project. And in this spirit, our series offers a mix of narrative, theology, research, and intuition. Each essay will share a unique woman's perspective on striving toward Christian discipleship. Wounded Souls There are people reading this who have dreams that have not been realized, expectations that haven’t been met. Others have experienced divorce, miscarriages, infertility, infidelity, homelessness, and job loss. Some of us have buried lovers, buried children, buried parents, buried sisters. When we find ourselves in these moments, we often ask, Why? Why does suffering happen? Why is sorrow in my life? What did I do? Why is God doing these things to me? Elizabeth Ostler Aug 29, 2025 4 min read Extraordinary On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared that the COVID-19 virus was a global pandemic. The next day, President Russell M. Nelson closed every temple in the world, canceled all church events including local sacrament meetings and even one-to-one ministering visits, and started chartering flights to return missionaries to their home countries immediately. Trina Caudle May 3, 2025 8 min read King Benjamin’s Revolutionary Discourse on Poverty On a January morning in Wisconsin with temperatures in the single digits, I pull up at 8 a.m. to my work at a community nonprofit that focuses on creating food and housing stability. Leslie Albrecht Huber Jun 7, 2024 8 min read Calming the Storm I had a dream once. I saw myself standing alone on a rocky cliff above the ocean with wind and rain raging all around me, while the waves crashed high enough to almost reach me. I saw many shades of gray – the sky, the water, the leafless trees, even the cabin in the distance. All gray. The only color was my purple fleece jacket, getting darker as it absorbed more water from the rain and the ocean spray. Trina Caudle May 3, 2024 4 min read I Sing The Song of Redeeming Love I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a convert from being an active member of the Catholic church in 2017 at the age of 35. The prompting from the Spirit that began my investigating the Church was to read the Book of Mormon. There are so many incredible chapters, verses, lines, and phrases in The Book of Mormon that have built my testimony, strengthened my faith, and have edified and tutored me by the Spirit. Ashli Carnicelli Mar 22, 2024 4 min read Child Translator: A Refugee Story They come from Eritrea, Thailand, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan – mostly Afghanistan. None of the countries in which my faltering but growing Spanish would be useful. And no, Duolingo doesn’t offer Pashto lessons – I checked. I wish I could at least say hello. Marci McPhee Jan 26, 2024 4 min read Seeds of Light As a teenager, I would enjoy my own “silent, holy night” after my parents and sisters had gone to bed in December. After turning off every other light in the house and plugging in the Christmas tree lights, I’d sit on the couch facing the tree and bask in the glow of tiny white bulbs illuminating each branch and unique ornament. Rachel Galli Fleming Dec 17, 2023 3 min read A Companion in Christ I remember watching my grandfather bake pie crust for garden rhubarb pie and fluffy white rolls for our monthly family dinner. My memories of those days recall the joy of companionship with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents–a shared sense of belonging indistinguishable from the pleasure of “Grandpa Rolls.” Rachel Fleming Aug 11, 2023 5 min read In Her We Have Our Being A few years ago, my mother gifted me one of our favorite books for Mother’s Day. She inscribed it, “For Rachel, my traveling companion.” When I began my own travels away from her as a young adult, she would often stuff a card for me in my suitcase that I would discover later. It helped me feel close to her, and like I was brave enough to have my own adventures knowing she was still with me. Rachel Fleming May 27, 2023 5 min read Reconsidering Women’s Roles in the New Testament Many Christian institutions imply a uniform historical tradition of women in supportive roles; however, recent biblical scholarship reveals that women held many authoritative positions in the early Christian community. In Christian theology and biblical discussion, it is commonly perceived that women were not commissioned or given ministerial authority from Christ, but a deeper analysis of Mary Magdalene may challenge this theory. Kayla Becknuss Mar 26, 2023 11 min read Psalms of Joy & Pain As anyone that has sung in a ward choir I’ve directed knows, I love a good praise song. I find exuberant harmony, declarations of God’s goodness, and a joyful “Hallelujah” irresistible. I may have even had the primary children hold neon scarves and shake musical instruments while we paraded around the primary room singing “Praise to the Man” when I was the primary music leader. Erin Cowles Aug 12, 2022 4 min read Flecks of Gold As we approached 2022, I felt worried and intimidated. After the last three years studying Come, Follow Me, I felt a close connection with those books of scripture that I simply did not think I would have with the Old Testament. To add to this, I was asked to give a talk about the importance of the Old Testament. Natalie Barnes Jul 31, 2022 5 min read 1 2 3

In this collection of stories, women share their experiences with and testimonies of the Book of Mormon. Every LDS woman has her own personal journey and experience with this book of scripture. We are grateful to these women for entrusting us with their stories. Book of Mormon Testimonies In this collection of stories, women share their experiences with and testimonies of the Book of Mormon. Every LDS woman has her own personal journey and experience with this book of scripture. We are grateful to these women for entrusting us with their stories. Made New Again Through Christ “I open at the close.” I remember being 12 years old and reading that in a Harry Potter book. When I read it, it felt pretty profound to my 12-year-old brain but the funny thing is that through my teenage years and adult years the Spirit has used that phrase to communicate peace and love through some of the hardest experiences of my life. Anonymous Aug 15, 2020 8 min read I Did Not Hesitate Forty-one years ago I was in my final year at the University of Otago in New Zealand when my evening was interrupted by two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the first two members of the church I had ever met. I listened to them as they bore witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. They then left me with a copy of the book with specific passages marked out for me to read, promising to return in two days’ time to take me to a “special di Marianne Downing Jul 25, 2020 2 min read If Your Testimony Takes Time My journey to gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon has been a roller coaster of fear, stubbornness, backbreaking trials, and ultimate peace and direction, all at a young age. I grew up in the church, yet from an early age my struggle with mental illness and subsequent isolation, loneliness, and fear led me to having a hard time knowing what was true and believing my life had value. I strayed from praying and grew more and more skeptical. In middle school, I went from bei Gabrielle Shiozawa Jun 21, 2020 3 min read A Peaceful Place in the World Throughout my life I have read from this book many times. This book is about families. The stories of immigrant families. Families fleeing war, death threats, slavery, and wanting a refuge and a better life for their children. Families that love each other, families that split apart. Families that are separated for centuries and then find each other again. It’s about culture, heritage, and genealogy. It’s a book about the Americas, but mostly it is a book about Jesus Christ. Anonymous Jun 6, 2020 1 min read We Became the Miracle Jesus can help us make real changes in every season of our lives. His words are the same, but each time we read them, our lives are different. Translating His words into the context of our lives requires persistence and patience across days, months, and years to become the best version of ourselves. When I was a grumpy 14 year old, I wanted to be happier so I decided to read The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I plunked through it on my own and six mont Emily White May 7, 2020 1 min read The Truth It Holds Out of the thousands of books I have read, I love this one the most. I have read and re-read this text many times and learned new principles to apply to my current struggles every time. The Book of Mormon reminds me that God loves each one of his children, that Christ is the Savior of this earth and that through righteous choices, people can live happy, fulfilled lives in this life and the next. The best way to read this book is by keeping an open mind, asking questions, and Christiane R. Woerner Apr 2, 2020 1 min read

Welcome to our Sunday School Supplements. This is a collection of commentaries on every gospel doctrine lesson from the perspective of a Latter-day Saint woman. Particular focus was given to women in the scriptures and how the scriptures impact the lives of LDS women today. Sunday School Supplements Welcome to our Sunday School Supplements. This is a collection of commentaries on every gospel doctrine lesson from the perspective of an LDS woman. Particular focus was given to women in the scriptures and how the scriptures impact the lives of LDS women today. Book of Mormon Lesson 1: By the Testimony of She The Gospel Doctrine lesson 1 manual objective is “to help class members understand how the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion and how abiding by its precepts helps us draw nearer to God.” Elizabeth Ostler Mar 23 11 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 2: Husband of Sariah The Gospel Doctrine lesson #2 manual objective is “To help class members see, through the examples of Lehi and Nephi, that safety and salvation come through obedience to the Lord.” Meredith Nelson Mar 22 8 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 3: Heavenly Mother & the Tree of Life The Gospel Doctrine lesson #3 manual objective is “To help class members understand the symbols in the vision of the tree of life and the application of these symbols in their lives.” Rachel Hunt Steenblik Mar 21 6 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 4: Your Sons and Your Daughters Shall Prophesy The Gospel Doctrine lesson #4 manual objective is “To help class members understand Nephi’s vision of the future and how the warnings and promises in it apply to us today.” Suzette Smith Mar 20 4 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 5: Finding Individual Faith in a Collective History The Gospel Doctrine lesson 5 manual objective is “to inspire class members to follow Nephi’s example of faith and willing obedience” Rosemary Demos Mar 19 5 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 6: Talking About Scriptures That Don’t Talk About You The Gospel Doctrine lesson #6 manual objective is “To help class members have a greater desire to ‘choose liberty and eternal life’ through Jesus Christ, ‘the great Mediator of all men’ (2 Nephi 2:27).” Leslie Albrecht Huber Mar 18 5 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 7: Legacy The Gospel Doctrine lesson #7 manual objective is “To help class members strengthen their testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith and to encourage them to find happiness through trusting in the Lord and keeping His commandments.” Elizabeth Ostler Mar 15 6 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 8: She That Is Weary The Gospel Doctrine lesson #8 manual objective is “To help class members understand their need for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and to teach them how to receive all the blessings of the Atonement.” Janiece Johnson Mar 14 5 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 9: Benefiting from Women in the Scriptures The Gospel Doctrine lesson #9 manual objective is “To inspire class members to read the prophecies of Isaiah and to help them understand how these prophecies apply in their lives.” McArthur Krishna Mar 12 5 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 10: His Invitation to Every Woman Not the divorced twenty-year old. Not the young mother in forced labor, permanently separated from her home. Not the high school dropout, or the homemaker who never got a college degree. Not the woman who faces social stigma for her faith. Not the wife or sister of an addict. Not the practicing lawyer, who is also the mother of young children. Not the primary president struggling with infertility. Meredith Nelson Mar 11 2 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 11: Ends & Endings The Gospel Doctrine lesson #11 manual objective is “To help class members understand the doctrine of Christ and have an increased desire to press forward, feasting on His words.” Rosemary Demos Mar 10 6 min read Book of Mormon Lesson 12: What it Means to Magnify The Gospel Doctrine lesson #12 manual objective is “To help class members feel a greater desire to magnify their callings, be chaste, and invite others to come unto Christ.” Leslie Albrecht Huber Mar 9 6 min read 1 2 3 4 5