Tribe of Testimonies

I think I'm going to tell the missionaries I'm no longer interested....  Well, that's didn't happen. The Holy Ghost told Sister Pam to go to church with those young missionary sisters. I'm glad she did go to church with them. Pam's spirit is so sweet and beautiful. I love at the end when she talks about what she feels as a member of the Tribe of Israel: that she'...

Thanks to Carrie, Rachel, Michelle, and Olivia. These women called in to share some of their experiences with Tribe of Testimonies. I'm so grateful for their few minutes with us. My hope is that you can experience similar blessings in your life through the testimonies of my guests. I hope you have a super, wonderful, awesome day!

This very short episode is all about announcements.  1. I am planning on continuing with Tribe of Testimonies in 2024. 2. I would love if you could call in and leave a short message about what you have loved, what you have learned, who you loved listening to, etc. I would like to make a compilation episode. 3. I'm looking for new music. 

This conversation was fun for me because Ann Marie asked  me  a question. And then we talked about it a bunch. What was the question? She asked me about how I hear the Holy Ghost. She has heard the Holy Ghost at three pivotal times in her life and has been grateful she followed those promptings. We talked about how other people have listened to promptings of the Holy Ghost and those promptings hav...

It was super fun to get to interview someone I only slightly knew before. Debbie Blackburn has spent most of her married life in the same little town I grew up in. She was a fixture of my youth because I always saw her driving a school bus. But learning about her history and about her struggles and blessings has given me a whole new appreciation for this woman. She talks about her conversion story...

He's a gem. I found a gem! Levi Esquerra has been polished and now shines. He attributes a lot of his success to his mother, to other good people in his life, and of course to the Savior. He's been able to get a great education and then use that to benefit others. He served, for a season, his tribe as tribal chairman. Now he serves in a public university shining light on other peoples. H...

This conversation was so fun! We laughed much. Mostly at ourselves. We talked about how we are each needed in God's plan. Remember in the New Testament how we're each a different part of the body? Yes. We are also all important spokes in a wheel moving toward God's kingdom. Levi Heperi talks about how even as he has moved forward in life without knowing a specific goal, as he has pu...

So many of us have learning curves--not just speaking about formal education. We have learning curves where we learn to treat people better, where we learn to value things better, and where we understand life better. Austin Lynn is going through learning curves some of us will go through differently. He's learning about his past. He's learning about the people who move in and out of his...

The testimony Lottie Orcutt shares about responsibility and trust is amazing. She really knows that Jesus Christ, through His Atonement in our behalf, is The Answer. The answer to what? Like, pretty much everything. The attacks on the family. The relationships are confusing. The health challenges we face. The questions people have about the Gospel. Pretty much everything can be summed up or modele...

Ty Yellowman is at a turning point in his life. He's about ready to graduate from college. But he has already had enough experiences that he recognizes how blessed he is. He has wonderful people in his life, including his parents, institute leaders, and church leaders. He served a mission where he learned time management skills as well as spiritual skills. He has seen how scriptures can be li...

Growing up in a teeeeeeeeny tiny Utah town has its benefits. One of those is that when you finally get yourself to the temple after a tumultuous youth, there will inevitably be loved ones there welcoming you. People who knew you when you were a rough stone. People who saw the gem in you. Lemikki Westlund was one of those rough stones. But now she holds fast to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She has h...

As we prepared for the Utah Gathering of Tribes, my friend and I put a few signs up in a couple locations. One of those locations was at the Trading Post in West Valley, Utah. Daniel Nehring doesn't frequently shop there. But, the day before the Gathering, Daniel was out and about doing some errands. As he was heading home, a very distinct prompting told him to stop at the Trading Post--no pa...

Once upon a time, this sweet family wanted to upgrade their house to a little larger house. They had been working toward this goal for a long time. They prayed to Heavenly Father to help them find the right house. He told them it was in Utah! Whaaaat!?! Yes. So this sweet family moved from Mesa, Arizona, to Utah. And they have found peace and blessings along the way. Amy Fa'atoafe has been tr...

It's so awesome how when you go into a conversation with an open mind you can learn so many new things. And it's also amazing how you can find commonalities. I knew hardly anything about Chris, but those good things happened for me. Persistence was a word that Chris uses to describe his son. But I could tell from some of his own stories that he was already practicing that virtue. He talk...

Sky is a son, a brother, a spouse, a father. He talks about each of these roles with so much love and devotion. In all, he talks with gratitude. I love how we can talk about doctrine and conjecture with reason. I love how we could talk about vision. Sky has been blessed with a willing heart. He recognizes that as he learns about what is in store for those he loves, he is also tasting what Heavenly...

Growing up where I did, there were just a few other Navajos around. Joleen's family was one. I wanted to be like Joleen from the time I met her. She has always chosen to be kind, to love people, and to let the Light of Christ radiate from her. She's a single mother now, but that hasn't held her back. She has worked hard to be able to provide for her daughters. She has worked hard to...

There has already been a point in Leslie's life where she questioned her faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's probably hard in a daily environment where people don't want to talk about religion, where people put religion down, or where you are reminded again and again of un-Christlike uses of religion. But, with encouragement and an invitation, Leslie prayed and studied about T...

When Ah-in-nist Sipes decided to really find out if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was true, he came with three questions. First, what is the real doctrine--if any--about the color of skin? Second, how does being a believing Cheyenne work with the teachings of the Church? Third, who really is Jesus Christ? Ah-in-nist describes how he found the answers to each of these questions. I...

Mylo Fowler is a famous photographer. I wish we had time to hear more of his story. But I want you to hear how gratitude and stewardship led to more light in his life. Light now directs his life. Light leads his life through photography as well as his spiritual growth. Light. Don't block the light. Pay your tithing so heaven can shine its light down. Listen to the Spirit because you'll f...

I don't know about you--but I have some theories about the Church, about some of the scriptures, and maybe even doctrine. But they're just theories. Ralph Murrietta had some theories about Jesus Christ before Ralph joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He presented them as a college student in a public speaking class. Because he was brave enough to do that, one of his t...

Two things stood out to me about this conversation with Jeff. First--he literally found happiness while he was studying The Book of Mormon. He was in a deep despair when he remembered some advice he has learned again and again as a child. He took that challenge and read The Book of Mormon and found a happiness he had been looking for. Second--he has a strong testimony of the Atonement, which is th...

As I was visiting with Mario Platero, I was struck by his great humility. Humility doesn't always mean shy. In fact, it definitely doesn't. It means knowing that the blessings we have come from hard work, from love of and for others, and from Heavenly Father. Mario talks about how his callings, both at church and in his career, have blessed him. One of my favorite things is that he said...

Listening to Charles Knife Chief talk about both the good and the bad about his tribe's history, and then later mentioning the good and the bad about other things in his life just made me think about what we learn in The Book of Mormon. There is supposed to be opposition in all things so that we may know the difference. It isn't supposed to be easy here all the time. He also talked about...

This lady is a powerhouse! She talks about so many people who have been good to her and for her. She talks about them being powerful in her life in a variety of ways. I think she must be good at taking the good from people and incorporating it into the way she lives her life. She recognizes that paths cross for a reason. She knows that Heavenly Father gave her an Indigenous heritage because those...

I had this episode in my pocket for a while because my June was super busy. So as I relistened to all the things Ken Shields shared, I was humbled again. He, like our Apostles and Prophets today, is old and therefore can see things better. He can see the value of the lessons his parents taught him. He can see that holding on the Gospel of Jesus Christ is hard but worth it. He can see that the Holy...