Why We Believe

A depressed Palestinian teenager who thought God had abandoned her people found peace after following a prompting to attend BYU instead of accepting a $56,000 scholarship elsewhere. In this episode of Why We Believe with host Nathan Gwilliam, Sahar Qumsiyeh shares how she spent 12 years climbing 10-foot walls, hiding from soldiers, and paying watchmen to spot military shifts just to attend the Lat...

In this episode of Why We Believe,with host Nathan Gwilliam, award-winning songwriter Melanie Hoffman shares the canyon drive when words for Gethsemane hit her like a thunderbolt after months of fearing how to explain Christ's suffering to children. She sat at her kitchen table and words poured out as she wept through writing the bridge about the hardest thing ever done and the greatest pain ever...

In this episode of Why We Believe, speaker and author Leta Greene shares the moment her husband died in her arms at a hospital and a voice whispered about covenants before silvery light reanimated him. After moderate severe heart damage left him with less than five years to live, fifteen doctors witnessed a provable miracle when all dead heart tissue completely healed with no medical explanation....

In this episode of Why We Believe   with   host Nathan Gwilliam , professional entertainer Jason Hewlett shares how a bus full of strangers in Florianopolis , Brazil became his first audience for opening his mouth boldly. After the Spirit prompted him to sing "How Great Thou Art" in English on public transportation, that courage defined his mission and eventual career performing G-rated shows for...

In this episode of Why We Believe with host Nathan Gwilliam, discover the miraculous true stories behind gospel musician Garth Smith's sacred compositions. Each hymn arrangement carries personal testimony of divine intervention, from childhood prayers that brought angels to a bizarre 7-Eleven spiritual experience predicting adoption miracles twenty years before they happened. His music ministry em...

Professional MMA fighter Westin Wilson shares how listening to the Holy Ghost transformed his UFC career and what martial artists can teach us about spiritual discipline. From getting his first calling to teach self-defense at girls camp to receiving a prompting at a gas station that led to his UFC debut, Westin reveals how staying in tune with the Spirit opened doors he never expected. In this ep...

What happens when a homeless teenager eating from London trash cans encounters Latter-day Saint missionaries and transforms into an international recording artist who presents The Book of Mormon to the future King of England? Alex Boyé's journey through foster care, abandonment, and abuse became the foundation for an unshakable testimony that has taken him to stages worldwide. After his mother lef...

What happens when a woman who considered herself "human garbage" discovers she's actually a treasure worth saving? Jen Spencer spent two decades trapped in methamphetamine addiction and homelessness, convinced God hated her as much as she hated herself. Her warped understanding of repentance left her buried under mountains of shame, believing she was born bad and beyond redemption. In this episode...

What drives a young mother to travel alone to Romania and rescue orphaned children after watching a single TV show? Dr. Holly Joy Richardson's adoption journey began with undeniable spiritual confirmation that changed everything. After adopting 20 children from eight different countries and giving birth to four more, Holly became a fierce advocate for families while serving as a Utah state legisla...

What happens when a struggling LDS musician sits down at a church piano and receives one of the most beloved sacred songs ever written? Roger Hoffman's faith journey as a BYU employee turned acclaimed LDS composer seemed impossible until divine intervention changed everything. In this episode of the Why We Believe with host Nathan Gwilliam, discover the miraculous testimony behind "Consider the Li...

What happens when a teenage science lover discovers that DNA testing can unlock family secrets and spiritual truth? In this episode of Why We Believe with Nathan Gwilliam, meet Diahan Southard, founder of Your DNA Guide, who built three successful DNA businesses while helping thousands find their birth families. Her story includes converting to the LDS Church, becoming a RootsTech speaker, and usi...

When Bill Norton dropped out of high school and worked construction, no one predicted he'd become a constitutional scholar with a master's degree earned without ever getting a bachelor's. In this episode of Why We Believe with Nathan Gwilliam, Bill shares his transformation from an inactive teenager smoking cigarettes to a missionary called to study America's founding documents through direct reve...

What happens when a lifelong artist discovers something he loves even more than creating art? David Bowman thought that his whole life was laid out in front of him, an illustration career after graduating from BYU, however, one summer as an EFY counselor completely transformed his calling. In this episode of the Why We Believe with Nathan Gwilliam, David reveals the moment he realized his true cal...

What happens when an Air Force kid who struggled socially becomes a 15-year missionary with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? Michael Young shares his journey from childhood awkwardness through moving every few years to finding his voice on the world's stage. In this episode, Michael reveals the sacred experiences that come with being set apart as a missionary in the choir, performing for millions worl...

When a BMX accident at 14 ended Kelly Loosli's NFL dreams, it redirected his path toward animation and eventually to co-creating BYU's nationally recognized animation program. In this episode, Kelly shares how a spiritual experience while working on a church film led him to embrace missionary service in Portugal after initially rejecting it. After building a successful career at DreamWorks and Dis...

When an inactive teenager named Jason received an unexpected challenge from his bishop, who happened to be named Moroni, everything changed. After years away from church, this single conversation sparked a mission to France that transformed his entire life trajectory. But Jason's real test of faith came later as a father and bishop. In this episode, Jason shares his family's journey through his so...

What happens when a malnourished toddler abandoned on a Costa Rican mountain grows up with an unshakeable desire to return home? Ana Katia's story begins in a tin shack where she and her siblings survived alone for months while their mentally ill birth mother wandered for days. Adopted at age three and raised in America, Ana spent years making birthday wishes to "fly home" to Costa Rica. When she...

When tanks rolled through Dejan Tahic's hometown at 7 AM on what should have been a normal school day, his childhood ended instantly. This Bosnian teenager spent months separated from his parents across three different refugee camps, surviving on Red Cross donations while 100,000 people died in the civil war around him. After resettling in Canada speaking zero English, Dejan never expected that me...

What happens when a successful wedding photographer's perfect life crumbles into a federal indictment and maximum prison sentence? Portia Louder's story takes you through photographing 200 weddings a year, then hearing "84 months in federal prison" echo through a federal courtroom. But this isn't just another cautionary tale about mortgage fraud and poor choices. Inside those concrete walls, Porti...

Award-winning author Heidi Tucker never planned to write books until a vivid dream on an airplane changed everything. After battling severe postpartum depression that left her hiding under her baby's crib, she discovered how to transform life's darkest moments into sources of strength and service. Her latest book, "A Necessary Lie," tells the harrowing story of North Korean defectors and is now be...

What do you do when suicide claims both your father and your 19-year-old son? Former Fortune 500 top sales executive Lark Galley shares her journey through unimaginable grief and the unexpected spiritual experiences that followed. After losing her brilliant engineering student son Christian, Lark discovered that death wasn't the end of their relationship – it was the beginning of something deeper....

Professional artist and five-time American Ninja Warrior competitor Jenedy Paige shares her extraordinary journey through unimaginable heartbreak to unexpected strength. After losing her three-year-old son Victory in a tragic drowning accident, Jenedy found herself at a crossroads with her faith - choosing to show up to her relationship with God "just mad" rather than walking away. What followed w...

In this heartfelt conversation, author and speaker Brooke Romney shares how embracing imperfection led to deeper spiritual connections in her life as a mother of four boys. She recounts a pivotal moment when God personally assured her that temple attendance recommendations didn't apply to her season of life with a nursing baby, highlighting how faith must fit individual circumstances. Brooke discu...

Join host Nathan Gwilliam and Dr. Jamie Jensen of BYU for a thought-provoking conversation that bridges the gap between lab benches and living rooms. Discover how a leading biology education researcher uses the tools of science - surveys, videography, data - to hear God's voice on her own terms. Jamie unveils reasoning patterns that keep faith and evolution in harmony, from respecting each epistem...

In this episode of the Why We Believe Show, Kacey McCallister shares his journey after losing both legs in a tragic accident at just six years old. Raised with his parents' philosophy that "can't never did anything," Kacey developed incredible resilience-completing a 50-mile hike on his hands, winning wrestling competitions, and eventually serving a full-time mission in Arizona. He recounts how hi...