Connecting Goodness

Join Suzie Trepanier for a special episode about how she has seen God in her work with marriage and family therapy. Suzie is a counselor at Family Services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She is a doctoral candidate of Marriage and Family Therapy at Alliant International University and has her M.A. in Couple and Family Therapy from Alliant International University. Suzie is also a member of the Association for Play Therapy and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. 

Suzie shares about how she was led to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and how God is guiding us even when we don’t see it. Suzie provides a host of tools for families and individuals to use to strengthen their marriage and family relationships. She discusses how principles in marriage and family therapy support principles taught by Jesus Christ. Suzie also shares how working in this field has blessed her own family and that she has learned that Jesus Christ is Family. She says He is “the One Person” she can “depend on without question.”

In this episode of the "Connecting Goodness" podcast, Jessica Capito Dolberg shares her experiences with depression, chronic pain, and feeling the God’s love amidst the challenges in her life. Jessica shares many lessons she has learned in her mental health journey including how individuals with depression can talk about depression with their loved ones. She also gives practical advice for family and friends of individuals with depression and how they can be supportive and encouraging. Jessica shares a powerful story about remembering that she is a daughter of God and that her life has "meaning, purpose, and direction" during one of her darkest times. Jessica also shares how Christ is our Advocate and truly the Light of our lives. 

In this episode of the Connecting Goodness podcast, Heidi talks with her Boston bestie, Victoria Burnham!

Victoria shares her truly unique story that has taken her to Armenia, England, India, and across the Unites States. Victoria shares how God has guided her to move to these myriads of places and how the more she has done what God asks, the more she has learned to trust Him. She also shares what she has learned about moving forward amidst fear and doubt, and trusting promptings from God even when they don't seem logical. 

Finally, Victoria shares about her incredible visit to Israel in March 2024. During her time there she felt even more strongly that Christ is the Answer and truly our Prince of Peace. 
 

Boanerges Alcántara (Yúnior) y Awilda Karina Pineda Acosta (Karina) son una familia muy especial de la provincia de Barahona en la República Dominicana. En este episodio comparten sus historias conociendo a Jesucristo. Hablan de su experiencia perdiendo un bebe y como su creencia en Jesucristo y su enseñanza de las familias eternas les ha fortalecido. Yúnior comenta en cuanto al "machismo" y como Dios nos ha ensenado tratar a nuestros esposos. Karina y Yúnior también hablan de la mano de Dios en Batey, como les ha ayudado en sus trabajos y avanzar en sus testimonios. 

Join Jake Edwards, Jon Van Tassell, Katie Robison, and Heidi as they remember their experiences serving as missionaries in the Dominican Republic (DR) for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They talk about adjusting to life in the DR-including showering with cockroaches, learning Dominican slang, and constant blackouts! Jake talks about the moments of magic he encountered as he served with others focused on bringing people to Christ. Katie shares how an encounter with a man with a machete reminded her that Christ is always with us as our Constant Companion. Jon emphasizes that Jesus Christ is truly our loving Brother and that He wants us all to return and live with Him. Jake, Jon, and Katie talk about seeing Christ changes others’ lives as well as their own lives and how serving with Christ in the Dominican Republic continues to shape their lives today. 

In this episode, Rachel Chesney shares the incredibly personal story of her father leaving her family after 32 years of marriage and how she was able to see him as God does once she understood that Jesus Christ is our Advocate. Rachel talks about how her family embraced the idea that “the story is not over yet” and how God gives us grace and space to come to know Christ. Rachel’s father ultimately returned to their family and his faith. Rachel talks about how seeing others as Christ does has given her confidence that she is not lost to the Lord and that when she repents, He will forgive her, and they can move forward to “work on the next thing.”

Rachel also had the incredible opportunity to help with the “missionary movement” in 2020, relocating missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rachel speaks about how she was prepared during her time as a full-time missionary and in her profession in the hotel industry to be provided and prepared to serve in God’s kingdom “for such a time as this.” 

We hope you enjoy this episode and learn from Rachel’s story about Jesus Christ as our Advocate. 

Amber Olsen and Andrea Hardy talk with Heidi about growing up in San Diego, California together and how having friends that believed in Christ made all the difference during their childhood and teenage years. They remember watching the San Diego temple be built, attending seminary at 6:00 am every day, and how they supported each other growing up. Amber and Andrea reflect on how they have now been able to share their testimonies of Christ with their children and help them develop a relationship with Him. Finally, they discuss what it means to be "holy" and have our hearts centered on Jesus Christ. 

Narcisa “Manuela” Ramirez Sanchez comparte un testimonio sincero y sencillo de Jesucristo y cómo tener fe en Él durante los desafíos. Narcisa vive en la provincia de San Juan en la República Dominicana. Trabaja como maestra, tiene tres hijos, y es miembro de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. Narcisa habla de cómo Dios le ha ayudado durante sus desafíos. También comparte cómo conoció a La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días y como ha visto la mano de Dios en la República Dominicana. Narcisa comparte simplemente el poder de ser obediente a Jesucristo durante nuestros desafíos y como Él siempre está cerca a nosotros durantes estos tiempos difíciles. 

If you want to learn about how to minister like Jesus, listen to this episode! Emma and Morgan Mitchell are an Apartment Life Team at Shift Apartments in San Diego. They have worked in ministry together for 7 years. Emma and Morgan share memorable experiences from their work in ministry with youth and young adults. Morgan talks about ministering in a natural and normal way and Emma talks about the importance of loving others and consistently being in the lives of those we minister to. They discuss the diversity of church and how all are welcome at God's table. Finally, they share about how ministering to others like Christ ministers to us has blessed their lives, their family, and taught them more about Jesus Christ. They testify that He truly is "The good news" that we get to believe and to share. 

In this episode, Citra shares her journey of growing up in Indonesia in a family with different belief systems. She shares how her mother provided a faithful example of navigating family relationships and remaining true to her faith in Christ. Citra also speaks about her experience with divorce. She shares the difficulties and hardships of that experience as well as the "peace beyond understanding" she felt as she spent time with God. Citra emphasizes the importance of having a support system through friends, family, and neighbors in every phase of our lives and that she hopes that by sharing her story of faith in Christ, others can have "hope that with God nothing is impossible."