Hello everyone! We are back with a new episode for Season 2!

On today’s show, I speak with Dennis Conforto.

Dennis is an author, a Keynote Speaker, an investor, has founded multiple businesses, invented the UPC code, and so much more that we just can’t get into with the scope of this podcast. We do talk to Dennis about his service as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York City mission from 1973 to 1975. (Sometimes referred to as the Mormon Church.) I think that you’ll enjoy his incredible story.

And in my missionary minute, I talk about carrying on.

So let’s get to it!

----- Tune in to the show -----

Support the Maggie Bringhurst memorial scholarship in communications at The University of Utah:

https://ustarter.utah.edu/o/university-of-utah-39/i/ustarter/s/the-maggie-anne-bringhurst-memorial-scholarship-in-communication-wkgiotvou

A movie about Dennis Conforto:

https://vimeo.com/130379274

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Hello everyone! On today’s show, I speak with Dusty Smith who served in the Honduras, Tegucigalpa Mission from 1984 to 1986. Dusty has a pretty amazing story and while the podcast focuses on mission stories, his before mission and post-mission story had to be told as well. Dusty is a convert to the church, served a mission, left the church, became very vocal calling himself an anti-Mormon for many years, and eventually found his way back to the Church. His story was featured in an LDS living article and Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf, then President Uchdorf even spoke about Dusty’s experience in General Conference, though his name was changed for the talk.  If you’re like me, you’ll probably want to go back listen to that again. I’ll put the link in the show notes, but it was the October priesthood session of General Conference in 2016.

And in my missionary minute, I talk about heeding them not.

--- listen to podcast ---

A big thanks to my new friend Dusty Smith and a thank you to Dave Johnson a former guest who connected us.

In today’s missionary minute --- I first heard about Dusty Smith on Nick Galettie’s LDS Missioncast podcast. I kept thinking about his story and about four years ago I decided to write a blog post about it, back when I was blogging pretty regularly. So I blogged about it. Then something happened that had never happened before with any of my other posts. I wouldn’t say that it went viral, but it exploded. It got circulated on Reddit in some groups that were less than favorable to the Church. I started getting a slew of mean messages. They attacked everything about me from my writing to my story, to my pictures that I had posted, to my looks, and pretty much anything you could imagine.   It really took me back and I kept re-reading it to see if I had said something terrible.

In the post, I told the story about Dusty.  I told of how I had become inactive for a few years during my teenage years. I told of how my mom got rebaptized into the Church after being out of it for a number of years. Then I wondered what it was that brought us all back to the Church.

The gist of the post was that we as family and friends of those who have left the faith could do nothing but love them, and then let God tug at the hearts of those who have gone to other paths. The Spirit would be what ultimately brings people back to the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church. We must simply love unconditionally. And for some reason, that created a lot of hate mail.

Thank you for joining me today. I will be taking a break for a while during the summer. So, until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

Links:

https://www.ldsliving.com/the-miracles-that-led-one-attorney-to-become-a-member-of-the-church-he-hated/s/86542

https://rockymountainsunshine.com/2018/05/12/anti-mormon-losing-faith-being-inactive/

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/learn-from-alma-and-amulek?lang=eng

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Hello everyone! 

On today’s show, I speak with Braden Stutz who served in the California, San Jose Mission from 2016 to 2018

And in my missionary minute, I talk about returning home early from a mission and not serving a misison.

So let’s get to it!

-- Listen to the podcast! --

A big thanks to my new friend Braden Stutz.

In today’s missionary minute --- I talk about those who have not served missions.

I know that obviously, this podcast focuses on missionary service. Most of the people I’ve spoken with have served full-time missions. Braden I think is the first who I’ve interviewed who came home early.  I wanted to mention that just as he said, he felt that he had completed his mission. I agree wholeheartedly. There is nothing magical about 24 months for men and 18 months for women. Many of us remember a time when the men served for 18 months. Some may remember other various lengths of time.  If someone comes home early, for whatever reason it may be, we should be gracious and thank them for serving. It’s just like someone who served in the military. If they end up only serving in the military for a short time, we still thank them for their service. It’s the same with missionaries. Any offering they give should be met with gratitude. When physical, mental, or other issues arise and it requires that they return home, they have enough to deal with. We can help make their return home a happy one.

The other thing I wanted to touch on is that I hope that this podcast doesn’t make those who did not have an opportunity to serve a mission, for whatever reason, feel bad.

My wife is one of the most spiritual people I know. She also knows the scriptures way better than I do. And she did not serve a mission. She’s been a fantastic mother. She teaches early morning seminary. She’s served by my side as a ward missionary while I was the ward mission leader. I’ve tried to keep up with her, not vice-versa. She felt directed by the Spirit to not serve a mission. President Nelson recently spoke on this at the last general conference saying that for women, it’s a powerful yet optional opportunity. I think young women should prepare to serve, but then the Spirit will guide them toward serving a mission or what their path should be. I know others including men who did not serve because they joined the Church later in life or were inactive during the time when they would have gone on a mission. I wouldn’t want anyone to feel like this podcast belittles their Church service.  We have several Apostles who did not serve missions including Presiden Nelson and President Eyring.

I hope that this podcast does inspire young men to prepare to serve a mission and I hope that it helps young women to prepare for and then pray about a mission. For us who are past that young 18 to 19-year-old age, I hope it rekindles the missionary fire in you if you did serve a mission, and if you didn’t, I hope it gives you the desire to be an everyday member-missionary, and maybe prepare to serve as a senior missionary or service missionary. Please know that my intention for the podcast is not to compare people based on whether they served or not. I simply loved my mission and I love hearing about other people’s missionary experiences.

Well, that’s about it for today’s show.

If you liked the show, please subscribe so that you are notified when new episodes come out. We would also appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast in Apple podcasts, or share it with a friend.

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Hello everyone! On today’s show, I speak with Dave Johnson who served in the North British Mission in England from 1969 to 1971

And in my missionary minute, I talk about being a lifelong missionary.

So let’s get to it!

--- Listen to episode ---

A big thanks to my new  friend Dave Johnson

In today’s missionary minute I was thinking about some of the conversations I had with Dave leading up to recording the episode. His son Nate listens to the show and connected us. One of the things that impressed me was that Dave was just as excited to talk about the friend he baptized before his mission, about being a stake missionary and the friends he baptized after his mission. For him, he really took to heart what President David O. McKay used to say, that every member is a missionary.

I remember that I was so fired up about missionary work on my mission and realized that I had not been a great missionary before my mission. I had one friend who was not a member of the church who I had some discussions with and I gave him a Book of Mormon before leaving on my mission. I don’t know if I did much more than that. After my mission, I think that I’ve been better, but I know that I could have done better and still can do better.

I think that there have been too many times where I was “work Jason,” and then I was “member of the Church Jason” on the weekend. Not that I was breaking the commandments or anything, but I have sometimes avoided telling someone what I was doing that weekend when they’ve asked me. I may have had plans to go to the temple, and someone who was not a member of our faith asked me what my plans were for the weekend, and I would skirt that and say, yard work or something. Instead of taking the opportunity to tell them about things that are really important to me. I think that I was overly cautious with some of my employees, worrying that they might perceive me as being biased toward employees or seeming like I’m discriminating based on their church affiliation or activity. And frankly just not knowing the boundaries of what I could say as their employer without getting into some hot water by sharing my religion.

Through the years my wife probably has been a better missionary. She never got the chance to serve a full-time mission, though she would have loved to.

Also, I think a lot of times I’ve thought, well, they wouldn’t understand. And that might be true. But it’s no reason to not tell someone about what things I am doing with the church or even the fact that I’m going to church on Sunday.

Through the years I’ve gotten better at telling people about my faith. In fact, I just invited a neighbor to come to church this past week. He didn’t come. And that’s OK. We are still friends. We’ve given a Book of Mormon to another neighbor. And they still practice another religion. And that’s OK. We’ve invited neighbors to a child’s baptism. And they didn’t come. And that’s OK. I think the important thing is to not hide anything under a bushel so to speak. My neighbors today know where we go to church and at least know a little about what we believe.

I love the direction Elder Uchtdorf has given, telling us to share what the Church and gospel mean to us in natural and normal ways. If someone asks a question, then the opportunity is wide open to let those conversations happen.

Well, that’s about it for today’s show.

If you liked the show, please subscribe so that you are notified when new episodes come out. We would also appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast in Apple podcasts, or share it with a friend.

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Hello everyone! On today’s show, I speak with Brent Basden who served in the Colombia, Cali mission from 1986 to 1988

And in my missionary minute, I talk about living the gospel.

So let’s get to it!

-- Listen to Episode! --

A big thanks to my good friend Brent Basden. As you can imagine, the Basden family is well-loved in our ward and stake.

In today’s missionary minute I wanted to share a little more about Brent’s story. I had heard about Brent’s conversion story from my wife Jen previous to ever moving to Port Angeles, WA. The girl that he dated was actually my sister-in-law, Jen’s sister, and the family that he spoke about is my wife’s family, so they have an interesting history and tie to the story. What I find fascinating is that my sister-in-law, Terra, just seemed to be living the gospel. She followed the Church standards. The family lived a gospel-centered life and they were very close. That was one of the things that piqued Brent’s interest in the Church. It was how he felt in their home. It was the love that he saw among them.

I think that we can sometimes underestimate the power of example. Ye shall know them by their fruits.

There is a light about a young worthy member of the Church. They have the light of Christ in them. President Nelson has talked about turning our homes into sanctuaries of faith. Others can feel that Spirit when they come into your home.

Now Brent’s family are good people with good Christian values. President Hickley said, ”Bring with you all the good that you have, and then let us see if we can add to it.” I think that is what we see here. Brent came from a good family with good values and a solid teaching of Jesus Christ. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ adds to that. It enriches that. It adds eternal marriage, temples, and covenants with God.

When we moved to Port Angels, Brent was then President Basden. He was the stake president. He called me to be a counselor in the bishopric with Bishop Woodhouse, who I eventually replaced when he was released.

My inlaws went from seeing him as a nice young man who was a non-member dating one of their daughters, to joining the Church, to serving a mission, to going to BYU, to marrying a Char who he met at BYU, to getting a JD from BYU, to moving back to Port Angeles and serving in the Church in various callings and then servings as their bishop and then their stake president.

Brent was released as stake president after serving 9-10 years, I don’t remember exactly how long.

About a year later when I was called as bishop, I was praying about counselors I had his name come to my mind immediately. I tried to put it out of my mind because he had previously served as a bishop and stake president. It didn’t seem like I should call him as a counselor. I actually felt bad about even considering him.  But then a scripture came to my mind. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  And I had my answer. I knew who I wanted to call as one of my counselors. And as a side note, the other counselor who was a previous guest Matt Kiddle also came to my mind immediately, but I just didn’t have the same concerns that I had with Brent.

So there you have it. Our lives are intertwined and we never know who we might influence just by following the commandments, following the prophet, and in every way following our Savior Jesus Christ.

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.

Hello everyone! On today’s show, I speak with Michelle Pearson who served in the Ukraine, Donetsk Mission from 2006 to 2008. I think that you’ll love hearing about her experiences and what she’s doing now to help the people she loves in Ukraine with her non-profit https://www.collectiverelief.org/

And in my missionary minute, I talk about the Lord knows the end from the beginning.

So let’s get to it!

-- Listen to the episode of the Go Ye Forth Podcast! --

A big thanks to my new friend Michelle Pearson. I loved hearing about her mission experience. She was a wonderful missionary and continues to serve the people of Ukraine.

In today’s missionary minute ….

I have to kind of laugh at myself because I often will stop recording the episode, and then sometimes I have these great conversations with our guests and I wish that I would have put that into the show! So Michelle and I were talking after we had recorded the episode and she said, I have friends who are living in bomb shelters and I was heading off to the gym, and it just all felt so unimportant. That was part of the motivation of starting her non profit organization Collective Relief.  https://www.collectiverelief.org/  

If Michelle had judged the success of her mission on what happened during those 18 months, she would not have even scraped the surface of the force for good that her and her husband would be for the people of Ukraine.  And if she had thought that maybe her mission was not really the right place for her, with her background in Thailand, she wouldn’t have met her husband and had the experiences that led her to a place where she could help Ukrainians in 2022. Michelle said that her mission changed the course of her entire life. But she didn’t know that would happen back when she submitted her mission papers, or when she opened her call, or when she landed in Ukraine, or when she came home to South Jordan. She saw glimpses of how it would change her, but she’s just now seeing some of the reasons why God assigned her to serve as a missionary in Ukraine in 2006. God knows the end from the beginning. We just need to do our best to follow His Spirit as it guides us.

Well, that’s about it for today’s show.

If you liked the show, please subscribe so that you are notified when new episodes come out. We would also appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast in Apple podcasts, or share it with a friend.

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.

https://www.youtube.com/c/MichellePearson

https://www.collectiverelief.org/

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Hello everyone! On today’s show, I speak with Cydne Baker who served in the Illinois, Nauvoo Mission from 2019 to 2020

And in my missionary minute, I talk about pioneering.

So let’s get to it!

--- Listen to Podcast! ---

A big thanks to my friend Cydne Baker! Their family was close to ours in our previous ward. I served in a bishopric with her father Don who was the bishop and just had a blast serving together. My daughters were in young women with Cydne’s mom Lisa and also primary. They are just a fantastic family and they have such a great legacy of missionary work.

In today’s missionary minute …  I was just thinking how Cydne would have never imagined as she went out to serve on her mission that she would be a part of pioneering a brand new way to share the gospel? Something that had never been done before.

When the time was right, the Spirit directed them in new ways to open up virtually visiting these important Church historical sites to the world.

With God all things are possible. I know that we will continue to see God’s hand in this wonderful missionary work as the gathering of Israel continues to unfold in the latter days.

Well, that’s about it for today’s show.

If you liked the show, please subscribe so that you are notified when new episodes come out. We would also appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast on Apple podcasts, or share it with a friend.

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Ken grew up in Southern California and Hawaii. After serving a 2-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Portugal, he attended BYU, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising. His favorite thing about college was being part of The Garrens, BYU’s first-ever sketch comedy and improv troupe. This is also where he met his wife Katie, and that’s where they fell in love. And now, almost 27 years later, they still perform together at ComedySportz, in Provo.

After graduating from BYU, Ken and his family moved to Las Vegas, where they lived for 14 years, before moving back to Utah. They have eight children – 5 girls and 3 boys, as well as a son-in-law, a recent daughter-in-law, and a three-month-old grandbaby, Jackson.

Ken spent most of his career in advertising, but for the last five years, he has worked in the Philanthropies department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You might recognize Ken as the bishop from the movie Once I Was a Beehive and the sequel Once I Was Engaged, or occasionally in a commercial or Church training video – you know if you are super into training videos. Additionally, Ken has just completed his first book – Faith, Fatherhood & Food – available on Amazon.

Whew! If that wasn’t enough, you get my bona fide approval of Ken Craig being an all-around good egg and I’m excited for you to hear about his mission today.

And in my missionary minute, I talk about ….being a part of a great work!

So let’s get to it!

--- Listen To Podcast ---

A big thanks to my friend Ken Craig.

In today’s missionary minute … I love the scripture D&C 64:33

Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Missions are filled with lots of small things and occasionally you get to see the results and get a bigger picture of the great work that you are a part of. With time I’ve been able to see that I was part of a much bigger and greater work than I was aware of when I was serving back in 1991 to 1993. That is true in life. It’s not often when we have the ability to see the results of the work that we are doing today. Instant gratification is not something you really have in a lot of as you go about doing missionary work. People say sometimes that you are planting seeds. And if you’ve ever planted seeds, they take time to grow. That’s a good analogy because it takes time to have hearts turn to the Lord. And yes, occasionally someone is ready, but maybe they had several contacts or touches with other missionaries, members of the church or God has been tugging at their heart, the Spirit has been touching them, and then they are ready to turn their lives over to God and follow the Savior. We often are part of a great work, but we don’t recognize it. But God puts us in the places when and where He needs us.

Well, that’s about it for today’s show.

If you liked the show, please subscribe so that you are notified when new episodes come out. We would also appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast on Apple podcasts, or share it with a friend.

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Hello everyone! On today’s show, I have a very special guest! I speak with my daughter, Julienne Bringhurst who served in the Nebraska, Omaha Mission from 2016 to 2018. This episode is also a little birthday present for my wife. So happy birthday Jen! I sure love you!

And in my missionary minute, I talk about how great shall be their joy.

So let’s get to it!

--- Listen to the podcast! ---

A big thanks to my daughter Julienne Bringhurst. She just finished a semester at BYU Idaho and had time to do an interview. It was a blast reminiscing about her mission and getting her perspective.

In today’s missionary minute I was thinking about the scripture  …

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

There is an immense joy that comes from serving a mission. And there is an incredible joy that you have as a parent watching your child grow and flourish, watching their testimony grow. And then watching them see people come into the waters of baptism and embracing the gospel, and getting on the gospel path and the covenant path back to their heavenly father.

How great was my joy! What a blessing life is. I look forward to other children and one-day grandchildren serving missions. What an amazing legacy we leave our posterity by serving a mission for the Lord Jesus Christ in His Church as we feed His sheep and share the good word of the restored gospel. 

Well, that’s about it for today’s show.

If you or someone you know has served a mission and you think that they would be a fun guest for the show, please contact me @ [email protected] 

If you liked the show, please subscribe so that you are notified when new episodes come out. We would also appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast on Apple podcasts, or share it with a friend. 

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest. 

Follow our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/goyeforthpodcast/

Hello everyone! On today’s show, I speak with Daniel Ortner who served in the Russia, Novosibirsk Mission from 2010 to 2012. He has an interesting conversion story and has some great insights and experiences from his mission.

And in my missionary minute, I talk about a transformative experience.

So let’s get to it!

---- Listen to Podcast! ---

A big thanks to my new friend Daniel Ortner. Daniel just reached out and said that he’d like to share his mission experience and I’m so happy that he did because he has such an amazing story to share.

In today’s missionary minute …. Daniel used a word to describe his mission. Transformative. That’s the exact word that I have used in describing my mission. If I could have known what my mission would do for me, I would have never even second-guessed it. I felt like I was supposed to go, but I had absolutely no idea how significant that decision would be for me. I have said many times, almost every good thing that has happened to me in my adult life can be traced back to me serving a mission. I won’t go into detail because then the missionary minute will turn into the missionary hour, but honestly, it was transformative for my life and that is why I am so passionate about missions and feel like every young man and young woman would be blessed by serving and would bless others by their service. I was very happy when President Nelson said in the April General Conference, “I reaffirm STRONGLY that the Lord has asked every worthy able young man to prepare for and serve a mission.” He went on to say that it is a priesthood responsibility and that the youth have been reserved for this time. He added, “For you young and able sisters, a mission is a powerful but optional opportunity.“  I simply say, Amen.

Well, that’s about it for today’s show.

If you or someone you know has served a mission and you think that they would be a fun guest for the show, please contact me @ [email protected]

If you liked the show, please subscribe so that you are notified when new episodes come out. We would also appreciate it if you could rate and review the podcast in Apple podcasts, or share it with a friend.

Thank you for joining me today. Until next time, wax strong in the gospel my friends!

This is not an official production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opinions expressed are by the host and guest.