Part II: Stephanie was surprised when her full-time missionary son was sent home early because of a diagnosis with depression and anxiety. She shares how she learned to reframe her perspective on her son and his mission, and how this reframing made her relationship with both her son and the Lord much stronger.

A member of the church in Sweden who has endured difficulties because of ulcerative colitis, Felix says that “the gospel came alive in the middle of great difficulty.” Rather than just being “nice words,” it became “real.” Felix uses the deep connection with God that was forged during times of loneliness to learn how to create connections with friends and family members who have chosen to leave the church. The more love he felt from God, the more he learned how to love others unconditionally.

David’s testimony was challenged when he read more about the history and development of the church. He shares how he dealt with those questions and how his own journey influences his parenting.

After being raised in mainland China, He He found and embraced the Gospel as a foreign exchange student. He explores how he maintains and nurtures his own unique testimony despite cultural differences.

As a young convert from New Jersey, Alex learned to resist the notion that she needed to be like other members of the church in order to be faithful. Alex describes finding confidence in a testimony that transcends culture.

An Oncologist and Professor at The Stanford Cancer Center, Tyler discusses how understanding the complicated reality of a life of faith, including dealing with church history, is similar to being vaccinated. He discusses how confronting complexity head-on, even though it was uncomfortable, helped him to handle and even appreciate the gap between experience and understanding.

Michael was raised in a large family in Bavaria, Germany. His grandparents were refugees from World War II. While he was raised in the church, when he was almost eighteen he made a deliberate choice to leave both his family and the church, partly because he didn’t feel a connection to God. After a few years away from the church, Michael began to explore his beliefs from a different perspective. Rather than just following his parents, he began to seek for and nurture his own connection with God. This deliberate paradigm shift allowed Michael to choose to believe for himself and to help others who were struggling to develop the type of constantly evolving faith that Michael had discovered.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist, Kellie talks about the dangers of black and white thinking. Through relating her own personal story about how she resists simplistic thinking, Kellie illustrates how we can encourage each other to deal with difficult concepts.

Jessica discusses how she developed non-binary thinking as she watched people she loves decide to leave the Church. Even though it wasn’t a simple process, she learned to resist judging or criticizing people who might choose to leave the Church and shares how she continues to foster relationships with them that are based on love and common interests.

Curtis didn’t expect to find God in a difficult family situation that included his father’s alcoholism, but he shares how learning about the Restoration helped him renew his confidence in both his Heavenly Father and his earthly one. The story Curtis shares will help you consider how to forgive those who have hurt you as well as what that difficult process can teach you about your relationship with the divine.