During the week of Aug. 6-12, the latest Church News video, titled “Preach My Gospel,” featured three members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland; and Elder Quentin L. Cook, who chairs the Church’s Missionary Executive Council — talking about the updated missionary manual. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at a religious congress in Brasília, Brazil, as well as presiding over a weekend of meetings with Church members.

Sunday School General President Mark L. Pace and his wife, Sister Anne Marie Pace, spoke to missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center. Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman joined the Church News podcast to talk about her life, experiences, writing, testimony and feelings for Latter-day Saint youth.

The Utah Area Young Single Adult “Together in Christ” conference kicked off with a concert featuring OneRepublic. Deseret Industries celebrated its 85 anniversary. The Church members on the Hawaiian island of Maui joined with the community to mourn, assess damage and provide after raging brush fires fueled by hurricane-force winds devastated communities on the island.

The Church announced the reopening of Yigo Guam Temple for temple worship and work as well as online reservations for the Okinawa Japan Temple open house. After two years of delays, the British Pageant took place the first two weeks of August on the Preston England Temple grounds.

Read summaries and find links to these nine articles below.

1. 3 Apostles talk about the impact of ‘Preach My Gospel’

In a Church News video titled “Preach My Gospel,” President M. Russell Ballard, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder Quentin L. Cook talk about the updated missionary manual.

Screenshot from YouTube.com

This Church News video, titled “Preach My Gospel,” features three members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — President Ballard, Elder Holland, Elder Cook — talking about the updated missionary manual during interviews recorded in June 2023.

“Preach My Gospel,” said Elder Holland, “may well be that this is the best organized manual we have in the Church on how to study the gospel, how to feel the gospel and embrace it personally, and then to share it with others.”

2. Elder Soares visits Brazil, praises religious freedom as foundation for peace

A sister excitedly greets Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after he spoke at a multistake conference in Maceió, Brazil on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023. Jon Ryan Jensen

Jon Ryan Jensen, Church News

Less than a week after arriving in Brazil’s capital city of Brasília to welcome the country’s media and VIPs to the Church’s recently completed temple there, Elder Soares traveled north and east to preside over a weekend of meetings with Church members.

Elder Soares also spoke at a religious congress in Brasília on Tuesday, Aug. 8, and met with missionaries.

At the religious conference, Elder Soares said “everyone is born with a sense of fairness” that comes in the form of a “God-given instinct” to help individuals make good choices and support one another.

3. President and Sister Pace teach importance of prayer, scripture study at MTC devotional

Sunday School General President Mark L Pace and his wife, Sister Anne Pace, speak with a missionary after his devotional at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday August 8, 2023.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News

Teaching out of “Preach My Gospel,” President Pace led missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center in a companionship study that emphasized the importance of prayer in their work.

His wife, Sister Pace, taught scripture study strategies and the blessings of regular scripture study.

Whether it is writing from ancient prophets or general conference messages from modern prophets, seers and revelators, “My soul is filled, my mind is enlightened and [the scriptures] are delicious to me when I read and study,” she said.

4. New Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman hopes to create a community of young women who feel connected to the Savior

President Emily Belle Freeman, Young Women general president, joins the Church News podcast to talk about her life, experiences, writing, testimony and feelings for Latter-day Saint youth.

Screenshot from YouTube

President Freeman joined the Church News podcast to talk about her life, experiences, writing, testimony and feelings for Latter-day Saint youth.

She began her service as the Church’s Young Women general president on Aug. 1. President Freeman, who was sustained during April 2023 general conference, said she has spent many hours pondering her new role since receiving the calling from President Russell M. Nelson.

5. Church responding with relief after Hawaii wildfires

A wildfire burns in Kihei, Hawaii late Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Thousands of residents raced to escape homes on Maui as blazes swept across the island, destroying parts of a centuries-old town in one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in recent years.

Ty O’Neil, Associated Press

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are joining with the rest of the community to mourn, assess damage and provide relief from the deadly wildfires that struck the Hawaiian island of Maui — almost destroying the entire town of Lahaina and causing countless other damages.

As of Saturday afternoon, News reports listed the death toll at 80 people, but Maui government officials believe that number may rise. Among the dead are five Latter-day Saints, including four members of the same family, reported a news release from ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

The Kahului Hawaii and Kahului Hawaii West stake centers are open to the community and providing water, basic necessities and hot meals to anyone in need. Supplies will be sent to Maui from the bishops’ storehouse in Honolulu.

6. ‘Together in Christ’: The ‘unprecedented’ OneRepublic concert for young single adults

Concertgoers join for a group hug at the “Together in Christ” concert at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. The concert kicked off the Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference.

Megan Nielsen, Deseret News

A concert with OneRepublic seemed to be the right choice in kicking off the Church’s monthlong Utah Area Young Single Adult conference.

Many young adults at the “Together in Christ” concert called the event “unprecedented.” The Aug. 5 concert sold out weeks in advance and was relocated from Provo, Utah, to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. 

Nearly 13,600 attended the event, including a 1,000-person choir of young adults from Salt Lake City, Provo, Heber Valley and Vernal, who performed with opening artists Jordan Smith and Jordin Sparks.

7. A look at what’s changed — and what hasn’t — as Deseret Industries turns 85

The Saratoga Springs Utah Deseret Industries store.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

When Deseret Industries began in 1938, the United States was in a challenging time on the heels of the Great Depression. It was established in an “effort to provide opportunities for individuals to become self-sustaining,” according to a letter signed by the First Presidency and Presiding Bishopric dated Aug. 11, 1938 — 85 years ago.

The goals were to serve those in need, reduce waste, provide employment and provide low-cost items. 

8. Yigo Guam Temple reopens and Okinawa Japan Temple open house reservations begin

A rendering of the Okinawa Japan Temple.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Following a two-month closure to address typhoon damage sustained last May, the Yigo Guam Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has reopened for temple worship and work.

Reservations became available to book online to tour the Okinawa Japan Temple during the public open house via reservations.churchofjesuschrist.org. The public open house will be from Saturday, Sept. 23, through Saturday, Oct. 7, excluding Sundays, and reservations, which are recommended, are available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

9. How to see the British Pageant in England, in-person or via livestream

Actors and family cast members perform during the 2023 British Pageant in Chorley, U.K., the first week of August 2023.. The pageant shares the story of early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles. The pageant is the first two weeks in August 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The British Pageant took place from Aug. 2-5, and from Aug. 8-12, on the Preston England Temple grounds. The Friday, Aug. 11, performance was livestreamed on the British Pageant’s YouTube channel and stayed live for 48 hours.

“It has been 6 years since the last British Pageant in 2017, which has led to an excitement to gather and a need to retell these inspirational stories of our first missionaries and converts in the UK and Ireland,” pageant President Craig T. Wright wrote in a post on the British Pageant’s Facebook page.