Looking back at the first year of the podcast!  What are your takeaways?

Yangzi Jin grew up in Wuhan, China, and after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States as an exchange student, served a mission on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. One day, she received an assignment to give a Mandarin tour to a blind teenage boy, Conner Green, who had recently been adopted by a Utah family. Conner and Yangzi’s connection to their hometown and language fueled their friendship, and the seeds of testimony for Conner as he heard the gospel of Jesus Christ read to him one verse at a time. Yangzi first read the Book of Mormon in October 2005 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on December 31, 2005. Conner was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 13, 2014 and listened to Yangzi read the Book of Mormon to him through audio recordings in 2016.  Alma 32:42-43 Mosiah 14:5

Growing up in Mexico, Diana Angulo noticed how much of her country’s history seemed to point to the Book of Mormon and to Jesus Christ, who had appeared to the inhabitants of the Americas after his resurrection. Reading the book, she learned that she too was a part of the remnant of the House of Israel that Christ spoke of, and that identity guided her as a full-time missionary and in writing the lyrics to a song she went on to compose. Diana grew up reading the Book of Mormon! 1 Nephi 15:14 Escrituras y Música Info on the House of Israel

Vincenzo di Francesca (1888-1966) was on his way to a pastor’s house one cold, winter morning of 1910 in New York City when he saw a book lying on a barrel of ashes, its leaves blowing in the wind. When he picked it up, he saw there was no frontispiece, and the book was unnamed. Flipping through it, he saw the names Mosiah, Lamanite, Isaiah, and others, and wondered what it could be. Vincenzo lived by the teachings of this book for twenty years in the face of ridicule, not knowing where it had come from, and spent another twenty trying to join the Church, experiencing what seemed like insurmountable obstacles to do so. Vincenzo first read the Book of Mormon in 1910 in New York City, and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 18, 1951 at Imerese, Italy.  "I Will Not Burn the Book!" Ensign 1988  Moroni 10:4-5 Alma 7:10 Vincenzo's words were recorded by Tommaso Cardullo

When the Timpview High School seminary council in Provo, Utah had the students write their testimonies and mailing addresses in copies of the Book of Mormon, Sean Dixon joined in, not thinking much of it until 1989 when a letter came in the mail from Pakistan addressed to Sean. Somehow, his testimony had made its way all the way to Stephen Anjum, a Pakistani Christian. Sean and Stephen became pen pals for seventeen years before meeting each other for the first time, and over the course of thirty years, Stephen’s missionary efforts spread like wildfire. Sean grew up reading the Book of Mormon, and Stephen first read it in Pakistan in 1988.  Alma 37:6

Over six feet tall at age fifteen and professional basketball in his sights, Ricky Stafford was finding his mojo as a freshman in high school when his world seemed to shatter overnight. Suddenly diagnosed with leukemia, Ricky was admitted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah to start treatment. What started as a major setback turned into a gift when he opened the scriptures with real intent for the first time. Ricky grew up reading the Book of Mormon, and turned to it while he was in the hospital with leukemia at age fifteen.  Ether 12:27

Growing up on Long Island, New York in an Irish Catholic family, Maureen Sederberg went to Catholic schools, and from her family dinner conversations, learned to ask questions. As the years went by, she drifted away from religion, and into the fashion industry with her husband. It wasn’t until the birth of her first child, Samantha, that she felt the weight of responsibility to decide whether or not her baby would be baptized. She searched and searched, and as a last resort, pulled the Book of Mormon off the shelf. Maureen first read the Book of Mormon in 1981, and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1984.  Moroni 8:8-12 Ether 6:8-10 & 12

When Minnie Budd read the Book of Mormon for the first time in Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1950, she knew it was true, but there were no missionaries or other members of the Church in the town, nor could she get baptized for seven years. That didn’t stop her, however. She started sharing the book with everyone she met, and began running church meetings from her house, not knowing how far reaching her efforts would be.  Minnie first read the Book of Mormon in 1950 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October of 1957. 4 Nephi 1:12

Exactly two hundred years ago, the teenage Joseph Smith, Jr. kneeled down to pray after a day’s work on the Smith family farm. The heavenly messenger sent in response to his prayer bore news of an ancient record on golden plates buried in the ground and of Joseph’s prophetic call to translate them. Matthew C. Godfrey, former managing historian of the Joseph Smith Papers, explains what happened that night, adding his own experience with the Book of Mormon at age seventeen. Matt was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age eight, and learned how to read by reading the Book of Mormon at age four.  Moroni 10:3

As told by historian Susan Easton Black, converts to the Church of Jesus Christ in the 1800s when Joseph Smith was prophet, had heard about the record found near the Smith family farm. Whether they saw the plates themselves or held the printed Book of Mormon in their hands and gained an immediate testimony of it, none of them would ever deny the veracity of the record, whether they stayed or fell away from the Church. Converts mentioned in this episode are: William Huntington (1784-1846) Jared Carter (1801 – 1849) Noah Packard (1796-1860)  Parley P. Pratt (1807 – 1857) Oliver Cowdery (1806 – 1850) David Whitmer (1805 – 1888) Martin Harris (1783 – 1875) Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809 – 1836) Christian Whitmer (1798 – 1835) Jacob Whitmer (1800 – 1856) John Whitmer (1802 – 1878) Hiram Page (1800 - 1852) Joseph Smith, Sr. (1771 – 1840)  Hyrum Smith (1800 – 1844) Samuel H. Smith (1808 - 1844) Lucy Mack Smith (1775 – 1856)  Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844) For more testimonies of early converts to the Church, refer to Susan's book Stories from the Early Saints: Converted by the Book of Mormon (1992) Susan first read the Book of Mormon when she was eleven years old.  1 Nephi 1:1

Growing up in the heart of the Guatemalan Civil War of 1960-1996, Amanda Barrios McPeek wasn’t accepted by her own family or the people in her town of Parramos, because of the way she looked. When she came across the missionaries in Antigua, and read the Book of Mormon for the first time, she not only learned that God accepted her and loved her, but that she was his daughter. Amanda first read the Book of Mormon in November of 1996, and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 5, 1997    2 Nephi 26:33

Stephen Jones' parents got married and joined the Church in 1979 in the southern United States, and both decisions were met with some disdain. Whether it was weakness, preconceived notions, or the law, they held onto the Book of Mormon, and looking to their faith, Stephen learned to turn to the book too.  Stephen first read the Book of Mormon in the 1990's at age twelve, after being baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age eight.  2 Nephi 4:17-20

An aspiring rabbi, Jason Olson was studying at Hebrew High School in Scottsdale, Arizona in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. When talk of the Messiah started circling, Jason brought his questions to the high school lunchroom where he would discuss the topic with his friends. One day, he had a copy of the Book of Mormon in his hands, and unwilling to give it back to his friends or be found with it in his possession at home, he decided the only way to dispose of it would be to burn it… but, something stopped him in his tracks. Jason first read the Book of Mormon in November of 1999 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 16, 2003 3 Nephi 9:19-20 3 Nephi 15:6-8

Jerusalem was the place of Lindsey Perlman’s dreams as an observant Jew, but by the time she made it there, she had already come across a church she also wanted to attend on Shabbat, but logistically couldn't. She was led to this church when, while studying Hebrew, the words of the prophets, and rabbinic teachings, she began reading another book; a book about the House of Israel, covenants, and the greatest rabbi who ever lived.  Lindsey first read the Book of Mormon in 2016 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 29, 2022  2 Nephi 9:26 2 Nephi 9:53

Some of the first people David Taylor met on his mission in Peru were Chinese immigrant restaurant owners, and indigenous Peruvians who barely spoke Spanish. Unable to communicate with them and fueled by the fire of already mastering a foreign language, David started picking up phrases so he could speak with them, planting the seeds for the work he now does dubbing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Book of Mormon videos into indigenous languages. Had it not been for one Thursday morning during his junior year of high school when he read the Book of Mormon for the first time, David wouldn't be where he is today.  David first read the Book of Mormon on October 30, 2014 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on November 14, 2014 Watch this to see how the Scripture Video Project came to be! Moroni 10:4-5

When they first met at the Moscow Conservatory in the 1970s, Igor and Vesna Gruppman were both budding violinists absorbed in the world of music. What befell them when they made their way to the western banks of the United States would not only include the opportunities and freedom they were looking for, but also an instrument unlike any they had heard of before.  Igor and Vesna read the Book of Mormon for the first time around the summer of 1980 and were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shortly after Alma 29:9 3 Nephi 17:21-24

Growing up on a cattle ranch in South Africa, Judy Brummer lived among the indigenous Xhosa people, and their language was her language. The language, and her testimony, would bring her back to them as a missionary, and to translate the text of the book that had brought her to the waters of baptism.  Judy first read the Book of Mormon early in the year of 1979 and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 29, 1979 Moroni 10:7

Despite Paul Alan Cox’s congenital illness, he was sent to Samoa as a young missionary. The service rendered to him by a Samoan man coupled with his love for the Polynesian people, charted the course of his prolific career as an ethnobotanist, and a life practicing the healer's art. Paul read the Book of Mormon as a youth, and had completed reading it five times before leaving on his mission to Samoa on January 6, 1973 Ether 12:27 Mosiah 18:30 Mosiah 2:17 & 19 Alma 37:6

When the 2020 pandemic swept across northern Europe three years ago, Luke Hart was left without a job in a foreign country. While scrolling on Facebook one lonely day, he came across a video that led him to an unexpected discovery that would change his life. Luke first read the Book of Mormon in 2020 in Norway, and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 24, 2020 2 Nephi 29:11

Olga Campora was denied entrance to college in Czechoslovakia because she wasn't a communist. After reapplying with a new strategy, she was accepted, and introduced to yoga. One yoga practice after another, a holy book in her hands, and against all odds, Olga came across God. Olga first read the Book of Mormon in the fall of 1980 in the Czech Republic and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 11, 1981 Click to access the audio clip of Nicolae Ceausescu's speech about the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 used in this episode.  2 Nephi 2:25