8 Ways to Find the True Spirit of Christmas

Justina McCandless Church History, Family History, Family Trips, Inspirational Quotes, Overcoming Adversity, Testimonies, Wonderful Women

What is the True Spirit of Christmas? December comes just once a year. If we’re not careful it can pass us by in a frenzied whirlwind of ribbons, packages, and parties. Or, for some, it may seem like a month just like any other. Nothing special. Neither of those scenarios sound like a fun Christmas!…

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First Home in Nauvoo

Justina McCandless Family History, Inspirational Quotes, International Travel

This week I learned about an early Latter-day Saint named Theodore Turley. It turns out we are distantly related! In his autobiography he wrote, “I came to Nauvoo with Joseph Smith the Prophet and built the first house that was built by a Mormon in Nauvoo.”1 I was intrigued by the phrase “first house” because…

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Hoping for Home

Justina McCandless Inspirational Quotes, International Travel

I have been thinking about the meaning of home. What makes a home? A house? A person? A family? A neighborhood? A community? A church? A country? A language? A culture? This question is important to me because my family and I recently moved from Germany to America. Ever since we got married my husband…

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