Can LARPing Change Your Life?

(Guest post by Ken)

Each year that I’ve brought my kids to Dallas Fan Expo, there is one absolute must-do activity: Jedi Padawan training, sponsored by the local chapter of the Saber Guild, a Star Wars live-action roleplay (LARP) organization. The kids line up and get practice sabers and are taught by what appear to them as 100% authentic Jedi some basic lightsaber moves and then have to pass a test of their skills. The Jedi training them then put on a combat show, facing off against some just-as-authentic looking Sith who interrupt the proceedings. 

The costumes and saber choreography are impressive each year and this year I took the time to talk with several of the participants and get to know them a bit better and learn about this Saber guild. What I learned was fascinating and reinforced for me the positive power that role-playing can have in multiple ways.

Why and how do people role-play? The reasons and means are broad and diverse. Roleplay can be basic and surface level; cosplay for example is, at its core, a very basic form of roleplay, and LOTS of people do that. Not just people who go to cons either—on October 31 most people you know suddenly become cosplayers and thus very basic role-players. But of course, the members of the Saber Guild I witnessed were roleplaying at a level far beyond cosplay. This was LARP-level in all its glory. 

LARPing comes in many forms and many fandoms, whether general medieval roleplays, or those tied to major franchises like Star Wars. The main difference between a cosplay and a full-fledged live-action roleplay is that with LARPing, you go beyond just dressing up and maybe adopting some behavioral tweaks. You become fully engaged in that role like an actor in a play, except there is no script. You’ve become a different person, an actual Jedi or Viking or wizard. You have an identity and you put yourself into that life. 

So again we ask why? Well, the surface level answer is: fun. People enjoy it and leaning into imagination is something that adults can enjoy as much as children. But there’s lots of reasons beyond just fun for some people. Speaking with members of the Saber Guild, for example, I learned various reasons why they would spend to give up hours and hours of time to learn saber arts and wear costumes, performing often at over twenty events per year, all while taking on a whole new personality and living like a Jedi or a Sith. Beyond the fun of it, some enjoy honing skills in combat or sewing. Some are there for the strong sense of community and friendship with their fellow Jedi or Sith. For others there is an even deeper therapeutic effect—being someone else for a while helps you decompress from the stress of your “real life,” and then go back to that life better able to face and handle it. 

Collectively the Saber Guild has a charitable purpose as well: at many of their events they raise money for Make-A-Wish Foundation, and they even help volunteer for Star Wars themed wish granting ceremonies for terminally ill children. That’s a level of LARPing that is changing the world for good. 

I admit my curiosity in Star Wars based LARPing was more relevant this year, as in an unexpected way I’ve found a similar thing unfolding in my own life. I’ve been working on getting back into exercise and wellness lately and signed up for an online fitness training course offered by Paul Clingan—who offers Star Wars themed workouts. He encourages participants to create an alter ego for themselves and train as if for the Grand Army of the Republic. He wears a trooper mask in the workout vids and leans into the Star Wars roleplay in all his content. At first it seemed cheesy or kitschy. Then I found myself really getting into it. And I realized that this little injection of fun and putting my mind into a different ego state required for roleplay made exercise the most enjoyable and motivated it’s ever been for me. In fact I’ve never been more consistent in my life at working out and have never pushed myself harder. 

I’ve made the mistake before of categorizing roleplay enthusiasts (and there are many communities from LARPers to “furries” and beyond) into a “weird” label. I hereby repent. I’m learning more than ever lately that a little roleplay goes a long way. It can aid therapy, motivation, and stress relief and even bring in money for ill children. Maybe we need to all relax and let a little more roleplay and imagination into our lives. Kids do this naturally and it’s one of the ways we’d all benefit from being a little more childlike. 

But I Can Carry You

“I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you.”

I’m not a huge Lord of the Rings fan (a cardinal sin, as a card-carrying geek, I know) but this line popped into my mind when praying about about my daughter last month, as the school year ended. We could tell she was having a hard time leaving preschool for kindergarten. She may not have been able to articulate her feelings, but my wife and I could tell she was acting out due to anxiety. I’m not sure how this line from Samwise Gamgee applies to me and her exactly… I know I can’t take the big feelings from her, but I wished I knew how to help carry her through this.

Since the school year is over and she started adjusting to summer break, it seems like she's doing much better. Still it's hard being a parent and seeing my kids struggle. It needs to happen and it's part of the experience of mortality, but that doesn't change the fact that it's hard. As she grows up, she'll learn to manage her anxious feelings. But still I can't get the thought out of head about carrying her load.

And that impression left me thinking about how Heavenly Father views us. Being all-powerful, it seems reasonable that God could take away the anxiety and challenges we encounter. But as much as I'd like my anxiety lifted away forever, I know that's not how the Plan of Salvation works. If Heavenly Father jumped in whenever I had a problem, I wouldn't learn anything. It's like if I could have kept my daughter in preschool, so that she wouldn't have to face the heartache of leaving her friends and her teacher. However, she's growing up and she needs to learn and grow more.

Bringing it back to my relationship with God... It's a struggle with my mental health and my anxiety, because I'd love for a respite in which my anxiety is taken away even for a time... but that's not how life works... 

“I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you.”

Heavenly Father can't take the pain away. Heartbreak, anxiety, and struggles are what help us grow and develop as children of God. Though He can't take it away, He can carry me. That's why He sent Jesus Christ to perform the Atonement. I'm still figuring out what it means for a loving God to "carry" me, because on a day-to-day basis it still feels like I'm carrying it alone. But as I look back, I can see the footprints in the sand, seeing where I felt alone, and remembering that He has carried me through experiences I thought would rip me apart from the inside.

So while I don't understand how He carries me, I can keep moving forward and keep trying... especially on the days I don't want to try.

LDS Geeks Podcast #43: Disney Parks (Part Two)

One of my favorite things about going to the Disney Parks is the character meet-and-greets. It touches part of the inner child that heals my soul (or something less cheesy perhaps). Regardless of the cheese factor, I hope you enjoy our discussion about some of our favorite characters.

--Spencer

How to Speed-Run a Comic Con

Heyo! Tyler here. It’s been a while since I’ve written for this blog. My last post was actually the last time I attended Fan Expo in Dallas (see my article “Bulbasaur at the Zoo”). I just barely graduated from medical school and have been trying to make the most of my time before I start residency. As part of that, I planned on attending Fan Expo in Dallas this year. However, I later found out that I had a family event that same day. The family event schedule was “perfectly imperfect” such that I would only be able to attend about 2 hours worth of the con if I wanted to get to my family on time.

I considered backing out. But the Fan Expo I had gone to two years ago had been so much fun, and I had missed the con last year due to schooling – who knows the next time I’d be able to go? I suddenly found myself relating my situation to something from my college days. I had a group of geek friends who I would hang out and play video game with. One time, we all watched a speed-run of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This was a game that I had played multiple times throughout my childhood. I was astounded to see the tricks people had figured out to complete the game in record time. As of today of me writing this article, the current world record to complete this game is 3 minutes, 47 seconds, and  900 milliseconds, something unfathomable to me, who spent hours playing through it. This memory then made me ask myself: “Is it possible to speed-run a comic con?”

Granted, there are certain mechanics that only work in a video game due to coding. (Sorry, no wall running or sequence breaking in real life). But what are the principles necessary to “speed-run” a comic con? Here are some of my ideas:

Evaluate Your Limitations

There many different rule sets for speed-runs depending on which game you are playing. For example, that 3m 47 s 900ms Ocarina of Time speed-run only got through the main storyline (called any “Any% speed-run,” not all collectibles required). However, there are other speed-runs that focus on completing every quest, collecting every collectible, achieving a 100% on the game (suitably called a “100% speed-run”). Super Mario 64 is a classic speed-run game to illustrate the difference between Any% and 100% speed-runs. Some people just try to make it to Bowser ASAP. Others only want to beat him after getting every single Star.

You have to figure out your own limitations with what time and resources you have, or just what you constraints you’d like to put on yourself for whatever reasons you have. 

Decide Your Priorities

Once you figure out your limitations, decide what is most important to you. What activities would make the experience feel like a success for you? There aren’t IRL “achievements” you unlock like on games, but you can decide for yourself, out of everything, what you want to focus on. Fan Expo runs over the course of 3 days. They pack the place with enough things to do to fill that time – celebrity meet-and-greets, cosplay meet-ups, panels, and so much more. In my case, I had 2 hours. I made the choice that I would focus on a few goals for that time:

1. Find something Gardevoir-related for a friend
2. Buy something for myself, for memory’s sake
3. Find a rubber duck that was advertised as a part of Fan Expo’s scavenger hunt (more on this later)

Make sure you list yours out as well to keep you centered on your purpose.

Beware of Time Sinks

For speed-runners, every millisecond counts. There are slip-ups that are classic for wasting time. Speed-runners have ways of planning around those, or at least minimizing the damage they do. You have to form your own strategy. Traffic, parking, and registration are classic time sinks for comic cons. But there are certainly more depending on what you’re attending. I also think it’s wise to plan to avoid the big time sinks, but learn to stay flexible when unexpected things pop up. For example. I tried to plan for traffic and parking this year, but didn’t do so well at it. I drove in early to park and hopefully get into the con on time. But unfortunately, traffic was a lot more than anticipated. Plus, getting through the lines to get through security and getting my pass ate up a lot of my time. It was a good 45 minutes by the time I actually got settled in. It made me a bit stressed, to be honest. But I had to force myself to remember the next point…

Keep Moving Forward

A time sink that many don’t plan for is discouragement. Speed-running requires precision and basically perfection. However, when you lose time, there is no use in wallowing in self-pity about it. The best speed-runners are resilient and accept that we’re human and mess up sometimes. But they keep focused and keep moving forward in order to avoid losing any more time. So while I did lose 45 minutes right off the bat, I recognized that the most important thing was that I was with people that I cared about, and that very fact would make the experience memorable no matter what else happened.

Have Fun!

Some people think speed-running to be masochist because you are so focused on perfection just for an arbitrary record or goal. Yet, speed-running in general prevails, not because of the pain and effort required to do it, but because there are people who honestly love the endeavor and find some amount of joy in it.

Therefore, my advice if you’re going to speed-run a comic con – don’t come from a place of constraint to perfection. It’s okay to want to optimize the little time that you have there. But don’t let strictness keep you from finding joy in the journey. There are great moments to be had, treasures to be found, and wonderful people to meet. Don’t be so focused on what you wish your experience to be that you miss out on recognizing how great your experience is in reality.

My Fan Expo 2025 Experience

I came away feeling my comic con experience was a success. I so wish I could have done more, but that’s a sign that the organizers did their jobs right. I hope to come back next year, ideally without any other scheduling conflicts so I can stay for a longer time.

I ended up completing all of my personal goals for this comic con this year. I spent time with incredible friends who even helped me fulfill some of my goals! (It’s a lot harder to find something Gardevoir-related on the vendor floor that isn’t “sexualized” than I realized). This con is definitely one for the scrapbook that is my greatest memories.

And as a final explanation: one of my goals was to find a rubber duck. Fan Expo was Back to the Future-themed this year, and they had a rubber duck scavenger hunt throughout the convention hall. My family grew up watching the Back to the Future movies all the time, so I was very eager to find a duck. I looked for the entire time that I was there… could not find one. But literally, on the way out, I found one right beside the exit! It wasn’t quite Back to the Future-themed, but it was still enough for me to say:

“Comic con speedrun: Success!”

Conventions are Better with a Friend

"Am I getting lame or are Cons getting lame?"

I sent that question to a friend as I wandered the floor of Fan Expo Dallas last Friday. It's been two years since my last Fan Expo and last time I struggled with heightened anxiety at the convention center. Still, I love cosplaying and I love the merchandise and the artwork... so I want to continue loving Comic Cons. But this Fan Expo didn't have any celebrities I was excited to see (and that I could afford), so celebrity meet-and-greets and celebrity panels weren't appealing. Since only one of my friends could come on Friday night, that first lap through the convention floor ended up being solo.

But then I met up with that friend and a few others on Saturday. Sometimes I like to think I'm introverted and would much rather keep to myself at an event like Fan Expo, especially when the atmosphere can be overstimulating at times. However, during the time I spent with friends at the Con on Friday and Saturday, I realized the social aspect is what I like most about the event. 

On Saturday morning I took to walking the floor with a friend who had never been to a convention before. We chatted and caught up (since we hadn't hung out since last summer) while I looked for a potential souvenir from Fan Expo (I ended up picking a Newt Scamander wand for my cosplay, since my kids broke my old generic wand). Seeing a convention through the eyes of a newbie is always refreshing, especially when buying all the great artwork isn't practical.

With a new job this year and my kids getting more and more interactive and hyperactive, it's been hard to get together for some guy time. I managed a trip to the temple earlier in May, but before that it had been months since our group got together. Even when it wasn't about the convention and I was just chatting with my buddies, it was enriching. Like my favorite YSA bishop once told me, the scriptural assertion that "It is not good that the man should be alone" applies to more than just marriage. It's healthy for men and women to have other friends besides their eternal companion... but in our modern world sometimes it takes extra effort to get together and connect. 

I still enjoy cosplaying for an event (I lost track of how many people commented on my Perry the Platypus that pulled my Phineas cosplay together). I love scoping out artist alley for the future date that I have a man-cave to decorate. And when there's a celebrity I love, I'm still giddy to meet them. But enjoying the cosplay, the art, or the meet-and-greets with a friend changes the experience. It's also not a bad place to make a new friend (that's how I met Zack and Jacob Smith).

So next time an event comes around, grab a friend and bring them with you. Just like mortality in general, it's better to go with someone. Make a friend or bring a friend. Your mental health and your Comic Con experience will thank you!

Where You Are

         I’ve said it before and will probably continue to say it as long as I keep writing and saying things that people listen to or read but music is a powerful way of communicating emotions, ideas, and thoughts about a myriad of topics. This post will center on a song from the first Moana movie and some lessons and thoughts I’ve had from it. The song is “Where you are” which is a favorite to listen to and watch in our household. It sets the stage for the conflict that Moana has between her love and desire to be at sea and her love and desire to do what her parents want her to do. The most recent time I heard the song, I was reminded of two general conference talks about being present where you are. The first was a talk from Elder Stanley G. Ellis, then a general authority seventy.

“One thing we have often been taught is to bloom where we are planted⁠. Yet sometimes we are tempted to migrate to some new area, thinking our children will have more friends and therefore better youth programs.

"Brothers and sisters, do we really think the critical factor in the salvation of our children is the neighborhood where we live? The apostles and prophets have often taught that what happens inside the home is far more important than what our children encounter outside. How we raise our children is more important than where we raise them.

"Certainly there are other factors involved in deciding where to live, and thankfully, the Lord will guide us if we seek His confirmation.”

The connection between this quote and the song, “Where You Are” comes in the phrase, “bloom where you are planted.” I love the phrase from the song, “you can find happiness right where you are!” Moana felt the pull to go to the ocean but perhaps before doing so, she needed to learn to find happiness in her current circumstances. Sometimes, especially in a world of social media where comparison can truly be a thief of joy, it can be easy to see another’s circumstances and think that I need to change my location or do something different to be happy.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m always a fan of improving one’s situation, but I believe the Lord can help us do as President Nelson has taught and find joy no matter the circumstances of our life.

Another talk that came to mind while considering the idea of “finding happiness where you are” was from President Unchtdorf, then second counselor in the first Presidency. He shared the following story in October 2008: 

“Some years ago in our meetinghouse in Darmstadt, Germany, a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that this task required not only physical strength but also careful coordination. There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked.

"As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, 'Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.'

"It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power. That was the answer to the challenge. They merely needed to stand close together and lift where they stood.

"I have often thought of Brother Luschin’s simple idea and have been impressed by its profound truth. Tonight I would like to expand on that simple concept, ‘lift where you stand.’”

This is another illustration of the importance of doing what you can where you are. Moana never gave up on her dreams of being an explorer and going to sea but she did her part to lead when she could. She “lifted where she could.” 

With all I have written here, I feel the need to explain that I am not advocating for staying idle or staying in an unhealthy relationship or situation, rather I am simply trying to share that there is something about being present and doing what you can to make a difference “where you are.”

Who is the Rani?

*Some spoilers for the latest season of Doctor Who, but no spoilers for the finale*

Long before the Master regenerated into Missy, the Rani was the epitome of a renegade Time Lady. I feel like TJ and I have been complaining a lot about the Master being overdone. Finally, we’ve been rewarded with a different rogue from Gallifrey. The Rani has returned! 

She only appeared in two television stories of classic Doctor Who, but she made her mark (literally and figuratively). While sometimes seen as a female version of the Master, she’s unique in her role in the mythos of Doctor Who, even in comparison to the other two major renegade Gallifreyan enemies (the Master and the Monk). The Master was the stereotypical evil James Bond version (becoming more and more bananas with each regeneration) and the Monk was more mischievous, messing with the timeline for his own fun. In contrast, the Rani was more calculating and indifferent to life forms she considered inferior (which basically included everyone else, including the Doctor and the Master).

As a scientist, it’s like the Rani’s schemes were an attempt to assert order into a disorderly universe. If the world is chaos, she wanted to turn it into order. Imagine if Sheldon Cooper were a time lady and wanted to impose his bathroom schedule over all of time and space. That’s the Rani. In one instance, she wanted to harvest human hormones to control the Miasimia Gorians. Another time she wanted to basically explode a supernova to remake the “errors” in the universe. Even her schemes in modern Doctor Who seems to be largely about control.

Like the Master, the Rani was an expert at deception and disguise. She flew under the radar in the 19th century on Earth by disguising herself as an old woman. Later, with the help of amnesia drugs and post-regeneration confusion, she later disguised herself as Mel Bush to manipulate the Doctor into helping her. And there’s no telling how long she hid on Earth as an average human before Sutekh’s attack on time and space. As Mrs. Flood demonstrated, the Rani knows how to blend in wherever she goes.

Now I just need to watch the season finale and maybe learn how the Rani survived the Master’s decimation of Gallifrey. If the Master has shown us anything, it’s that a renegade time lord can always survive… if the story calls for it.

LDS Geeks Podcast #42: Animorphs Re-Read (1)

Russell and I feel like we've been talking about this Animorphs re-read for forever. We've finally started! First episode in this series covers the first four books of the series.

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 42 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show Notes:

    Follow along: Animorphs Book Club Reading Schedule

    LDS Geeks Podcast #30: Animorphs Overview

        Show Notes: click here

        Spotify: click here

        Apple Podcasts: click here

    Spencer's Recommendation: Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

    Russell's Recommendation: “Sea Shanty Medley” by Home Free

    #1 - The Invasion

    #2 - The Visitor

    #3 - The Encounter

    #4 - The Message

5 Marvel Movies to Watch Before Avengers Doomsday

I started doing my MCU “Binge List” posts after Infinity War and Endgame, when everyone was trying to watch the entirety of the MCU library before that culminating battle against Thanos. It’s served me well to prepare myself and review the story so far. However, with Doomsday coming to theaters next year, even just the known cast list provides a challenge, with over thirty movies and shows potentially playing a part in the upcoming multiversal event.

Sure, I could share the list of the forty-ish Marvel projects that will lead into this crossover… but that’s a bit much even for me. Instead, I’m going to highlight a few movies to rewatch (plus a few extra credit movies) to establish characters and story development. Later this year and next, leading up to the movie, I’ll add a few more movies and shows to the list.

X-Men

We know we have returning cast members from the original X-Men movies, including Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, and more. Since the third Deadpool movie established the Fox X-Men saga in the multiverse, it’s possible we’ll have those variants in Doomsday. However, there’s no guarantee they’ll portray the same variants from Fox or if they’ll be new variants (maybe from the universe where Monica ended up in The Marvels). Regardless, the original X-Men movie produced by Fox will give you a sense of the main characters appearing from X-Men, regardless of where they come from in the multiverse. 

Extra Credit - X2

The sequel to X-Men, so we have the continuation of Professor X and Magneto’s story. Also, this is when we meet Nightcrawler, who’s set to return in Doomsday. 

Iron Man

Since Tony Stark is gone, this movie might be a strange choice for rewatch before Doomsday. But this is where the formal MCU began (before retconning in Spider-Man, X-Men, Blade, etc.). It’s worth revisiting where this epic story began and how far we’ve come since Tony became Iron Man. And with RDJ portraying Doctor Doom, it’ll be interesting to see how they had the likeness between Doom and Tony. If they don’t address the issue of the doppelgänger, bringing RDJ back would be a waste of time. 

Extra Credit - The Avengers

We’ve come a long way since the Battle of New York, but this is when the Avengers first became a team. From the original roster, only Thor is confirmed to appear. But it’s worth remembering where the team began. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Bucky may have been originally introduced in The First Avenger, but his brainwashing at the hands of Hydra still impacts his story. Plus this movie marks the first appearance of Sam Wilson (the current Captain America) and it was a turning point in the story, as SHIELD fell. Plus since it’s still one of the most popular MCU movies, it could be the considered the pinnacle of MCU movie potential. 

Extra Credit - Captain America: Civil War

Just as The Winter Soldier changed the MCU with the fall of SHIELD, this movie was a turning point for the Avengers. Infinity War would’ve played out 100% differently if the Avengers hadn’t broken up. Plus, this movie introduced Wakanda and Spider-Man and it pushed Bucky’s story along powerfully. 

Avengers: Infinity War

After the fallout of Civil War and Ragnarok, things got chaotic really fast when the Avengers were pushed together on multiple fronts. This movie changed the MCU forever, not just because of Thanos’s snap, but also because of how the Avengers grew to include new intergalactic colleagues. We don’t have the Guardians of the Galaxy confirmed for Doomsday, but you never know (they did say Star Lord would return after their third movie).

Extra Credit - Ant-Man and the Wasp

I know plenty of people didn’t care for this Ant-Man sequel, but I enjoyed it. Bridging the gap between Civil War and Endgame, this movie progressed Scott Lang’s story. Plus, traveling into the Quantum Realm pushed us forward toward the multiverse, even if we didn’t know it yet. 

Avengers: Endgame

This movie is the basis for where the MCU left us in recent years. The Avengers reformed and traversed the multiverse to bring back everyone they lost in the Snap. This is also where half our original Avengers roster said goodbye. No more Tony, Natasha, or Steve. As far as the team is concerned, this is where we left the Avengers and Doomsday is an Avengers movie. It’s gotta be done. 

Extra Credit - Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

This is arguably one of the most popular movies from the post-Endgame era of the MCU. It’s certainly my favorite Marvel movie of recent years. And, along with Far From, this movie did a great job establishing the post-Blip world. 

I’ll be back in a few months with more Marvel projects to revisit. I expect we might have more cast announcements by that point. Avengers assemble!

Life is Pain

    At my uncle’s funeral, his son shared that the last words he heard from his Dad while beginning the drive back home (his Dad would pass unexpectedly a few hours later necessitating a drive back to his parent’s home) were “Have fun storming the castle.” These are the iconic words spoken by Billy Crystal as “Miracle Max” as he wishes Fenzinni the giant and Inigo Montoya the Spaniard farewell after helping them to revive the “mostly dead” man in black, Westley. 

    Hearing this at my uncle’s funeral has caused me to reflect on another classic one liner from “The Princess Bride.” The line comes near the beginning of the film when the man in black and Princess Buttercup are running away from Prince Humperdink. The Princess is bemoaning her fate and mourning the loss of her true love and expresses something about the pain she is feeling. The man in black (her true love Westley in disguise, though she doesn’t know it yet) replies, rather harshly, “Life is pain, highness! Anyone who says differently is selling something.” I thought of this line while at work where I was privy to hearing about the physical pains of physical therapy patients in addition to hearing about some of their emotional and mental pains as well. I also thought about this phrase while listening to General Conference talks from leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have not been spared the pains of life. President Nelson has lost 2 daughters and his first wife to death. Sister Amy Wright battled cancer. Elder Soares’ wife delivered a premature child who died. Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf had to flee his home twice as a refugee. President Eyring, President Holland, and President Oaks have all lost spouses. Just to mention a few of the well known pains suffered by leaders of the church. Additionally, you have your individual pains that you suffer from. Perhaps it’s back pain, or leg pain, or surgical pain. Perhaps it’s the pain of losing a loved one. Perhaps it’s the pain of heartbreak or loneliness or depression or some other mental health condition. At some point in life, we all experience the truth that “life is pain.” The great news is that we don’t have to suffer alone nor does the pain have to be our identity. There are eternal truths that can help us during moments of pain. The first is from a classic primary hymn: “I am a child of God.” He is aware of you and me and everyone who is experiencing a moment of life’s pain. Second from Elder Brook P. Hales in October of 2024: “Mortality Works.” I love the story he shares about his  deceased mother: 

“My mother did not have an easy journey through mortality. She received no accolades or worldly honors and did not have educational opportunities beyond high school. She contracted polio as a child, resulting in a lifetime of pain and discomfort in her left leg. As an adult, she experienced many difficult and challenging physical and financial circumstances but was faithful to her covenants and loved the Lord.

When my mother was 55, my next older sister passed away, leaving an eight-month-old baby daughter, my niece, motherless. For various reasons, Mom ended up largely raising my niece for the next 17 years, often under very trying circumstances. Yet, notwithstanding these experiences, she happily and willingly served her family, neighbors, and ward members and served as an ordinance worker in the temple for many years. During the last several years of her life, Mom suffered from a form of dementia, was often confused, and was confined to a nursing facility. Regrettably, she was alone when she passed away unexpectedly.

Several months after her passing, I had a dream I have never forgotten. In my dream, I was sitting in my office at the Church Administration Building. Mom entered the office. I knew she had come from the spirit world. I will always remember the feelings I had. She did not say anything, but she radiated a spiritual beauty that I had never before experienced and which I have difficulty describing.

Her countenance and being were truly stunning! I remember saying to her, “Mother, you are so beautiful!,” referencing her spiritual power and beauty. She acknowledged me—again without speaking. I felt her love for me, and I knew then that she is happy and healed from her worldly cares and challenges and eagerly awaits “a glorious resurrection.” I know that for Mom, mortality worked—and that it works for us too.”

   

     Finally, in Moses 1:39 we read, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Heavenly Father is our loving father! He is aware of everything we go through and knows that what we experience will prepare us and help us in our eternal journey. So perhaps the next time you are struggling or experiencing a moment of life’s pain, take comfort and remember these words from Elder Klebingat, “I understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn’t it?” Then partner with Him to endure well to the end.” 

    

    "Life is pain highness," but we can know that this pain is part of our story which helps in our eternal journey.