The Cultural Hall Podcast

Kelsey Edwards is a professional singer-songwriter and actress based in Utah and Los Angeles. She is best known for her original song “Life in a Box” and her role as Liz Fairchild in Orion Pictures’ latest film The Wolf of Snow Hollow. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award at the age of 14 for her role as Abby in Minor Details, where she starred across TV’s Jennette McCurdy. When not acting or singing, you’ll find Kelsey writing, creating content for her business or solo traveling. Across social media she is known as the “internet big sis” and her goal is to help motivate and inspire teen girls to find self-love and confidence within.  

Articles of News * “When the Moon Turns to Blood” by Leah Sottile * Mormon wishes he drank beer so he could boycott Bud Lite * Bing has a testimony of the Book of Mormon! * Bard, a new AI program by Google * Introducing Chat GPT * The Super Mario Bros. movie * “Peaches” * IMDB cast and crew for The Super Mario Bros. movie * Eric E Osmond biography * Jack Black singing “Peaches” * BYU’s first Jewish quarterback * Group pitches effort to bring MLB to Utah * Vote for NHL arena in Phoenix begins * College football helps fund Elder Bair’s mission * Emily Belle Freeman Ep. 167 and 363 * “Who is your Ananias?” * Let us know your thoughts! * BYU Women’s Conference to be held in person * Young missionary dies in Honduras * Find us on Twitter! * Find us on Instagram! * Find us on Facebook! * Find us on YouTube! * Find us on Pinterest! * Find us on TikTok (soon)! 2nd Block Nate Eaton Nate Eaton has wanted to be a reporter since he was a child. He grew up watching the news every night, pretended to be a weatherman in the garage and made videos with his friends using a borrowed camcorder. Follow the Trial

Beautiful Ashes, by Shelly Jorgensen This memoir is a tragic loss and healing faith, the compelling account of Shelly Edwards Jorgensen’s quest to uncover family secrets and to survive the truth after her mother’s tragic death in a house fire . . . set by her father. After the fire and the death of her mother, fifteen-year-old Shelly is driven to seek answers. A silent witness to her father’s abuse, she fears sharing her deep-rooted suspicions in her alcoholic father’s role with authorities might risk her own life. As lies unravel, Shelly finds inexplicable comfort in hope-filled messages from her deceased mother, and unexpected answers to prayer. Though she attempts to flee her father’s home, she is forced to return as prosecution’s key witness against her father.  In sharing what she knows with the jury, she loses both parents. Desperate to be loved and have a family, she finds she can’t just walk away from her past alone. Time after time, God places inspired people in her life, who help her dismantle old lies and face lingering wounds with the Savior’s help.   About the Author Shelly attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where she was the first female to graduate with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering. After graduation, she moved back to her home state of Michigan and landed her dream job as a manufacturing engineer to start off her 20+ year career for Ford Motor Company. A few years into her engineering career, she decided to go back to school to get her MBA. Shelly has spent over 30 years serving within her church congregation and community. She has always enjoyed serving others. Shelly enjoys wood working and has amassed a workshop of her dreams. She also enjoys being outside in the fresh air, trail riding in her ATV and enjoying the Great Lakes boating & jet skiing. Shelly is happily married to her husband Glenn. She is a step-mother, grandmother, and adored aunt! For more of Shelly’s story, check out her website. GET THE BOOK     *This page contains affiliate links.

Articles of News 4.12.2023 * Visit the Oodi Library in Helsinki, Finland * Celebrating Easter with one hour church * Salt Lake Temple renovation completion pushed back * Brigham Young sees temple made of…adobe * Burying the Salt Lake temple foundation * Letter from Brigham Young up for auction * Wired article on Brandon Sanderson * Sanderson’s response to article on Reddit * Brandon Sanderson in Esquire * Sanderson’s “Outside” post * Lost journal donated to church library * What is a “Flat Daddy?” * Gofundme for Mo Stewart * Church donates water to Great Salt Lake * Flood preparedness * Follow Ben Winslow on Twitter * Church leader allegedly sexting with teen * Arizona Supreme Court upholds clergy priviledge * Saratoga Springs Temple open house * Open House dates for Helena Temple * Ghanaian king visits church headquarters *

Talana Smith Hooper was born in The Gila Valley in the southeastern part of Arizona and has lived there most of her life in the small community of Central, home of The Gila Valley Temple. Her roots run deep in Central with her grandchildren being the seventh generation to live in the community. Talana was educated in the Thatcher Public Schools and graduated as Valedictorian. She attended Eastern Arizona College where she met her future husband and served as President of the LDS Women’s Sorority. She then attended Arizona State University with a major in Humanities emphasizing music, art, and theatre. She married Stephen Hooper in the Arizona Temple in 1973. After her husband spent a year teaching in Fredonia, Arizona, they returned to live in Central. Her life has been filled with the joys of raising their six children and serving in various callings in the auxiliaries of the Church, both ward and stake. She has loved the opportunities to help strengthen the testimonies of those whom she served, as well as her own. Her parents endowed her with a love of family history, and she has compiled numerous histories. She was called to be editor of Central’s centennial book which was published in 1982. Besides family history, she enjoys oil painting, quilting, yardwork, family gatherings, and being an ordinance worker in The Gila Valley Temple. She has almost completed a series of oil paintings portraying each of her twenty-eight grandchildren as ancestors in diverse family history stories. Lot Smith: Mormon Pioneer and American Frontiersman is the comprehensive biography of Utah’s 1857 war hero and one of Arizona’s early settlement leaders. With over fifty years of combined research, mother and daughter co-authors Carmen R. Smith and Talana S. Hooper take on many of the myths and legends surrounding this lesser-known but significant historical figure within Mormonism. Lot Smith recounts the Mormon frontiersman’s adventures in the Mormon Battalion, the hazardous rescue of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, the Utah War, and the Mormon colonization of the Arizona Territory. True stories of tense relations with the Navajo and Hopi tribes, Mormon flight into Mexico during the US government’s anti-polygamy crusades, narrow escapes from bandits and law enforcers, and even Western-style shoot-outs place Lot Smith: Mormon Pioneer and American Frontiersman into both Western Americana literature and Mormon biographical history. Purchase Lot Smith: Mormon Pioneer and American Frontiersman

Temple Dedication * Bangkok Thailand * Open House: September 1 to 16 * Dedication on October 22 by Ronald Rasband * First in Thailand, First in Southeast Asia (already 4 announced in the district) * Groundbreakings * Port Vila Vanuatu (Rescheduled) * April 8 by K. Brett Natress * Port Moresby Papua New Guinea * April 22 by Peter F. Meurs * Belo Horizonte Brazil * June 17th by Juan A Uceda * Temple Rendering Released * Cody Wyoming * Just under 10 thousand square feet. * Mixture of Casper and Helena. (Cool gold Pyramid) * New Temple Mission President and Matron * Urdaneta Philippines Temple * Roberto Yu and Ofelia Yu from Mangaldan (stake president and S&I coordinator)

15 New Temples * Retalhuleu, Guatemala * 6th in Guatemala * Town of 90,000, Mission headquartered here. * 5 stakes, 1 district. * Iquitos, Peru (honorable mention) * 7th in Peru * Basically, an Island in the Jungle (no highways connect it to other cities, only River or airplane) * President Uchtdorf visited in 2012 * 3 stakes * Teresina, Brazil * 19th in Brazil * Northern Interior * 5 Stakes, 2 districts. * Natal, Brazil * 20th in Brazil * Northern Coast * 5 Stakes * Tuguegarao City, Philippines * 11th in Philippines * Northern Luzon – same mission as one announced 6 months ago) * 5 stakes, 4 districts * Iloilo, Philippines * 12th In Philippines (Right now only 2 are dedicated) * Own Island in the middle * 5 stakes, 2 districts * Jakarta, Indonesia * 1st in Indonesia * World’s Largest Muslim Nation * Nelson visited in 2019 * 2 stakes, 1 district, all on Java * Hamburg, Germany * 3rd in Germany * Northern Germany * 2 stakes * Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada * 10th in Canada, 4th in Alberta * Of the highest concentrations of members in Canada, Near Mormon Colonies. * 7-9 stakes (only YSA stake in Canada) * Leaving Cardston with only 4-5 stakes (Renovation soon?) * San Jose, California * 11th in California , 2nd in Bay area (Silicon Valley) * 9 stakes * Bakersfield, California * 12th in California * Near Death valley / Sequoia Forest * 7 stakes * Springfield, Missouri * 3rd in Missouri * Part of the upcoming Bentonville Arkansas district * 5 stakes * Winchester, Virginia * 2nd in Virginia (After Richmond – dedicated by Oaks, not Holland) * Northernmost stake in Virginia – almost in West Virginia (Sorry) * 2-3 stakes? * Charlotte, North Carolina (Prediction) * 2nd in North Carolina * 8-9 stakes * Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * 3rd in Pennsylvania * 6-7 stakes

Abby Payne is a mother of three young kids, and a wife of 13 years to Scott Payne. Her youth and college experiences involved lots of violin, piano, choir, orchestra, teaching music and competitive ballroom dancing. Needless to say, she kept busy! After graduating with her degree in Mathematics Education from BYU in 2013, she took a break from school to focus on raising her family for the next ten years. Now she is excitedly preparing to begin her first year of teaching this fall 2023. She loves movies, musicals, dancing, art, reading, and spending time with her family. Abby and Scott love being members of Christ’s restored church and strive to teach their children the truths of the gospel. Even though she absolutely cherishes her testimony building youth experiences in the church and her beloved young women’s leaders, she’s excited to share on The Cultural Hall some of the things she wishes were taught more often in the church’s youth program.

* Follow us on Twitter! * What is the Word of Wisdom? * Email us!! * Utah kids drinking more sugar than national average * Mormon Meteor inducted into Hall of Fame * Facebook is Spying on Us!!!!!! * All aboard the Women’s History Cruise * Church donates water to Great Salt Lake * Operation Mountain Strong; volunteers help those snowed in * Jasen Wade: Mormon Actor * Jasen Wade Ep. 232 * Survey shows Americans have neutral view of Latter-day Saints * Mormon Land podcast discusses favorability * More than 700 Indigenous members of the church gather * Vintage nude Mormon body builders * Statement by leaders regarding shooting in Hamburg * Humanitarian efforts in 74 countries * Taylor Frankie Paul pleads not guilty to assault * When and why did we start using middle initials? * Mormon Battalion added to church history database *

Don Markland is the CEO and owner of Accountability Now™, an Executive Coaching and Business Strategy company out of Jacksonville, Florida. As a contributor for multiple publications like Forbes, LDS Living, Debt.com and others, Don has over 20 years of experience in the world of marketing, leadership and business growth. His current practice has been ranked Top 10 by multiple publications, (Yahoo and Forbes), and he has been ranked the #1 Business Coach in Florida and #2 Online Trainer in the US by BestCompany.com. Don also holds a weekly Coach’s Mastermind Academy helping coaches build 6- and 7- figure practices like his. Previously, Don led the sales and marketing efforts for one of the most successful digital marketing agencies in the US, 411Locals, to international growth of +36%. Prior, Don was an owner and Chief Revenue Officer for MoneySolver™, a private equity fintech company, where he led the nationally recognized firm of over 350 employees to become the nationally recognized and largest Tax Resolution digital marketing fintech company in the U.S. with over 250% growth in three years. Before to MoneySolver™, Don spent time as a Global Sales Executive working with Amazon, State Farm Insurance, All State, Geico, Focus Services, and more. Don spent time in the startup world as an Owner and Chief Operating Officer for Launch Leads, a marketing startup in Salt Lake City, Utah where he helped them achieve record performance in both client and revenue growth and was named to Utah Business Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 for leading businesses executives in the entire state. Social Media  Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Website Youtube

Camille Johnson has spent the last 20 years trying to find the floor as a mom of  5 busy kids and lately her thoughts have turned to what’s next for her as a midlife mom.  Raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and presently living in Cleveland, OH, which she happily calls home. She’s already enjoyed several side hustles: pastry chef, diving coach, administrative assistant. But none seem a fitting sequel for when the children leave the nest…and she’s got a while to go. In Finding the Floor, Camille talks about living in the moment (and loving it) while keeping an eye to whatever comes when the last kid leaves home.

Gary Boatright Jr. is the operations manager for the Historic Sites Division of the Church History Department. He obtained degrees from Weber State University of the University of Oklahoma and has worked for the Church History department for over 20 years. Most of that time has been spent working with the historic sites program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. List of Historic Sites Joseph Smith Birthplace – Vermont Sacred Grove – New York Hill Cumorah – New York Whitmer Farm: Church Organization Site – New York Grandin Building: Book of Mormon Publication Site – New York Priesthood Restoration Site – Pennsylvania Historic Kirtland – Ohio Morley Farm – Ohio Johnson Home – Ohio Independence Visitors’ Center – Missouri Liberty Jail – Missouri Hawn’s Mill – Missouri Far West Temple Site – Hawn’s Mill Historic Nauvoo – Illinois Carthage Jail – Illinois Kanesville Memorial (Formerly the Kanesville Tabernacle) – Iowa Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters – Nebraska Martin’s Cove: Mormon Trail Site – Wyoming Sixth Crossing: Mormon Trail Site – Wyoming Rock Creek Hollow: Mormon Trail Site – Wyoming Beehive House – Utah Cove Fort – Utah Brigham Young Winter Home and Office – Utah Hamblin Home – Utah St. George Tabernacle – Utah Mormon Battalion Historic Site at San Diego – California

Temple Ticker – 3rd Block * Temple Dedications Announced * Bentonville Arksansas * Media and VIP Tours – June 12-13 * Open House – June 17 – July 1 * Dedication – September 17th by David Bednar * Brasilia Brazil * Media and VIP Tours – August 1 – 4 * Open House – August 5 – 26 * Dedication – September 17th by Neil Andersen (Same Day) * Open House reservations Available * Richmond Virginia – March 25 – April 15 * Columbus Ohio – April 29 – May 13 (Parking Reservations) * Temple Groundbreakings * Montpelier Idaho * Scheduled for June 17th by Randy K Olsen. * Temple Rendering still not released. * Port Vila Vanuatu * Groundbreaking schedule for March 4 was delayed * Cyclone Judy and Cyclone Kevin * Temple Locations Announced * Vitória Brazil * Old Strip Mall? – some sort of university next to a road with a cool bike lane in the center of the road. * Maceió Brazil * Coconut Orchard? – On a busy road next to a department store with a large statue of liberty statue. * All Future temples in Brazil have a site location announced\ * Heber City Updates: * https://www.kpcw.org/wasatch-county/2023-02-08/lds-church-hits-brakes-on-request-to-change-heber-valley-dark-sky-rules * Church is taking time to submit the request for an exception for the Wasatch county Dark Skies ordinance. * https://www.kpcw.org/wasatch-county/2023-02-27/lds-church-wasatch-county-looking-to-balance-new-temple-lighting-with-dark-sky-goals * County seems willing to grant the request and rework the ordinance. But it is still not scheduled. * https://www.kpcw.org/wasatch-county/2023-03-08/at-heber-valley-temple-open-house-future-neighbors-want-answers * Church holds open house to neighbors to show off plans and designs, answer questions. HOA of Red Ledges acknowledges some are unhappy and will probably move. * Ground was broken before any building applications were submitted; neighbors feel like it is already a done deal. * Apostle Tours Temple under Construction * Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple * https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/abidjan-ivory-coast-temple/photographs/ * Elder Christofferson Toured the construction during his trip to West Africa, pictures were released. * Progress appears to be going slow – (Temple President announced in 2021) * Silver Moroni * New Temple Presidents and Matrons for upcoming Temples * Puebla Mexico – From Cholula Puebla, Temple presidency * Taylorsville Utah – Bennion Stake, Spain Mission Leaders, Columbia MTC * Bentonville Arkansas – From Bentonville, Philippines Mission Leaders, Philippines MC * Moses Lake Washington – From Othello, Patriarch * Layton Utah – From Kaysville, Korea Mission Leaders * Casper Wyoming – from Casper, Stake president * Red Cliffs Utah – From St George, Area 70, Brisbane Mission Leaders * Brasilia Brazil – From Brasilia, Sao Paulo Interlagos Mission Leaders * Concept Plans Leaked *

* Austin Temple info * What is Pirate O’s? * The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast * ASU parking problems and a genius solution * NBA and church feed the hungry * Matt McClung introduces Post Malone * “The Mormons are Coming” documentary * Outfits breaking honor code, discussed on TikTok * Influencer Taylor Frankie Paul arrested * Follow us on Twitter * Missionary in Columbia stabbed * Push to require clergy to report abuse * Emma Smith biographer, Linda K. Newell, dies at 82 * Two new stakes in Madagascar and South Africa * Top recruit putting career on hold to serve mission * Email us! * Divine Assembly, church of Magic Mushrooms

Chris Thomas is a writer, speaker, communication professional and small business owner. He currently serves as president of a communication consultancy called Intrepid and has nearly 30 years of experience developing and executing hundreds of campaigns for clients, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, professional sports teams and technology companies. His experience has also encompassed managing more than 300 issues and crises.   Thomas is probably most recognized for his work as the publicist for Elizabeth Smart’s family during the 10-month period of her abduction and rescue. He later helped position Elizabeth as one of the leading child advocates in the United States. Thomas writes about his experience in the book Unexpected: The backstory of finding Elizabeth Smart and growing up in the culture of an American Religion, which is distributed by Simon & Schuster.   Thomas is a popular keynote speaker presenting to audiences around the United States and in Puerto Rico, Brussels and Hong Kong. He earned a degree in communication at Westminster College, where he has taught master’s-level classes on crisis communication. For more information, visit ChrisThomasConnects.com.