Today we sit down with Ferma Howard, San Carlos Apache by birth and a beloved pillar of the Gila River Indian Community for the last 50 years. As a child, Ferma left home at age eight through the LDS Indian Student Placement Program. Her journey wasn't easy. Early foster homes meant long chore lists and loneliness, but she found her voice, her faith, and eventually a true family who helped her thrive.

You'll hear how a coyote-howled proposal under a mesquite tree led to a Salt Lake Temple marriage, how she and her husband Dean Howard built a life in Sacaton, adopted their first son before welcoming more children, and opened their home to nieces and nephews who needed love and stability.

Ferma became Relief Society president at age 20, served in nearly every calling, and watched the Santan Branch grow through triumphs and trials—including a church fire. Her perspective on youth, tradition, and fellowship is tender, practical, and deeply rooted: Be there for your relatives, create the right traditions, and prayer is our guide.

Stay tuned for a conversation full of heart—stories of resilience, community, and quiet leadership. Ferma’s life is a mission of love, and you're about to hear why her branch, and everyone who meets her, feels at home.

Today's episode is a tender and powerful one. I'm sitting down with Luke Ingram, born in New Mexico, raised on the beaches of Oahu, and now rooted here in Champlain, Arizona. Luke shares stories from his childhood of surfing and fishing, the path that eventually brought him to Arizona, meeting his wife Ashley, and becoming a dad in a big blended family. But the center of this conversation is their daughter Evelyn. At just 13 to 14 weeks along, Luke and Ashley learned she had anencephaly.

Ashley chose to carry her to full term and Evelyn passed at birth exactly two years ago today. Luke opens up about the helplessness he felt, the quiet strength he witnessed in his wife, and the months of hearing congratulations during the pregnancy from others while privately knowing how their story would end. Out of that grief came a turning point, Luke's gradual conversion to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. He talks about how ward members and missionaries walked with him, how peace came quiet and still why he took his time before choosing baptism in February, and a simple line of counsel that reframed everything for him. "You're not closer to Christ because of hard things. You're closer because you chose to lean into him during them. "

We also hear about his time as a new member, preparing for the temple, receiving his patriarchal blessing, serving the youth, and the hope of being sealed as a family. Stay with us.

Lukes' story is honest, vulnerable, and ultimately full of hope. It's about choosing faith when fixing isn't an option and discovering a peace that changes the path forward.

Today's guest is Linda Pablo, a lifelong member of the Gila River Indian community. Linda grew up along the Gila River with 10 siblings surrounded by family, language, and tradition. She learned Pima from her parents and grandparents, and she still treasures the dances, stories, and cultural practices that shaped her childhood. As a young adult, Linda left home for boarding school in California, later lived in Phoenix, and eventually returned to the community she loves. Professionally, she spent decades serving her people, first in court administration, later as an associate judge for 12 years, where she worked to strengthen the community's response to domestic violence and support victims and families in crisis. Linda joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in her 30s after feeling a deep sense of belonging among the members. Her faith grew through personal trials, priesthood blessings for her children, and sacred experiences in the temple. Alma 32's teaching on nurturing faith had become a guiding principle throughout her life.

She's the mother of three, grandmother of 12, and great-grandmother of two. She spends her Sundays bringing grandchildren to church and hopes to see more youth, especially young men, stay strong in the gospel and become leaders in their families and community. In today's episode, Linda shares what life was like growing up on the reservation and speaking Pima : Lessons she carried from her years in the courtroom, spiritual moments that anchored her testimony and practical advice for new converts and those preparing for the temple.