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.