Welcome to another edition of Mormon Stories podcast. I am your co-host for today, Dr. John Delin.

I am joined as always now a day by my co-host, Carabrelle. Hey, Cara. Hey, John. So glad you're joining us. Yep, two live streams of one day. We're pumped. We're ready.

We are crazy. We're doing a two for today. And that's just because I'm going on vacation soon. And this is a two important of a topic to not address.

Yes, it is July 19th. And we are here to talk about a super interesting and important topic. Some of you who follow Mormon Stories podcast closely will remember that a few years ago, we did a series called losing the laymenites where we interviewed several Mormons or ex Mormons who were raised in the LDS church who were either are either Native Americans or Latinos or Latinas.

I think we interviewed five or six different people. For me, it's one of the things I'm most proud of. And it's one of the most important topics that we could cover on Mormon Stories podcast. And following that vein. And of course, bringing back two Mormon stories.

We are bringing back Sarah Newcombe, who was one of the people that we interviewed originally during that series of losing the laymenites. And we had Sarah back at the Thrive Conference as well. So Sarah is no stranger to Mormon Stories podcast. Sarah, we're so happy to have you.

Hi, thank you. I'm glad to be here.

Sarah is the reason why we're doing this. She organized this panel and she also has been doing work, kind of social media work around advocacy for Native American Mormons and ex Mormons.

Sarah, do you want to talk about that just really quickly before we introduce our guests?

Yeah, I run the Lamanite Truth blog and it started about a year after I left the church. So back in 2017. And I just because of the experience I had, I kept looking for information on people that had left the church that had been labeled as Lamanite.

And I couldn't find anything anywhere. So I started writing a blog and kind of discussing all the theology and experiences and trying to see if I could just highlight, highlight an issue that definitely needs attention definitely needs talked about. And it's still current. And that's what a lot of people don't realize is that Native Americans are still being taught that they're Lamanites.

And that the book of Mormons their history in the missionary programs and from church officials.

So Sarah, tell us about what was the impetus for creating this panel today? What you wanted to cover? And then why don't you go ahead and introduce, allow our to guests introduce themselves?

So start with the gleam, the glimmer in your eye of what you wanted this episode to be and why? Well, a few years ago, I want to say it was in 2019. We did a panel on Mormon Stories podcast. And I was on a panel with three Native American men.

And it was amazing. We there's just something very healing about hearing other people's stories that were similar to mine. But I kept thinking we need we need ladies, we need more women and because there's also like that healing space of having other Native American women that have a different perspective and different views.

And I'm not being able to hear their voices and highlight those voices. So I, yeah, I just really wanted a group of ladies since then, since we did that group podcast.

Love it. Love it. Okay. Well, that I think that brings us to our two additional panelists.

We have Monica and and joining us. So Monica and welcome to Mormon Stories podcast.

Thanks for having you. Monica, why don't you go first and introduce yourself and then I will have you introduce yourself.

Okay. So I'm Monica Crowford. I grew up on the Navajo reservation in a small rural town called Winter Rock. And my mom was on the placement program.

And she grew up with a family's age, George. And my dad was in boarding school in the US residential schools.

They were both converts and my dad went on a mission when he was 24 and he got married in the temple. And so I'm born under the covenant. But yeah, we grew up in the church. I grew up in the church.

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