So what I would do in my role as a staff assistant is I would help prepare agendas for the meeting for these executive directors.

I would help prepare presentations, I would go to these meetings and take minutes.

And I learned that the church leaders are very in

tune with the struggles that we have. They're not blind to what members around the world are dealing with.

And sometimes we sit and say, man, I wish the church would do this. Or man, I wish the church would

change this. And what I learned is that they are talking about it and they are praying about it.

And we have a prophet called of God who knows when things need to happen or when decisions need to move forward.

That impact members of the church everywhere.

But that ultimately the church is led and guided by a prophet called of God.

Jesus Christ directs his church. And it's through the spirit of revelation that things happen.

Decisions aren't made lightly.

The children and youth program didn't just come to be because it came to be.

It went through a council process, just like everything does in the church.

This is John Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News.

Welcome to the Church News podcast.

Today we're taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sydney Walker began working as a reporter for the church news in 2019. She graduated from the

Brigham Young University Journalism program two years earlier in 2017. She previously wrote for the

faith section of the Deseret News and worked as an assistant in the pre-student family department

at church headquarters. Currently Walker lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two children.

And she joins us today in studio to talk about how she has seen God's love bring together

his children in different circumstances and locations throughout her life.

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