Also, arshi, you might enjoy looking at the Church’s program for children and youth. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/childrenandyouth/?lang=eng

Hello, Arshi!

Thank you for your comment. You are right! The site has changed quite a bit. Here is the new website you can look through to learn more about our beliefs. https://www.comeuntochrist.org/beliefs

The email address you used likely won’t allow a message from someone not on that email server, but I’m happy to chat here with you via comments on this post, or you can email me at WeSeekAfterChrist@gmail.com using an email address from one of your parents (with them letting me know that they give permission for me to email you back, so we could chat in that way.)

You can also call this number to find out more about how to set up a chat with missionaries: 1 973-543-8122

I’m excited for you to learn more. I also have some friends who know the Yeagers so I am going to let them know that you love their YouTube channel! 🙂

Hope to hear back from you soon!

Lucy and John,
We wish you the best in your journey as you consider baptism into the Church.

Before I approach your questions, my question for you is if you have a conviction that the Book of Mormon is true. If not, none of my answers will likely mean much…even though I’m happy to share my thoughts and a few links. The foundation of our faith is in the combination of the Bible AND the Book of Mormon, which is the book God has given us to discover for ourselves whether the claims of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of being the Restored Church of Jesus Christ are really true.

I urge you to focus your quest on getting your own answers about these fundamental claims about our beliefs in God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (that they live! and are distinct Beings who visited Joseph Smith in 1820 to usher in the Restoration); about the Book of Mormon being true ancient scripture translated by Joseph Smith; that priesthood authority was restored through Joseph, and that the Church has been and continues to be led by prophets today…just as in ancient times!

As to your question about City Creek, the decision of the Church to invest in helping with the downtown project is best explained in this interview with Bishop H. David Burton.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700014610/Mormon-leaders-and-Salt-Lake-City-work-together-to-transform-land.html?pg=1

I’ll include a chunk from that article here in my comment:

In a wide-ranging interview with the Deseret News, Bishop Burton, presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, discussed the church’s philosophy about real estate.

In many ways, that purchase is representative of the ways in which the LDS Church, one of the city’s largest property owners, and the city have worked hand in hand for more than a century to transform what some dismissed as an arid wasteland into one of the most vibrant cities in the West.

“It is in our DNA,” says Bishop Burton. For Bishop Burton, every project the city has taken on in Salt Lake has been part of Brigham Young’s vision to “make the desert bloom.”

“We are committed to do our part to make this a safe, beautiful and enjoyable community where people can enjoy one another, can enjoy the blessings of living in the tops of the mountains and can have safety and education for their families,” Burton said. “That’s what we’re about, in part — to help with community enhancement.”

He says that legacy stretches from 1869, when the church helped build the railroads, to today’s City Creek project, which city leaders acknowledge never would have come about without the church’s involvement. The Salt Palace, Abravanel Hall, and the proposed Broadway Theater would not be completed without the church’s help, Bishop Burton says.

You can also read more thoughts about it here:
http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_church_integrity/City_Creek_Center_Mall_in_Salt_Lake_City

I will also add my own personal observation that the homeless problem that has been frustrating the city is blocks away from the city center, which was floundering when the decision was made to invest in the project. A thriving city center is beneficial for all in the area, and this is true for any city.

I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Church. But besides that, I love how practical it is. For example, it has LDS Employment Centers all over the world to help people find jobs. It is opening up education opportunities for people all over the world. It has amazing worldwide connections with organizations that help with disaster relief and serving the poor. It contributes money to various sectors to better communities, such as the arts, education, etc. As is stated above, collaborative community development is part of what we DO.

We are also all invited as members to find ways to contribute to our communities in positive ways just as the Church seeks to do.

Again, there is a lot of practicalness to our faith in addition to the amazing spiritual and religious truths that we hold dear and invite others to pray and search about.