LDSPMA

Empowering Latter-day Saints to spread light and truth by connecting them at the intersection of faith, creativity, and professional skill

Kami Pehrson

A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Online Business

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Megan LaFrance’s journey into entrepreneurship started during the COVID-19 pandemic when she was home with her three young sons and facing a never-ending cycle of messes. She found that the towels she was using were ineffective at absorbing spills and cleaning sticky surfaces. On top of that, their boring, one-sided designs left much to be desired. These insights sparked the idea for Bloom Towels, a line of efficient microfiber dishcloths with vibrant patterns printed on both sides. Through research, hard work, and determination, Megan has grown her passion into a thriving business that supports her family and employs other moms of young children.

Bloom Towels owner Megan LaFrance

Here are the steps Megan recommends to start your own online business.

Step 1: Choose Your Product

To start, Megan had to think of a problem that needed to be solved. She first tried selling tiered trays and wall decals, but she wasn’t passionate about the products. Dish towels proved to be a perfect fit, as they are lightweight, easy to ship, always in demand, and they solve an everyday need.

Step 2: Research Suppliers and Order Samples

After brainstorming an idea, Megan had to source her supplies. She ordered towel samples from various suppliers and tested them at home to compare quality and functionality. She prefers to buy through Alibaba— a business-to-consumer (B2C) platform that keeps prices low by requiring a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ). The MOQ is usually higher for custom designs and lower for items they already have in stock.

Step 3: Design and Brand Your Product

Megan, along with her mom and sister, comprise the design team that shapes the aesthetic of Bloom Towels. They brainstorm pattern ideas based on seasonal themes and customer feedback, drawing inspiration from places like Pinterest and other image sites. Together, they develop cohesive design themes like bright pinks for Valentine’s Day or neutral tones for autumn, creating three to five trendy towel designs for each launch.

Step 4: Start Small and Test the Market

Megan recommends starting small when launching an online business. Instead of committing to a large inventory, focus on a limited selection of products. Test the market and assess customer interest without overextending your finances. Selling out of your products can benefit your business, as “out-of-stock” products create a sense of urgency and exclusivity among your customers. As demand for your product grows, you can gradually increase your orders. If the product you are trying to sell isn’t successful, you can pivot to something else. However, Megan cautions against switching products too often. “I’ve seen many businesses jump from one product to another, leading them deeper into debt without becoming successful,” she says. “Make sure to sell your initial batch of products before moving on to the next.”

Step 5: Build Your Online Presence

Megan uses Instagram and her website as her primary marketing channels. She has also expanded to Facebook and TikTok, but she advises focusing mainly on one platform to avoid spreading yourself too thin. She says, “Put up a lot of videos and pictures on whatever social media platform you’re using because when you reach out to influencers, that’s the first place they go. If you have no images or videos to show them, they won’t want to represent your brand because they can’t see what you’re selling.” She sends samples of her towels to a professional photographer who takes “flat lay” photos for the product catalog. Her sister oversees content on her social media sites, including stop-motion animation, lifestyle videos, and slow-motion clips of people using the towels.

Step 6: Use Influencer Marketing to Grow Your Audience

Influencer marketing played a significant role in growing Bloom Towels. Megan markets to influencers in the cleaning and home organization niches who resonate with her target audience. She uses an outreach strategy to get influencers to notice her messages by commenting on their posts before sending direct messages to ensure her message goes to their main inboxes. She explains, “I’ll leave a message that says, ‘Hey! We have these cute towels, and we’d love for you to try some. Let us know if you’d like more details.’” She then offers influencers affiliate marketing opportunities, allowing them to earn a commission from sales generated through their posts.

Step 7: Create a Reliable System for Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing systems help business owners facilitate partnerships with influencers who promote their products. Megan uses UpPromote to streamline her affiliate program and organize her sales data. The software tracks sales, assigns discount codes, and calculates commissions. She says, “When an influencer signs up to be an affiliate, the software will assign them a coupon code that gives their followers a 15% off discount. The system will track sales for us so when we pay our influencers, we know exactly how much we owe them.”

Megan likes to reach out to influencers a couple of weeks before her launch days to get them on board. Influencers will share sneak peeks of the product leading up to the big launch party when the towels become available, including their unique affiliate link.

Step 8: Engage with Your Customers

Megan listens to customer requests and suggestions to guide her designs. She uses her email list and social media to engage with customers, build customer loyalty, and decide on new products and themes.

Step 9: Invest in Coaching and a Support Network

Megan credits much of her success to using a business coach and following their process. She explains, “I used the program ‘0 to 100K’ from Alison Prince. She was also a mom who started a business selling online and then taught others how to do it too.”

As her business grew, Megan sought out different coaches who specialized in areas she wanted to improve, such as wholesaling to retail stores. Networking with other business owners also provided her with valuable advice and support that helped her when her business reached a plateau in sales. She shares, “When I started my business, it helped to have a group of other business owners I could talk to all the time who were on the same level as me because we could grow together.”

Step 10: Adapt and Evolve Your Strategy

Over time, Megan expanded her product line, tried out new opportunities, and fine-tuned her influencer marketing strategy. She also started selling her towels on Faire, a wholesale platform where retailers can buy products to sell in their stores. By earning a “Top Shop” ranking, Bloom Towels got a huge boost in visibility. Then a team of sales reps reached out, wanting to represent her products. Today, customers can find Bloom Towels in 180 brick-and-mortar stores.

Step 11: Celebrate Your Progress

Megan enjoys running a business that allows her to support her family financially, explore her creative side, and give other moms the opportunity to earn extra income. She says, “Starting out slow has been a gift. It took me five years to get to where I am now, and I’m growing steadily and doing well, which is exactly what I want. I don’t want it to be overwhelming for anyone. Don’t measure your success against others—just focus on yourself. If your business is growing even just a little bit each month, you’re doing great.”

Headshot of Kami Pehrson.

Kami Pehrson

Kami Pehrson lives with her husband and five teenage children in Stansbury Park, Utah. She recently finished her master’s degree in English and creative writing and has written three novels—but is still trying to figure out what to do with them. She loves editing, reading, and playing word games on her phone. She also enjoys listening to audiobooks while half-heartedly doing Pilates in the living room.

    10 Writing Tips to Make Your Writing Glisten 

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    I’ve always been the bookish sort, hanging out with imaginary characters in the library while my peers went out to recess, reading about adventures instead of going on them, and scanning the dictionary for sophisticated zingers to wield in future (and unlikely) debates. It wasn’t that I didn’t have many friends—though that is also true—but I believed I had a firm grasp of language arts from a young age. However, it wasn’t until I set out to write a novel that I discovered I’d been making some rookie mistakes. Through my study of the craft, suggestions from editors, and earning an MA in English and creative writing, I’ve compiled a list of tips you might find helpful. While no one wants their artistic endeavors stifled by dos and don’ts, incorporating these suggestions to align with your style will make your writing more effective, engaging, and concise. 

    • Eliminate Adverbs 
      Stephen King once told me to cut out all my adverbs. Well, he didn’t tell me this personally, but I did listen to him narrate his audiobook On Writing, so it felt like he was speaking to me. This advice confused me at first. Why wouldn’t I want to use a million modifiers to clear up any ambiguity a lone verb might create in the reader’s mind? Well, because adverbs can be condescending and lazy. Strong verbs provide narrative context to allow the reader to grasp your meaning without relying on a plethora of -ly words. Readers are intuitive; go ahead and trust them. Use adverbs as you would cayenne pepper—just enough to give your writing a kick. (I learned this the hard way in writing and cooking—sorry, family). 
    • Choose Your Dialogue Tags Carefully 
      I loved assigning a clever tag to each dialogue line in my stories. One character would “exclaim,” the next would “shout,” and another “declare.” However, these expressive tags distract from the dialogue and narrative flow. Stick to simple tags like “said” or “asked,” but even these aren’t entirely invisible. Mix them with action beats, internal thoughts, sensory details, and body language. If dialogue can be understood without a tag, don’t use one. Don’t reiterate a character’s emotion with a redundant tag. Also, be wary of onomatopoeic words like “grunt,” “snort,” “groan,” or “guffaw”—these sounds are hard to make while speaking. 
    • Avoid Clichés 
      The adage “All that glitters is not gold” is as true now as when Shakespeare coined the phrase, but overuse of expressions degrades their literary impact. In dialogue, common idioms can reflect a character’s voice, background, or personality, but avoid them in narrative and descriptive passages. Don’t say, “Listening to him talk was like watching paint dry.” There are countless other boring things in the world. Create something original to complete the metaphor and make your writing stand out. 
    • Eliminate or Change Repetitive Words and Ideas 
      I try to avoid overusing my favorite words when writing. However, searching for a synonym in the middle of a writing session can slow down creative flow, and in my case, lead to deep dives into etymological rabbit holes and distractions like word games and quizzes on the dictionary app. Instead, wait until the revision process and use your word processor’s “find” feature to search for words you tend to repeat. Then delete them or think of alternatives.
    • Ground Your Characters and Set the Stage 
      Even if readers can reasonably assume the scene takes place in a particular city or country, let them know where the characters are at the start of the narrative. Don’t let your characters float in a void for the first few paragraphs. Provide enough description to ground readers, but be careful not to overdo it. Each aspect of the character’s environment should serve a purpose, like carefully chosen decorations in a room. Include enough key pieces and furniture to make the setting feel real, and avoid littering it with unnecessary details that distract from your purpose.  
    • Be Specific 
      Words like “there,” “that,” “those,” “it,” “this,” “here,” and “which,” along with other vague pronouns, can slip into sentences when you’re not looking. While these pronouns might be convenient placeholders in a first draft, carefully examine them during editing. Pronouns are necessary and effective when their antecedents are clear, and they help avoid repetition of nouns. However, when their reference is unclear, they can confuse readers and weaken the impact of your writing. Specific language clarifies your meaning and helps readers form a complete mental image of the scene. 
    • Avoid Heavy-Handed Dialect 
      Overwrought vernacular can cause readers to stumble over dialogue, pull them out of the story, and frustrate them. Avoid phonetically spelling words to make a character seem ignorant or foreign. Misspelling words to mimic pronunciation can make the text challenging to read and disrupt the narrative. Plus, it’s easy to get it wrong unless you’re very familiar with the region or social group you’re trying to represent. The goal is to enhance the narrative, not create barriers between your story and the audience. I once tried to write all my dialogue in Early Modern English because my book was set in the 17th century. Alas! My readers grew tired of slogging through all the “forsooths” and “prithees.” I left some archaisms in because what fun would it be to remove them all? As my linguistics teacher advised, “Remain true to your characters and their language, but don’t sacrifice clarity.” Use dialect sparingly to give a subtle flavor of a character’s education, background, and regional origin.  
    • Limit Adjectives 
      Oh, how I love delightful, beautiful, intrepid adjectives. Why else would I spend my childhood reading the dictionary but to stuff my prose full of sharp-witted, erudite, and droll descriptive words? Are adjectives your darlings too? Kill them. They cling to a sentence like barnacles and drag down the narrative. Scrape off adjectives that don’t serve a purpose before they sink your story. Keep only those that sharpen the image or add essential information. 
    • Get Rid of Filter Words 
      Perception verbs like “feel,” “hear,” “see,” “realize,” “watch,” “notice,” and “wonder” clutter up the story, create distance between the reader and the narrative, and dilute the story’s immediacy. For example, instead of “I saw the car drive by,” you could say, “The car drove by.” Immerse the reader in the action and setting by showing instead of telling. For example, instead of “She felt nervous,” you might say, “She clasped her trembling hands in her lap.” Let the reader experience the story through the POV character, not filtered through an extra layer of interpretation. 
    • Use Active Voice Instead of Passive Voice 
      Look for words like “had,” “were,” “was,” “have been,” and other “to be” verb forms followed by the past participle of the main verb. For instance, instead of saying, “The food was eaten by me,” opt for the more direct, active version: “I ate the food.” Replace weak “to be” verb forms with stronger verbs. Using the active voice whenever possible will make your sentences more engaging and precise. 

    Apply or Disregard These Suggestions as You See Fit! 
    Don’t be afraid to write for fear of “breaking” a rule. The key lesson I’ve learned is to put your ideas down on paper, then go back later and make your writing glisten.


    Happy writing and revising! 

    Headshot of Kami Pehrson.

    Kami Pehrson

    Kami Pehrson lives with her husband and five teenage children in Stansbury Park, Utah. She recently finished her master’s degree in English and creative writing and has written three novels—but is still trying to figure out what to do with them. She loves editing, reading, and playing word games on her phone. She also enjoys listening to audiobooks while half-heartedly doing Pilates in the living room.

      Unlocking Creativity Amid Trauma: Finding Inspiration on Your Hardest Days

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      Five years ago, clinical psychologist, speaker, and bestselling author Dr. Christina Hibbert—Christi to her friends—filled her schedule with speaking engagements, therapy sessions, group coaching, and writing her fourth book. Her dedication to helping others “overcome, become, and flourish” arose from a deeply personal place, but her world flipped upside down when a mammogram revealed aggressive breast cancer. Though she’d faced loss, trauma, and mental health challenges throughout her life, Christi now faced cancer treatment—a double mastectomy, reconstruction, chemotherapy, and the many complications, additional surgeries, and eventual chronic illnesses that came as a result. “Just as it seemed I would finally take off in my family life and career, it felt like, instead, I crashed.”

      While it can seem impossible to be inspired, inventive, or to produce creative work while experiencing trauma, Dr. Hibbert has gleaned valuable insights from her ongoing journey. She reminds us in her bestselling book This Is How We Grow, “when life throws you in the mud, [you can choose to] plant yourself and grow.”

      Dr. Christina Hibbert

      Accept That Life Doesn’t Always Turn Out the Way You’d Hoped

      Though her mother had been a breast cancer survivor, somehow Christi never thought it would happen to her. But after her mammogram led to an ultrasound, followed by a biopsy, she says, “I knew I was going be diagnosed with cancer before I even had the biopsy. It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it was my answer to my fervent prayer. I immediately felt God’s reply: ‘I’m sorry, but this is going to happen; but I am with you, and you have been prepared.'” Still, she believed she would beat cancer within three to six months and return to her busy yet rich life as a wife and mom of six, pursuing a career she felt was part of her divine purpose.

      Dr. Hibbert soon realized that there was no returning to the past. “I say now that there is only BC—Before Cancer—and AD—After Diagnosis. Everything has changed.” She experienced countless complications that led to fifteen total surgeries, her last being just seven months ago. “It’s been five years straight of diagnosis after diagnosis, treatment after treatment, nonstop. Though I’ve been working on healing all along, I have learned it’s near impossible to heal the trauma while you’re still being traumatized.” She continues, “I am finally in a place where I can learn and accept my new limitations and rebuild my body, mind, relationships, and life.”

      Mental health challenges that come with trauma can make it difficult to feel inspiration. Still, Christi advises, “Whenever we can, we should try to let it all go, fall apart, and be in the mess because that is the fertile ground where we can most learn and grow. We get the big life lessons and the nuggets of wisdom that we can share in whatever creative form we want. That’s what adds beauty to us—and the world—and heals all.”

      FEEL the Emotions and Do the Work to Heal

      “To me, FEEL means: ‘Freely Experience Emotions with Love,'” she teaches. “We must allow ourselves to experience our emotions fully, in our body and mind and heart, and love ourselves through.” Processing these feelings is crucial for healing and can provide a foundation for creative expression. Christi explains, “I never wanted to be a ‘breast cancer warrior’ or to be inspiring or strong. It’s not what I set out to do in my life. But I believe that I am a warrior because [it’s] about showing up, no matter what comes your way. If you’re showing up for yourself, it’s not just to go through whatever is physically or mentally happening, but also to feel all the emotions, deal with all the thoughts, and untangle the pile of trauma and grief.” She advises: “Go to therapy and do the work. These things are so hard, and nobody wants to do them. It’s just like having surgery; nobody wants to do that either, but it can help.”

      Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

      Focus on your own journey because everyone’s experiences and creative processes are unique. Christi shares, “It’s been really hard for me, seeing so many of my colleagues and friends going above and beyond in their home, family, and career lives—having their writing published, traveling, and things like that. I feel like I’m stuck, and I haven’t ‘done anything.’ But I have survived and worked hard. I’m still dealing with trauma and grief and the mixed feelings of cancer and death anniversaries, but I am slowly, day-by-day, healing.” Remember, your recovery, healing, and growth progress is just as valuable—if not more so—as any external achievement.

      Be Completely Honest and Authentic

      Facing your struggles head-on might be difficult, but it’s essential for growth. Having shared her entire breast cancer and chronic illness journey on her blog and social media, she says, “If there’s anything I’ve done especially well these past five years, it’s being completely open, authentic, honest, and just real. I let people see the real me: ‘This is me sad, this is me happy, and this is me in pain.’ I think that’s why so many people have connected with me and my story because everybody relates.” As she states, “To me, true strength is allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enough to be wherever we are, no matter how over- or underwhelming it may seem.” Vulnerably admitting and processing what you’re going through can enrich your creativity, inspire others, and foster healing and growth.

      Make Your Trauma Your Material

      Transforming your trauma into creative material can be a powerful way to process and express your experiences, making your creative work more personal and impactful. In This Is How We Grow, she writes about her two sisters’ tragic deaths, inheriting her two nephews and going from three to six kids practically overnight, postpartum depression, and other traumas she’s experienced. She says, “I have times where I tell myself, ‘This is my time to be in it—to just be knee-deep in the muck, putting one foot in front of the other.’ Later, I can plant myself in the mud and try to grow. When we’re stuck creatively because we’re having a hard time, if we are willing and brave enough to explore our trauma, whatever we’re going to share, create, or give to the world comes in our hardest times. The message you have for the world is in the mess.”

      Use Creative Self-Expression as a Means of Healing

      Christi advises: “Journal about your experiences. Even if you don’t like writing, recording your thoughts, feelings, and even dreams can be extremely beneficial for sorting through the trauma.” She also recommends talking about it. “Whether in therapy, with a trusted friend or family member, or even sharing publicly as I’ve done, speaking and sharing our stories is healing.” Christi also uses music as an important part of her recovery. “I’m working on a few songs about my experiences, and as I share them, even with my family, music is extremely powerful in healing me on all levels.” Amid her cancer and chronic illness treatments, she also started a podcast called Like a Watered Garden centered on the Church’s “Come Follow Me” program. She says, “I never would have thought I would make a podcast while I was still struggling to not feel sick. It made no sense at the time, but it’s strengthened my faith and testimony. It’s a different kind of creativity I could do with my spiritual side, even when my physical and mental/emotional sides were overwhelmed.”

      Get Creative with Your Creativity

      When we engage in creative activities of any type—familiar or new—we help ourselves cope, understand, and make sense of all we’ve endured. Experiment with various mediums to discover what best helps you express yourself and heal. Christi says, “I would hand letter words, write poetry, or draw about how I felt, and it brought me peace. There are so many ways we can engage our creativity, even when we don’t feel like creating or we’re unable to create in the ways we used to. Pressure, on top of trauma, makes it hard for us to perform.” Exploring new creative outlets with “a beginner’s mind,” as Christi puts it, can allow you to fully appreciate the activity and state of flow instead of viewing it as a chore.

      Dr. Hibbert’s personal experience with trauma has taught her valuable lessons about using creativity as a healing tool. While it can be frustrating to find inspiration in times of stress, Christi urges: “accept your experiences, be honest and authentic, use creativity to express yourself, experiment with different mediums, and avoid putting pressure on yourself. Following these steps can channel your toughest experiences into inspiration and creative expression that can not only heal you but so many others, too.”

      Headshot of Kami Pehrson.

      Kami Pehrson

      Kami Pehrson lives with her husband and five teenage children in Stansbury Park, Utah. She recently finished her master’s degree in English and creative writing and has written three novels—but is still trying to figure out what to do with them. She loves editing, reading, and playing word games on her phone. She also enjoys listening to audiobooks while half-heartedly doing Pilates in the living room.

        Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ Through Music

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        As part of a global church, LDS musicians worldwide can use their talents to create musical compositions which share the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ in powerful and inspiring ways. In his conference address “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” President Russell M. Nelson said, “There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul.” Music is a beautiful way to bring souls closer to the Savior.

        The Power of Lyrics

        Lyrics can speak truth to our hearts and help strengthen our testimony of gospel principles. In response to song lyrics, faith in a particular message can be strengthened through the Spirit. DeNae Handy, a Latter-day Saint musician, speaker, and writer, asserts that, “Music forms belief.” Accordingly, as lyricists consider how to convey doctrine and principles in their work, Handy admonishes writers to “know if what they’re writing about really is doctrine, or if it’s belief, practice, or policy.” She also reminds us to be thoughtful and attentive when writing to be aware of attendant biases.

        “The other way music informs belief,” according to Handy, “has to do with the music itself.” Musicians should consider how tempo and melody evoke emotions as they write songs that reinforce belief and strengthen faith. For example, the hymn “Praise to the Man” was initially set to the solemn, lamenting tune, “Star in the East.” This tune conveyed the Saints’ grief following the prophet Joseph Smith’s death. In contrast, when the words were later set to the tune, “Scotland the Brave,” singers experienced a feeling of “celebration,” according to Handy.

        Singers and listeners alike desire to hear themselves and their culture expressed in lyrics and music.

        Music Can Foster Inclusivity

        Music can help us learn and understand scripture stories, prophetic teachings, and even the nature of God. Doctrine and Covenants 88:118 admonishes to “teach one another words of wisdom.” We love songs with simple lyrics and fun rhymes, but Handy says these songs sometimes lack “nutrition”—she compares them to a type of “comfort food.” Musicians need not be afraid of challenging their audiences, whether young or old. Music can serve as an essential teaching tool. As President Nelson reminded us, “The Lord loves effort.” Effort fosters learning. We can promote faith through music by inspiring listeners to “seek diligently” and “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”

        The first great commandment declares that we should love God and our neighbors. We can demonstrate this love by considering the diversity of individuals from across many cultures and backgrounds. Singers and listeners alike desire to hear themselves and their culture expressed in lyrics and music. 

        Karli Piennette was raised in Magna, Utah, a city she describes as “rooted in the songs and history of the Mormon pioneers.” Later, Piennette sang professionally with her older sisters in the country music group SHeDAISY; but at age 17, she started her musical education at Lipscomb University, a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. She took six credit hours of religious courses each semester where she grew to love a cappella gospel songs.

        Piennette says she has “come to realize that [inclusivity and diversity] is an area in our church where we can grow and develop to connect more with our other brothers and sisters in Christ.” For example, when she began her musical education at Lipscomb, she recalls that the only hymn she recognized was “How Great Thou Art.” She points out that recognizable songs similar to those in mainstream Christianity “can help investigators have some familiarity and make them feel at home—like how I felt when I sang ‘How Great Thou Art’ in my university chapel.” When Piennette was later put in charge of her Young Women’s camp, she felt it was her mission to expose more members to the powerful message of love through Christian gospel songs. She visited all the wards in her Nashville stake to teach the youth different parts in the a cappella round, “The Greatest Commands.” The result, she recalls, “was beautiful!”

        Celebrate Culture through Music

        Jami Orlando, who also studied music at Lipscomb University, is a convert from the Baptist faith where she served as a worship music leader. Orlando expressed the sentiment that, “Music is the language of Heaven.” She goes on to say, “Our culture is so much a part of our social and emotional DNA, [that] if people really want to worship God in a way that is theirs and really have a personal relationship [with Him], we can’t ask them to take their culture out of it. Music is a language in and of itself. It’s not just notes on a page or sounds we hear.”

        Just as the Spirit speaks to church members in different ways, so, too, can the Spirit speak to us through various types of music. “Music’s purpose is to communicate to our souls,” Orlando says. Latter-day Saint hymns were originally broken down in chorally-oriented ways, Jami explains; whereas African-American gospel music enjoys a heavier beat, because traditional African music uses drums instead of stringed instruments—“their African ancestors literally marched to the beat of a different drum.”

        We must educate ourselves in and experience the cultures we wish to celebrate.

        Respect Diverse Musical Traditions

        How can Latter-day Saint creators thoughtfully incorporate diverse cultures and backgrounds in their compositions? First, we must show consideration and appreciation for the contributions of all types of music without misappropriating a culture’s social and historical background. Thoughtless application of cultural elements hurts those whose cultures are inaccurately portrayed in compositions and lyrics. To avoid causing hurt to our brothers and sisters in the church, we must educate ourselves in and experience the cultures we wish to celebrate. 

        We can pray for inspiration and understanding as we strive to build God’s kingdom through song. Jami Orlando implores, “Let’s research, let’s find out, let’s explore and taste other types of music.”

        Lastly, we must encourage creators worldwide to contribute their musical talents to write and compose songs that represent their native cultures. 

        Music is a powerful way to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through articulating belief and inspiring learning and faith. Moreover, music allows Church members to worship in a manner that is customized to every individual. In writing and composing gospel music, let’s thoughtfully consider the needs of all God’s children. What better way to welcome brothers and sisters into our church than by acknowledging and celebrating them? We can invite musicians from diverse faiths and cultures to bring goodness and unite them with what we have to offer.