"SEEK THIS JESUS," by Neill Marriott, Deseret Book, $16.99, 112 pages (nf)

Sister Neill Marriott has been the second counselor in the Young Women general presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since April 2013. She is a wife, a mother of 11 children and grandmother to 35 grandchildren. Now, with the release of her new book, “Seek This Jesus,” she adds author to her many titles. The book was published by Deseret Book and is available in stores now.

From sharing her conversion to the LDS Church to her feelings surrounding the loss of her daughter, Georgia, Sister Marriott opens up about her life’s lessons learned in the unique way that makes her so endearing.

As she shares her conversion to the LDS Church after having been raised a devout Methodist, it becomes very clear to the reader that Sister Marriott and her family were not just Sunday believers. A belief in Jesus Christ was deeply ingrained in Sister Marriott from a young age. She frequently uses Methodist hymns to verbalize her beliefs.

“Oh, I loved the hymns we sang! Such phrases as ‘My Heavenly Father will remember me,’ ‘What a friend we have in Jesus,’ and ‘I walked today where Jesus walked’ nudged my understanding toward the truth that God somewhere, somehow, made things better for everyone,” she writes.

While she recounts several stories that she has previously shared in general conference, the book also contains many stories that readers will not have heard before. The stories are accompanied by sweet, relatable lessons learned.

Sister Marriott recalls reading a quote by President Marion G. Romney that inspired her to read the Book of Mormon daily with her children in an effort to calm the chaos in her home following the birth of her 11th child.

"At that moment, David arrived home from work," Sister Marriott said. "As he came through the back door into the kitchen, I held out the quote to him and said, in a voice shaking with emotion, 'I want this!'"

Within the week, the Marriotts began reading the Book of Mormon with their children every day during breakfast. "The pace was so snail-like that it took us seven years to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover as a family," Sister Marriott recalls.

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"There was something powerful at work during breakfast," Sister Marriott writes. "The hardback Book of Mormon collected remnants of breakfasts over the years — a gleam of syrup, a hardened spot of milk, a streak suggesting eggs. I love the historical record our stained book cover bears. It says, 'I am loved, I am used, I am part of the fabric of this family — tattered, yes, but valued.'"

When he was in high school, Sister Marriott's son Daniel was asked to give a talk in stake conference. He insisted that he prepare his talk on his own so when he began his talk by announcing that it took his family seven years to read the Book of Mormon, Sister Marriott said she wanted to jump up and screech, "What do you expect from a family of 13 at the breakfast table!" But after saying he didn't really remember any specific verses read, he shared a testimony that made his parents' efforts worthwhile.

"'What I do remember is that every single morning my dad reached for the Book of Mormon as we ate,'" Sister Marriott writes recalling her son's words. "'And somehow I knew in my little-boy heart that this book was really important to my dad. Now it is important to me.' I cried. There it was. Consistent daily family scripture reading, no matter how slow, is an undeniable witness of faith in the word of God."

For a special treat, download the audiobook, which is read by Sister Marriott herself.

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