Conversations with very-recently returned missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discussing changes of heart, spiritual growth, change, and challenges from their missions.
To help you remember the feelings brought on by connecting with God that inspired you to make enduring positive changes.
https://www.alma526.com (https://www.alma526.com)
Publisher
Justin Barton
Category
education · religion & spirituality · society & culture
Justin Barton interviews his niece Aubrey about her 18+ months as a missionary, where she served, and how her faith deepened. Aubrey, from Snowflake, Arizona, explains being called to the Temple Square Salt Lake City Mission (Spanish-speaking) and later reassigned for a short outbound experience to the Colorado Springs Mission, finishing March 2026 after starting in November 2024. She shares challenges learning Spanish amid many languages, companions from different cultures, and differences in questions asked by tour groups. In Colorado, facing opposition and unfamiliar proselyting, she admits she lacked a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon and gained it through vulnerability, scripture study, prayer, and fasting. She describes faith as taking risks, learning she isn’t an exception to consequences or God’s love, and choosing surrender and trust in God.
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
00:22 Aubrey Background and Hobbies
00:45 Finding a Love for the Gospel
01:29 Mission Call and Reassignment
02:46 Spanish at Temple Square
04:01 Gift of Tongues in Action
05:23 Culture Lessons on Tours
08:19 Colorado Springs Growth
11:23 Vulnerability and Testimony
14:57 Why Serve Without Knowing
16:37 Introvert to Missionary Life
18:50 Prayer Becomes Personal
21:35 Not an Exception
25:17 Faith Means Acting
30:06 Fasting and Letting Go
32:58 Surrender and Trust God
36:16 Mission Theme Scripture
39:05 Final Counsel Build Testimony
40:15 Can You Feel So Now
42:46 Spanish Testimony and Farewell
1 May 2026TRANSCRIPT
Can You Feel So Now, Lauryn Zobell?
Justin Barton interviews returned missionary Lauren Zobell as she shares how spiritual habits and reliance on the Savior transformed her struggles into a powerful testimony of faith and service.
24 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
Can You Feel So Now, Sam Niles?
Host Justin Barton interviews returned missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sam Niles about his mission journey and faith. Sam was assigned to the West Virginia Charleston Mission (June 2023), but an illness in February 2024 led to a service mission after he was diagnosed with cancer, had surgery, and underwent nine weeks of chemotherapy (April–June 2024) followed by recovery. Feeling physically better, he returned to West Virginia, but a remission checkup triggered a trauma response and his mission president advised him to finish as a service missionary; he completed his mission in June 2025. Sam describes moments of peace through prayer, a powerful experience of feeling a divine presence in an ER, meaningful service in the temple and community, lessons about loving others, journaling, overcoming perceived stigma, and centering multiple identities around Jesus Christ.
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
00:23 Sam’s Background and Hobbies
01:52 Mission Call and Timeline
03:20 Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
06:21 Chemo Struggles and Service Work
08:48 Temple Service and New Perspective
13:20 Returning to West Virginia and Trauma
15:38 Atonement and the Empty Chair Moment
20:10 Identity After Cancer and Mission Stigma
25:45 Learning Prayer and Purifying Motives
32:57 Journaling and Loving Leadership
37:16 Why Justin Started the Podcast
40:54 Final Reflections and Alma 5 Questions
48:42 Testimony and Closing
Inside a recent episode
Can You Feel So Now, Aubrey Peterson?
Published 9 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] You said, I act like it. I act like I'm talking to my father. It's not just words. I act like it. So tell me, what does that mean? I act like I'm talking to my father when I go into prayer now. I've developed a much more respectful... viewpoint of my Father in Heaven. Because before, yeah, He was my Heavenly Father, but I don't feel like I treated him with as much respect as I should have. I used him more as like a genie in my prayers. Oh, please help me have this. Please bless me with this. But after really seeing how much he has done for me, how much he's constantly doing for me, how kind he is. […]
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