Wylene Benson

The Couple Who Bought Without a Job

A couple — second marriage, first home together — had almost nothing that looked like conventional qualification. He had no job. Her income barely registered. Through planning, an employment offer letter structure, and willingness to look beyond their geographic preferences, they found a home in Payson that turned out to be perfect in ways they couldn’t have predicted. He got a job in Nephi afterward — and the location of the home made it possible.

Wylene Benson

The First Sale Confirmation

While informing her broker she was leaving her office manager position to pursue real estate full-time, Wylene received a text from her first client. The timing felt like confirmation. That client became her first sale. It became the defining origin story of her career — a moment when confidence arrived as a consequence of commitment, not as a prerequisite for it.

Phil Hanks

'I’m Ready Now': Ephraim Hanks and the Handcart Rescue

On October 6, 1856, Brigham Young issued a call for rescuers for the stranded Martin Handcart Company. Ephraim Hanks was not present. Three weeks later, fishing at Utah Lake and attending a conference in American Fork, he received a prompting that the handcart people needed help. He arrived in Salt Lake City by October 26. When Brigham Young called others to join the rescue and they said they could be ready in a few days, Ephraim said simply: 'I’m ready now.' He prayed one night for food and a buffalo appeared. He shot it with one shot, loaded it on his pack horse, and arrived at the Martin Handcart Company on November 11. He healed the sick, brought a man back to life, and healed a boy whose feet had gangrened so severely that amputation seemed certain. After the blessing, the boy lived a full life.

Phil Hanks

The Ukrainian Saints Who Arrived Afraid and Left Transformed

While serving at the Freiburg Germany Temple, Phil and Donna witnessed Ukrainian Saints arriving by the busload. Most were new members of the Church in Ukraine — a community that had only recently emerged from the Soviet era. They had no idea what to expect in the temple. They came afraid. Over four or five days — moving through baptisms for their ancestors, endowments, and sealings — Phil watched something change in them. 'By the time they left, there were tears and hugs.' He says it quietly but repeatedly: 'They were changed.' A community now scattered by war, this story preserves their early devotional life.

Phil Hanks

Called as Mission President at 28 — Before He Even Knew

Phil and Donna were in Samoa teaching at a Church school when congratulatory telegrams began arriving. First his mother, then a cousin: 'Congratulations, President.' He had no idea what they meant. After six weeks of delayed mail due to a Pan-American Airlines strike, letters finally arrived including a call from the First Presidency to preside over the Samoa Mission. Phil was 28. Donna was 27. They came home for ten weeks, attended the mission presidents' seminar with all 61 mission presidents in the world at the time, were set apart, and returned July 1 to lead the mission. Phil said simply: 'We should have been afraid, but I wasn’t.'

Joan discusses the financial instability that often accompanies entrepreneurial life. She recalls times of 'fretting' over basic needs, such as when she couldn't immediately buy her children new shoes. While she regrets worrying so much, she notes that these hardships taught her a profound appreciation for stability. Interestingly, she observes that because of these 'ups and downs,' all of her children chose steady, traditional careers over the risky entrepreneurial path of their father.

While working in the high-intensity, often hedonistic environment of casinos and showrooms, Jay Lawrence maintained his standards as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Surrounded by substance abuse, he never tasted alcohol. He shares a story of a bartender who complained that Jay's refusal of drinks was 'costing him money' when patrons bought rounds for the band. In response, Jay began ordering tonic water with lime—a 'sophisticated' looking drink that allowed him to participate in the social ritual without compromising his faith or health.

While teaching in Samoa at age 28, Phil received a series of confusing congratulatory telegrams from family. Because of a six-week mail strike, he had no idea why he was being congratulated until a letter finally arrived from the First Presidency calling him and his 27-year-old wife to lead the mission in Samoa. Despite their youth and a lack of fear that Phil attributes to 'naivety,' they accepted the call and stayed for four years.