Fruit Box

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have the unique opportunity to also work full-time for the Church. People have said to me, “Now you know how the sausage is made.” I like to think of it as, I get to watch how the fruit is grown (Matt. 7:16).

I am a producer for Church Newsroom – the official news publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Official announcements from Church leadership, the highly watched World Report that airs between sessions of general conference in April and October, news stories about leadership ministry visits, and coverage regarding humanitarian donations or disaster relief make up most of our articles/videos/posts.

In my role, I lead a photographer and videographer team to cover news stories, produce videos, write articles, and generate social media content. You can check out our YouTube or Instagram to get a visual of what I do.

This job sends me around the world. I’ve been to Madagascar, Mongolia, Montevideo, Maputo, and Michigan – and that’s only the “M’s.”

You can ask my wife, I struggle sharing with others what I do for work because – and I will be the first to admit it – it is not fair that I get paid to do this.

I witness people loving God and loving their neighbor around the world. The dozens of non-profits I have visited and the scores of people I have interviewed who are trying to reduce suffering in the world makes me tear up.

There is a lot of terrible things happening in the world – I have seen that as well. I’ve been on the ground following hurricanes, flooding, fires, and murder with this job. Yet people will offer me a meal despite the fact their home is no longer livable or ask me how I am doing even though they have lost the loved one.

The gospel of Jesus Christ, when engrained into the hearts of individuals, allows them to take on this harsh world with a new perspective. And that is the story I go looking for. This job has not only placed me outside my own box of ideas and concepts, but it has also built me an entirely new box to stand in.

And that box is full of fruit.