In this episode, Ben and Justine share their powerful and emotional journeys through Mormonism, immigration, family trauma, and healing. They discuss Ben's family's escape from political turmoil, their struggles with loss, and the lure of the Mormon doctrine of eternal families. Ben faces racial and cultural challenges within the Church, battles self-worth issues, and grapples with the harm purity culture and missionary service caused. Justine recounts her own upbringing in a strict Mormon household, the pressure of modesty culture, and the way Mormon ideals shaped her relationships and sense of self. Together, they reflect on how they met, the impact of internalized racism, and their path toward authenticity, healing, and love — even as they confront the pain Mormonism left behind. This is part 1 of a very special two-part Mormon Stories interview. Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:06:34 Ben’s parents experience multiple infant loss/miscarriage 00:28:15 Reconnecting with the Church in Canada 00:39:00 “I left my home, my pride, mi familia.” 00:58:30 How Mormonism helps & harms at the same time 01:10:15 Justine’s Mormon childhood, youngest of 7, father a convert 01:22:11 Chosen generation trope affects relationships w/friends & family 01:38:10 Effects of purity culture 01:47:49 Justine repents for first boyfriend, first kiss at University 02:09:27 Ben & Justine become friends 02:17:13 Going on a mission causes more strife with Ben’s parents 02:38:20 Ben ignores intuition to tell gay convert not to join, ending in tragedy 02:55:45 Justine feels pressure to focus on numbers instead of people on her mission 03:20:07 How Justine & Ben start dating 03:24:15 Book of Mormon racism 03:26:30 Ben’s anguish over harm to himself & his relationship with his parents ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117