Lance and Brandee Heppler began to question and ultimately leave the Mormon Church after their son Lake experienced mismanagement and mistreatment during his missionary training and service. This experience, along with their daughter Darby coming out as gay and being rejected by the Church, led them to start questioning Church teachings and practices. They also began to educate themselves about Church history and controversies through sources like the "Mormons & Masons" documentary, "Mormon Stories," and the CES Letter. Further cracks in their faith emerged when Brandee became aware of a child abuse incident at their local stake center that had been covered up by Church leaders. Despite these concerns, the Hepplers continued to attend Church and pretend to believe for a time. However, they eventually reached a breaking point and decided to leave the Church altogether. They found that prioritizing their family and their own happiness outside of the Church was more important than following Church rules and teachings that were not serving them. Episode Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/lance-brandee-heppler/ 00:00:00 Intro & recap of Pt 1 00:05:00 Lake’s mission application and being sent home early from the MTC 00:21:30 Lake is able to return to his original mission. 00:31:30 Mormons & Masonry connection leads Brandee to start questioning silently 00:42:30 Lance spends less time from Church for things that made him happier 00:46:30 Darby comes out & told by honest Bishop: “There’s no place for you in the Church.” 00:55:00 Reality of LGBTQ in the Church, the importance of telling your child you love them 01:01:30 Discarding Church doctrine around daughter improved relationship, not opposite 01:13:35 LDS Suicidality problem in Mormonism 01:23:00 Bishop roulette on masturbation - Lake’s horrifying experience with UVU Bishop 01:31:30 Incident w/child predator mishandled while Brandee is Stake Primary President 01:42:30 Brandee & Lance finally start researching and talking about the Church post COVID 01:56:30 Had always been told the Gospel is what brought happiness and strong family, but it’s been the opposite 02:10:30 Hepplers feel that giving people hope is worth the “controversy” of coming on air 02:12:00 Biggest challenges, telling parent & others, what to have faith in 02:18:30 Church narrative that you can’t be joyful or REALLY happy outside of the Church 02:23:30 Gratitude & Closing Thoughts Lance & Brandee Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxq5opj6GqOAN8kfy1gSqT9UenLw2w5iG ______________________ ABOUT US: Mormon Stories Podcast is the longest-running and most successful podcast in Mormonism - hosted by Dr. John Dehlin. 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. We also occasionally interview 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, and 3) Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions. Mormon Stories Podcast is a product of the Open Stories Foundation - a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting Mormons in religious transition. 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 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 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 #MormonStories