’Latter Rain’ author signing at Walmart

Quite a bit of actual rain has fallen in Utah Valley this spring and summer, and it’s been a good season for metaphorical rain as well. Orem author Jim Conis’s Bible study volume “The Latter Rain: Using the Book of Isaiah as the Key to Unlock Bible Prophecies That are Relevant Today” has sold out its initial order at seven Utah Valley Walmart stores.

More copies have been ordered, and Conis will be making a special appearance at the Lindon Walmart store, 585 N. State St. in Lindon, on June 17 to meet readers and sign copies of “The Latter Rain.” The book signing will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The Latter Rain,” which Conis and his wife, Phyllis Conis, published earlier this year, examines the use of certain symbols in the Old Testament book of Isaiah and links them to other Bible scriptures. Conis, 50, first connected with the writings of Isaiah while preparing to serve a proselytizing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a young man, and began writing “The Latter Rain” in 2005.

Additional information about the book is available at thelatterrain.net online.

LDS Church opens new Welfare Services Center in SLC

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the doors of a new Welfare Services Center in Salt Lake City’s Sugarhouse neighborhood on Thursday. The 65,000-square-foot facility includes a new Deseret Industries thrift store, as well as new LDS Employment and LDS Family Services centers.

Deseret Industries is sort of a giant permanent yard sale, offering used goods (donated by members of the community) as discount prices. There are 43 Deseret Industries stores in the Western United States, in Utah, Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

LDS Employment is a placement program for job seekers, while LDS Family Services provides family counseling and adoption services programs.