Rian Nelson – Part 2: Heartland Geography 101

Rian Nelson FIRM Foundation Assistant, Author, Speaker and Map-maker
Presentation:
Heartland Geography 101
Rian Nelson has always loved the Book of Mormon and its heroes, and after 40 years of searching for the location where Nephi and Moroni lived, served, and fought for their freedom has finally been realized. They lived right where the Prophet Joseph Smith said they did, in the United States of America.
Rian loves the Lamanites. He served a mission to Fiji and Kiribati, his parents met each other while each serving the Navajos, Apaches, and Hopis in New Mexico and Arizona, and his son served his mission among the Lamanites of Alaska. Discovering about new heroes, Zelph and Onandagus has inspired him. New found secondary evidences (Archaeology and Geology) has added to his previous testimony and inspired him to create art, maps, and handmade relics, to inspire others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
His passion for truth has been ignited by the description of a “mound” from Rod Meldrum, the location of the “narrow neck of land” from Jonathan Neville, the amazing “finds” from Wayne May, and the inspiration of the James Stoddard family. Rian thanks his friends Val Chadwick Bagley, Ken Corbett, and Kendra Burton for creating art, and cartoons of Rian’s favorite heroes, and a special thanks to Steve Blake who taught Rian a new talent; creating “cool relics.”
Rian is an author, editor, and speaker. His newest book called, Moroni’s America-Land Bountiful Edition. was published in 2019. He has written a previous book in it’s 6th printing titled “Moroni’s America-Map Edition“, edited by Jonathan Neville. Also with Val Chadwick Bagley as cartoonist, Rian is also the editor of “It Came to Pass Where? “, and a coloring book series titled “The Book of Mormon in America’s Heartland.” He has also been a major contributor of art and maps in the newly published 600 page “Annotated Book of Mormon” by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum.
Rian enjoys working with his good friend Rod Meldrum of The FIRM Foundation. Rian is the event coordinator for the Book of Mormon Evidence Conferences which are held twice each year,
Rian is married to his eternal companion Stacy, has two married children, Kinley (Tim) and Caden (Shireen), and a two-year-old grandchild named Brooklyn. He currently serves as a Sunbeam Teacher in Bountiful, Utah.