FUN FOR LESS TOURS - Key Persons
Ben Wilcox has been a religious educator in the church Seminaries and Institutes program and popular EFY speaker for the last 20 years. He has a deep and abiding love for the scriptures, church history, and the teachings of the living prophets. More recently he has shared his knowledge and enthusiasm for the scriptures with thousands through his YouTube channel "Teaching with Power". He received his bachelor's degree in English literature from Brigham Young University, and a master's degree also in English literature from Northern Arizona University. He and his wife Allesha currently live in Riverton, Utah with their four children.
David Butler is by day a college religious educator sharing his love for the scriptures and his belief that there is a power for good innate in every human soul. By night he is a fort builder, waffle maker, sports coach, and storyteller for his six favorite little people, also known as his children. He and his wife, Jenny, live with their family amid the snow-capped peaks of the Mountain West, but they often dream of a beach house on a sunny shore somewhere. David is the author of many religious books including Ites: an illustrated guide to the people in the Book of Mormon, The Peter Potential, and his newest, Celebrating A Christ-Centered Christmas: Children's Edition.
Brother Christensen was born in Richfield Utah. He became an Eagle Scout. He served a mission in the Alaskan-Canadian mission. He served in the Utah Nation Guard as an Officer in the Artillery Married Rozann Beck from Gunnison, Utah. They have six children and 16 grandchildren. He graduated from Snow College, Weber State College and received his masters and Ph.D. in Marriage and family therapy from Brigham Young University. He was a therapist at Provo Canyon's Boys School and has treated many adolescents for ADD, ADHD, incorrigible, rebellious, depressed, anxiety and family problems. He has had a private practice in marriage and family, couples and individual therapy for over 40 years.
He has taught in the church educational system for 25 years. He taught Release Time Seminary, served as a seminary stake coordinator in Alaska and Colorado and directed the Institute of Religion in Boulder Colorado. He taught on the Religion Faculty at Ricks College and was the institute director at the Sandy Institute of Religion in Salt Lake, and as an institute instructor at the University of Utah, he has trained many volunteer Institute teachers. He has taught Missionary Preparation classes for over 20 years. He has since retired from the Church Educational System.
He became a Corporate Trainer for VitalSmarts Corporation. He is currently doing Individual, Marriage and Family Therapist and is the Director for Maximum Potential and Bingham Creek Counseling in West Jordan. He deals with struggling, marriages, depression; anxiety and other emotional and mental issues. He has developed an online Pornography Recovery Program, called "Candeo", reaching over 50 countries. The program has proven to work in helping men and women overcome addiction to pornography and sex addiction. He has spoken at many professional conferences and community programs.
He recently published a book "What Grandpa Taught about the Law of Holiness". He has published 14 talk tapes and speaks at many youth conferences, BYU Education Week and Know Your Religion programs. He and his wife directed tours for BYU Travel Study to Israel and Central America for many years.
He has served as a Bishop and was in the District Presidency in Juneau Alaska, working with the Y.M. program, he served on several different High Councils and has been the Stake Mission President for two different Stakes. He has held almost every position, except Relief Society President, He turned that calling down. He has served as an ordinance worker in the Jordan River Temple. He is also the Stake Sunday School President in the Westland Stake, training "Come follow Me" teaching to not only the youth instructors, teachers, but for H.P, E.Q. R.S. and S.S. Instructors. He and his wife served a mission at the Heber Valley Girls Camp.
David K. Douglas is a fun, adventurous, family-man who loves to travel and make history come to life. His full time employment has been for the Church Education System for the last 22 years, in Seminaries and Institutes. Dave's bachelors degree is in Psychology & his masters degree in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership both from BYU. He has a PhD in Parks Recreation and Tourism from the University of Utah. As part of his research into living history, he performed at ‘This is the Place Heritage Park' playing Orrin Porter Rockwell the infamous lawman and bodyguard. His own children hardly recognized him as he got into character and had a good laugh.
Dave is a born storyteller and has years of experience making battlefields, castles, museums and sacred places come to life for visitors. He has a broad range of travel and guiding experiences including Church & American history, African game parks & World Heritage sites throughout Europe. He appreciates that travel can be both extensive and intensive, but rather than devouring miles at a rapid fire pace the traveler can learn to mindfully linger at each site.
Dr. Lund has led numerous tours to Israel, LDS Church History sites, and to the Lands of the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica. He speaks fluent Spanish and served as a missionary in Mexico.
He is the author of various articles in the New Era, the Ensign, The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, and most recently, in the LDS 2006 Church Almanac.
Dr. Lund retired after teaching for thirty-six years in the CES Institute program. He is described as having a unique combination of gospel knowledge, deep spirituality, and has a delightful sense of humor.
Job Titles:
- Member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - Day Saints
Dr. John M. Madsen is a former associate professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. He has participated in 9 tours to the Holy Land before being called as a General Authority. Dr. Madsen has led many tours to Israel since being granted Emeritus status. We don't just send a name, with no experience, we send the best in Educators and those with the most experience!
Dr. Madsen is an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general authority of the LDS Church since 1992.
Prior to his call as a general authority, Dr. Madsen served as a regional representative of the Twelve and a mission president. He was president of the England Southwest Mission from 1970 to 1973. In 1992, John became a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. In 1997 he was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy. As a general authority, John has also served in the general presidency of the church's Young Men organization. He had also served as member of the Young Men General Board prior to his call as a general authority. John was made General Authority Emeritus in the Oct 2009 conference.
Assignments that Dr. Madsen has had as a general authority have included serving as president of the Mexico North Area of the church, and in the presidency of the North America West, North America Northwest, Philippines, and Australia/New Zealand areas.
For more than a decade, Matt Townsend has been energizing and involving audiences with his unique approach to building and maintaining successful relationships. Known as one of America's top presenters in the field of Human Relations and Development, Matt blends humor and story telling with interactive, real-life solutions that inspire motivation and immediate results in his audiences.
Having dedicated his life to the study of communication and interpersonal relationships, Matt has worked extensively in the areas of results-oriented communication, conflict resolution and time management training. As a lead presenter for industry leader, Franklin Covey, Matt worked with the Family & Special Market Division and created the company's largest train-the-trainer program, certifying more than 900 trainers to teach his customized time management curriculum.
"The Matt Townsend Show" is broadcast every week on KSL News Radio and Matt's book Starved Stuff: The 7 Basic Needs of Healthy Relationships is a popular pick among those searching for better relationship skills. Having earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Communication and a second master's degree in Human Development, he recently earned his PhD in the field of Human Development. He is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the National Department of Commerce.
Dr. Michael Wilcox received his PhD from the University of Colorado and taught for many years at the LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah. He has spoken to packed crowds at BYU Education Week and has hosted tours to the Holy Land and to Church history sites. He has served in a variety of callings, including as bishop and counselor in a stake presidency. He has written many articles and books, including House of Glory, Sunset, 10 Great Souls I Want to Meet in Heaven, and Finding Hope. He and his late wife, Laurie, are the parents of five children.
Dr. Holzapfel attended BYU, Hebrew Union College, and the University of California, Irvine (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.) emphasizing in Middle Eastern Studies, Jewish History, Ancient History, American History, and Nineteenth-Century American Religious History. He married Jeni Broberg in 1978 and is the father of five children. Richard came to BYU as an assistant professor in 1993, teaching in the Church History, Ancient Scripture, and History departments, including the Honors sections of the Doctrine and Covenants and New Testament. He taught at the BYU Jerusalem Center from 1997 through 1998. Dr. Holzapfel currently serves as the Publications Director of the "Religious Educator," a publication of the Religious Studies Center at BYU. In addition to teaching and filling various committee assignments at BYU, Richard continues a heavy research, writing, and publication agenda.
Emily Belle Freeman has taught for many years in the Church Education System. She has also been a speaker for many other BYU Programs and Conferences as well as addressing groups in Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and Australia. She is a frequent speaker at TOFW and the Love Your Life Retreat, a contributor to The Small Seed, and a bestselling author at Deseret Book. She has authored many books including Even This: Getting to the Place Where You Can Trust God With Anything, 21 Days Closer to Christ, and Becoming His. In recent years she has had the opportunity to direct tours to Mexico and Israel. Emily and her husband Greg live in Lehi, Utah and are the parents of five children, and two grandchildren.
Glenn Jay Rawson has been the writer and co-producer for the television documentary series entitled "History of the Saints". He has also written and co-produced the television documentary series called "The Joseph Smith Papers". These programs are broadcast on many TV and radio stations in the intermountain west, including KSL-TV, and worldwide on BYU-TV. He travels extensively interviewing scholars and researching the original documents that tell the story of the early history of the Latter-Day Saints. The "JSP" and "History of the Saints" seasons 1 and 2 are available on DVD at local bookstores. Many of these are also found on iTunes as podcasts. Documentaries on the Mormon Battalion and other projects are in various stages of production.
For the past 17 years, Glenn has written and told over 500 inspirational stories for many "Sounds of Sunday" radio programs broadcast far and wide. His Books "In The Midst Of Thee" volumes 1 and 2 are a collection of some of these stories. He has also produced and sold CD's on topics such as prayer, freedom, and inspiration.
Glenn is a gifted teacher and fireside speaker. He has traveled extensively for "Especially For Youth" and "Best of EFY" programs as a speaker and session director. He has been a presenter at Education Week and Know Your Religion. Glenn joined the LDS Church at age 18 and served a full-time mission to Des Moines, Iowa. He is now a tour director and educator for "Fun For Less Tours".
Glenn has a bachelor's degree in Wildlife and Range Science from Brigham Young University, a masters in Educational Administration from Idaho State University, and doctoral studies in Political Science and Constitutional Studies from Idaho State University. He has a love of America and has studied US history and the founding fathers. He has co-written a stage production entitled "Give Me Liberty that tells the story of America's freedom.
Raised on a ranch in Idaho, Glenn enjoys the great outdoors, early morning running, any kind of exercise, camping with his family, reading and researching, cooking scones, donuts, and homemade bread, cross-country skiing, identifying plants and animals, and has a love for all people. He has served 7 years as a nursery leader, worked with the handicapped for many years, and has held many other callings. Glenn and his wife Debra are the parents of 7 children and a growing number of adorable grand-children.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Graphic Design
Job Titles:
- Tour Manager & Reservations
Linda Peterson are from Kaysville, Utah. They have five children and eleven grandchildren. Linda teaches First Grade in Farmington. John has recently retired from a 38-year career as an Instructor for the Church Education System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Twenty-seven of those years he was an Instructor at the Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah where he often taught LDS History and Christian History. He has also worked as an archivist and acquisitions specialist for the Church History Department in Salt Lake City, and currently works as a writer-researcher with the Brigham Young Center. John has three degrees in History, a BA from USU, an MA from BYU, and a Ph.d. from ASU. He has written several books including Utah's Black Hawk War for which he was awarded the "Best First Book Award" from the Mormon History Association. He is currently finishing a book he wrote for the National Park Service entitled Brigham's Bastion: Winsor Castle at Pipe Springs and its Place on the Mormon Frontier. John is an experienced and captivating teacher/lecturer and was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award by Brigham Young University's division of Continuing Education in 2002. John is an avid traveller and has travelled widely, both personally, with his family, and as a tour guide. He has been leading tours since 1995 and worked for years for BYU Travel Study specializing in Church History and European History and Christian History. In 2001 he was Director of Education for SeaTrek 2001, a massive recreation of Mormon Maritime Emigration that involved eight actual tall ships and thousands of travelers. In this capacity, he sailed from various ports in Europe to New York City teaching History at Sea. Ever since he has loved sailing and tall ships. John loves adventure traveling and exploration and is an avid hiker and scuba diver. He especially enjoys "off the beaten path travel" and has followed the missionary journeys of Paul "with a backpack and a dollar." He has also lead various Church History and European tours and cruises for Fun For Less Travel. He loves to make travel Fun, Adventurous, and Educational. Linda's kind and easy-going nature, as well as her never-ending smile and enthusiasm, make her a joy to travel with. Together John and Linda make a great team.