Around the web today for stories of interest to future missionaries, missionary moms, returned missionaries, member missionaries, and missionaries of every sort and variety.
- Church News “A First Stake in Togo” – What does the first stake in a country look like? I think the smiles on these pictures do all the talking where the Church formed the first stake in the North West African Nation of Togo.
- Cameron Alldredge “Week 83”– How can we become the people we need in order to share the gospel. This full time missionary developed a training to help him and us do just that. (The training starts about a third of the way through the letter) ” That’s why agency is important–it’s the ability to choose, yes–BUT it’s essentially the ability to BECOME. “
- Charity Sunshine Tillemann Dick “A Mormon, A Lesbian, and Baby Jesus“– As a teenager this young woman wanted to teach a conservative Mormon family a thing or two about their backward abortion ideas. But their beliefs, and more importantly the way they put those beliefs into action opened her eyes. “A word of advice: If you’re invited to dinner, it’s probably a bad idea to bring up abortion during the main course. Especially if the family is Mormon. “
- “Florida, Tallahassee, Mission”– All over the world this week missionaries are attending Christmas conferences. Usually zone or half mission conferences to celebrate, usually pick up packages from home, and fellowship with one another. These can be the most fun meetings as a missionary. But what do they look and sound like? This mission from Florida is giving you a sneak peak. The Bonifay District Introduction Video is especially funny.
- Kate Ensign-Lewis “How the Church’s New Article on Polygamy Will Increase LDS Confidence“– How can the Church’s new statement on polygamy help missionary work? One woman suggests it may make members more confidant in answering difficult and complicated questions. “Even though polygamy is likely what Mormons are best known for, generally speaking we know very little about it. Many LDS Church members when pressed on the topic could probably only respond with a simple ‘we haven’t practiced polygamy since the 1890s.’ After all, outside of brief treatment in a Sunday School lesson on D&C section 132, that’s all many of us have ever really heard about it from an official Church perspective.”