Mormon Bloggers

In a recent article about the current political race with 2 Mormon business leaders (Romney and Huntsman), a Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christenson stated “I don’t think there’s any more demanding profession than being a Mormon missionary…”  The article goes on to state that the Missionary Training Center (MTC), which is the place where Mormon missionaries are trained, has graduated nearly 1 million missionaries, most of which are highly sought after and successful in the business world. From personal experience with going through the MTC and serving a 2 year mission in Germany, I whole heartedly agree with these statements.  One of the most difficult things I’ve done so far has been serving as a Mormon missionary.  The whole time I was out there (2 years), I knocked on thousands of doors, talked with thousands of people, and had one baptism.  Not very good odds. However, while I was out there something happened within me.  First, I realized that... Read the rest of this entry »

In this video, a Russian member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon“) shares her faith and testimony, and some of her conversion story. This woman also shares some of her feelings about serving as a Mormon missionary at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Read More →

In a recent article in The National Catholic Weekly magazine, a writer brought up the great marketing the LDS church is doing in New York City.  His article highlights the Mormon.org billboards that are all over as well as on the taxis, etc.  and how great of a missionary tool it is.  Something he wrote about in his article stood out to me about his perspective on the traditional Mormon missionary strategy.  He writes: The ”I’m a Mormon” campaign, showcases video and print portraits of young, diverse and energetic Mormons — and steers clear of images of missionaries in white shirts and black pants or talk of theology – “Steering clear of images of missionaries in white shirts and black pants…” is the line that stood out to me. What is the image that most people who aren’t LDS think of when they see the Mormon missionaries knocking on doors like they have done the same way for probably close to 100 years now?  Is that still an... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Michelle Elizabeth Smart — who at age 14 was kidnapped from her bedroom at knifepoint and was held captive for nine months before being found — will be an ABC news correspondent. It is expected that she will be on Good Morning America and possibly other programs like Nightline. ABC News spokeswoman Julie Townsend explained what Elizabeth Smart’s specific role will be: “She’ll help our viewers better understand missing person stories from someone with the perspective to know what a family experiences when a loved one goes missing. And her contributions will be focused on looking ahead, not looking back at her own story.” Smart prepared a statement about this new phase of her life: “I am committed to giving back and getting involved where I can make the greatest difference through child advocacy work…. Partnering with ABC provides a powerful tool to help me accomplish this. I look forward to working to create awareness for and... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Jeanette Green Over the past couple years, I’ve realized how much there is to fear in this life. Natural disaster. War. Sickness. Death. Pain. Loss. Uncertainty, in general. Unemployment. Questions with no apparent answers can plague our minds. How will we pay our mortgage? When will we find a job? How will we ever get on our feet again? How do we actually start over? How could this happen? How do I possibly “move on” after losing my child/spouse/parent? I’ve either experienced myself or witnessed the pain of some of these events through my friends. Where can I turn for peace? When I was 21, I chose to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For 18 months, I dedicated my time and energy to serving the Lord and His Hungarian children. It was an incredible time of personal growth. I remember, as I struggled to learn the Hungarian language (which, let me assure you, is no easy task), I came across a scripture: Luke 8:50.  The phrase “Ne félj; csak... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Michelle [The photo above does not include me...it's just a general photo of LDS missionaries. My photos are from back in the day before digital photography!] I recently read the Business Week article on the significant impact missionary and Church service has had on the lives of several prominent Latter-day Saint business executives. The article caused me to reflect on the many was my service as a missionary in South America all those years ago affected my life. I remember very distinctly feeling that I had chosen to serve a mission because I wanted to be able to serve and help others, but I was astounded at all the ways being a missionary enriched and blessed my life. I should start off by saying that the fact that it was through one of my mission leaders that I eventually met my husband! That alone is reason enough to be grateful for my mission experiences {grin}, but here are many other things for which I am grateful. - I learned to work hard. I had been a straight-A student... Read the rest of this entry »

Are you curious about Mormonism, but not currently comfortable with the idea of a face-to-face discussion with Mormon missionaries? Would you like to be able to have a real-time conversation about Mormon beliefs with LDS missionaries while maintaining some anonymity and personal space? Then the online chat feature at mormon.org may be just the thing for you. Here you can have a real-time, no-obligation discussion via your computer with an LDS missionary (there are missionaries called just with this purpose as their full-time service work). You can do it in the privacy and comfort of your home, or in a hotel room while on a trip, or on your handheld device while riding the bus. Chat at a time that works for you using a medium that allows you flexibility, privacy, and even a written record so you can mull over what you have discussed. If Facebook is more your style, you can connect with Mormon missionaries there as well. For example, I met Elder Colton Baird and Elder Bryan Sabin this week... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Heidi I will forever be grateful to my ancestors who joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints long ago and for all that they sacrificed so that I could grow up with the gospel in my household.  One of my most illustrious ancestors is Daniel Tyler who is known for his book The Concise History of the Mormon Battalion.  He served as the sergeant of Company C of the Battalion and kept a vivid account of all their doings. He was born in 1819 and was introduced to the Book of Mormon through a meeting he attended at his neighbor’s house.  The Mormon missionaries were there and Daniel, aged 15 at the time, picked up the book and began to read.  It took only a few pages in order for him to feel a strong desire to be baptized into the church but his father was opposed to it.  Later his sister braved her father’s objections and joined the church.  Soon, their parents and brothers followed.  Daniel, however, was still afraid to tell his father the secret he had... Read the rest of this entry »

It is refreshing and exciting to see the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) to move in the right direction with her websites.  At the More Good Foundation we have been working for a few years trying to promote positive content about the Mormons online. A few years ago the Church was still moving slowly while those who oppose it were moving fast, creating a distortion in the public perception of what the Mormon Church or the Mormons really are or stand for. I am happy to see that things have changed, and now the Church is including in her new or renewed websites some of the things that we first started at the More Good Foundation (e.g. online testimonies of normal members, videos on youtube, more searchable content on the internet, and so on) when many members were still wary of participating on the internet. One of the last improvements that the Church is doing is related to the new Mormon.org.  According to an article on another blog (ByCommonConsent): The... Read the rest of this entry »

I have been thinking about the 5 crowns mentioned in scripture–and particularly about the crown of rejoicing.  The Savior identifies this crown, in this New Testament verse: 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his acoming? The context of the chapter includes the labor of love, of shepherding, of ministering to others, of missionary and evangelistic labors. There’s a prize to be had for those labors, but not a prize of this world.  It is the very presence of the Savior with us.  And nothing compares with that.  Nothing ever can. Nothing ever will. Working to share His light and to be in His presence is a divine work, and a sure prize worth striving for, worth our lives and every expenditure of effort. It’s a mountain-top experience. We have to keep the fire burning, the flame of the gospel lit in our lives.  The More Good Foundation torch is a reminder of this for each... Read the rest of this entry »

The Mormon Church is creating new missions in several areas of the world. Africa Southeast My impression is that the Church is focusing its more traditional missionary efforts (deployment of missionaries in flesh and bones) in area of the world where people are more open and interested in the message of salvation. Places like Europe or North America seem to be losing missions through combining of them, as it is happening in Italy, where the Italy Catania Mission will be absorbed by the Italy Rome Mission. However, this does not mean necessarily a reduction in missionary work in Europe or North America, since those are also countries where the Internet is used by most people, and where the message of the restoration can move forward through electronic means, such as the Internet, saving the missionaries some of the effort of finding people interested in their message. Since the number of Mormon missionaries is naturally declining, more and more people in the world will have to learn... Read the rest of this entry »

(The first part of this post is in Czech. Please scroll down for the English translation) Jmenuji se Eva Ivanová, je mi 58 let a bydlím ve městě kde se narodit president Uchdorf. Je to Ostrava v České republice. Církev Ježíše Krista Svatých posledních dnů jsem poznala ve svých téměř 52 letech, v lednu 2003, když jsem v tramvaji cestou do práce uviděla leták s nabídkou výuky angličtiny. Když jsem přišla na angličtinu první co jsem uviděla byly sestry misionářky a já jsem s úžasem viděla jak zářily. Bylo to něco co jsem nedokázala popsat, dnes vím že to bylo světlo Kristovo. Na první hodině angličtiny jsme my studenti byli pozváni na „den otevřených dveří“ Církve Ježíše Krista Svatých posledních dnů. Šla jsem tam se svým manželem a bylo to úžasné. Zaujal mne příběh Josefa Smitha a zaujal mne příběh Pionýrů kteří putovali na západ do údolí Solného jezera. To bylo v sobotu. Doma jsem si... Read the rest of this entry »