Blog of the Month: Online Missionary Reaffirms Support for Boyd K. Packer

This week has been week filled with buzz as many of the liberal elements inside and outside the LDS Church have gone on the defensive over the conference talk Cleansing the Inner Vessel by Elder Boyd K. Packer.  I don't believe any talk has stirred up so much excitement since Ezra Taft Benson's To the Mother's in Zion. People have been lining up on both sides in support or criticism of Elder Packer.

O, That I Were an Angel!: New Media for Mormon Missionary Work (Blog of the Month)

This past couple weeks I have been receiving emails from Gideon Burton, an English professor at BYU who specializes in rhetoric particularly relating to online blogging.  He and I agreed to collaborate on identifying good missionary blogs that he can use as examples for his students and for prospective future missionaries and their families. Today to my surprise I came across his newest blog O That I Were An Angel: New Media for Mormon Missionary Work that he has put up since our emails began. The blog is really graphically pleasing and has some really good insight in to the topic of missionaries using the new media. In his new blog, that has been active for only one week, Burton has already put up five posts.

Scott Lovejoy: Master MTC Teacher (Blog of the Month)

It is not often that I find much about male teachers at the MTC for some reason very few male teachers seem to be blogging about their experiences teaching there.  Most of the time what I find is provided by their wives or by a female teacher.  This time was no exception.  I came across a rather cute post by Michelle Lovejoy about Scott Loveyoy who has spent three years teaching at the MTC and taught over 500 English speaking missionaries.

Blog of the Month: Learning About the Deaf Culture for Missionaries

Austin a teacher at the MTC takes us in-depth in to the Deaf Culture so we can understand it better.  Here is a sample of what he had to say on his blog Learning ASL in Nine Weeks:

Adventures in Africa: Blog of the Month

I ran across a fascinating blog called Adventures in Africa.

It chronicles the happenings of President Mike and his wife Pam Headlee who are assigned as the second mission president in the Democratic Republic of the the Congo in Kinshasa.  The couple both served together after he retired from selling insurance as humanitarian missionaries in Africa prior to their call in 2009. 

Blog of the Month: A Field of Blessings

One of the most faith-promoting missionary blogs is A Field of Blessings. Natalie shares some interesting stories about not only her mission but about miraculous blessings that have happened in her life.

She shared a recent mission conference in which Elder Russell Nelson came and spoke to the Belgium Brussels missionaries. She was quite taken with his wife Wendy who shared this advice to missionaries and she gave a brief synopsis of Elder Nelson's advice:

SisterWendy Nelson: "..what wattage are you?" How much light do you emit? Get more light and then you will give off more light."

Elder Nelson admonished us to narrow the gap between what we are now and what we need to become. He said that God judges by comparing what you are as opposed to what you have the capacity to become. Demand more of yourself. Teach diligently that you may be more perfectly instructed. He opened up the mtg. to questions and taught us many, many other things. Before he finished he told us to look in the mirror and to marvel at who we are. Finally, he gave us a beautiful apostolic blessing. We were all filled with a wonderful feeling. The spirit in the room was so strong. It was great to be taught at the feet of an apostle of the Lord.

It is kind of refreshing to see a missionary who still has the simple faith to see her life in context of the blessings that the Lord pours out to the faithful. I was particularly interested in her story about one of her children that has been miraculously healed and her daughter's courage in overcoming a debilitating disease.

Blog of the Month: An LDS Missionary Couple in Peru

One of the most colorful missionary blogs that I have encountered is Scott and Beverly Zimmerman's An LDS Missionary Couple in Peru. Culturally it is one of the best that I have read as they have dozens of pictures of Peruvian natives in colorful poses and describe cultural practices.

They describe in great detail their travels as well as an occasional baptism or two thrown in. On a four day trip to Lima they show pictures of the Peru Lima CTM which is some of the few pictures that I have found on a blog. On of my favorite posts is A Day of Mormon and Peruvian Culture which describes where members of ten branches got together for a big activity. It is again the spectacular photographs that make this an enjoyable post.

If you want to spend an enjoyable hour or two check out their blog. The photography is some the best I have encountered in a while.

Blog of the Month: Missionary Preparation Blog Launches

Jimmy Smith has launched a new blog Mormon Missionary Preparation dedicated to helping LDS missionaries learn about Missionary Preparation. I wanted to add my support to the site like Larry Richman, one of his techie buddies did. The site is a graphically pleasing offering with YouTube videos and brief descriptions on missionary topics. I recognize a few of the pictures since I have them on my Extravaganza Missionary Prophet slideshow. I think there is plenty of room in the blogosphere for such a graphically attractive site. I hope in his appeal for guest bloggers he gets a few takers.

So far he has categorized it under four topics: A Missionary Work, How to Become an Effective Missionary, How to Prepare for a Mission, and I Hope They Call Me on a Mission.

He says about himself:

My name is Jimmy Smith. I am a member of the Mormon Church, and a returned missionary. I served my in the Rosario Argentina Mission from 1995 to 1997. I now work for the LDS Church and am the Web Analytics Product Manager all Church Web sites. In my career prior to landing at the Church, I was a Marketing Analyst for FedEx in Memphis, TN and prior to that I was a Software Engineer for Motorola in Fort Lauderdale, FL....

I make no claim to be an expert in the area of sharing the gospel or preparing missionaries for the work they will do. But I have felt impressed by the Spirit to start this Web site. The site is geared toward future missionaries and is designed to help them prepare physically and spiritually. I want the site to be informative, uplifting and interactive. If you have any questions or comments about the site, please use the contact form to get in touch with me. I particularly hope the young men and women preparing to go on missions will use this contact form to ask me questions.

This site is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed here are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I find it fascinating that the church does not officially sanction his site. I also notice that using his employment is a way of giving his site a semi-offical ring of tacit approval by the Church. I like to see the LDS techie types engaged in such pursuits. There is always room for them in the Mormon Blogernacle. Welcome to the missionary themed blogs.

Blog of the Month: Looking at the Mind of a Mormon Missionary

I am featuring a highly unusual missionary blog. The Adventures of Sister Flora Bruno is told from both sides as her parents, siblings, friends and other missionaries letters and emails are posted. In addition she shares her scripture study insights, devotionals, and other instruction she receives. It is as much an intellectual history as a personal account of her mission happenings. You see the good, the bad and the ugly as missionary friends reveal their ups and downs on their own missions to the her. It gives a missionary headed for the MTC a glimpse of life there up to her first day in the mission field.

One missionary tells about his trunky behavior and how he is just hanging on to the end of his mission. He doesn't sugar-coat it but tells about his desire to get through the mission and get on with his life. Another missionary tells about why he considers what is happening to him though hard as being a miraculous time. Another missionary shares a little bit of humor. While a fourth the daughter of a former mission president gives her some faith-promoting instructions.

Sister Bruno shares with us the devotionals of several general authorities: M. Russell Ballard, L. Tom Perry, James J. Hamula, Kenneth Johnson, Jose A. Teixeira, Daryl H. Garn, and Yoshihiko Kikuchi. It is not overly startling that they emphasize themes like obedience and getting along with your companion.

Even in her weekly emails to her parents there are a few off-the-wall ones like Kamikaze Birds, Poop Jokes, and Drama and Loss. She goes through illness, and struggling to learn the language and finally arriving in the mission field.

There is a bit of something for all those interested in seeing what the MTC experience was like for a typical missionary who has their ups and downs. It is a more balanced and realistic account than a missionary who doesn't want to be there or one overcome with so much idealism they don't see different perspectives.

Outreach Services Missionaries: Wild Mountain Abroad (Blog of the Month)

What couple missionaries end up doing on a mission isn't always as mundane as what regular proselyting missionaries do. I came across a very fun mission assignment that a few senior couples are performing in the Copenhagen Denmark Mission and a few other European missions. I had never heard of a Outreach Services Missionary before I ran across the Wild Mountain Abroad blog that Belva and Carl Wilberg write. I especially like the idea and commend the mission president Douglas J. Olauson for his innovative style.


Sister Belva and Carl Wilberg play games with single adults as their missionary assignment. If you want to stay young and work with young adults many who are returned missionaries there are couple missionary assignments as game players in Europe available. The average cost of serving in Copenhagen is about $2,300 per month. They sell gas by the liter so it is nearly $10 a gallon. In all the major cities the mission president has outreach services missionaries assigned. They work at creating a fun place for members and non-members to gather and fellowship together. They organize activities and occasionally teach a class or two and sometimes even assist the regular missionaries.

Every weekday this Senior Outreach Missionary couple, leave their apartment at about 2:15 in the afternoon, and go to the Outreach Center for young single adults (18-30). There are many events everyday in the Center. The Elders and Sister missionaries teach the gospel to investigators. There is a pool table, a foos ball table, ping pong, a computer room, a kitchen for all kinds of treats, and small meals. The couple help out look out for the young adults and missionaries.

Missionaries use the centers to teach missionary discussions. It works out also with the older couple acting as chaperons so it doesn't matter if elders teach women or sisters teach men. A cool technique that is used in Copenhagen is guitar playing as a missionaries sometimes perform to warm up an investigator.

Sister Melva Wilberg likes what is being done in Copenhagen and wants the same program in Odense, a 1,000 year old town where she is serving: "This is Sister Lijenquist (a Sister Missionary) who used her BYU Spanish to teach a young Portugese boy- Danish. There are many quitars among us. There is one in every center and the Elders often bring their guitars with them. We're thinking about finding someone to teach guitar lesson here at our center. These centers are full of activities and great young adult leaders."

Sister Wilberg continues:

Every Tuesday, Elder Wilberg and I finish preparing a meal here for our Young Single Adults who come for Family Home Evening. Many of them come directly from school or work on their bikes or the bus and have not had time to go home before this event. We have a lot to learn about Danish spices, sauces, and where to find one valuable can of cream of chicken soup. Campbell's soup has not come to Denmark. I had forgotten how many times I use chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, and other soups as a base for my recipes. How can you have "chicken delight" without Campbell's soup. We have made spaghetti, that doesn't taste like spaghetti,

taco soup that isn't spiced like taco soup, Saucy chicken with mayonnaise, cream of something soup (from the frozen section) on rice- that didn't resemble the original recipe. I have burned pizza, serve carrots soaked in water (everyone serves carrots in icy water here- they are very crisp), introduced rice crispie treats to a whole group of new "Danish Rice Crispie treat fans". Thank Heavens for marshmallows.

This is our Outreach Center. It has a new name. From now on it will be called the "Center for Young Adults." (or at least until they decide to change the name again). We gather down those stairs near the green sign.

I am redoing that sign with our new name and pictures that will invite people to come in to see what we are doing here. We go up and down those stairs almost every day with two lap top computers, our scriptures, every paper or notebook that we might need during our time here. We often bring treats, popcorn, always carrots, cucumbers, apples, and food for a meal every Tuesday for family night with the hungry Young Single Adults.

We have long conversations with people who drop by. We have planning meetings, guitar sessions, and have become acquainted with some of the nicest people that we have ever met here. I hope that we will be able to help the Center to grow. I would also like to find a little niche here to start a class of some kind. I love to teach. Maybe there is a Beginners Book of Mormon Class that needs to be started, or a "What to say to an Empty Journal" class that someone needs. Maybe I can find someone who would like to create family trees on Photo Shop or write their own life history. Does anyone want to come to Denmark to learn something new? We'll be ready for you.

I visited Copenhagen not too long ago and was surprised that so many people spoke English. You can actually get by without speaking Danish and most of them speak English since it is taught in the schools since the fourth grade. I am thinking if I don't go to the West Indies on a senior couples' mission I might want to consider going to a historic country like Denmark and hang out with some young adults. I probably could get by with a minimum of Danish. Check out the Wilberg's blog since the pictures are exceptionally well done and give you a feel for serving a similar type mission.

Blog of the Month: Pettingill Pages (Interesting Caribbean Regional Conference)

I found a really interesting missionary blog Pettingill Pages which has a wealth of information on couple missionary life and is a joy to read. It really motivates couples when they see the great places in which they can serve like the one depicted in this blog. Jeri Pettingill really has done an excellent job sharing her mission with us. An interesting thing I have noticed recently is that families have been visiting missionary couples so one of the barriers of going has been diminished since many couples say they won't go on a mission because they might miss their grandchildren growing up. You can have your cake and eat it too by going on an exotic mission, my kids would beg me to go to their mission just to go see the locale. In about ten years I am looking forward to one day going on a mission down south to a place like where she and her husband serve.

The reason I have chosen the blog is it also included a detailed description of a recent regional conference that has some gems of doctrine from the Saturday night session. My wife always says that is the best meeting as the general authorities let their hair down.

Jeri summarized nicely a recent regional conference in which she attended that included President Henry B. Eyring, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Neal Anderson of the Presidency of the Seventy and Sylvia Allred of the Relief Society Presidency in person:

The Saturday night session was an hour and a half of questions that were answered by the leaders above. They took every question that was asked. What would you have asked a member of the first presidency or an apostle?

Here is my version of a few of the questions:

Q. Why doesn't the church tell our story more effectively through the media?
A. We are trying to do so but we will not be able to get everyone to understand the way we would like them to.

Q. When will all of the Christian churches teach the same doctrine?
A. Never

Q. What does the Lord want Jamaica to do?
A. Be a great example to the few people that you know. Increase your faith. Faith is a principle of action and power. You do not learn spiritual things from what someone says. We learn from the Holy Ghost as we act in accord with truth.

Q. How do we meet the demands of our responsibilities and keep things in balance?
A. Family comes first. Pray with your spouse. Keep out impure thoughts. Take time to ponder and pray. Seek revelation. Be kind.

Q. How do we avoid discouragement when we do not yet have the status of a stake?
A. Describe the dream differently. There is nothing magic about being a stake or having a temple. The object is not a program or an organization. The goal is one more individual, one more family living worthy of the blessings Heavenly Father wants for all of his children.

Q. What is the Priesthood?
A. It is service, it is exercised by serving others. The priesthood can never be used to benefit oneself. We are personally responsible to care for those we are called to serve. We are personally responsible for those we fail to care for that we are called to serve.

Q. Do you have counsel for the current financial crisis?
A. It is and will be the same counsel you have heard for years. Be very careful of debt. We also need to help each other. Be kind. Be generous. Don't become discouraged. God is very aware of each of us and our needs.

Q. How can we help others?
A. The Lord works one by one. Extend invitations. All answers come through the Holy Ghost. The reason the Lord wants us to be united is that it improves our ability to receive revelation and to work together to accomplish good things. Never infringe on someones agency. Be patient. The Lord is always patient with us. He never gives up.

Not to steal her thunder go to her actual post as she has a few more descriptions of talks from the Sunday session. A fascinating post was called Beaches, Dentists and Coconuts where she describes dental work done on missionaries in a church meeting house in graphic detail. You should check out this blog and see what the life for a missionary couple in the "Garden of Eden" is like. I did and was very jealous of them.