Preach My Gospel: Mormon Messages Channel on YouTube

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Preach My Gospel: Sister Lucille Johnson

A dear sister in our ward passed away today. She was an amazing lady with a powerful testimony of the Gospel. She wore out her life in preaching it and I greatly admire her for her testimony, her faithfulness, and her dedication to the Lord. When I reach my 85th year, I pray I may look back upon my life and know I have served the Lord to the best of my abilities, that as I am sure is the case with Sister Lucille, the Lord will welcome me with a profound 'well done'.

I wrote the following narrative as part of a letter to my son who was then serving in the California San Bernardino Mission, dated September 3, 2008. I wanted to share it here as a tribute to her and the life she led as the Lord's good and faithful servant.

I had an interesting experience last Wednesday that I wanted to tell you about. I went and sat with Sister Marsha Johnson’s mom, Lucille, while she went out to do RS stuff. I sat with her a couple of hours and chatted with her or listened to her stories the entire time. She told me her conversion story, which I’m certain you’ve heard, but she also told me lots of things I didn’t know.

Sister Lucille was born in Oklahoma, but when her mother died when she was nine, her father moved the family to Arkansas which was where he was from originally. Then, when her father died, her grandmother kept the boys but sent herself and her sister back to Oklahoma to live in an orphanage. When she was fifteen, she ran away to find her sister who was living independently. From there, she went to live with her uncle and worked on his farm, which she finally felt was home. She is 84 years old, so it was the height of the Great Depression when all this was going on, and she in the heart of the Dust Bowl.

As so many people did, she ended up married and in California. Her marriage didn’t last, as to use her words, ‘he was too handy with his fists’, and she refused to put up with it. As a young single mother, she got a job as a police officer and worked at La Jolla guarding submarines. Her brother had taught her to shoot when she was a child, as it was their job to go out hunting and bring home meat for the table. She told me she loved guns, (there were times she wanted to turn one on her abusive husband), and was the best sharp-shooter on the whole base, except for her instructor. She could light a match at twenty paces, which Brother Ricker refused to believe was possible until he went out to prove it to himself. She smiled when she recalled how hard they tried to do it because if one tiny lady could do it, certainly they could as well. She thought that maybe, perhaps they had finally done it.

She worked at the submarine base for about five years, and then decided to go back to her family in Arkansas. She traveled all across the country by herself, with her three children in tow. Then, she met her second husband, they married and moved to Houston. I think her oldest children were pretty much grown by the time Marsha and her brother, Randy, came along. At least, Marsha very rarely mentions them, and I was really shocked to learn of Sister Lucille’s first marriage and her children.

Anyway, when Marsha was about eight, the family was living in Houma, Louisiana, which is on the coast, about sixty miles southwest of New Orleans. Her husband worked in the oil fields there, and she worked as the chief bookkeeper for a chain of five grocery stores. Niggling questions about the Bible continued to vex her. When she asked her pastor questions, first he said, ‘we must have faith’, then came ‘I don’t know’, until finally he said, “You know, Mrs. Johnson, you really are becoming a problem.”

That was when she started investigating other religions, but none of the pamphlets or other information her friends had to offer gave her any satisfaction. One day, she mentioned this to one of her friends who happened to be a less active Mormon (I’m certain because of her isolation) and happened to have a Joseph Smith pamphlet in her car. Sister Lucille took it to be polite and after her friend left, went to the trash can to throw it away. That was the last thing she recalled until she found herself sitting at her kitchen table reading the pamphlet, the hair standing up on her head, it so electrified her. She knew that moment it was true and told her friend as much. She begged her for more reading material, but her friend told her, “No. You’re ready for the missionaries.”

That went as you would expect, but when it came time to the family to be baptized, they told her they must drive some distance. When they got there, they went to a specific house and into a back room which had a huge wooden box in it. It had originally been a crate in which they shipped oil field machinery, but they had painted it, I assume water-proofed it, and built ladders ‘coming and going’, as Sister Lucille put it. If they wanted a ‘real’ baptismal fount, they were told they must drive to New Orleans, which was a major trek at that time and in that undeveloped part of the state. In that crate she was baptized, as was her husband, and he baptized their daughter, Marsha. They were the first members of the Church ever in Homer, Louisiana. The rest is history, but it’s that history I want to tell you about.

As it happened, Sister Lucille was, as I said, the head bookkeeper for five supermarkets. As she required them, she would choose the sharpest and best cashiers from those stores and ask them if they wished to learn bookkeeping. Of course, they all jumped at the chance, she trained them herself, and soon Sister Lucille had a whole pool of bookkeepers working under her. One could say she was a woman of some influence.

After she joined the Church, as she put it, she ‘couldn’t keep it to myself’. She preached the Gospel to anyone who would listen, and every single one of ‘her girls’ joined the Church, as did their families. Before long, they had a branch up and running which filled her entire living room and burst out of it because neither could her friends keep the good news to themselves. As she said, she did the preaching and her husband did the baptizing.

In those days, the Church didn’t just build a chapel because it was needed. The saints had to come up with a big chunk of the money, and $1000 1960-dollars was a hefty amount. However, that is how much the Johnsons ultimately contributed to the building fund for their ward house. They quite literally built the Kingdom in Houma. They lived in there some years. It’s where she and Marsha ultimately call home. They eventually moved away to follow the work, but when they left Houma, their branch was well on its way to full ward status and the meeting house was eventually built. She told me that whenever they drive through, they have to see that chapel because they feel so much a part of it.

Needless to say, Sister Lucille takes great pleasure in relating this story and in contemplating just how many people she brought into the gospel. Of course, there is absolutely no way of telling just how far her testimony reached, for every single one of her girls remained steadfast in the Gospel and raised their families to do the same. When one considers how many missionaries must have been sent out into the world and how many children raised their own in the gospel as a result of their parents’ conversion, the influence of Sister Lucille and her husband staggers the mind.

And all this because one sister whose hardship and distance prevented her from regularly attending church meetings kept in her glove box a Joseph Smith pamphlet and was not too timid to share it. I asked Sister Lucille whatever became of her friend, if she starting coming back to church when they had established their branch, but she told me after she attended their baptism, she moved away and then died shortly thereafter. She never knew the results of her efforts.

But, how great must be her joy! When Sister Lucille finally meets her again, how they will rejoice in knowing that through them, the Lord bestowed blessings upon countless numbers. Whenever I wonder if what I am doing is enough or if it is worth it, I consider that ‘less active’ sister and hope that there are more like Sister Lucille who latch onto the truth I try to communicate and cannot keep the good news to themselves. That thought makes all the effort worth it.

So, that’s my homily for today. I hope it inspires you as much as it has me. With juggernauts like Sister Lucille, the Gospel cannot help but fill the whole earth. Like that stone cut out of the mountain without hands, it is unstoppable.

Preach My Gospel: Go Ye Therefore

Dear Sisters,

In her Conference address on Saturday, October 4, 2008, Sister Sylvia H. Allred, first counselor of the General Relief Society Presidency, spoke on missionary work and the great impact it can have in all of our lives. She offers us all a much needed nudge to improve in our own efforts. As so many of us realize, the dedication of one or two people can affect the futures and even the eternities of hundreds of people.

Sister Allred states:

Missionary work is the lifeblood of the Church. There is no greater work, no more important work. It blesses the lives of all those who participate in it. It will continue blessing future generations.

You might be asking yourself: How can I assist in missionary work? In what ways can I participate? There are two fundamental truths to keep in mind as you embark on the work. First, have a clear understanding that God loves all His children and desires their salvation. In Doctrine and Covenants 18:13 we read, “And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth.” Second, our message of Christ and His restored gospel is the most important gift you have to give.

As outlined in Preach My Gospel, missionary work is a four-fold endeavor: finding investigators, teaching and baptizing, fellowshipping new members, and fellowshipping and teaching less-active members.⁷ Every member of the Church—children, youth, and adults—can assist in any or all of these efforts.

Begin by being a good neighbor and a good friend. Set a example of righteousness and kindness. Let your smile radiate love, peace, and happiness. Live a gospel-centered life.

Then, be more specific in your missionary efforts. Let me suggest some ideas. You might find two or three that work for you:

• If you have children at home, help prepare them for missionary service.
• Prepare yourself for missionary service.
• Invite family and friends to listen to the missionaries or to attend our Church meetings and activities.
• Accompany the missionaries to investigators’ homes, or invite the missionaries to teach nonmembers in your home.
• Invite people to a family home evening in your home.
• Invite people to a family history center, or help them do family history research.
• Give referrals to the missionaries. Members can be the greatest and best source of referrals.
• Share your beliefs and testimony with nonmember friends and family.
• Seek for opportunities to reach out to others.
• Extend friendship to investigators and new converts.
• Give your best efforts to finding those who are seeking the truth.
• If you have family members or friends on missions, send them letters of love and encouragement, and pray for them.

You will experience joy in the fruits of your labor. A greater enthusiasm for missionary work will strengthen your entire ward or branch. The whole Church will feel the effects of your labor.

Follow the link to read the full article, or visit byu.tv to watch the Conference broadcast, then consider how you might enlarge upon the opportunities the Lord has given you for more missionary experiences.

Preach My Gospel: True Ward Family

Dear Sisters,

I really appreciate all your open hearts and open hands in helping Elder Courtright get outfitted for his mission. Your generosity knows no bounds, and I am especially grateful to you for putting aside your own concerns with the whole Ike experience to help Matt get everything he requires on that endless less. I know how deeply he appreciates it, as he expressed to me on numerous occasions. He was totally stunned that we would consider him worth the effort.

If you would like to further support him, Elder Courtright's address for the next three weeks will be:

Elder Matthew Courtright
Denver Colorado North Mission
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604

Come November, his address will be:

Elder Matthew Courtright
Denver North Colorado Mission
11172 N Huron Ste 21
Northglenn, CO 80234

Again, thanks to all for your love and support.

Penny

Preach My Gospel: The Stone Cut Out of a Mountain

I had an interesting experience last Wednesday that I wanted to share. I went and sat with Sister Marsha Johnson’s mom, Lucille, while she went out to do RS stuff. I sat with her a couple of hours and chatted with her or listened to her stories the entire time. She told me her conversion story, which I’m certain you’ve heard, but she also told me lots of things I didn’t know.

Sister Lucille was born in Oklahoma, but when her mother died when she was nine, her father moved the family to Arkansas which was where he was from originally. Then, when her father died, her grandmother kept the boys but sent herself and her sister back to Oklahoma to live in an orphanage. When she was fifteen, she ran away to find her sister who was living independently. From there, she went to live with her uncle and worked on his farm, which she finally felt was home. She is 84 years old, so it was at the height of the Great Depression when all this was going on, and she in the heart of the Dust Bowl.

As so many people did, she ended up married and in California. Her marriage didn’t last, as to use her words, ‘he was too handy with his fists’, and she refused to put up with it. As a single young mother, she got a job as a police officer and worked at La Jolla guarding submarines. Her brother had taught her to shoot when she was a child, as it was their job to go out hunting and bring home meat for the table. She told me she loved guns, (there were times she wanted to turn one on her abusive husband), and was the best sharp-shooter on the whole base, except for her instructor. She could light a match at twenty paces, which Brother Ricker refused to believe was possible until he went out to prove it to himself. She smiled when she recalled how hard they tried to do it because they were not going to allow this tiny old lady to best them. She thought that maybe, perhaps they had finally done it.

She worked at the submarine base for about five years, and then decided to go back to her family in Arkansas. She traveled all across the country by herself, with her three children in tow. Then, she met her second husband, they married and moved to Houston. I think her oldest children were pretty much grown by the time Marsha and her brother, Randy, came along.

Anyway, when Marsha was a young child, the family was living in Houma, Louisiana, where she worked as the chief bookkeeper for a chain of five grocery stores. Niggling questions about the Bible continued to vex her. When she asked her pastor questions, first he said, ‘we must have faith’, then came ‘I don’t know’, until finally he said, “You know, Mrs. Johnson, you really are becoming a problem.”

That was when she started investigating other religions, but none of the pamphlets or other information her friends had to offer gave her any satisfaction. One day, she mentioned this to one of her friends who happened to be a less active Mormon (I’m certain because of her isolation) and happened to have a Joseph Smith pamphlet in her car. Sister Lucille took it to be polite and after her friend left, went to the trash can to throw it away. That was the last thing she recalled until she found herself sitting at her kitchen table reading the pamphlet, the hair standing up on her head, it so electrified her. She knew that moment it was true and told her friend as much. She begged her for more reading material, but her friend told her, “No. You’re ready for the missionaries.”

That went as you would expect, but when it came time to the family to be baptized, they told her they must drive 35 miles to Shreveport. Her friend acted her guide and escort. When they got there, they went to a specific house and into a back room which had a huge wooden box in it. It had originally been a crate in which they shipped oil field machinery, but they had painted it, I assume water-proofed it, and built ladders ‘coming and going’, as Sister Lucille put it. If they wanted a ‘real’ baptismal fount, they were told they must drive to New Orleans (on the opposite end of the state). In that crate she was baptized, as was her husband, and he baptized their daughter, Marsha. They were the first members of the Church ever in Homer, Louisiana. The rest is history, but it’s that history I want to tell you about.

As it happened, Sister Lucille was, as I said, the head bookkeeper for five supermarkets. As she required them, she would choose the sharpest and best cashiers from those stores and ask them if they wished to learn bookkeeping. Of course, they all jumped at the chance, she trained them herself, and soon Sister Lucille had a whole pool of bookkeepers working under her. One could say she was a woman of some influence.

After she joined the Church, as she put it, she ‘couldn’t keep it to myself’. She preached the Gospel to anyone who would listen, and every single one of ‘her girls’ joined the Church, as did their families. Before long, they had a branch up and running which filled her entire living room and burst out of it because neither could her friends keep the good news to themselves. As she said, she did the preaching and her husband did the baptizing.

In those days, the Church didn’t just build a chapel because it was needed. They couldn't afford it, and the saints had to share the burden and come up with a big chunk of the money. In the 1960's $1000 was a hefty amount. However, that is how much the Johnsons ultimately contributed to the building fund for their ward house. They quite literally built the Kingdom in Homer. They lived in there some years. It’s where she and Marsha ultimately call home. They eventually moved away to follow the work, but when they left Homer, their branch was well on its way to full ward status and the meeting house was eventually built. She told me that whenever they drive through, they have to see that chapel because they feel so much a part of it.

Needless to say, Sister Lucille takes great pleasure in relating this story and in contemplating just how many people she brought into the gospel. Of course, there is absolutely no way of telling just how far her testimony reached, for every single one of her girls remained steadfast in the Gospel and raised their families to do the same. When one considers how many missionaries must have been sent out into the world and how many children raised their own in the gospel as a result of their parents’ conversion, the influence of Sister Lucille and her husband staggers the mind.

And all this because one sister whose hardship and distance prevented her from regularly attending church meetings kept in her glove box a Joseph Smith pamphlet and was not to timid too share it. I asked Sister Lucille whatever became of her friend, if she starting coming back to church when they had established their branch, but she told me after she attended their baptism, she moved away and then died shortly thereafter. She never knew the results of her efforts.

But, how great must be her joy! When Sister Lucille finally meets her again, how they will rejoice in knowing the blessings they bestowed upon so many. Whenever I wonder if what I am doing is enough or if it is worth it, I consider that ‘less active’ sister and hope that there are more like Sister Lucille who latch onto the truth I try to communicate and cannot keep the good news to themselves. That thought makes all the effort worth it.

So, that’s my homily for today. I hope it inspires you as much as it has me. With juggernauts like Sister Lucille, the Gospel cannot help but fill the whole earth. Like that stone cut out of the mountain without hands, it is unstoppable.

Preach My Gospel: Reflections of Christ

This video, created by Mabry Studios, and viewed for the last six months at the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is well worth the six minutes it takes to view it.

I highly recommend it as a great way to start your day.

Enjoy.

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/

Preach My Gospel: Mormons in Texas

The Church Seeks to Address Confusion over Texas Polygamy Groups

Perhaps you may have noticed among your non-LDS friends, that some confusion has arisen between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the FLDS, a small polygamist sect with property in western Texas. The Church has taken several steps to dispel the misconceptions, and to that end has posted this page in the public affairs section of lds.org. The videos below can also be found on YouTube. These interviews with Texas Mormons (primarily of the greater Beaumont area), as well as Gifford Nielsen and other notables shine a bit of light on who we are and what we believe, and could prove very useful as you discuss the FLDS situation with your interested friends.



Following is an excerpt from a study cited on the site which demonstrates some of the confusion among the public regarding the Mormon Church.

The effort to more clearly distinguish Mormons from the Texas polygamist group follows a survey commissioned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that found a high level of public awareness of stories about the polygamous compound near San Angelo, Texas. Allegations of child abuse led to a raid by the state's Child Protective Services earlier this year. Some 91 percent of respondents had heard or read stories surrounding the religious compound.

However, the survey also found that:

• More than a third of those surveyed (36 percent) erroneously thought that the Texas compound was part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or "Mormon Church" based in Salt Lake City
• 6 percent said the two groups were partly related.
• 29 percent correctly said the two groups were not connected at all
• 29 percent were not sure.

In addition, when asked specifically which religious organization members of the polygamous group belonged to:

• 30 percent said "Mormon," "LDS" or "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"
• 14 percent said "FLDS"
• 6 percent said "Mormon fundamentalists"
• Nearly half (44 percent) were unsure
  

Preach My Gospel: Faith, Family, Facts and Fruits

The Ensign, November 2007

I find it simple to slip my thoughts and feelings into the vast stream of the Internet and allow the current to carry them where it may, particularly regarding my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, chatting person-t0-person often leaves me tongue-tied, struggling as I do with a tendency to stammer while I fish for the thoughts in my head. Painfully aware of this weakness, I listened with great interest when Elder M. Russell Ballard delivered this address in the October, 2007, semi-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In it, he suggests that we use a list of 'talking points', if you will, as a personal resource as we share with our interested friends a little about the Church---the operative word being 'little', as Elder Ballard observes.

• Facts: share a few facts regarding the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith, what people mean by 'Mormons', and whom we consider 'saints'.
  
• Faith: emphasize Jesus Christ is the foundation of our belief, and the great commonality we share with all Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the savior of all mankind.
• Family: share our focus on the family, our programs to strengthen and enrich family life, and that our highest ordinances and covenants are family-related.
• Fruits: share some of the programs of the Church and the consequent results, including humanitarian relief, personal and community service, and improvement in quality of life.

I in no way can paraphrase to any effect what Elder Ballard shares in this sermon. However, as we consider the three-fold mission of the Church, to preach the gospel, perfect the saints, and redeem the dead, and our role in that mandate, this article is an excellent source of guidance and inspiration.

Things to Know:
Path: LDS.org>Gospel Library>Ensign>2007>November>Faith, Family, and Fruits
Host: LDS.org
Author: Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Council of the Twelve

Preach My Gospel: "My Testimony" by Sharon Hansen

Dear Sisters, I asked Sister Hansen to write this up for me for our August newsletter, but it's too great not to pass on. It's plain to see, Sister Hansen will be a fabulous addition to our Relief Society. Penny Freeman

From: Sharon Hansen
Date: Sun, Jul 6, 2008 at 10:41 AM

Dear Sisters: Sister Freeman has invited me to take a minute and share my testimony with you, thank you for this opportunity Sister Freeman.

What a wonderful opportunity it has been for my husband and I to accept a call to serve in the Houston Texas Mission. We love everything about Texas including ya'll, howdy & fixin to, blue bonnets, Blue Bell ice cream and Texas BBQ, the members of the Olde Oaks Ward, the temple and our dear Missionaries. We love the Lord and have great gratitude for his precious resurrection and atonement for us all.

I think of the magnificient scene on the day Jesus was baptized as referenced in Matt. 3:16, where we have a witness of God the Father, his son Jesus Christ and that great testifier, the Holy Ghost. You might remember that when the Savior arose from the waters of baptism the heavens opened and the spirit of God descended like a dove, witnessing the Holy Ghost. Then followed, "Behold this is my beloved son...", verifying the presence of the Father, as the Savior stood before those who were present. What a sacred event.

I testify of the reality of these three. They live! They extend tender mercies upon us daily, as we are tutored through lifes experiences learning good from evil. I love the words in 2 Ne. 25: 26 "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins".

I look forward to meeting each one of you and pray to walk arm in arm with you as disciples these next three year. With love and in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Preach My Gospel

LDSBlogs.com

• As a forum of discussion, with posts from many different contributors, this site is an ideal reference for positive information about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and yet independent of it. Share this with those investigating the Gospel who want to hear the voice of 'normal' people. Like FAIRlds.org, LDSBlogs.com is not owned or affiliated with the Church, expresses the views only of the contributors and not necessarily those of its sponsor, The More Good Foundation, also unaffiliated with the Church. However, LDSBlogs.net is, well, a blog and based on opinion by its very nature, whereas FAIRlds.org addresses the issues from a more scholarly angle.
• The More Good Foundation also sponsors several other web pages and applications, including the LDS application on Facebook, Mormon Testimonies, and LDSFind.com, a Mormon search engine.
• Their Share The Gospel Online offers several excellent suggestions as to how you can follow Elder Ballard's counsel.
  

Today's Additions

Google Group Updates:

• The Gardening Club news on the home page has been updated to clarify the date and time of the feed store field trip. This will be on Friday, July 11th at 10:30 am. This conflicts with the Sewing Club's scheduled service project, but we'll try to make sure people who want to do both will be able to.
  
• New Feature: Recipe of the Day: This post may not be every day, but there are plenty of good, basic recipes floating around that itch to be disseminated. Remember, we're compiling a cookbook as we go, so send me yours! You can even submit tips or variations to what we've posted in the comment section. An index of these blog recipes is included on the Cooking Club Recipe page.
• I've also added the corn casserole recipe we had in March with the gumbo, but lots of you have brought dishes to the demonstrations for which we don't have the recipes (Verlayn's cheese dip recipe, for example). If you would email them to me so we can include them on the Google site, that would be terrific.
• I posted the new "Preach My Gospel" page which can be found following Home>Just Cool Stuff>Great Links>Preach My Gospel.
  

Okay. I can see how the "of the Day" clause of my little projects can become very dangerous for me. It's too easy to get sucked into the machine looking for good stuff and allowing the day to slip past without you. So, I'm going to discipline myself and make it 'of the Week' instead. It will work like this:

Sunday: Preach My Gospel
Monday: Weekly Update
Tuesday: Recipe of the Week
Wednesday: BYE (actually, Steadfast Faith in Christ: a Missionary Journal day)
Thursday: Link of the Week
Friday: Blog of the Week

Of course, I wouldn't mind at all of anyone got the urge to help contribute and thus increase the frequency/volume of the columns, but I have to pretend to discipline myself just a bit.

Preach My Gospel

FAIR: Defending Mormonism

• If you've ever been at a loss for words when a friend asks regarding some derogatory or inflammatory material they may have read or heard, this site is for you. Get the answers to your questions, put those misleading quotations into context, and help clear away the flotsam and jetsam of the media. http://www.fairlds.org/apol/
  

Today's Additions

• Houston Metro Area LDS Single Adults Group. Find this link on our home page. This group includes far too much material for me to keep up with, including email lists and discussions, activity calendars and announcements from stake SA committees, Beaumont to College Station, and Conroe and Cleveland to Richmond and Friendswood. I'll try to keep the Northside activities updated on our calendar, but the best thing to do is subscribe to this group.
• New Blog Feature: Link of the Day. Hopefully, we'll help you utilize the resources of the Internet to help make your life easier, keep you informed, and perhaps even learn something. However, this will definitely have to be a group project, to submit as many as you like! The Great Links page on OORS will also be updated with these links.
  
• New Blog Feature: Steadfast Faith in Christ: a Missionary Journal. I hope y'all don't think I'm just a bit too self-indulgent in putting the link to my family's missionary page on this blog. However, it is one small effort to follow Elder Ballard's counsel in using the Internet to share the Gospel, so, I need to raise the visibility of it, to speak out, if you will. We also have a reverse sort of page, that being uplifting letters written to missionaries which help to share our testimonies, but I'm still debating as to whether or not to put a permanent link on this blog. In case you're interested, it's URL is http://amormonfamilyjournal.blogspot.com. I would very much like to fill the side bar with similar links, voices you raise to help spread the Good News. Let me know what they are, send me any graphics you'd like to use, and I'll make certain they get on this blog page!
• New Blog Feature: Preach My Gospel: There are a myriad of resources available from the Church to help you answer your friends' questions about the Gospel. I'll try to share these links as they come to me, and again, welcome any submissions. When I've exhausted the specifically 'missionary' resources, I'll start to highlight the great features of LDS.org. OORS will also be updated with these links.