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	<title>LDS Blogs &#187; How to Be a Member Missionary</title>
	<link>http://ldsblogs.com</link>
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	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:39:55 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Planning Your New LDS Website</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The key to an exceptional website is good planning.]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/2028/planning-your-new-lds-website</link>
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		<title>Sharing the Gospel Online</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Elder Ballard asked us to share the gospel online. More Good Foundation can provide you with the tools you need.]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/2025/sharing-the-gospel-online</link>
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		<title>When Mormon Missionaries Knock on Your Door</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Most people have found Mormon missionaries standing at their door from time to time. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you invited them in?
Their responsibility is to deliver a message to those who are interested. The message may vary, based on what they want to teach or what they feel inspired to discuss with you. For instance, they may have a message about how you can strengthen your families through a Mormon program called Family Home Evening. They may have a more doctrinal message for you. Whatever the message, it is brief and they will stay only as long as they’re welcome. 
Generally, the first visit, particularly if they’ve arrived unannounced, is very brief and then they ask if they can return. Your answer is respected. When I was going door to door as a missionary, we kept records of where we went and were not allowed to return for one year unless invited. That way we didn’t become pests, but still gave people the opportunity to change their minds, and for newly arrived neighborhood members to meet us.
If you’re interested, but don’t have time for them just then, or perhaps want to wait until your spouse is home, ask if they can return. They’ll make an appointment to see you and even let you know how long they’ll stay if you’d like. Their purpose is to teach, not argue, so you should invite them back only if you’re sincerely interested in learning about the Mormons. You don’t have to plan to convert, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/997/when-mormon-missionaries-knock-on-your-d</link>
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		<title>A visit with Author Liz Adair</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today, I&#8217;m delighted to sit down with author, Liz Adair and discuss her thoughts on writing and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Liz was born in the Southwest sixty-six years ago but has lived in the Pacific Northwest for the last thirty-four years.  She has seven children (four biological, three adopted) and seventeen grandchildren.  Liz has been married for forty-five years to a wonderful man.  
She taught school for several years and was a stay-at-home mom for a decade and a half, during which time she and her children ran a specialty bakery.  Now, Liz works with her husband in healthcare construction management, and will probably continue to do so for several more years.
Liz has been writing seriously for about twenty years and has published five books with another coming out this fall. She just finished a stint of four years teaching early morning seminary, but has just been called as choir director for her ward.  
Candace: As a very well-known author in the LDS Fiction market, will you please share with us what drives you to write?
Liz: I don&#8217;t know that I can explain it.  It&#8217;s just part of who I am.  I dream in narratives.  If I see a beautiful sunset, my way of appreciating it is to try to put it in words.  To spare bystanders, I do this mentally. Writing is simply an extension of that facet of my personality or character or being&#8211;whatever you call it.
Candace: Elder M. Russell Ballard, a living [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/529/title-11</link>
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		<title>What a Cub Scout Can Do</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today&#8217;s conversion story is from Maggie Steward. She says her family calls it the &#8220;Cub Scout Story&#8221;, and groans when she starts to tell it. Enjoy!
SHORT STORY : One Cub Scout asks another to attend scouts at church with him. People are converted who later serve missions in Montreal, Peru, Italy, Brazil (3), Texas, and Indiana. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir gets a general manager. I get an eternal companion and four children.
LONG STORY : When I was in my early teens and living in La Habra California, my younger brother was a Cub Scout, attending the school&#8217;s pack. He had a best friend there. One day this friend told him that he would not be a part of that pack any more as his mom wanted him to attend the &#8220;church pack&#8221; (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons) instead. 
My brother came home and asked if he could attend the church pack with his friend. He started attending and then, shortly before he turned twelve, he came home and said &#8220;The other guys get the priesthood when they turn twelve, but I don&#8217;t &#8216;cuz I&#8217;m not a member, so I want to join the Church.&#8221; My parents wanted to investigate what he wanted to join, and had the missionaries come and teach the lessons to the whole family. My brother joined shortly thereafter and served a mission in Montreal in time. 
I did not join then, but was convinced to sign up for early-morning seminary for my second year [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/1011/what_a_cub_scout_can_do</link>
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		<title>The Best Bitter-Sweet Moment Of My Life</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I just flew home from Utah, completely exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. Yesterday was one of the highlights of my life &#8211; I put my first of four sons in the Missionary Training Center, heretoafter known as the MTC. I knew it was going to be both brutal and fantastic. I came prepared with a purse full of tissue and a prayer in my heart that I would be strong and not collapse in a heap of pitiful tears in front of my son and the entire MTC. 
When my husband, son and I drove up to the MTC we were excited to see scores of soon-to-be-missionaries and their families pouring onto the grounds. We later learned that 256 missionaries were to enter that day. We followed the signs to the special parking area which was reserved for new missionary families. There was a palpable air of excitement. 
My son said, &#8220;This seems so unreal!&#8221; 
His big day had finally arrived. We had talked about it, prayed about, saved for it, and even sung about it his entire life and now it was finally happening.
We stopped at the cross-walk with a few other families and I couldn&#8217;t help but ask, &#8220;Elders! Where are you going?&#8221; 
We quickly met one young man going to Washington DC, another going to Switzerland, and another going to Bulgaria. At the other side of the cross-walk we played cameraman for each other next to the famous Missionary Training Center sign. Every time another missionary walked by I&#8217;d shout [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/531/the-best-bitter-sweet-moment-of-my-life</link>
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		<title>What good friends can do</title>
		<description><![CDATA[1 Peter 1:25 says &#8220;But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.&#8221; Today&#8217;s conversion story is from Don Busenbark:
My family did not attend any church services growing up. I remember going to a few different churches, always looking for something, but not really finding anything I liked or that touched me. I lived in an out-of-the- way area in Washington state and had few friends my age. When I was about 14 years old, two young men moved into my neighborhood and we became friends. Their family was LDS, but the boys were not really excited about church. I think they went because their family went. 
Anyway, I was home and a couple of missionaries came to my door. It was 1980 and I was 16 years old. I was impressed by their message, but did not have time to visit with them. I played football, basketball and track and was very busy. I told them to come see me in the spring after football, before track started up. A girl I liked at the time had just joined the church a year before and was trying to get her family converted. I went to her house one day to find the missionaries there teaching a discussion. I listened and did not think much of it at the time. I was just trying to impress the girl.
My friends, the two young men who had moved into my neighborhood, invited me to a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/1010/what_good_friends_can_do</link>
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		<title>Chat online with a real missionary!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently heard about a fun feature on the Church&#8217;s web site www.mormon.org  They have an area where you can chat live online with a real missionary. I thought I&#8217;d check it out, so I clicked on the link and instantly received a greeting from a guy named Josiah. He was very polite and friendly and helped answer some questions I had about submitting referrals online. The conversation occurred in a pop-up window and it was really cool to know someone from the Church office building was sitting there typing just to little &#8216;ole me!
If you haven&#8217;t visited this website for awhile, be sure to swing by soon and take another peek. It is extremely easy to navigate and has tons of great information to share with your non-member friends. Anyone can request a visit from missionaries anywhere in the world. Visitors on the site can also request a free Bible or Book of Mormon, as well as click on a link that allows them to read the scriptures online.
If your computer has a Flash player you can watch several video clips on various gospel subjects, as well as hear testimonies from members of the Church. What a great resource this web site is for us to use as members of the Church! When you share a Pass-Along Card with a non-member they will be directed to this web site. It&#8217;s so easy! I keep a bunch of those cards in my car and purse, so I&#8217;ll be able to share the gospel at [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/528/chat_online_with_a_real_missionary</link>
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		<title>Don&#8217;t pass over Passover!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[You&#8217;re not Jewish? No Jewish heritage in your family or even on your neighborhood block? That&#8217;s ok; you can still enjoy the rich cultural and religious history of the Passover by creating a learning experience for your family at home! It&#8217;s a wonderful tradition, full of symbolism, history, and faith. This year Passover starts on April 20th and continues for 7 days. You&#8217;ll probably start to see kosher items on shelves in your grocery store now. 
Howard W. Hunter once said &#8220;I believe it is safe to say that Passover is without equal in the Jewish calendar of celebrations. The Passover in the Old Testament and Easter in the New Testament testify of the great gift God has given and of the sacrifice that was involved in its bestowal. Both of these great religious commemorations declaire that death would &#8216;pass over&#8217; us and could have no permanent power upon us, and that the grave would have no victory.&#8221; (Christ, Our Passover,&#8221; Ensign, May 1985, 17)
The first Passover dinner I attended was at BYU, sponsored by the religion department. I was so impressed and wanted to learn everything I could about this beautiful Jewish celebration. Over the years I have attended Passover dinners with an Institute class, community center, and my local Jewish synagogue. Now I have a next door neighbor who is Jewish and I&#8217;m so excited to be able to share this tradition with our families. What a terrific day to open the door of understanding and begin a religious discussion that embraces the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/994/don_t_pass_over_passover</link>
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		<title>Finding Lost Sheep</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday I received an email from a old high school buddy. Hmmm&#8230;maybe I should rethink that word &#8220;old.&#8221; She was organizing an elementary school reunion and trying to track down friends she had lost contact with over the years. She was looking for a particular person who she remembers was Mormon and since she knows I&#8217;m Mormon she was hoping I&#8217;d know her. Kind of like asking someone from the gigantic state of Texas &#8220;Oh, if you&#8217;re from Texas then you must know so and so.&#8221; Well, I thought it was cute, but I was sorry to tell her I didn&#8217;t know her former gal pal.
I DID know how to help find her and I thought I&#8217;d pass this information along should you ever be in a similar situation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, has a resource for locating members all over the world. It&#8217;s a process that allows for privacy and security. You can simply call the Member and Statistical Records Division at the church office building at 801-240-3500. Request a copy of the &#8220;Membership Contact Form&#8221; and you will receive it by mail. Remember snail mail? Currently there is no electronic version of this form.
Fill out two forms, which ask for information about the person&#8217;s name, age, birthplace, and other facts that might be helpful in locating the one you are trying to reach. You also have to write a brief statement about why you want to contact the person. Return both forms to the address [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://missionary.ldsblogs.com/1628/finding_lost_sheep</link>
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