Thoughts and stories, by Pal

We've heard the missionaries have been taken out of Burundi because of civil unrest.  I read there are about 500 members in 3 congregations there.  We need to keep them in our prayers. I found this in www.ldsmissionaries.com.  It is really interesting! 2 Inspiring LDS Stories from Burundi Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve pronounced a blessing upon the country of Burundi in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa. (Image via www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com) Burundi is in the news right now because of the political unrest. The reports and pictures are disturbing, and many members of the LDS Church may know very little about the country except that it’s in Africa, and the missionaries have been evacuated. Here at LDS Missionaries we believe in the spirit of optimism, especially when it comes to missionary work. When we report on missionaries who have been evacuated for any reason, our hope is that the news will inspire prayers and hop...

How a new Apostle is chosen.   Great ideas for a Family Home Evening. .  We will be getting a new apostle in the near future -- possibly not until the October Conference... I just subscribed to ldsdaily.com.  It will be interesting to see what they send.  This was today's entry, and suitable for a Family Home Evening Lesson.  It was suggested the opening song be:  "We Thank They Oh God For a Prophet". If you want to check out the site, it posts a video of how Jesus called His apostles. I'm printing it just as it was there, with the suggestions for Family Home Evening.  But it is interesting to read, about how a new apostle is chosen.  Also I have posted the Seniority of the Apostles, to see where they fit in. Read aloud:  The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies of the Church, called to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. They have a specific mission to go into all the world and help people learn about Ch...

This article from Meridian Magazine is very wise, and makes so much sense!  It is interesting to read the reasons that in these times we may be more in need of being prepared than we were a few years back! Why You Should Get Prepared Right Now By Carolyn Nicolaysen  · June 1, 2015,  from Meridian Magazine In a few short years our society has evolved from the opinion that emergency preparedness and home storage strategies were mainly for religious fanatics and conspiracy theorists, to the pragmatic reality now that disasters happen more often, the world has become more dangerous, and that in our upside-down economy, preparedness is now a sign of rational thinking. In fact, it’s getting downright cool to be prepared. And yet, with personal finances tighter today than yesterday, being prepared may require more commitment and sacrifice than ever before. We may have to return to the first of all questions about being prepared: “Why prepare?” Aside ...