Thoughts and stories, by Pal

From LDS Living April 11, 2015.  I kept this article for a day like today, when I am very busy, going to 3 different doctor tests for my husband.   Actually we now are home, and he doesn't have a blood clot in his left leg, and is off from blood thinners, and is off from Home Health!  He has truly been blessed! 7 Mistakes LDS Parents Make and How to Avoid Them MARK D. OGLETREE, PH.D. - The bar has been raised for future missionaries--which means it's been raised for parents teaching those future missionaries, too. Find out seven LDS parenting pitfalls to avoid. In the October 2012 general conference, President Thomas S. Monson announced that young men could now be recommended for missionary service at age 18, and young women could serve at age 19. At a press conference held between the Saturday morning and afternoon conference sessions, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland invited parents “ to take a strong hand in this preparation and not expect that it i...

This article was in Meridian Magazine.  If you would like to access the internet site, it is: https://www.lds.org/youth/article/5-keys-to-answering-tough-questions?lang=eng 5 Keys to Answering Tough Questions DAVID L. BECK Young Men General President Have you ever been asked a tough question about the Church by one of your friends? It can be an intimidating experience to be asked questions about the Church. Imagine you are eating lunch at school with a group of friends when one of them turns to you and says, “I heard Mormons are not Christians. Is that true?” You explain that “Mormon” is just a nickname and that the real name of the Church is The Church of  Jesus Christ  of Latter-day Saints. “I believe in and follow Jesus Christ,” you add. Then someone asks another question. This time the question sounds more like an attack, and you’re not so sure you have the right answer. Suddenly you feel singled out, as if you’re being interrogated. These mo...

23 Things I Wish I Would’ve Known Before My Mission Posted by:  Brandon Young   June 4, 2015   in ldsdaily.com My mission was different from what I thought it would be. I imagined I would knock on a door, the father of a family of six would answer, and the entire family would be baptized the following Saturday. Throngs of investigators would gather around the baptismal font and feel the Spirit and they would all be baptized the following week. I imagined sending home weekly pictures of me with my investigators dressed in white ready to become members of the Lord’s true church. To be completely honest, my first few weeks in the Spain Madrid Mission was a little bit of a shock for me – culturally and spiritually. I doubted my abilities to speak the language, and even in the strength of my own testimony. I remember thinking, “Could I really do this for 2 years?”  I loved my mission  – there isn’t a day I don’t think about how it has blessed my ...

This is an amazing true story!  From LDS Church News. Son shares story of miraculous reunion with mother after 12 years of separation By Lila Bringhurst For the LDS Church News Published: Thursday, May 28 2015 1:40 p.m. MDT Elder Chun Chen speaks to other missionaries at the baptism of a recent convert. He serves in the California San Jose Mission. Because of Chun Chen's interest in the message of the gospel, he was miraculously reunited with the family he had been separated from many years before. Elder Chen now serves as a missionary in the California San Jose Mission. LDS Church New Chun Chen was just a little boy, not yet four years old, when his parents took him to a playground. He wandered off and found an arcade where people put coins in machines and played video games. He was mesmerized, but suddenly he realized his parents had disappeared. His tears brought people who tried to help him, offering him food and comfort. They as...

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...