So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)
At least twice a month, we are honored to have special guests in our home for dinner. These dear guests, our Mormon missionaries, are truly among the best young men I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. Mormon missionaries pay for their own missions, including food and lodging. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the areas where they serve are under no obligation to feed missionaries but most of us feel it is a blessing to be able to do so.
As I sit across our dining room table from these young men, I can’t help but marvel at their faith and courage. You see, often times, they are met with harsh words and ridicule or worse. Yet, morning after morning, they get up and are back out again preaching and sharing the word of God. These young missionaries understand the importance and sacredness of their work. They know that when Jesus asked Simon Peter to “feed my sheep” he was speaking to all of us. Each night at the end of our meal, these young Mormon missionaries thank us for our kindness to them and offer us a gift. This gift, their testimonies of Jesus Christ, inspires me more than they realize.
This month I want to share a few more Church related sites with you. It was obvious from reviewing the information available that the individuals responsible for these sites desired to share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone. This is their way of heeding the Lord’s commandment to “feed my sheep.”
Book Of Mormon Online.net – KC Kern, the creator and webmaster of this exciting new resource is a student at Brigham Young University. He also served a fulltime mission for the Mormon Church in Seoul, Korea. Kern’s vision was to present the stories of the Book of Mormon in “reader-friendly segments arranged in primarily chronological format, supplemented with summaries of each segment, divided by headings and pages that reveal the text’s full context.” I think he has succeeded magnificently in achieving this goal. If you’ve been given a Book of Mormon and have just not been able to get through it, I strongly urge you to try this resource. While a couple of sections are still under construction, the bulk of the site is ready for use.
About Mormons – This site was started in 1996 by W. John Walsh and Jenny Scoville Walsh and was originally named All About Mormons. This resource is one of the first that responded to the need for information about the Church online. In fact, the site was literally created to fill the void that existed at the time on the Internet. John and Jenny Walsh felt that the best way to answer the many questions they were receiving about the Church was to have a source of LDS teachings available online. The site continues to provide relevant information about the Church. It includes information on Mormon beliefs, Church history, Missionary work, and even a FAQ section.
Mormon Historic Sites Registry – If you’ve always wanted information on sites and places that are important in the history of the Mormon religion, this is the place to start. The purpose of this site is to “create a comprehensive resource of historic sites located throughout the world with historical information, personal accounts, multimedia, and visitor information.” A wealth of information is available here including references for additional reading and study. My favorite feature is the inclusion of personal accounts from people who were witnesses to the events that took place in these sites. New sites are added each week so be sure to check it often. Some links aren’t quite ready yet, but should be “coming soon.” I’m really looking forward to information about important international sites so I will definitely bookmark this site.
The Mormon Way Of Doing Business – This short video presentation is based on the book of the same title by Jeff Benedict. It highlights the lives and accomplishments of several CEOs of some of America’s most successful and high profile companies. These CEOs have one other thing in common – they are all faithful Mormons who practice and live their religion. The video features these individuals talking about their achievements in their respective fields viewed through the unique lens of a Mormon husband, father, and a servant of God.
