Called to serve - as a CYBER Missionary?

[justamere10]

Called to serve - as a CYBER Missionary!

I sometimes think the admonition "if you have the DESIRE you are called to the work" is quite important.

I was tracted out and converted to the LDS Church when I was in my early twenties, but already married. So, although two of my sons served honorable missions, I did not personally qualify until a few years ago when I had retired. My wife and I put our papers in to serve as senior missionaries. When she read the call to me and I heard that we were to serve in the China Hong Kong Mission, it literally knocked me off my feet, I'd been learning Spanish. :-) But we loved our 18 months in tiny Macau, China.

A year or so after our mission I was again making noises to my wife that it was about time to serve again. There were valid delays but I was still anxious to put on the badge again. Until a few weeks ago when all that changed!

About that time I became aware of three talks Elder Ballard gave, in each of which he asked LDS members to join in religious discussions on the INTERNET!

Well, I've posted the story of how that hit me elsewhere but suffice it to say that although I haven't been officially called as an LDS Cyber Missionary, that's what I've been doing. I no longer have the desire to leave my home to serve, though of course if an unsolicited official call came I would respond.

I've been writing on several boards. On one of the large discussion boards (Hannity) I started a thread called "Ask a Mormon". In less than six weeks that thread has attracted more than 3,000 posts, and 37,000 views!

There's a whole lot of online interest in the "Mormons", and a whole lot of misinformation to correct. It is possible I think for any active Latter-day Saint with a strong testimony to unofficially serve as a missionary right now, without even leaving their home!

I've written about my experiences on the LDS Cyber Missionary Board. Anyone who is interested in the possibility of being an unofficial LDS Cyber Missionary is invited, when there's a lull on this board, to meet others with similar interests, and discuss the idea on the LDS Cyber Missionaries board. You can also copy, edit, and post in your own screen name a whole bunch of great responses to common questions asked online about the "Mormons".

http://www.lds1.org


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[Moksha]

One place I wish more cyber-apologists would serve, is the Mormonism Discussion at Beliefnet. It is in real need of some more LDS defenders.

Discuss Mormonism - Beliefnet Forums

Heed the call Brothers and Sisters, the barbarians are at the gate and they have no plates of Jell-O squares to greet them.

[MrNirom]

I am with you and posting.. :-)

[skalenfehl]

Originally Posted by justamere10

I've been writing on several boards. On one of the large discussion boards (Hannity) I started a thread called "Ask a Mormon". In less than six weeks that thread has attracted more than 3,000 posts, and about 33,000 views!

That is you!? Wow, I registered on those forums some time ago but for some reason I can't post. Although my registration was confirmed it still tells me I need to register. Some glitch or other. I saw your post there. I've been listening to his show all year and following current events and of course the election process. This guy is on the cutting edge of news. I wish I could help you on your ask a Mormon section.

That's great that you served in China. I honestly thought that was the last frontier of missionary work. Is there no other corner of the globe that missionary work isn't being done?

Oh, by the way, welcome to the boards!

p.s. I'd love to be able to post on the other two boards as well, but I'd be spreading my time out too thin. If I can retire and do nothing but this, then I'd be delighted to.

[justamere10]

Originally Posted by skalenfehl

That is you!? Wow, I registered on those forums some time ago but for some reason I can't post. Although my registration was confirmed it still tells me I need to register. Some glitch or other. I saw your post there. I've been listening to his show all year and following current events and of course the election process. This guy is on the cutting edge of news. I wish I could help you on your ask a Mormon section.

That's great that you served in China. I honestly thought that was the last frontier of missionary work. Is there no other corner of the globe that missionary work isn't being done?

Oh, by the way, welcome to the boards!

I appreciate your welcome to this board. There are about 20 active LDS writing on the Hannity board so it's pretty much under control. :-)

Missionary work in China can only be done in Hong Kong and Macau but there are quite a few branches in the mainland, they just can't proselyte. The Church has excellent relations with the government in Beijing and carefully keeps all their laws.

[skalenfehl]

Well, I hope you can hang out here too. As I mentioned above when I edited my post, I'd love to be able to contribute more to other forums if I had more time. I checked out your site. It looks good!

[justamere10]

Originally Posted by skalenfehl

Well, I hope you can hang out here too. As I mentioned above when I edited my post, I'd love to be able to contribute more to other forums if I had more time. I checked out your site. It looks good!

All we need is more members to enrich the board for everyone. :-)

[NateHowe]

I agree - LDS.net is great, but we also need to interact with others on their turf. People need to know that Mormons are in the mainstream of society, not just on the fringes.

[Casslan]

We shouldn't forget about signing up on Non-LDS sites as well, that permit LDS interaction. Many Christians won't go near a pro-LDS site, so we can answer questions in their forums. A few have dedicate sections for LDS to post such as CF.com and RF.com and Beliefnet. Besides 3 pro LDS sites [as Casslan], I am currently signed up to 8 "Christian" sites under other names.

[AlexanderX]

The internet is killing the Church.

The "every member a missionary" idea was witty and had meaning twenty years ago, but the fact is most Mormons aren't prepared to share factual information that means anything to a critical investigator, beyond sharing their testimony.