EdwardsFamily: Talking about Mormons

Monday, March 19, 2012

Talking about Mormons

Advice for my kids...
When someone starts talking about Mormons but don’t really know details...here is some advice you can give them.

Get to know us — properly. Drop into our services, talk to our people, have dinner with a local leader, spend a family home evening with a family, be present when a young soon-to-be missionary opens his or her “call letter” and learns where they will be spending the next couple of years. Join with us on a service project. And then, when you have scratched the surface in this way, closely observe the transformation of people’s lives outside the Church as missionaries teach them and they go through the conversion process. Watch those who transition from attitudes of hopelessness to lives of purpose and meaning and learn new ways to follow Jesus Christ. Talk to a Mormon bishop — our version of the local pastor, but who is unpaid for their volunteer work — as he helps people grapple with problems of addiction or shaky marriages or unemployment. Examine the doctrine — not through the simplistic “us and them” comparisons that we see so often, but in ways that explain how the doctrine of the Church influences behavior.

I'm so looking forward to the Easter Pageant. It is such a great time to do missionary work.

Our Family Mission Statement

We recognize and respect that we have come from different backgrounds and upbringings
But that we are now united as one, with common goals and visions. We share an eternal bond That enables us to communicate honestly and openly in all issues. We are each other's greatest strength, comfort and encouragement.
Together we have a home of Love, harmony, cleanliness and learning, One to which we want to come back to each day and where family, friends and neighbors
Can come and feel comfort and peace; our doors are always open. The way we live our lives invites the spirit to dwell here. We turn our back to all influences that would cause the spirit to leave our minds, our Hearts and our home. We seek goodness in all situations and people, constantly keeping our eyes and hearts open to others in need, most specifically our extended families, which we hold dear.
We wish to instill in our children Unconditional love, respect, happiness and integrity And understand that we must first embody these qualities ourselves. Our ultimate goal is to return to our Heavenly Father together -- a complete family -- And we strive to instill in each this sense of unity. We strengthen and encourage each other so that each person has the capacity to gain a sense of self and individual worth from within themselves, independent of all outside influences.
As a family, We eat together, pray together, study and ponder the scriptures and gospel together, attend church together and laugh together.
We know when to work, when to play and when to relax. Most of all, we know each other. We know how to make each other smile and laugh And we are constantly seeking opportunities to do so. Our greatest legacy will be that we loved each other well.