Last fall, when Mitt Romney’s run for U.S. president had Mormonism in the spotlight perhaps more than ever before, some Mormon mommy bloggers got together and did something extraordinary. I remember catching wind of it, and I would like to think I posted about it back then, but rather than dig through the archives, I am simply going to post about it today. Because even if I did share, it’s worth sharing again, especially after hearing Elder Ballard’s talk inviting women to share their faith with others more freely.
I had the chance to meet a couple of these passionate bloggers last night and it was so inspiring to hear them talk about this amazing effort.
Mariel Wangsgard from Or So She Says (the blogger who started the effort), writes a simple explanation about what motivated her to want to share:
It is very apparent that people are curious about Mormons right now. Mormons, Mormons, every where….tv, blogs, radio, magazines, etc. Aghhh! We’re coming to get you! No. But, really so many people want to know, and I suppose it’s silly of me to not be forthcoming and offer my thoughts to you. I have been a member of the church for 33 years now, and I love it. Nothing has brought more peace and happiness into my life..so, why not open up for those who want to know?
Wangsgard ended up involving 32 bloggers in total. They created a packet including a one-page testimony from each blogger sharing what her faith means to her. Each packet also included a free copy of The Book of Mormon, no strings attached. It was just an opportunity for people to see into the hearts of several Mormon women, to read a few of their favorite scriptures, and to have the chance to read The Book of Mormon to understand more about our faith.
Bloggers who participated included the following:
Melanie ~ Sugardoodle
Kierste ~ Brown Paper Packages
Shelley ~ How Does She?
Brooke ~ The Crafting Chicks
Ruthie ~ What’s Cooking With Ruthie?
“I just got to the point where I saw all these people wondering and not getting good answers,” Wangsgard said. “I just think people want to know, so we don’t have to be so afraid. … Most of us aren’t afraid to say that we’re LDS, but it usually stops there. We wanted to stop holding out on our readers.”
It’s easy to say, “The time [to share my faith] isn’t right.” … Years ago I worked for a man in California. He hired me, he was kind to me, he seemed to regard me highly. I may have been the only Latter-day Saint he ever knew well. I don’t know all the reasons I found to wait for a better moment to talk with him about the gospel. I just remember my feeling of sorrow when I learned, after he had retired and I lived far away, that he and his wife had been killed in a late night drive to their home in Carmel, California. He loved his wife. He loved his children. He had loved his parents. He loved his grandchildren, and he will love their children and will want to be with them forever.
Now, I don’t know how the crowds will be handled in the world to come. But I suppose that I will meet him, that he will look into my eyes, and that I will see in them the question: “Hal, you knew. Why didn’t you tell me?”
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