Musings Of A Missionary Mom

This volume reflects a few of the author's thoughts and insights while her son was spending "the best two years" of his life serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Torreon, Mexico. Turning to the scriptures as a way of better coping with his absence, she was soon reminded that whether a person needed a lesson in faith, a reminder to be grateful, or a proverb on the value of hard work, she could find the answer within these divine pages. Applying scripture references from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants to everyday life, Musings underscores the importance of the sacred works in finding solace, inspiration, and guidance.

This volume reflects a few of the authors thoughts and insights while her son was spending the best two years of his life serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Torreon, Mexico. Turning to the scriptures as a way of better coping with his absence, she was soon reminded that whether a person needed a lesson in faith, a reminder to be grateful, or a proverb on the value of hard work, she could find the answer within these divine pages. Applying scripture references from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants to everyday life, Musings underscores the importance of the sacred works in finding solace, inspiration, and guidance.

In this compilation of essays demonstrating the application of psychological and spiritual principles to the women of the Bible, the reader will soon see the similarities between the lives of Biblical women and those of today. Just like 21st century Eves, some are wise, brave, and faithful, and others are conniving, imprudent, and downright disagreeable. Then and now, women struggle with emotions, relationships, and personal choice as they navigate their way through life. Eve and her sisters felt apprehension, jealously, and self-doubt. And like us, many squared their shoulders and faced their fears head on. With its themes of love, faith, individuality, and fulfillment, the Bible can actually be seen as a self-help book. Dont underestimate the power of these women who lived generations ago to reach across time and culture to touch our lives. A semi-retired educator with a background in psychology, Jayne is the author of four blogs and has published articles/stories in Guideposts, The Petigru Review, and two LDS magazines, the Liahona and the Ensign. She has also written two books, Human Relations in Industry and Musings of a Missionary Mom.

Mission work is not for the faint of heart. We admire those brave souls who leave behind the comforts of home and go to foreign fields to bring the love of Christ to people in need. And sometimes it feels uninspiring to be stuck at home in the day-to-day of parenting when others are out there changing the world, soul by soul. Shontell Brewer has a message to renew the spirits of everyday moms: they too have a critical calling as the very first missionaries their children meet. In her informal, funny voice, Brewer points out the many unexpected parallels: A missionary may need to learn a foreign language and new customs to understand and communicate with those around her. A missionary has to follow the path God puts before her, sacrificing sleep, comfort, time, and toilets. Sound like any moms you know? Brewer tackles common challenges from mom-guilt to the temptation to be a martyr to those days when it feels like only a box of cookies and a Netflix binge can restore a sense of peace. But through it all, she shares the truth that there's more to parenting than potty training and orthodontist appointments. Mothers make the love of Christ tangible and understandable to their children. With determination and a few purposeful steps, moms can embrace their own mission field, leading their families--heart, soul, mind, and strength--to Christ.

Being a missionary in Ivory Coast, West Africa is not only about dangers, hard work, and culture shock, interspersed with moments of high joy and deep sorrow; it is life found in the small and daily things, the quotidian experience which renders familiar a vastly different way of life, a life at the edge of the village. This book collects Lisa Leidenfrost's sketches of missionary life, compiled from letters sent home from Ivory Coast to her church in the United States, and they tell of the ordinary and extraordinary, the solemn and the playful, the mundane and the exotic, together creating a down-to-earth portrait of the Gospel at work in a family and society. For over sixteen years, Lisa Leidenfrost has lived, served, and raised four children in Ivory Coast with her husband, Csaba Leidenfrost, a Wycliffe translator to the Bakwe people.