The 2014 Winter Olympics begin in Sochi, Russia, in just a couple of short weeks. Tyler Anderson, a luger who’s been training for the Olympics almost his entire adolescence, decided to table his Olympic ambitions to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a faith often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church). Why would someone with so much athletic talent give up a chance to compete in the Olympics? The answer is simple: Tyler felt he was needed elsewhere.[1]
I had the good fortune to interview filmmaker Adam White today. Adam is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church). He wrote and directed the feature film Inspired Guns premiering in Utah, January 24, 2014.
What happens when two [Mormon] missionaries get mistaken for mafia?
The inspiration for Inspired Guns came while Adam served as a Mormon missionary in Argentina. People congregated in the town plazas, and the missionaries talked to people there. Adam said that since missionaries always wore suits, Argentines often mistook him and his companion (missionaries are assigned to work in twos) as CIA agents. Repeatedly being mistaken for CIA, FBI, or some other agency, sparked the concept for Inspired Guns, which Adam thought would be entertaining and funny. (more…)
The Republic of the Philippines suffered major devastation as a result of Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, which occurred in early November 2013.The powerful tropical cyclone ravaged many portions of Southeast Asia, with the Philippines being one of the hardest hit areas. The storm, recorded as one of the most deadly Philippine typhoons, claimed the lives of some 5,924 people, and not one missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church by the media and others) was numbered among those who perished.
The Aftermath of the Storm
On 12 November 2013, 71 missionaries from the Tacloban mission arrived safely by bus in the capital city of Manila. There they were greeted by Elder Brent Nielsen, Philippines Area President, who had been expecting their arrival.
The missionaries had little more than the clothes on their backs as most of their belongings were washed away by the typhoon. They were given warm blankets, taken to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) cafeteria for a hot meal, given clothes that they could change into, and were able to notify their families of their safety via Skype and telephone calls. (more…)
YouTube is not an easy place to make it big online. It’s like the LA of the internet! Sure, YouTube houses countless one-hit-wonders, but if you do go viral on the video streaming site, it’s usually a one-time deal. The success of an entire YouTube channel is hard to come by. The Mormon Channel, however, ranks in the top 5,000 YouTube channels, outperforming brands like Apple, Microsoft, and Lego.[1] The Mormon Channel is owned and managed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a faith often inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon” Church, and is able to draw in not only viewers but also subscribers by producing content that shares messages to touch the soul.
Mormon Channel Draws Subscribers
The key to the success of a YouTube channel is the number of subscribers in addition to the number of total views. As of October 2013, the total number of Mormon Channel subscribers was over 200,000, with the site boasting almost 60 million views. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ are likely the primary subscribers to the channel, and share videos they find inspiring. When these videos are shared via social media, countless others–both members and non-members of the Mormon faith–are exposed to these soul-reaching messages. (more…)
At the beginning of November 2013, raging Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippine islands. By the end of the month, the death toll rose above 5,500, with the numbers continuing to rise. The Philippines hasn’t ever seen destruction like this. Many people around the world may see the storm footage and say to themselves, “Gee, that’s too bad. I wish we could do something.” Miles Bell, however, owner of Dave’s Auto Center in Layton and Centerville, Utah, decided to do something more.[1]
Opening Up Shop
Bell is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a faith often inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church) and served his full-time mission in the Philippines. Thanks to social media, Bell is able to stay in touch with many of the people he served in that country. So when Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the islands, Bell was devastated.
Instead of wishing he could do something to help, Bell took action. He decided to open up his auto shop on a day when they were usually closed. All labor proceeds that day were donated to relief efforts in the Philippines. Customers came in for repairs both big and small and were asked to donate at least $50, regardless of the repair. During the fundraiser, customers were also allowed to bring in their own parts or to purchase the needed parts wholesale. (more…)
