Prayers for the victims of the senseless tragedy in Orlando

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved in the tragic terror attack in Orlando. It sickens me that within these United States, an extremist should be allowed to attack people with whom he has a difference of opinion. This senseless act is tragic. The LDS Church has issued a statement about what happened. It says: "With the rest of the nation, we mourn the tragic loss of life and serious injuries that occurred in Orlando this morning. We pray for the families and loved ones of the victims of this senseless shooting and pray they will be comforted and cared for as they seek to heal. Our prayers and support are also with community leaders and law enforcement officials as they continue to investigate this shocking crime." I feel like I could say "Amen" and end this post right there, but I wanted to further state that those of the LDS Church, who underwent similar persecution as a result of difference of opinion in the early days of Church history, most likely understand more than anyone else what it means to be persecuted for practicing one's beliefs. In a land where the marriage of same-gender individuals has been declared constitutional, it boggles my mind that something like this could happen. My heart bleeds for all those affected by this incident, and I join in praying for all those whose lives have been made worse because this happened. I pray we will all unite in prayer on their behalf.

Three Significant Posts by Matthew Martinich

Hello, all! Some exciting Church growth news crossed my radar just now, and I just had to share.

First of all, some significant growth milestones have taken place in the Ivory Coast. For an overview of these developments, please see this lnk.

Second, new stakes have been created in Guatemala, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and Texas, and a new district has been created in Nigeria. For details, please see this link.

New stakes have additionally been created in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mongolia, another for Nigeria, and a new district in Brazil, For details, please see this link.

As you can see, the Church is exponentially growing throughout the world, How exciting it is to live in these latter days! I will keep my eye on Church growth developments, and let you know as news crosses my radar. Thanks for your readership.

Article on new General Authority Seventy Elder Peter F. Meurs

The Church News this week posted an article about Elder Peter F. Meurs, a General Authority Seventy. To see that article, please follow this link, Thanks.