Using Social Media to share the gospel

The subject of the young adult Fireside on Sunday was using social media to share the gospel.  All these young adults have cell phones and every one of them love using social media.  Consequently, the church is changing the way the missionaries teach.  This e-mail from an elder in Santa Rosa California to his family describes changes that will soon be coming to our mission:

 "Alright everyone listen up!    I am not being disobedient! The work is hastening!! We as missionaries are now allowed to contact and teach ANYONE ANYWHERE in the world and teach them over the internet via skype, facebook, facetime, chat, email, blog etc!! We can contact and ask any one for referrals and that includes each of you!

     Another amazing thing is that we the California Santa Rosa mission are the first mission in the entire world to as a whole receive the "8873" or in other words, we now have Ipad mini's to assist us in all of our work! The area book is on  our planners and schedules are on it--- we have all of our manuals and scriptures and Mormon messages and videos on it and we can get access to facebook on it wherever we have wifi!! It is awesome!! So when I contact you on facebook, don't be surprised!! And in the future don't be surprised if I skype you up so that we can teach together! Yes me and you and my companion in the future could teach together via skype! Mom or Dad you could be the "member present" at my lessons!! Isn't that sweet? I have already begun contacting a few of my teammates from Barstow that would ask me questions about the church! We will see if they are interested!

     So HUGE changes in missionary work! huge! So on Thursday when the missionary department came and gave us our ipads they showed us  three scriptures that blew me away. The first is Matthew 24:14.

Do you remember what happened on June 23rd? That was the big missionary meeting. Do you remember what happened in that meeting? What happened that was different? What changed? anything? we learned about Members working with missionaries, the responsibility of members and ward mission leaders and bishops, which is what we have been trying to do for a long time right? But is that all it was? Well no. There had to be something more than that to make it historical. We received a letter that said it was going to be a huge deal...so what  happened that made it historical?? Well this is what bro Donaldson from the missionary department said. He said that that day marked the Beginning of the end, just like the scripture says. Because that meeting was when the whole world was opened for missionary work!! Then the end will come...I hope that made your stomach drop because mine did!!  Now here is another scripture. DC 88:73

This scripture is fulfilled. it is no longer I WILL hasten it is now currently I AM HASTENING MY WORK RIGHT NOW.  

With the age lowered the scene was set and with these ipads and the thousands of missionaries teaching everyone everywhere online, the work has hastened. With theses ipads the work is hastened. The hastening is literally here it is currently happening we are apart of prophecies being fulfilled!

Another scripture, Mosiah 16:1 What is the significance of that verse? Every nation shall SEE EYE TO EYE. How can us here in Cali and people in Europe see eye to eye?? i will tell you. SKYPE is how we will see eye to eye. As we were getting our ipads on Thursday the leaders who had their ipads already within the first  hour had taught four lessons via chat. That is usually how much we teach in one day, on a good day! Accomplished in an hour. but they were not only teaching people in their area they were teaching people in Europe, Astonia, Russia. One of our zone leaders taught a girl in Russia via skype last week. They saw EYE TO EYE.

Are you catching the vision??

Something else the missionary department told us is that they have found that most people are online from like nine pm to 12 pm. So how will we teach those people if we are asleep? well bro Donaldson said this. " We will have to get the help of the missionaries on the other side of the world, Missionaries in japan and Europe will have to teach our people and help us out here while we sleep and then in return we will help out with their people over there while they sleep." in fact during that meeting he got a call from a mission president in Japan about that exact topic. IT IS NUTS!!!!!

Missionary work has dramatically changed AGAIN. Which is another testimony to me that this truly is a LIVING BREATHING CHURCH!!! I had a funny experience last week. While we were studying, we heard a knock on the door. It was two old ladies giving out pamphlets for the Jehovah Witness. They asked if we wanted a pamphlet from the watch tower and I said yes and offered them a pamphlet, they said no ha ha but I thought it was funny because they are still doing the exact same thing that they have always done. I haven't tracted in months because that is an ineffective finding activity and we have been taught that there are much better ways to find. And it has worked. We are finding many people to teach that are not just quantity but quality. And other churches are still doing the same old thing because they are not guided by revelation! How many times has our missionary program changed!! so many times!! Since I have been on my mission there have been six or seven big meetings where we have learned new things to do and implement to increase our effectiveness and teaching ability. I know with out a doubt this church is truly guided by Our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ through our living prophet. . ."

Concluding statement from the Mc Donald's, the area public relations missionaries who wanted Tom to direct Joseph when they first arrived in South Africa, "Be an Example in all You Do and Say. As you begin sharing your testimony through Social Media, it is important that you stay constant with your beliefs.  Your example in what you send out can touch many people.  Let it be an example for good.  Help and uplifting others lifts us as well."

Hi:  Thanks for this information.   I went with Everett to a meeting about four months ago concerning the new things coming out for the missionaries and how they will teach and find people.  This is what we learned also - same as the things that you sent.  I guess in a way it is sort of scary that things are going forward and that soon the world will be taught but in another way it is exciting as well.