Friends and Family:
In January, I will be moving to Ogden, Utah to be a missionary intern. This is not something I can do alone so I ask for your support in prayer, encouragement and finances. Please prayerfully consider partnering with me in bringing the gospel to Utah.
I will be working with Joe and Jennifer Filer, who are full-time missionaries in Utah. They have a passion for bringing the true gospel to Mormons. The goal is to plant three new ministries in the first three months and with those ministries plant a church. We will be laying the groundwork of building relationships with prayer and evangelism at Weber State University, the neighboring areas, local LDS wards and at Temple Square. I will be there for either three months or a year, but will not know for sure until after I have been there a couple months. I will need to raise about $500/month to live and serve in Ogden.
My college group went on a week-long missions trip to Ogden this past summer, which is where we met with the Filers. We were astonished to witness the power of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints and its emptiness. We visited Temple Square where we saw a great display of the glory of the church and especially of the man Joseph Smith. In the wards we saw dead worship, dead fellowship and dead followership of God. The LDS Church uses the same language as evangelicals and even quotes the Bible, but they are not the same faith. Mormonism is based on the beliefs that a group of Israelites moved to America 2500 years ago and left a historical record on golden plates. Joseph Smith found these plates and translated them from Reformed Egyptian into English and thus gave the world the Book of Mormon. There is a great deal of evidence against these beliefs, but they form the bases of LDS life and religion.
Mormonism is a works-based religion. There is no assurance in the cross of Christ, because they do not believe that anything happened on the cross aside from Jesus’ physical death. They believe that the atonement was completed in Gethsemane so the cross is a detestable symbol. Jesus Christ is our spirit brother as is Lucifer, because we all come from pre-existent souls that populate heaven. The way to acceptance by God and culture for Mormons is be a good Mormon and do all the right things that the LDS Church demands. There is no relationship with God because God only speaks to the Prophet.
Salt Lake City is the Mecca of Mormonism. The great majority of the state of Utah is made up of Mormons. The emptiness and darkness of LDS Church permeates the state. A CBS News article reported that Utah leads the nation in prescription anti-depressants. They cited Mormons’ inability to ever be good enough as the cause. Utah also leads the country in plastic surgeries and use of methamphetamines. Most of these meth-users are mothers. Mormonism puts a great deal of pressure on women to be good enough to be called into heaven by their husbands. This oppressive religion is not the gospel of Christ Jesus, who said of himself, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).
I know this is too great a task for me. I know I am weak and selfish and immature. But I also know that we are called to work together as one body to do Christ’s remaining work on earth. If this is a ministry you would like to be involved in, please fill out the included card to receive prayer requests and updates. I would greatly appreciate encouragement from my church body. If God calls you to give, fill out the same card and make checks payable to LBAC, but do not put anything in the Memo line (for tax purposes).
Thank you and God bless!
Kelly Douglas
