As mentioned in the post Modern-Day Pioneers and LDS Church Growth in Africa I also wanted to post this clip from the same video. This clip details the history of the Mormon Church in Korea and the instrumental role played by Dr. Kim Ho Jik.

Modern-Day Pioneers & LDS Church Growth in Korea Video

The entire “Modern-Day Pioneers” video has been put in the Mormon video gallery here at Mormon World.

Someone sent me a link of a photo slide show with audio about a Mormon convert named Naisi Zhao who is serving a Mormon mission in New York.  The short bio at the end mentions that she converted to the church while studying at Brigham Young University and that she intends to return to Shanghai after completing her mission and degree at BYU.  It seems to me that the Lord continues to prepare China for the gospel with many Chinese hearing and accepting the gospel abroad and then returning to China.  The slide show is only a couple minutes long and is worth your time.

It can be found at the New York Times here:

Chinese Mormon Missionary in New York

In China, the Mormon Church is still preparing for the day when proselytizing missionaries will be legally accepted.  The development of the Mormon Church in China carries major implications for the global growth of the Church. 

Mormon Church’s Challenges in China

In China, the LDS Church faces its most unique opportunity and challenge of the new century – something far different from what we see in most other developing countries.  Although in Hong Kong the LDS Church is very well established with an active mission, 32 congregations, and a temple, China is entirely dissimilar: while thousands attend regular worship services under special circumstances, Mormon missionary efforts are very limited to just a handful of non-proselytizing volunteers.  The Church and Brigham Young University have established rapport with many in the Chinese academic and policy making communities through educational exchanges, the entertainment of the Young Ambassadors and BYU’s ballroom and folk dance troupes, as well as BYU’s earned reputation for its sophisticated language training programs.  The LDS Church has also published a translation of the Book of Mormon and other publications in Simplified Chinese, the script used in Mainland China.  Chinese officials attend the annual International Law and Religion Symposium in Utah each year, planting a seed for the Chinese government to understand the importance of liberalizing its religious laws to allow proselytizing missionaries.  Another interesting setting for connecting Chinese from the Mainland with the LDS Church has been BYU-Hawaii, where dozens of Chinese study and become acquainted with the Church.  Once China’s borders are fully opened to missionary teaching, the Church will require tremendous resources to manage its operations there and will necessarily rely on the efforts of local members because of the country’s sheer size.  

Though most of those who attend Mormon Church meetings in China are expatriates (or holders of foreign passports), there are thousands of Chinese nationals who also attend Church meetings – mostly restricted to attend smaller worship services.  Expatriates attend so-called international branches in nine major cities, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing.  The expatriates who meet in Beijing do so in a large office complex, above the Dairy Queen.  In Shanghai, the two branches hold their Sunday meetings in the conference center of a tall executive complex.  There are also national units that consist of Chinese nationals who for the most part joined the Mormon Church overseas in places like Toronto and Los Angeles and returned to China with a desire to pursue their faith in congregations.  These Mormon congregations are closely monitored by the State Religious Affairs Bureau. 

The Church will probably begin receiving more mainstream scrutiny in China because of President Barack Obama’s appointment of a Mormon with extensive experience in Chinese Asia and who is also fluent in Mandarin to serve as U.S. ambassador to China. (Jon M. Huntsman Jr.)  This is likely to cultivate more interest in the LDS Church among the political elite in Beijing and throughout China.   

Already, there are some missionaries serving from Mainland China – I’ve met several who have served or are serving in the United States and Australia.  This is setting the stage for a tremendous missionary effort that will be required in China.  

Elder Dallin H. Oaks in 1991 gave a speech about the LDS Church and China in which he stated that “China is already “open”–it is we who are closed. We are closed because we expect the Orient to be the same as the West, China to be the same as Canada or Chile. We must open our minds and our hearts to the people of this ancient realm and this magnificent culture.”  I believe that this is already happening – the Mormon Church is certainly making progress on the long path to flourishing in the Middle Kingdom.  The future for the Church in the world’s most populous country looks promising. 
 

Implications and future of Mormon Church in China

Though China poses very unique challenges to the LDS Church, the Church’s opportunity for tremendous growth and visibility is strong there.  China offers the Church almost limitless possibilities in terms of sharing the restored gospel.  As the Church continues to grow in this era of globalization, the face of the Church changes as the institution becomes a truly global religion.  Members and leaders of the Church, from California to New York and from Shanghai to Rio de Janeiro, should become more aware of the impact of the growth of the Church in such important places as China.  Watching the Mormon Church’s development in this region is extraordinarily inspirational. 
 

Jonathan Beutler is a Los Angeles-based public affairs consultant and is also deeply involved in the international trade community.  He has experience living in Europe, Asia, and South America.  Jonathan served an LDS mission in Brazil and has a very deep connection to and love for the Chinese world.

The Mormon Church in India continues to grow and establish itself across all of India. While the Mormon Church is more established in the South (Bangalore area) it is also seeing growth in the North in the New Delhi area. Mormon World has written previously of a Mormon Apostle’s prophecy of a future Mormon temple in India and one of our regular contributors, Sangeetha, is an Indian convert that attended one of the Mormon congregations in Hyderabad.

Recently there was an article written by Jamshid Askar and Mike Terry from the LDS Church News about the growth of the LDS Church in New Delhi. As usual we would like to touch on a few highlights and the actual link is below. Enjoy!

Church in New Delhi moving forward

• The article mentions several times the India New Delhi Mission. This mission was created in November 2007 and serves 4 countries-Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Northern India.
• I found it personally interesting that the district president of the Pitampura Branch of the New Delhi District is only 23 years old! Meaning that because many Saints are first generation, there are probably many young members who are returned missionaries who are asked to lead and grow the Church in India. I saw this first-hand on my own mission where many young RM’s who had the experience and testimony were called to lead and serve a growing but young church.
• William K. Jackson is the President of the India New Delhi Mission.  He formerly worked at U.S. embassies in Asia and Africa.
• In 1990 there was only one branch (A Mormon “branch” is a small congregation. Branches eventually becomes “wards.” and ”stakes” consist of a combination of wards and branches within a certain geographic area.) in New Delhi-mainly made up of expatriate members. By 2002 there were two branches largely made up of Indian members and leaders.
• As of July 2009 the India New Delhi mission has a total of 3 districts and and 19 branches across 4 different countries. (Mormon “districts” eventually become “stakes” much like branches becomes wards.)
• Some interesting comments by the mission president:

With the personal perspective culled from living in New Delhi for a total of eight years spread over two decades, President Jackson understands just how far the Church has come and what has to happen for sustained growth to continue.

“Growing out of old cultures is sometimes a slow and painful process, but it’s happening here,” he said. “And as we do that with the first generation, with these pioneer members, I think the rising generation will get all the benefits that a rising generation should get growing up in the Church with all its programs and all its blessings, with the expectations of serving missions and marrying in the temple. …

“The districts are anxious to become stakes so they can have the blessings of stakehood, including a patriarch. Interestingly enough, our goal is not to establish stakes. That will happen when it’s ready to happen. I think our goals here among other things would be to establish the Church and strengthen the priesthood, to find and help outstanding men and families come into the Church, teach and train them and encourage them to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and to learn how to be leaders and ministers so that we can establish strong districts with a solid priesthood foundation upon which to build.”

Overall the article is a very interesting read to get a perspective on how young the church is in New Delhi (and India as a whole) but seeing the faith and dedication of these converts points to a bright future for the LDS Church in India.

For the full article:

Church in New Delhi moving forward- Jamshid Askar and Mike Terry LDS Church News 

Sister Beck Visits Mormons in India

 Mormon in India: Sister Julie B. Beck’s Visit To India

Sister Julie B. Beck, general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also know as the Mormon Church) visited Mormons in Hyderabad, India on June 13 2008. Before visiting Hyderabad she visited Bangalore, in the South of India. She visited India for a Leadership Training Meeting. She came with her husband and President Melvin R. Nichols (Mission President of the India Bangalore Mission). The district presidency was also present for the meeting. She came to the Mormon church building of the Hyderabad II Branch. She also visited other places such as Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia. All church members were invited and there were a lot of members present for the meeting.

Personal Visit to Indian Sister Before Meeting with Mormons in India

Sister Beck met with two sisters in their home before the meeting. As one of the sisters told her about her marital problems and the things that she was struggling with, Sister Beck just did not give her good advice but used the scriptures to strengthen this sister. Sister Beck shared a scripture form Mark 6:48: “And he saw them toiling in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them, and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea.” She explained that in those times the night was divided in to four watches and even though the Savior saw His disciples struggling with the great winds He did not come to help them in the first hour itself but He came in the last hour. So she said we need to be patient in our trials and wait for the fourth watch. She said in her own life she felt many times that these trials are not going to end and said but the trials did end in the Lord’s due time.

Sister Beck’s Meeting with Mormons in Hyderabad, India

In her talk Sister Beck spoke about importance of families and how husbands and wives can have happy marriages. It’s important that we be willing to sacrifice for each other and also support each other in magnifying callings. She shared her own example that as she is in different nations most of the time and travels extensively but her husband is very patient and supportive. She spoke of creating righteous traditions which will help us to follow the gospel. She also spoke about leadership principles and that we need to work together and pray for our callings.

My Personal Thoughts on Sister Beck’s Visit

I was very impressed the way she presented her talk. It was very simple she did not use any power point presentation or any thing extra, all she used is her own personal example of how she grew and how the Lord helped her. I know that she truly is called of God.

(Editor’s note:  This was written by one of Mormon World’s regular contributors, Sangeetha. Sangeetha is a convert to the Mormon Church from India. She shares her stories about being a Mormon in India and her experiences there. I’ve made very few grammatical changes and added headings etc. I’ve attempted to do so while changing her content as little as possible. If you are interested in writing for Mormon World, whether regularly or just one-time, please visit the Contribute to Mormon World page.)

Mormons in Afghanistan are few and far between as they consist of only those in the military. Officially the LDS Church reports no membership in Afghanistan nor missions, buildings or temples. But we have written previously of the LDS Afghanistan Military District. LDS Church News just had another article about LDS members serving in the military in Afghanistan and I wanted to mention a few of the more interesting things that I read.

• The district was referred to as the Kabul Afghanistan Military District and it was noted that there are over 500 members in the district.
• The article is about a district conference with talks by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elders Dennis B. Neuenschwander and Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy as well as Julie B. Beck the Relief Society General President that was subsequently burned on to DVDs and sent to the members in Afghanistan.
• It notes that there are five organized branches and other bases in which Mormon military members watched the conference.
• Members aren’t allowed to gather together in one place for a conference. (Editor’s note: I assume this is because of safety concerns and military assignments.)
• The conference consisted of two parts. The aforementioned leaders portion was filmed in Salt Lake City and then sent to Afghanistan while another portion was recorded in Kabul by the district president Relief Society president.
• I liked this quote:

Others, such as 1st Lt. Andrew Stockhoff at Forward Operating Base Shank, found reason to testify of the worldwide nature of the Church. “To me, being in the midst of Latter-day Saints in the middle of Afghanistan is a testament to this great work that we are all a part of,” Brother Stockhoff said. “And despite the fact that we were all thousands of miles away from our families, we felt a powerful witness by the Holy Ghost that the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ are as real here as they are back home. We witnessed a historic event as the voice of an apostle of the Lord was heard in this small corner of the world for what may have been the very first time. I believe we all left with a renewed witness that God does live; that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all the world; and, perhaps most of all, that He will never abandon even a single one of His children. This is truly the Lord’s work, and I cannot help but hope for a day when the voice of the Lord’s servants will be heard in this part of the world by many more than just our small few.”

The full article, including pictures can be found here:

Elder Holland, other leaders address members in Kabul Afghanistan Military District Conference- Michael L. Haller, public affairs representative, Kabul Afghanistan Military District

Recently the Mormon Church was represented at the Third Congress of Traditional and World Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan.  Elder Paul B. Pieper, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The LDS Church made a presentation there in July 2009. 

There is an official LDS Newsroom release as well as an article from the LDS Church News. I’ve included a few highlights from my personal reading, including quotes I really liked, and links to the official articles so that you can read those if you are interested. The links are below the highlights of the respective articles.

LDS Newsroom article highlights:

• Elder Paul Pieper is President of the Europe East Area and represented the church at the request of the First Presidency

• His presentation was on “Solidarity, Especially in the Period of Crises”

• He focused on the LDS Church’s belief in Jesus Christ.

• The Traditional and World Religions congress was first organized in 2003 by President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev in response to the attacks of September 11^th.

• The congress is held every three years and its purpose is to bring different religions together so that through dialogue they can work to make the world a better place.

• It was pretty diverse as you can see from this quote:

“The Third Congress included approximately 75 delegations from religious traditions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism and Zorastrianism, as well as leaders of academic and governmental institutions.”

Church Represented at World Religions Conference in Kazakhstan – LDS Newsroom

Here are some highlights from the LDS Church News article:

•  This quote:

“The invitation from the Kazakhstani government to participate in the Congress is the first for the Church and is significant because it recognizes the growing understanding of government and political leaders of the worldwide stature of the Church. This is particularly significant in the countries of the former Soviet Union where the Church is new and relatively unknown.”

• Also in attendance with Elder Pieper were Sister Mariana Gurina, director of Public Affairs of the LDS Church in Kazakhstan and Area Seventies Elder Dmitry Marchenko and Elder Alexander Manzhos from the Europe East Area.

• Those that attened had time to informally converse with many of the other Congress participants representing many world faiths in addition to meeting with the press covering the event.

• And this quote:

After the Congress concluded, Elder Pieper participated in a meeting with Kazakhstani President Nazarbayev, together with U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Richard E. Hoagland and LDS Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa. Elder Pieper thanked President Nazarbayev on behalf of the First Presidency for having the vision to organize the Congress and for the Church’s opportunity to participate. He also explained some of the basic teachings of the Church to the Kazakhstani president.

“It was an honor to represent the First Presidency and the Church members generally,” Elder Pieper said. “I am hopeful that the friendships that were begun at the Congress will provide the basis for increased understanding and cooperation between the Church and others of good will in the future.”

For the full article: 

Building Bridges in Kazakhstan – LDS Church News

Here are a few of the highlights of the article entitled “LDS, Islamic leaders share relief efforts” from the Deseret News:

• Though the history is more extensive, joint efforts in the past that were mentioned in the article include assistance in response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami in December of 2004 and the May 2006 Indonesian earthquake.
• After the Tsunami the LDS Church donated water, food, hygiene kits, medical supplies, body bags, blankets, clothing and provided long-term aid in the form of constructing homes, schools, health clinics and water sanitation systems and more.
• Of note in regard to the Indonesian earthquake assistance one of the Islamic leaders is quoted as saying:

“In May 2006, Islamic Relief provided a Boeing 747 jumbo jet to transport the $1.6 million of relief supplies provided by the LDS Church after the Indonesian earthquake killed nearly 5,800 and left another 1.5 million homeless.

“We know the area, we know the people — and the church had the commodities,” said Sufian, who long has been Islamic Relief’s primary contact with the LDS Church. “The church said ‘Let’s do it.’ And they did, with no strings attached, no price tag and no attempts at conversion.”

• This quote:

Which begged the question: Are both sides are willing to continue?

El Bendary recalled being asked that same question four years ago in Islamabad, Pakistan, following a joint LDS-Islamic Relief project there. “I said to them, ‘I hope it’s a partnership for life.’ “

Ayoub, who made his first-ever visit to Salt Lake City last week, said in recent meetings with the Jordanian government, “the church was really highlighted in the talks.”

• Islamic Relief USA was formed in 1993 and is part of the larger Islamic Relief Worldwide
• The LDS Church officially partners with more than 1500 registered NGOs and charitable organizations in welfare and humanitarian efforts.
• A few similarities between Mormons and Muslims:

“Fasting, donations, interests in welfare and humanitarian efforts are tenets shared by both faithful Muslims and Mormons.”

 Those are just some of the highlights, quotes and my paraphrasing of the actual article from the Deseret News. For the entire article see here:

 LDS, Islamic leaders share relief efforts - Deseret News

 Further, if you are interested, here is the news release from the LDS Newsroom about the LDS Church’s response to the Indonesian earthquake in 2006.

 Muslims and Mormons Work Together to Rush Aid to Indonesia Quake Victims – LDS Newsroom

 Christian Evangelization in the Middle East

There is without a doubt a great interest of the evangelization of the Arab (and Muslim) world by Christian groups and churches throughout the whole world.  For a faith that firmly believes in the Bible, and more specifically the great commission by Jesus to His Apostles, it is viewed as a duty to do missionary work and “spread the good news.”  The problem arises when Christian groups either get over-zealous in their efforts and/or when the receiving end of this effort has little or no interest in hearing what they have to say. Further, it is also a problem in the case where many (if not all) Arab or Muslim nations today, have actual restrictions on proselytizing to those of the Islamic faith. (Yet some Christian missionaries ignore these restrictions.)  Despite these restrictions and seeming lack of interest I feel safe to say that Christians throughout the world have to wonder when and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ will go to this demographic.  (This anticipation of course ties even more deeply into Christian beliefs as many of those that believe in the Rapture or 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ believe that the Gospel must be taught to all nations for that to happen.)  It is little wonder why there is religious conflict throughout the world surrounding some of these issues as there are some serious conflicting interests and policies towards religious freedom and evangelization.  (It is wise at this point to point out that not all Arabs are Muslims nor are all Muslims Arabs. Though the terms ”Arab” and “Muslim” are often used interchangeably, these terms shouldn’t be used as meaning the same thing. Muslims are adherents of one of the world’s largest faiths, Islam.  There are many Muslims who live in Southeast Asia and other areas of the world in addition to all those who actually do live in the Middle East. On the other hand, the term Arab connotes people who share a similar culture and background.  The Arab world encompasses parts of the Middle East and most of Northern Africa.  But not all of the Middle East is Arab. One example is Iran where the people are generally Persian (and not Arab) but many are Muslim.)

 Mormon Missionary Policies in the Middle East

From a Mormon or LDS viewpoint, doctrinally it is very similar to any other major Christian denomination or group.  The Bible commands us to take the Gospel to all nations and belief that this must happen before the 2^nd coming certainly does exist within Mormon culture.  It is of course with fascination then to see small congregations of the Mormon Church begin to be established in the Arab (and Muslim) world today.  Notwithstanding, I should make it clear that the Mormon Church will not and has not forced religion upon another country nor people.  If the government of “x” country doesn’t permit the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ then the LDS Church will respect that desire.  To do otherwise would be to explicitly contradict one of the main tenets of Mormonism, free agency.  (The freedom to choose and act as one wishes, whether that be good or evil.) Missionaries, exchange students, and even expatriate members are explicitly told by the LDS Church to respect such restrictions and refrain from teaching those of “x” country while they are there.  Any actions otherwise is members acting of them own selves in direct opposition to which the Mormon Church has asked them. 

 China will take the Gospel to the Arab (and Muslim) world–”Back to Jerusalem”

Cognizant of this brief (and insufficient) preamble of Christianity in the Arab (and Muslim) world, Jesus in Beijing presents an idea that many would find astounding.  The idea boils down to one sentence: there are many Chinese Christians today that believe it is their mission to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Arab (and Muslim) world.  Not only do they believe this but they are actively preparing for just such a mission. David Aikman covers this topic over two chapters in his book of which I briefly summarize the major points in what follows.

Aikman talks of the Beijing Forum in 2002 where high profile American and Korean evangelical Protestants such as Luis Bush and many house church leaders throughout China met to discuss global missionary work and as Aikman notes “how to help China’s Christians implement their dream of going “Back to Jerusalem.” In short, Chinese church house leaders had ambitious goals for missionary work both throughout China and abroad.  Aikman traces this notion of “Back to Jerusalem” through various Chinese Christian groups (dating back to 1920) with the underlying idea being that the Gospel has spread West from Jerusalem and that it is up to Chinese Christians to take it back to Jerusalem, so it has in effect circled the globe.  This implicitly implies that they would take the Gospel to adherents of Islam as the geographic region between China and Jerusalem is predominantly Muslim.  (While recognizing of course that there are also major populations that are not Muslim, ie. adherents of Hinduism in India.)

In addition, because of this fervor to take the Gospel back to Jerusalem, the pro-Israeli sentiments of many Chinese Christians are discussed by Aikman. Similar to the preamble above, Chinese Christians believe in the Bible and the events leading up to the 2^nd coming of Christ and therefore presumably have the same interest in Middle Eastern events as does the rest of the Christian world.  But it is noted that the government of China has traditionally supported the Arabs and Palestinians in the Middle Eastern conflict which gives rise to even more excitement among Chinese Christians.  This stems from the fact that they believe that the Chinese are more suited to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Arab (and Muslim) world because of their government’s political position is much more favorable than that of the Western governments. In the book, one house church leaders is quoted as saying: “It was the Apostle Paul who took the Gospel to Europe and now, after 2,000 years, it has come to China. When the disciples left Jerusalem to go toward East Asia and Europe, they were only a few people. They went barefoot. Now the Gospel has reached China and we have several Christian networks. We believe that now that the Gospel has reached China it will follow the old Silk Road back to Jerusalem. Once the Gospel comes back to Jerusalem, it will mean that the Gospel has been preached to the whole world. We have the view that Chinese missionaries will be part of the mainstream on the highway back to Jerusalem. The Muslim religion is the biggest obstacle on the road back to Jerusalem.”  Obviously one house church leader does not speak for all Chinese Christians but Aikman notes several times that this sentiment is widespread in China.  ( I would also note, for clarity, that “The Muslim religion” being referred to as “the biggest obstacle” is not the best way to put it as it is a global faith with many good people and the Gospel is not to be forced upon them if they do not desire it. Nor is it to be viewed as an obstacle.  Harmonious relationships between Christians and Muslims and all faiths are what the world could use a large dose of. I definitely don’t agree with the description of the Muslim religion as being “the biggest obstacle” but the quote illustrates the point that their is a certain fervor amongst Chinese Christians to actually carry out this mission they have envisioned.) 

Not only is this feeling of duty widespread but the efforts are already underway. It’s noted that there are missionary-training seminaries in different parts of China that specifically are training Chinese Christians for this work. In addition, Arabic speaking Christians have been brought in by some house churches, some Chinese Christians are enrolling in university to study Arabic for this purpose and oversees Chinese workers in the Middle East are reaching out to Muslims around them-”at considerable risk” as the book notes.  Once again, Aikman wisely balances things out by concluding that this doesn’t mean the Arab (and Muslim) world will be converted tomorrow by droves of Chinese Christian missionaries. But he does conclude that if this idea continues to grow those governments who view the West with disdain and prohibit their missionary activities will also have to clump China into that same group if this “Back to Jerusalem” notion becomes a reality.

I of course view this topic with a piqued interest as presumably any practicing Christian would.  Though to make it clear as I can, I feel that the Gospel of Jesus Christ shouldn’t be forced on anyone (Arabs, Muslims, Hindus, Americans, Europeans etc) who doesn’t wish to here it. I further believe that there is both a time and a place for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the entire world. When this will be is only speculation on those who so bodly make detailed claims when it will happen.  I believe that God loves all His children and that He knows the beginning from the end.  In other words, it will happen when it happens and Christian missionaries (Mormons and non-Mormons alike) should be patient and understanding of others’ beliefs and desires (or the lack thereof) to hear the message they preach.  Further if they don’t wish to hear the “Christian message” it doesn’t mean that there can’t be a mutual understanding and friendship based on commanilities as there are good people amongst all faiths and cultures throughout the world.