What is Fast Sunday? MFAQ

MFAQ- Mormon Frequently Asked Questions


Today I have decided to tell you what Fast Sunday means for Mormons.   

When I was a kid, I always thought Fast Sunday meant that it was supposed to go faster, that church would be over quicker. But the opposite seemed to be true. So what is Fast Sunday anyway?

For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Fast Sunday is usually the first Sunday of the month (except for special occasions like General Conference, or Stake Conference that move it to a different Sunday like this month). 

On Fast Sunday, Members of the church who are able  observe a two meal or twenty four hour Fast, abstaining from all food or drink during this period. 

Generally, we start our fast with a prayer. Most people will fast for a purpose- to find a job, to have help for a sick friend or family member, to gain greater understanding of this or that principle.. etc.  The purposes of fasting  are to spiritually bring us closer to God, and closer together as a ward or church. Sometimes special fasts are done that aren't on fast Sunday for individuals, families and communities that feel a special need.  A family may choose to do a special fast on Fast Sunday for a sick family member, or an entire ward (congregation) may do a special fast for one of its members, or for missionary work, etc. This brings people together in a united purpose and builds extra faith and prayers in behalf of that person or cause.

 The money that would have been spent on those meals is donated by individuals and families through the churches contributions system which goes to the Bishops of the wards to distribute that money to families in the ward that are in need of extra help financially.   So by abstaining from food and then donating money that would have been spent, we can help those in need, help the hungry, and gain some empathy by choosing to be hungry for a little while ourselves. 
  Another part of Fast Sunday is what is called Fast and Testimony meeting. Normal Sundays we have a Sacrament meeting that consists of taking the Sacrament (communion) followed by Talks from the general ward congregation as assigned by the Bishop  or his councilors on a specific subject. On fast Sundays, after we receive the Sacrament,  the Bishop or one of his councilors start off the meeting by sharing their testimonies of Jesus Christ, and other gospel subjects, and then they open the floor to anyone who would like to share their testimonies. 

 This means anyone who wants to can get up to the pulpit during the allotted time and share their feelings and thoughts about Jesus Christ, the atonement, the Book of Mormon, the Bible, etc.  People will tell family stories about the way that they have felt Gods love, or seen his influence during the week. This is more or less  Fast and Testimony meeting.   

Any further questions about this or MFAQ that you would like answered, please post in comments. thanks

1992, one of the most crucial years of my life

I am blogging via cell phone, so forgive me, but spelling and grammar are going to suffer. As I was riding on the bus this morning, I was thinking about the Silverdale fifth (YSA) ward, and how I will miss it, and how it was created twenty yeard ago, and should dissapear and become something new this year.
Then the thought hit me that my mission had a very important twenty year celebration this year, twenty years since LDS missionaries firs entered the country of latvia, my mission headquarters, and a place i loved and served in for three months.

  And then I did a bit of math in my head, and determined that I was ten years old twenty years ago. And when I was ten years old my mom and dad went out of town for a weekend and left me and my brother with my baptist aunt, who took us to her church for my cousins baptisim. There events unfolded that led to me questioning everything my parents had taught me about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and living prophets. For many months i questioned and wrestled with all I had been taught. Then one day I was talking to my younger brother who said, well if you want to know, read the book of mormon and pray about it. And I did, and gained a deep and living testimony that Joseph Smith was not a liar, he was a prophet of God, that the Book of Mormon was a correct book brought forth by the work of God, and that we did and do infact have living prophets today that recieve revelation and guidance from God to help direct us in our lives. 

  After a bit more thinking and calculating, I determined that all these things happened in 1992,  the last year that the summer and winter olympics were held in the same year. The first year that I gained a true and deep love of the games, of sport, of cultures, of languages and peoples. The first year the countries of my mission got to compete for their own country, the first and last year of the unified team, which, though the colapse of the soviet union in my opinion was most definately a good thing, i will admit i was sad that the unified team was a one time thing, and team mates would be split appart.

It was a big year for me, my mission became possible because of that year, a ward that introduced me to people that changed my life and became my family came about that year, and I started to become everything that I am today that year.

This year, is a year of change and a crossroads for me, but I am where I am today because of things that happened twenty years ago. It was while serving in latvia I met a companion from washington that persuaded me to move here. Where will we be twenty years from now? What will the new ysa multistake ward mean to someone then? I dont know, but every new begining comes from some other beginings end, and its going to be awesome I am sure. Happy twentieth anniversary, 1992.  Thanks for changing my life.