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But, first, these items are (relatively) newly up on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:<\/p>\n
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Interpreter Radio Show \u2014 February 26, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n The 26 February 2023 installment of the Interpreter Radio Show is now available at your convenience, at no charge, and for your listening pleasure.\u00a0 Moreover, it has been freed from commercial and other interruptions, so that your enjoyment may be unalloyed.\u00a0 In this episode, Steve Densley and Mark Johnson are joined by Jan Francisco and Jeff Lindsay to discuss Jan\u2019s recent article in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>, \u201cElias: Prophet of the Restoration.\u201d\u00a0 The \u201cNew Testament in Context\u201d portion of this show, for\u00a0Come, Follow Me<\/em>\u00a0New Testament lesson 13, covering Matthew 13, Luke 8, and Luke 13, will be posted on Tuesday, February 14.<\/p>\n The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard on Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640 or, if you prefer or if (probably because of your location) you have no other option, you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Come, Follow Me<\/em> \u2014 New Testament Study and Teaching Helps: Lesson 12, March 13 \u2014 19: Matthew 11\u201312; Luke 11 \u2014 \u201cI Will Give You Rest\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n As he regularly and generously does, Jonn Claybaugh has provided a set of concise notes for students and teachers of this year\u2019s \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d curriculum.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The New Testament in Context Lesson 12: \u201cI Will Give You Rest\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In the 19 February 2023 Come, Follow Me<\/em> segment of the Interpreter Radio Show, Bruce Webster, Kris Frederickson, and Martin Tanner joined together to discuss New Testament lesson 12, \u201cI Will Give You Rest,\u201d covering Matthew 11\u201312, and Luke 11.\u00a0 If you missed it at the time, or even if you didn\u2019t, you can now access their discussion.\u00a0 It was recorded and archived for you, and is now available online.\u00a0 The other segments of the 19 February 2023 radio show can be accessed at https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/interpreter-radio-show-february-19-2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Interpreter Radio Show is broadcast live each and every Sunday evenings between 7 PM and 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640.\u00a0 My own preferred method of listening, however \u2014 when I\u2019m able<\/em> to listen live \u2014\u00a0 \u00a0is to dial it up on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n By the way, too:\u00a0 If you\u2019re looking for video help in your study and\/or teaching of the New Testament \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d curriculum this year, here are a couple of great resources:<\/p>\n \u201cBible Videos by Book of Scripture\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTeaching with The Chosen<\/em>\u201c<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Now, though, I turn once again for deliciously horrifying material to the Christopher Hitchens Memorial \u201cHow Religion Poisons Everything\u201d File<\/em>\u2122.\u00a0 And, once again, it doesn\u2019t disappoint!<\/p>\n First, I received in the mail a publication from LDS Philanthropies that showed up squarely in the Hitchens File<\/em>.\u00a0 One article in it, on page three, is titled \u201cThe Church of Jesus Christ Gives $32 Million to the World Food Programme.\u201d\u00a0 Apparently, the WFP \u2014 which is headquartered in Rome, Italy \u2014 is the world\u2019s largest humanitarian organization, and the Church\u2019s gift will help to fight hunger.\u00a0 \u201cIn fact, the funds will help provide critical food and emergency support to 1.6 million people \u2014 including mothers and young children \u2014 in nine countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cThis extraordinary donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> could not come at at more critical time,\u201d said WFP Executive Director David Beasley.\u00a0 \u201cWith millions of people starving today, WFP is working hard to deliver food, help, and hope \u2014 and this life-saving contribution allows us to do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n Are you sufficiently traumatized yet?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you wish that the Church had no financial reserves?<\/p>\n On another page of the publication, page four, there are some interesting statistics about what is called \u201cHumanitarian Aid Fund 2021 Initiatives\u201d:<\/p>\n The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints engaged in 3,909 humanitarian projects in 188 countries in 2021.<\/p>\n This outreach, an increase from 2020, included $906 million in expenditures and 6.8 milliion hours of voluntary service.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Under \u201cGlobal Humanitarian Initiatives\u201d appear the following:<\/p>\n 1.74 million people helped through clean water and sanitation projects.<\/p>\n Over 600,000 students served through education initiatives.<\/p>\n 135 mobility projects in 57 countries and territories.<\/p>\n 104 food security projects worldwide<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Under \u201cEmergency Response,\u201d I found<\/p>\n 80 million pounds of food donated<\/p>\n Over 105,000 individual donors at Church-sponsored blood drives<\/p>\n 199 emergency response projects in 61 countries and territories.<\/p>\n 585 COVID-19 projects in 76 countries and territories<\/p><\/blockquote>\n By now, I\u2019m sure that your blood is already boiling with righteous indignation.\u00a0 These theistic outrages should not be allowed to continue!\u00a0 Still, I\u2019m not done yet.\u00a0 Under \u201cMissionaries, Member Volunteers, and JustServe\u201d for 2021, I located the following:<\/p>\n 58,981,915 pounds of goods recycled by Deseret Industries<\/p>\n 137,458 participants in self-reliance groups<\/p>\n 62,000 new local community volunteers registered through JustServe<\/p>\n 11,329 welfare and self-reliance missionaries and long-term volunteers<\/p>\n 9,054 Deseret Industries associates served<\/p>\n 2,800 addiction recovery program meetings per week in 30 countries and 17 languages<\/p>\n 2,500 new organizations registered on JustServe<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Are you still standing on your feet?\u00a0 You haven\u2019t yet swooned?\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 This appeared in a note below the foregoing:<\/p>\n In all projects, collaboration was key.\u00a0 To provide support for those in need, the Church worked with many organizations, including Concern Worldwide, Catholic Relief Services, UNICEF USA, Water For People, WaterAid, CharityVision, and Lions Club International Foundation.\u00a0 The initiatives improved food security and clean water and sanitation systems.\u00a0 They also enabled better access to vision care, immunizations, wheelchair and mobility assistance, and maternal and newborn care for thousands of people worldwide.<\/p>\n Gatways to quality education were provided by the Church\u2019s own Perpetual Education Fund, Benson Scholarhip program, BYU-Pathway Worldwide, EnglishConnect, and programs designed for refugees and displaced persons around the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I realize that, by now, I may well have overburdened your fragile nerves.\u00a0 Perhaps I shouldn\u2019t have unloaded so many horrors on you all at one time.\u00a0 But I\u2019m out of control, and so I\u2019m going to hit you with yet another appalling link that may well leave you reeling:<\/p>\nMormons<\/a> at work\" width=\"335\" height=\"447\"><\/a>