So sad, I'm glad.

Personal Apostasy and Personal Salvation


Hmp. This has been an interesting week. So this week we didn't pass at all for the Pérez family to see how they'd react and all that ya? Well, I asked for the young men's president to go drop by their house and see if Jaime was planning on going to church Sunday Morning. Well he did, and he told me that the family was doing bad. Real bad. That they had no interest in coming back to church and that they hadn't received any sort of answer to their prayers and all that jazz. Well, having been a witness of every one of their spiritual experiences, I decided to go over there and help bring them back to a remembrance of their liberation. Well, the YM president wasn't lying. Never before had I seen someone completely forget the days of their captivity and freedom, forget all the miracles that they had seen, forget the spiritual experiences that had been given to them from God. It affected me rather deeply. We shared our testimonies with them, I shared a whole bunch of scriptures, but they didn't listen. Chao, I says to thems, I says. When you're ready to listen, we'll be ready to teach. Ignorance, they say to me. Ignorance that we could possibly be the one true church, that this is the church by which men may return to live with God. Well, I suppose it would be ignorance, if it weren't true. I recall Brooke a few years back saying that people had complained to him about how Mormons Brainwash their children to the Gospel. Well, I suppose that would be the case, if what we taught them weren't true. Hmph. Well, when they want salvation, when they want answers, they know where to find it. And what was the cause of this spiritual decay, you ask? We can find the answer in the scriptures. It was the exact same thing that happened to the Nephites.

Let's open up to 4 Nephi 1:24
24 And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world.
That's right, clothes. It all had to do with clothes. At least, superficially. They rebelled against the church because they didn't want to have to wear church clothes, which caused them to harden their hearts with pride and vain things, which caused them to go Inactive. GG.
I talked with the Bishop about this matter. He explained to me very clearly that everyone has Agency, and even if you teach everything in a clear and understandable matter, they're going to still have their agency. "Don't you think that God taught his son Satan everything well, nay, Perfectly? If we try to compel people to do what is right, we are becoming as Satan." I love this Bishop. He's awesome.

However, this week was also a time of rejoicing. For the first time in years, Villa Norte is going to have 3 baptisms at the same time. The Bishop is pretty stoked, and he's throwing a party for the converts (they're 3 girls... the daughter of a less active - Daniela, the Sister of a recent convert - Franchesca, and a friend of the same recent convert - Nátalie). The mom of the latter, Nátalie, invited us over for lunch today, so we're pretty stoked. Turns out the Mom is a less active. It was pretty sweet. Last week, we went over to ask permission to have her get baptized, and she bore her testimony to us in front of her Super Catholic friend, who slightly objected. I thought it was funny, especially since she hadn't been to church in over 30 years, but still has a pretty strong testimony.

That should do it for this week. I'm doin fine folks. I lament the decision of some folks, groan and grow weary in spirit, but did not the Lord Himself say, Blessed are the Poor in Spirit? Yea verily.

Matt. 5: 3
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
3 Ne. 12: 3
3 Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
D&C 56: 18
18 But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs.

e'horspool