Elder Brent H. Nielsen, executive director of the Missionary Department remarked, “Technology is there, and it’s so easy to do.” He also noted how this new initiative can expedite the process, “We just put it online and they can read it in a matter of minutes.”

Apart from helping prospective missionaries access their call in a much shorter time, Elder Nielsen also noted how this move can hasten the VISA application process and help save on postage costs. Elder Nielsen called this news a “wonderful change.”

This initiative – which has already been started in Utah and Oregon – is expected to be implemented in all missions by the end of 2018 and Filipino prospective missionaries expressed a “mix of emotions” over the news.

Carla Esguerra expressed her initial disappointment that she’ll no longer experience the traditional way of revealing calls. “Opening a white envelope containing your call in front of your family and friends has become such a sweet tradition here in the Philippines. I’m just a little surprised to know that I could probably not experience that anymore but then I believe that since technology helps us access things easier, this will help future missionaries prepare more.”

Louise May Javelona said she feels that this initiative “is an evidence of how the Lord is hastening His work.” She further stated that this new change can “help prospective missionaries have more time to evaluate themselves and prepare more to become excellent missionaries before entering the Missionary Training Center.”

Most of the prospective missionaries in the Philippines are “beyond excited” with this change. Brent Arconilla expressed excitement over the fact that he’ll get his call faster without worrying about anyone seeing his assignment first. “I always believe the work of the Lord can’t be frustrated. It goes forward – and using technology in the missionary process is an evidence of it.”

Despite the mixed reactions, these prospective missionaries are sure that this move is an evidence of the hastening of the work of Salvation. Brent added “Technology today is so advanced. Missionary work is also moving forward in a rapid pace considering more and more Young Single Adults are preparing for missions. This change just shows how much the Lord wants us prospective missionaries to have the best missionary preparation experience.”

Apart from receiving calls online, future missionaries for the Church will also receive mission materials – which include maps, list of things to bring, and information about the mission they’re serving in – electronically.

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The home is a crucial place to prepare the younger generation to serve a full-time mission. The vision is to get them ready enough that when they enter the MTC, it will already be a review of what they have learned at home. To achieve this goal, children need to get back to the basics.

Teach Them the Doctrine

Family Home Evenings, Family Council, Family Prayer, and Family Scripture Study are avenues to help children know the doctrines of the Gospel. During these times they will learn about the Plan of Salvation. They will be taught principles that govern the lives of true disciples of Jesus Christ. They will also learn practical application of these principles, as they emulate your example. These basic family activities play a vital role in the spiritual maturity of a child. Every home evening, every prayer, every spiritual family activity is a blueprint like the mission field – full of teaching opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Teach Them Self-reliance

Children are exposed to basic self-reliance skills at home. When they are taught to do household chores such as washing the dishes, making their beds, sewing a button on a shirt; they are given opportunities to depend on themselves. It boosts their morale because they have a sense of accomplishment. In the mission field, mother is not there to cook your meals. No one will make your bed for you and you have to clean up after yourself. It is a type of survival skill to know these basic household jobs.

Teach Them People Skills

Social etiquette is more caught than taught. Allow children to play with their peers instead of with their gadgets. Communicate with them by spending more time with them. Allow them to express themselves. It is always an advantage for a child to meet and greet people in person – face to face. This develops their sense of empathy. Bring them to church and take them to visiting and ministering activities. In this time of digital communication, sometimes the essence of being able to truly understand people and touch their lives is obscured by emojis and forwarded messages. Future missionaries must be able, through their own experience, to look people in the eye and express sincerity naturally.

Teach Them How the Spirit Works

How does a burning bosom feel? Children must have opportunities to identify the presence of the Holy Ghost. That warm and comforting feeling whenever they do good or hear something true and eternal must be emphasized. For in those moments they can know for themselves how the Spirit brings truth and light to our attention. This is a crucial part of missionary work. Since the Spirit is the true teacher, children must have an understanding of how to invite Him and how to know that He is present. This way, they can also impart the same understanding of how the Holy Ghost works to their investigators.

The bar has been raised in the standard of missionary service. The age of young men and young women allowed to serve full-time has been lowered to 18 years old and 19 years old respectively. These inspired changes are an indication that the Lord is hastening the work of salvation. Parents can take part in this great work in so many different ways. But no work is of more importance than training future missionaries in these four ways – within their home.

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The journey towards the MTC was not an easy choice. I remember wrestling with myself whether I should go or not. I had wanted to serve a mission since I was a kid. But when the actual time came for me to turn in my application, I was at a crossroads and the other roads in front of me also lead to good destinations. At first, I was ashamed to share this experience. However, now that I hear of other young people who feel the same apprehensions, I hope that my experience will help them make the choice to serve full-time.

Education

At the time I had just recently graduated from college, and classes and examinations were available to me that would give me opportunities to work abroad. It took a while for me to decide to let those opportunities go because at that time it sounded so urgent. But when I weighed things in my mind, I realized that serving on a full-time mission is also a great educational experience.

The mission field was 18 months of training and applying what I learned. It was an opportunity to gain greater people skills. Also, the schedule that we followed created a winner mentality. Most of all, we learned how to put the Gospel into action. All the things that I had read about missionary work and all the principles that I had been taught – all of them took on a deeper meaning when I was serving as a full-time missionary. I would not have appreciated it fully any other way.

Employment

I was working at that time, to help me save up for a mission fund. Although I had informed my employer that I would just be working there for a short period of time, it was really tempting to stay. I was making money and I could buy things for myself. I had also just passed the board exam and employment offers from big companies where luring me to take them. The compensations those jobs were offering were lucrative, but I chose to apply for a mission instead.

Serving as a full-time missionary does not give monetary compensation. Its pay is a higher form of remuneration. There was no grand applause or recognition. Nothing dramatic happened. I may even have been forgotten by those I met in the field but people’s lives were changed because of the Gospel that we shared with them. They found hope and new meaning in life. That is what my mission paid me – the opportunity to be part of their journey to be closer to Christ.

Marriage

As a woman, serving a full-time mission is optional. Expectations for me to serve were not that high. At the time, I also had a boyfriend and we were planning to get married. One thing that came to my mind was that I would be able to better prepare financially for our wedding day if I stayed and earned more money. It would cost us a lot of money to travel to the Temple, in addition to the reception and the cost of starting a new family. Still I pushed that application together with the hope that a mission would somehow better prepare me for marriage.

Having served with a number of companions from different backgrounds, I have learned to love without preconceptions. Their family status, their educational attainment, their individual take on things – all of that did not define who they were and how I should treat them. I learned to see people through the eyes of a loving Father in Heaven. With that, I had a better understanding of why He sent his Son to atone for our sins. The love that He has for us is not because of where we came from or what we’ve done. He loves us because we are His children. Now that I am married, I see my husband the same way, that He is a son of God. I see my daughters as children of God. It makes all the difference in our family life.

Ten years ago, I was a full-time missionary in the Philippines Tacloban Mission. It was a time for me to grow while sharing the Gospel to the people of the provinces of Samar and Leyte.

Education, employment and marriage were not bad choices, they are very good, in fact. Of course we can choose what we feel is best for us at specific points in our lives. My road towards choosing to serve full-time involved constant communication with Heavenly Father. It was direction given to me as an answer to fasting and prayer. Personal revelation differs from one person to another. One thing is certain, as we seek the Lord’s help, He will guide us in making decisions that will put our lives in order.

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With a large number of Mormons in the Philippines, over 700,000 and growing, it is not hard to find one. You might be attending the same school with them or rubbing elbows at work. A simple inquiry on what they believe and why they are Mormons can spark a conversation. With that may come a desire to know more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – or Mormon church for short.

So how does one become a Mormon?

Get Referred

The Church mainly works through a referral system. This means that members refer interested friends and family members to the full-time missionaries. Full-time missionaries are the young people you see going about in pairs with name tags. They are there to teach everyone who is willing to hear the basic principles of the Gospel. They can also share to you what Mormons believe. Of course you can also approach full-time missionaries directly if you see a pair passing by. They will be more than willing to answer your questions.

You can also visit the Church website www.lds.org. or request a pair of missionaries to visit your home by visiting this site:

https://www.mormon.org/missionaries.

You can also have missionary lessons online by chatting with them on the same website.

Get Lessons and Make Commitments

The full-time missionaries will start teaching you the basic principles and doctrines of the Mormon Church. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions. With the lessons will come invitations for you to act upon them. You will be invited to apply the things that you are being taught. The missionaries will ask you to pray and ask the Lord if the things that you are hearing are true. You will also be invited to read The Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is another book of scripture that compliments The Holy Bible in teaching about Jesus Christ.

Get Baptized

Baptism is an important step required for someone to be a member of the Mormon Church. To be baptized, one must finish all the missionary lessons. You must have completed all the commitments that have been extended to you, and attended church meetings on Sundays. Worthiness for baptism is determined by interviews with the missionaries. You will also have the opportunity to talk to the leader of the congregation you will belong to.

The process of deciding to be baptized is different for everybody. For some it is a smooth journey of only a couple of months. But for some it may take years as they learn more and decide to follow Jesus Christ and His teachings.

Baptism in the Mormon Church is by immersion, the same way that Jesus Christ was baptized when He was on earth. Members of the congregation can come as well as anyone else the person to be baptized wants to invite. Then priesthood holders will lay their hands upon the newly baptized member’s head and give him or her the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Get Going on the Path

Being baptized into the Mormon Church is not an end but a beginning. On the journey towards baptism, you get the chance to act upon the things you know. And that process will continue even after you become a member of the Church. You can continue to make and keep sacred covenants with the Lord and draw closer to Him. It isn’t always easy, and we all stumble and make mistakes along the way. But the Lord has also given us the gift of repentance. Repentance allows us to continue moving forward and upward in our lives, following the example of the Savior. Mormons believe and strive towards change. They work for the kind of change that enriches and alters lives for the better, a change of perspective, “a mighty change of heart.”

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This kind of one-sided argument, intended only to embarrass someone in public, happens a lot to the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are familiar with it. Clearly the pastor wasn’t really interested in talking with them, or listening to their answers, but in talking TO them and showing off what a great debater he is on social media.

We’d like to briefly cover some of the pastor’s arguments here, then talk about a much more important lesson that has meaning for all of us.

The Trinity

When it comes to the trinity, first, the doctrine of the Trinity as most Christian faiths believe it today was not laid out or decided upon until over 300-400 years after the death of Christ. Our beliefs about the Godhead center upon Jesus Christ as the glorified Son of God, who prayed to His Father, a separate and distinct being. It is this separate being (God the Father) who spoke from Heaven at Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan, and who we see as a loving Father that we can draw closer to and seek to know as Christ prayed we could, rather than an unknowable and mysterious being. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland described our beliefs beautifully in his conference talk, titled “The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent“.

Baptisms for the dead

Baptism for the dead? It’s recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:29 in the Bible by the apostle Paul. Although it isn’t a common practice in most faiths these days, it was something also practiced by the early Christian saints.   

Misconceptions about Joseph Smith

And Joseph Smith wasn’t hanged, he was martyred. Yes, he was charged with a variety of crimes dozens of times, though any actual evidence of a real conviction is seriously lacking. But yes, he was charged. Does this make his testimony or teachings false? Jeremiah, Peter, Paul and many other biblical prophets were also imprisoned and suffered for the sake of Christ. By their fruits ye shall know them. Also Joseph Smith did not have 140 children as the pastor claims, and the current research reveals that there are no verifiable children of Joseph except by his wife Emma. This video explains why some Mormons practiced polygamy during the nineteenth century, which was discontinued by the Church more than 100 years ago.

Final Thoughts

True worship, true religion, in our opinion, is what brings people closer to God and to each other in harmony, peace and love. It’s not for someone to make money out of, it’s not meant to divide people, but to bring them together “for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12).

We do believe, however, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored by God himself with the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood, God’s authority delegated to men through the proper channels to do His will. It is the true and living church, which we believe is lead and guided by God, through revelation to His living prophets and apostles.

We join together with other faiths to declare that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Our church bears his name, and we strive to follow His commandments even though we are all imperfect, because that’s how we can learn to rely on Jesus Christ and His atonement, let Him change our hearts, and find joy.

Because of the joy we’ve gained through the restored gospel, we do want to share it with people of every faith and religion. But you’d never hear a faithful Mormon tell someone of a different Christian denomination or a even a different religion that their beliefs were false, that they didn’t know or really believe in God as the source of their salvation, because it’s simply the wrong way to have a faith-filled conversation. In the Book of Mormon, when the resurrected Lord visited the ancient American continent around A.D. 34, He taught, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me” (3 Nephi 11:29).

These young missionaries throughout the world, who willingly donate 18 months to 2 years of their lives, along with tens of thousands of senior missionaries who serve despite their advanced age, do so because they want to serve the Lord and the people of the communities where they have been called.

We can guarantee that they would much rather spend their time serving people, and fulfilling both their spiritual and physical needs than arguing with people whose main purpose is to gain attention and put down others’ beliefs. That was why one of the elders kept inviting the man to find a quieter place, to really sit down with them to converse, pray, and study, a place where the Holy Spirit could be felt more clearly.

So, if you run into one of these young Mormon missionaries, give them a chance to serve. Arguments don’t strengthen or build people’s spirituality, the spirit of the Lord does that, and can confirm the truth of these precious doctrines directly from the Lord to you, better than anything else.

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Mormon missionaries can be seen walking the streets of large cities and small communities around the world. They travel in pairs and the men are dressed in white shirts and ties while the women are dressed in modest blouses/tops and skirts/dress slacks. They knock on doors in rain or shine to find people who are interested to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are Jesus Christ’s representatives in these days, teaching how people may be saved both from physical and spiritual death. They hand out copies of the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ. They can also be seen participating in community service such as street clean-up or mowing the lawns of the elderly.

Eighteen-year-old young men and nineteen-year-old young women in the church are encouraged to go on missions. Young men serve for 24 months and young women serve for 18 months. These young adults voluntarily become missionaries. They leave their homes and families, temporarily stop their schooling, and devote themselves full-time to the service of the Lord. They do not get any compensation or any type of monetary reward. But they go anyway. Why? Because they want to share the good tidings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They want to follow the Saviors admonition, “If ye love me, feed my sheep.” They understand that man does not live by bread alone but by the words of Jesus Christ. They also know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed their lives and that God wants all His children to experience the same.

The church also encourages able-bodied adults to go on missions after their families have been raised. They are referred to as senior missionaries. Senior couples can go together to serve and single senior adults are encouraged to go as well. Like the young missionaries, these senior missionaries receive no compensation of any kind. However, we don’t usually see them knocking on doors or preaching the gospel on the streets. They are usually assigned to other areas where they can serve according to their physical capacity and individual circumstances.

Moreover, the saying, “We are all missionaries in our own way,” is also true in the LDS Church. Aside from those officially called as missionaries, men and women, young and old, learned and unlearned, who are able and willing to serve can contribute to the divine work of the Lord and can do missionary work. They are LDS members who are willing to share their testimonies about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are those who are willing to serve, not only in the church but also in their communities. They portray and strive to follow the Savior’s invitation to “to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.”

There is more than one definition that can explain who Mormon missionaries are, but they all share the gospel in hopes that the lives of others will be blessed and that more people around the world will come to know Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ.

If you want to know more about Mormon missionaries or want to meet with them, click here.

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We are all encouraged to introduce the gospel of Jesus Christ and proclaim our faith to others. Because we know of the blessings that come from the gospel, we desire others to experience the same. But as we share our faith with others, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of unconsciously labeling other faiths and beliefs as incorrect. Belief in God brings out the best in our natures, and we don’t seek to put down anyone’s beliefs, only to take the good that they already have and add to it.

In our Articles of Faith, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” In proclaiming our beliefs, this article of faith should become our guiding principle. God bestowed this privilege on all people, and we do not have the power or right to deprive anyone of that privilege. Think of the early Latter-day Saints who endured hardships and prejudice just so they could have the liberty to worship God freely. People of other faiths desire the same. Don’t we all?

We should also recognize the tremendous good that they do. If we think that we are the only ones doing good in a world of 7 billion, we need to think again. Imagine what the world would look like if only 15 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did good in the world. People of other faiths also have divine natures given by God. Even though they do not have the gift of the Holy Ghost, they are blessed with the Spirit of Christ, which encourages all men to do good. And even though others do not have the fullness of the gospel, their righteous efforts are pleasing to God. We are also not the only people who have access to God’s blessings. God blesses all His children no matter their faith, even those who do not believe that He exists.

When we share our beliefs with others, we should not compare beliefs in an effort to convince people that we are better. Sharing our faith without despising other faiths is what the Lord wants us to do. Let us avoid finding fault and inconsistencies in the beliefs and principles of other faiths. Instead, let us focus on learning more about the gospel of Jesus Christ that we may increase our understanding and be able to better articulate our beliefs to others.

We are indeed blessed because we know the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ but we must remember that we are not God’s only people. People of other faiths are also His people. Even those who do not believe in God are His people. God sent His Only Begotten for all of us because every one of us is a part of His fold. We are all His children and His people regardless of what religion we belong. Sharing our faith with love for ALL of God’s people is what sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ really means.

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These parables are centered on the principle that we must find those who are lost, bring and welcome them back to the fold. This is what we are counseled to do. Knowing that the worth of a soul is of great value in the eyes of God, we work hard to find those who left the church and give our best efforts in inviting them to come back. These efforts may include inviting them to church activities, fulfilling our visiting and home teaching assignments, referring them to the missionaries, and sending them letters and small gifts. But after all that, what if they are still not coming back to church? What do we do? We PAUSE. We pause and think about our intentions. Do we want them to come back out of responsibility? Or do we want them back because we love them?

Love is the key. Do not bring people back to church without love. As cliché as it may sound, loving them is what we must do—whether they come back to church or not. In their journey after leaving the church, they may have faced a lot of fears or struggles, such as losing friends, hurting family, being looked-down upon and judged, losing identity, etc. For some, these fears may have been the cause of their endless wave of emotions about leaving the church.

During this spiritual battle, trying to get them back to church will only hurt them more. What they need are friends and family who do not condemn their decisions and do not equate it as losing morals and faith in God. They need us to respect them when they request to not be contacted by the missionaries. They need our consideration to not preach to them that leaving the church was a mistake and they must repent. They need people who will listen to their reasons for leaving without judging them. They need friends who will not distance themselves once they become inactive. They need their families to stay together and not let the fear that their eternal family is no longer possible ruin their family relationship. They need us to stop doing things that reiterate the perception that “Mormons are God’s only people” because Mormons are not.

People leaving the church mostly need time to breathe. They need time to rediscover themselves and find for themselves their identity as a son or daughter of Heavenly Father. Some of them may return, some of them may leave for good. But regardless of their decision, the Lord wants us to love them all the same, the way He loves them. When we show our love to them, they will feel that our intentions are genuine and that they are not just another visiting teaching or home teaching “project” that we want to check off our list.

The fire to bring others back to church is good but it can sometimes consume our pure intentions. When someone leaves the church, our goal must be to continue to love them regardless of the status of their church activity. May we deliberately consider our intentions and actions so we do not push them further away. May love be at the center of all our missionary efforts to find those who are lost.

The post Do Not Bring People Back to Church Without This One Thing appeared first on morefaith.ph.

Many wonder if missions are a church requirement; something that members could be punished for neglecting. Besides, what else could be the reason for their vigor in sharing the gospel? Yes, serving a mission is a calling extended to every worthy and able young man in the Church. Yes, members of the Church are encouraged to use social media to share the gospel. But, members are not pressured to do it. What could be the reason why members commit to this work? Here are several!

Their Testimony

Imagine that you have just learned an important truth that could change your life. It is safe to say that one of the first things you would do is to share it with everyone you know. This is the same for those who are  part of Mormon missionary work. They have a true testimony of their beliefs and they can’t wait to share the truth, dispel rumors, and invite others to learn more of what they believe. Elder Nobleza, an 18 year old missionary in the Curitiba Brazil Mission, said he shares the gospel “out of conviction and not out of tradition.”

A Desire to Share Their Happiness

Elder Bednar, in his talk “Come and See” shared a touching story that illustrates why Mormons love sharing their beliefs. He told of a lesson he learned from observing his two sons. While playing, one of his sons had a small accident and wounded himself. The older brother helped clean the wound, applied soothing ointment, and wrapped it with a bandage. The immediate response of the younger boy stood out to Elder Bednar. He said:

“What happened next is most important. The injured brother gathered up the remaining bandages and the almost empty tube of ointment, and he went back outside. He quickly sought out his friends and began to put ointment and bandages on their arms.

Why did that little boy do what he did? Please note that he immediately and intuitively wanted to give to his friends the very thing that had helped him when he was hurt. That little boy did not have to be urged, challenged, prompted, or goaded to act. His desire to share was the natural consequence of a most helpful and beneficial personal experience.”

Because of the gospel, members of the Mormon church often have faith-promoting experiences that they just cannot wait to share with others. Mormons share the gospel because they want you to know and feel the happiness that they enjoy.

Love For The Lord

Doing missionary work is not easy. Those who are called on full-time missions, sacrifice their time, opportunities, education, and even relationships to serve the Lord. Those who share what they know on social media, can also become subject to ridicule, especially from people who do not share the same beliefs. But what keeps them going? It is safe to say it is their love for the Lord. They love the Lord, so they commit to following His command to feed His sheep, find the lost one, and strengthen their brethren no matter the consequences.

Mormon Missionary Work: Everyone Can Be Blessed By It

In the Mormon church, there is a saying, “Every member a missionary.” So don’t be surprised if your Mormon friends are eager to share their faith with you.. It’s actually an indication of how much they care about you and value you as a friend. Their missionary efforts can provide help and strength to you, whether you share our beliefs or not.. See missionaries passing by your area? Did an LDS friend recently share something about their church? Don’t turn them away. Take the time to talk to them, ask them questions. You never know how their message could bless your life, too.

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One of the most significant dreams in the Book of Mormon was that of Lehi’s and his vision about the Tree of Life. In his dream, he saw himself partaking of the fruit from a tree. After tasting of the said fruit, he felt great joy and he was eager for his family to taste it. The way towards the fruit was covered in the mist of darkness. For people to reach the tree, they needed to hold on to a rod of iron. However, some have lost their way in the darkness.

The Personal Lesson Of Lehi’s Dream

As I read the account of Lehi’s dream, I began to wonder what happened to those who got lost in the mist of darkness. I am sure that they feel afraid, unsure, and clueless where to go next. Without a familiar voice guiding them back to the rod of iron, they could wander endlessly. I also think about the families of those who were lost in the darkness. Yes, they could be persevering towards the Tree, but part of their heart longs for the return of their family members and their friends. I imagine that those who are lost await for a familiar voice to help show them  the way. And those family members holding to the iron rod eagerly calling for the return of their loved one.

In our life, we have friends and family members who, like those in the mist of darkness, have lost their way. Some of them may be eager to return but because they have become so lost, they don’t know how to come back again. Some just wait for a someone to call out to them again. How comforting it would be that after being in the mist of darkness for so long, you hear a familiar voice calling out for your name. Once again, you can have that familiar voice to help you find your way back to the rod and to the Tree of Life.
 

Invitation To Those Holding The Iron Rod

For those who are now holding to the iron rod, don’t forget to call out for those who are in the mist of darkness. Let them hear your voice once again. Let them know that someone cares. Your eagerness to come to their rescue can spark a ray of hope. Help them find their way back. You can do this even by doing simple things like becoming their friend, inviting them to Church, or just be there to listen. Embark in Visiting and Home Teaching, befriend those who have returned. These simple gestures can make a difference.

In President Thomas S. Monson’s talk “Our Responsibility to Rescue,” he shared a letter from one who has left the Church.

“I had so much and now have so little. I am unhappy and feel as though I am failing in everything. The gospel has never left my heart, even though it has left my life. I ask for your prayers.

“Please don’t forget those of us who are out here—the lost Latter-day Saints. I know where the Church is, but sometimes I think I need someone else to show me the way, encourage me, take away my fear, and bear testimony to me.”

While we persevere in life, let us think about those who have lost their way. Let us take our time to search for them, know them, and reach out to them. May our voice be their guide back to happiness and light. It is my prayer that when we reach the Tree of Life, we can see that we have helped our loved backs to the rod of iron. Indeed, when that happens, we can truly say that our joy is full.

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