1 May 2012

I'm sitting outside the church, using their wi-fi connection while my husband/companion attends Branch Presidency Meeting.  We've just come from the home of a former member couple, very nice, and formerly very active.  But they said they left the church because of the things going on in the church that shouldn't have been.  They mentioned chairs being spoken for in the chapel, and inappropriate conversations going on about who the new branch president should be, people standing up in meetings to disagree with the proceedings, etc. etc.  

I'm sure there is more to the story than that, but they obviously still believe in the truth of the church, judging by some of the things they said.  However, they are currently following after the Muslim faith, they said.  We could see that they are doing a lot of charitable things with their money and their time.  But they have chosen, because of petty reasons, to turn their backs on the church of Jesus Christ, even after being in the Temple!  To me, that's like saying, "No thank you, Lord.  I don't like the color You've given me for the door to my mansion.  I think I'll just take a shack, if You don't mind." 

We understand that there are problems in any new area of the church with few members  in establishing protocol of the church.  People receive testimonies of the doctrine, not the policies of the church.  Just because someone joins the church, does not mean they understand how things should be done within the church.  We in Utah have the advantage of growing up with the culture of the church.  That takes an awfully long time for a new branch to establish, especially when the youth of that branch keep leaving to go to the city to live.

Then there's the problem of leadership.  I think that many times there are Priesthood holders who are called because they are the only ones available, and they haven't learned the policies of the church yet.  So you have them doing things that aren't normally done in the church, and others get offended by it.  Please don't take this to mean that we are in any way dissatisfied with the leadership here now.  That is not the case. 

But we do have that problem with the youth.  There are very few here, and the two young couples who are here are thinking of leaving for Perth.  The "uni" is there, and plenty more opportunities.  I don't blame them.  If young people are single, they may have more of an opportunity of dating or marrying in the church.

It doesn't help with the missionary work when there are no young people in the branch.  Plus, the church naturally draws the humble, so sometimes they are conceived as poor, or sometimes they are poor, like the Zoramites in the Bk. of Mormon.  In that case, the more wealthy would-be investigators are turned off.  In Utah, we have everything!  No excuse for a ward not to grow!  We are so blessed.

We have a new investigator!  She is Chrystal, a young woman I mentioned a while back whom we met while walking one night on the beach down at Emu Point.  I struck up a conversation with her and her partner while they were fishing.  Anyway, we went by and got better acquainted with her yesterday and taught a small lesson.  We have an appointment to go back tomorrow.  I guess I must admit that I don't get as excited as I used to because we have had many people who listen to the lessons, but so far no one is getting wet! 

He told us that night that he was not interested, but he didn't mind if she listened to us.  I always dread having to tell someone about the commandments lesson, because ultimately, it means, for one thing, that they need to either get married or separate.  Usually, when they are not both investigating, it means that you are asking them to break up.