The Beauty Of The Gospel

[Peppermint Patty]

I know a couple of people here know my story, but I feel impressed to share it today.

I grew up in a small East Texas town on the border of Louisiana.  Life was hard.  It was a poor town and we were poorer still. My father left my mother when I was 7 and my brother was 5. We never saw or heard from him again.  I recently found out he died in California shorly after leaving us.  

After my father left, my mother struggled with alcholism and there was a short period where me and my brother were placed in a foster home until my mother completed treatment. One Saturday when I was 9 the missionaries knocked on our door. I don't remember much about what they said, but I remember being surprised my mother let them in our small apartment.  Time was precious and Saturday was the only day my mother could rest and spend time with us. My mother was working two jobs and worked every single day except Saturday.  

Something resonated with the missionaries and my mother. We were soon baptized and joined a small branch in our town. At the branch, my mother met and married a single Air Force officer from Utah who had recently graduated college and was stationed nearby. He was an honorable man, a great husband and provider to my mother and a great father to me and my younger brother. My mother would not have met him if it hadn't been for the missionaries. He passed away 3 years ago and my mother followed him shortly after.

Once my father's commitment to the Air Force was over, we moved to Utah. It has been my home ever since. My brother and I both graduated from college and have families. We've been able to instill in them the importance of education, family and love for the Gospel.

When I look back on my life, I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and love for the Gospel. I've tried to think what my life would have been like if the missionaries never knocked on our door all those years ago. Every scenario I can think of ends with us being caught in a cycle of poverty, drugs, alchohol and broken homes. Without the Gospel we would have been trapped in that vicious cycle.  I'm thankful for those two missionaries who taught my mother the Gospel and the importance of families.  I'm thankful for the Gospel in leading my mother to an honorable man who was a great father.  

In my life there have been times of doubt and moments when I have questions, but can't find the answers. Perhaps we are meant to struggle and I'm content knowing that these questions will probably not be solved in this life.  One thing I know for certain and is the Gospel took our family out of the cycle of poverty and made us a family again. 

Edited October 6, 2018 by Peppermint Patty

[Stargazer]

21 minutes ago, Anon the Great said:

As the church has moved away from the occult past to increase temporal blessings, they are moving the right direction by the Holy Spirit, especially with families.  What I am saying is that Mormons can cleanse their minds of the LDS occult roots and remain a Mormon.  The kingdom of God is within us, and we can work out the inner ideas of heaven and tell nobody else what we believe and cause no conflicts as a Mormon, for if one of your ideas conflict with the prophets, and you tell other Mormons, you will be crucified.  I am glad the LDS church had and has what you needed temporally and spiritually to make you happy.  If they ask you what you believe about heaven and the afterlife, you can say "Oh, I keep that stuff private between me and God."  However, if a friend is struggling with inner conflicts with the past history of the LDS Church, according the Spirit's promptings, you can teach the truth from the Bible and share the event of the crickets and sea gulls as proof God is moving the LDS church away from the occult ideas into temporal blessings to remove its occult roots, which I explained on another thread.  There are many Biblical ideas the Mormons believe that other Christian churches do not believe, plus you will lose all your friends if you don't keep your private beliefs private.  The official ideas of Mormonism's theology  are twisted into half-truths like the three degrees of glory or the premortal life, but Christianity removes many Biblical truths that only a Mormon can work through and come to the right answers.

I have a great idea!  Why don't you post a few more actual responses to an existing thread, until you acquire the privilege of starting your own threads.  And THEN start creating your own threads, instead of trashing on someone else's thread with completely off-topic rants!

Now look what you've done here.  You've taken Peppermint Patty's afirmation of the beauty of the gospel, and how it saved her family from a terrible fate, gave her great joy and happiness, as well as a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, and then you trash it with a totally off-topic rant.  Which is, by the way, an illegal thread-jack (see the board rules).

Loser.  

[Avatar4321]

The gospel is beautiful. It empowers individuals and strengthens families.

thank you for your testimony

[Hamba Tuhan]

2 hours ago, Peppermint Patty said:

Perhaps we are meant to struggle and I'm content knowing that these questions will probably not be solved in this life.  One thing I know for certain and is the Gospel took our family out of the cycle of poverty and made us a family again. 

'Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see'. You -- and I! -- are in good company ...

[JAHS]

“the gospel of Jesus Christ is beautifully simple and simply beautiful.” Elder  Rober L. Simpson. 

[The Nehor]

4 hours ago, Anon the Great said:

As the church has moved away from the occult past to increase temporal blessings, they are moving the right direction by the Holy Spirit, especially with families.  What I am saying is that Mormons can cleanse their minds of the LDS occult roots and remain a Mormon.  The kingdom of God is within us, and we can work out the inner ideas of heaven and tell nobody else what we believe and cause no conflicts as a Mormon, for if one of your ideas conflict with the prophets, and you tell other Mormons, you will be crucified.  I am glad the LDS church had and has what you needed temporally and spiritually to make you happy.  If they ask you what you believe about heaven and the afterlife, you can say "Oh, I keep that stuff private between me and God."  However, if a friend is struggling with inner conflicts with the past history of the LDS Church, according the Spirit's promptings, you can teach the truth from the Bible and share the event of the crickets and sea gulls as proof God is moving the LDS church away from the occult ideas into temporal blessings to remove its occult roots, which I explained on another thread.  There are many Biblical ideas the Mormons believe that other Christian churches do not believe, plus you will lose all your friends if you don't keep your private beliefs private.  The official ideas of Mormonism's theology  are twisted into half-truths like the three degrees of glory or the premortal life, but Christianity removes many Biblical truths that only a Mormon can work through and come to the right answers.

What do you have against the occult? Stop trying to chip away at my hobby or I will break out my grimoires and talismans and use foul sorcery to punish you. You have been warned.

[carbon dioxide]

4 hours ago, Anon the Great said:

As the church has moved away from the occult past to increase temporal blessings, they are moving the right direction by the Holy Spirit, especially with families.  What I am saying is that Mormons can cleanse their minds of the LDS occult roots and remain a Mormon.  The kingdom of God is within us, and we can work out the inner ideas of heaven and tell nobody else what we believe and cause no conflicts as a Mormon, for if one of your ideas conflict with the prophets, and you tell other Mormons, you will be crucified.  I am glad the LDS church had and has what you needed temporally and spiritually to make you happy.  If they ask you what you believe about heaven and the afterlife, you can say "Oh, I keep that stuff private between me and God."  However, if a friend is struggling with inner conflicts with the past history of the LDS Church, according the Spirit's promptings, you can teach the truth from the Bible and share the event of the crickets and sea gulls as proof God is moving the LDS church away from the occult ideas into temporal blessings to remove its occult roots, which I explained on another thread.  There are many Biblical ideas the Mormons believe that other Christian churches do not believe, plus you will lose all your friends if you don't keep your private beliefs private.  The official ideas of Mormonism's theology  are twisted into half-truths like the three degrees of glory or the premortal life, but Christianity removes many Biblical truths that only a Mormon can work through and come to the right answers.

Occult simply means "mystery"  Nothing evil or wrong about that.  I don't see the premortal life and 3 degrees of glory to half truths but full truth. 

[Rain]

6 hours ago, Peppermint Patty said:

I know a couple of people here know my story, but I feel impressed to share it today.

I grew up in a small East Texas town on the border of Louisiana.  Life was hard.  It was a poor town and we were poorer still. My father left my mother when I was 7 and my brother was 5. We never saw or heard from him again.  I recently found out he died in California shorly after leaving us.  

After my father left, my mother struggled with alcholism and there was a short period where me and my brother were placed in a foster home until my mother completed treatment. One Saturday when I was 9 the missionaries knocked on our door. I don't remember much about what they said, but I remember being surprised my mother let them in our small apartment.  Time was precious and Saturday was the only day my mother could rest and spend time with us. My mother was working two jobs and worked every single day except Saturday.  

Something resonated with the missionaries and my mother. We were soon baptized and joined a small branch in our town. At the branch, my mother met and married a single Air Force officer from Utah who had recently graduated college and was stationed nearby. He was an honorable man, a great husband and provider to my mother and a great father to me and my younger brother. My mother would not have met him if it hadn't been for the missionaries. He passed away 3 years ago and my mother followed him shortly after.

Once my father's commitment to the Air Force was over, we moved to Utah. It has been my home ever since. My brother and I both graduated from college and have families. We've been able to instill in them the importance of education, family and love for the Gospel.

When I look back on my life, I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and love for the Gospel. I've tried to think what my life would have been like if the missionaries never knocked on our door all those years ago. Every scenario I can think of ends with us being caught in a cycle of poverty, drugs, alchohol and broken homes. Without the Gospel we would have been trapped in that vicious cycle.  I'm thankful for those two missionaries who taught my mother the Gospel and the importance of families.  I'm thankful for the Gospel in leading my mother to an honorable man who was a great father.  

In my life there have been times of doubt and moments when I have questions, but can't find the answers. Perhaps we are meant to struggle and I'm content knowing that these questions will probably not be solved in this life.  One thing I know for certain and is the Gospel took our family out of the cycle of poverty and made us a family again. 

Thank you! Having served in the Houston area and on the other side of the border in Moss Bluff it brought some memories of people I taught in small towns. 

Have you come in contact with those missionaries again?

[Calm]

Peppermint, it is great to learn more about you.  It is always nice to have greater context to put people's posts in and it is harder to get it for those who don't post as much.

[Jeanne]

Thank you for sharing a very tender and loving part of yourself.  All the blessings that you are counting..you have surely earned.  Best to you and your families.

[mfbukowski]

8 hours ago, Anon the Great said:

As the church has moved away from the occult past to increase temporal blessings, they are moving the right direction by the Holy Spirit, especially with families.  What I am saying is that Mormons can cleanse their minds of the LDS occult roots and remain a Mormon.  The kingdom of God is within us, and we can work out the inner ideas of heaven and tell nobody else what we believe and cause no conflicts as a Mormon, for if one of your ideas conflict with the prophets, and you tell other Mormons, you will be crucified.  I am glad the LDS church had and has what you needed temporally and spiritually to make you happy.  If they ask you what you believe about heaven and the afterlife, you can say "Oh, I keep that stuff private between me and God."  However, if a friend is struggling with inner conflicts with the past history of the LDS Church, according the Spirit's promptings, you can teach the truth from the Bible and share the event of the crickets and sea gulls as proof God is moving the LDS church away from the occult ideas into temporal blessings to remove its occult roots, which I explained on another thread.  There are many Biblical ideas the Mormons believe that other Christian churches do not believe, plus you will lose all your friends if you don't keep your private beliefs private.  The official ideas of Mormonism's theology  are twisted into half-truths like the three degrees of glory or the premortal life, but Christianity removes many Biblical truths that only a Mormon can work through and come to the right answers.

Note the number of likes Stargazer got on his post.

You might take that as instructional.

[mfbukowski]

10 hours ago, Peppermint Patty said:

I know a couple of people here know my story, but I feel impressed to share it today.

I grew up in a small East Texas town on the border of Louisiana.  Life was hard.  It was a poor town and we were poorer still. My father left my mother when I was 7 and my brother was 5. We never saw or heard from him again.  I recently found out he died in California shorly after leaving us.  

After my father left, my mother struggled with alcholism and there was a short period where me and my brother were placed in a foster home until my mother completed treatment. One Saturday when I was 9 the missionaries knocked on our door. I don't remember much about what they said, but I remember being surprised my mother let them in our small apartment.  Time was precious and Saturday was the only day my mother could rest and spend time with us. My mother was working two jobs and worked every single day except Saturday.  

Something resonated with the missionaries and my mother. We were soon baptized and joined a small branch in our town. At the branch, my mother met and married a single Air Force officer from Utah who had recently graduated college and was stationed nearby. He was an honorable man, a great husband and provider to my mother and a great father to me and my younger brother. My mother would not have met him if it hadn't been for the missionaries. He passed away 3 years ago and my mother followed him shortly after.

Once my father's commitment to the Air Force was over, we moved to Utah. It has been my home ever since. My brother and I both graduated from college and have families. We've been able to instill in them the importance of education, family and love for the Gospel.

When I look back on my life, I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and love for the Gospel. I've tried to think what my life would have been like if the missionaries never knocked on our door all those years ago. Every scenario I can think of ends with us being caught in a cycle of poverty, drugs, alchohol and broken homes. Without the Gospel we would have been trapped in that vicious cycle.  I'm thankful for those two missionaries who taught my mother the Gospel and the importance of families.  I'm thankful for the Gospel in leading my mother to an honorable man who was a great father.  

In my life there have been times of doubt and moments when I have questions, but can't find the answers. Perhaps we are meant to struggle and I'm content knowing that these questions will probably not be solved in this life.  One thing I know for certain and is the Gospel took our family out of the cycle of poverty and made us a family again. 

Beautiful and thank you!

[mfbukowski]

3 hours ago, The Nehor said:

What do you have against the occult? Stop trying to chip away at my hobby or I will break out my grimoires and talismans and use foul sorcery to punish you. You have been warned.

Uh, he might not take you seriously but I still have not recovered from that hex you put on me.

My second head is still growing and I don't know what to do.  Should I listen to him?  He was just a pimple and then he started talking....

[Stargazer]

1 hour ago, mfbukowski said:

Uh, he might not take you seriously but I still have not recovered from that hex you put on me.

My second head is still growing and I don't know what to do.  Should I listen to him?  He was just a pimple and then he started talking....

Nothing to worry about!  Two heads are indeed better than one!

[The Nehor]

1 hour ago, mfbukowski said:

Uh, he might not take you seriously but I still have not recovered from that hex you put on me.

My second head is still growing and I don't know what to do.  Should I listen to him?  He was just a pimple and then he started talking....

You have to chop it off before it chops you off. Only one can survive. Good luck.