Mirium

LOL ....... I was just thinking I realised I was getting old when I realised I was old enough to be a missionary mom!

If people ask me what religion I am I always say that I am a Latter Day Saint. If I have oppourtunity to elaborate then I try to emphasise that we live by the teachings of Jesus Christ. If asked if I was a Christian I would say yes I am as I am a follower of Christ.

Love it! Thankyou

Misshalfway many thanks for your comments . I am very relaxed about it in front of him. We are keeping the channels of communication open and even doing some prayers together. He is not really interested in other religions just being very tempted by what the world has to offer. I think he struggles with the standards too. He is getting some help and support from his priesthood leaders and although he still is not attending church I feel all is not lost. I feel the power of prayer is amazing. Thankyou, once again, for all your advice and support.

Where can I get these tapes from?

Forgive my ignorance but what is cracked wheat breakfast cereal and what do you do with the wheat to make it and what are wheat berries and how do you make them?

There are so many things to be grateful for its hard to know where to start. I'm grateful to be able to know of my Father in Heaven and my Saviour Jesus Christ. To know they are there and I'm never alone. I'm grateful for the missionaries who knocked on my door and brought me the gospel at a time when I needed it most. I'm grateful for repentance or there would be no hope. I'm grateful for my life and for being able to come to earth to learn and grow and I'm grateful also for the peace I have in knowing why I'm here, where I came from and where I'm going when I leave this mortal life. I'm grateful for the people in my life that help and make a difference and I'm grateful for all of you on this site for making a difference difference in my life. You've made me laugh in your lighter posts, cry in your sadder posts and helped me also to learn more about the gospel plan. It helps to come here when I'm feeling lonely. Thankyou

I have a very strong bond with my Heavenly Father and I would say my faith is strong. I would describe myself as being completlely dependant on my faith in my Heavenly Father in order to just survive day to day. Without it I would be nothing. My faith never wavers but despite this I still suffer terrible fear and anxiety. It doesn't go away but my faith helps me to survive through it. I don't understand when they say you can't have faith if you fear because without my faith I couldn't survive the fear. There have been times in my life where i have wished He would intervene in my life and He hasn't but I have come to realise that His will must be done and there are some things that we have to endure through in order to grow and some times He will stand back and let things happen but I don't think it is because of a lack of faith. I have faith and fear together in my life too. I don't understand it either. I know my reply isn't much help but just wanted to share that I feel it too. Maybe someone can enlighten both of us.

Going through this now with my son I admit it is causing me much pain but I love and respect him and my love for him will not change and he knows that. I will always be his mum and although I will never give up , fasting and praying for him and trying to help him in any way I can I know that however much it hurts me I must respect his free agency and yes it really really hurts to see my son make what I believe are wrong choices but he will always be my son and I love him and will always be there for him.

Thankyou for sharing your feelings with us. You come accross to me as having such a kind heart. I love the way you greet new members on their profiles. Having suffered and in fact still suffering with depression and anxiety I can relate to some of what you say. I'm not very good at socialising and mixing with others which is very difficult as a member of this church. I still have not yet found the answer for how to overcome it. I know it holds me and my family back. I have a strong testimony and strong faith in my Saviour and know He truly understands how we feel. I also understand what it is like tio struggle to pray and communicate with my Heavenly Father because the depression stops us from 'feeling'. At times like this I find writing prayers / letters to my Heavenly Father helps, being honest with Him about the struggle I'm having communicating with Him. I can't give any answers on how to make things better I wish I could find my own answers but urge you to hang in there. I too am willing to be your friend. I really struggled when I joined this forum because even talking to people anonymously filled me with fear but I feel people here ( both LDS and non LDS) have a genuine love and concern for others. Its made a huge difference in my life coming here. Please don't give up, you are of much worth. I will also pray for you.

We had a talk about this and he has agreed to go and have a chat with the Bishop so hopefully that will help.

Thankyou for sharing your feelings LM. I hear what your saying. My love for him is unconditional. I love him no matter what, in or out of the church. I'm glad I read your comments before I next talk to him.

Thankyou so much for your replies and your prayers you have given some good ideas and plenty of things to think about. My husband is not a member so as Ruthi says to keep contention out of the house he is allowed to see friends and family and go out on a Sunday, my husband would never allow me to stop him. He does lack a good strong male influence in the church. None of his friends are members so I'm sure they are leading him in the wrong direction but not intentionally. My husband would never allow me to insisit he goes to church. So long as my son is happy to go he is ok with it but if I started pushing it could cause problems. We are the only members because I am a convert. I will pray about it and pray before I talk to him. I won't give up on him. I will put my faith and trust in the Lord. Thankyou.

No, my faith has never never wavered. There has never been any doubt in my mind that this church is true. Even at my darkest times its my faith that keeps me going. I wonder now how I ever survived without it before I found the gospel. I know that so long as we are willing to put our faith and trust in our Father in Heaven He can see us through anything. It won't be easy, it can be really painful but it is possible.

I am very fortunate in the fact that I have very good hometeachers. They have been an incredible support to me but my son doesn't seem to have much of a relationship with them. The ward has tried to fellowship him but he just isn't responding. This morning he has told me he is not going to come again. I feel devastated. I guess I'm on my own now.

Hemi, He initially said it was because he wanted to be out having fun with his family and friends but this morning he says his testimony is wavering.

Thankyou Pam I will read that also and share it with him.

He does have the priesthood I have made a request for him to talk to his priesthood leaders. I'm waiting for them to get back to me. I will read and study the priesthood session and maybe go through it with him. He did attend priesthood session of conference but he said he didn't really listen or take it in. Thanks

Can anyone help me to help my son. He's 15. He and I are the only members in our family and he is really struggling. He doesn't want to go to church anymore. He has a testimony he just doesn't like going to church and the more he feels resentful about going I know the more his testimony will die. His only friend at church has gone less active and he sees all the things his other friends and family are going out and doing on a Sunday and that makes him feel even less like going. Does anyone have any motivational quotes I could give him or maybe how can I explain to him how important and special it is to hold the priesthood? How else can I help him? I don't want to lose him at church. I admit I have been struggling badly with my depression at the moment and find it really hard to motivate myself. I feel like I'm letting him down and don't know what to do.

I suffer quite badly with anxiety and agree with misshalfway that diet really helps. I don't know why but when I'm eating a healthy balanced diet with the right vitamins and minerals the anxiety seems much easier to control and I feel better, more confident in myself. I also find calming peaceful music a great help and talking to people about how I'm feeling. If you have no one to talk to then talk here on this site there are always people willing to listen.

Supposing today were your last day on earth The last mile of the journey you've trod After all of your struggles how much are you worth How much can you take home to God? Don't count as possessions your silver and gold Tomorrow you leave these behind And all that is yours to have and to hold Is the service you've given mankind Anon

I'm LDS. Baptised 9 yrs ago

Thankyou for bringing a smile to my day. Love it and yes its really hard to get that song out of your head!

MOE I loved the way you explained it. It made alot of sense. I always pray to Heavenly Father, always but if I feel a need to draw near to my Saviour or if I'm feeling alone I may write a letter directly to my Saviour in my journal. Is it ok to do this or should write to Heavenly Father in my journal too?

It's always good to post positive stories and for people to hear of things that are positive and uplifting but there are people who have no one to talk to and it is not good or healthy to bottle things up. The advantage of a site like this is that it is completely anonymous and people can say things that maybe they couldn't to someone they know. There are alot of people here with different experiences and some who have had similar experiences who can offer help and support. It could mean the difference between someone failing or succeeding in overcoming life's challenges. I've had many problems in my life and still have (not with my husband but with other family members). It has been a struggle but my husband and I have tried to work through things together. It hasn't been easy and I cherish the good times we have. I'm really pleased to hear of anyones wonderful marriage or accomplishments. We need to hear these stories so thankyou for your post over 43 but I'd like to think that if there is someone in trouble who felt they had no one to talk to and couldn't cope that they could feel at ease with coming here and talking to others. Isn't the gospel about compassion and caring? I mean no offense to anyone I just wanted to put my opinion accross.