NanaBanaFoFana

Wow, you really have no clue do you? I NEVER said I wanted an instant calling and I never said I wanted instant acceptance and friendship. You have NO IDEAwhat I am dealing with. What makes you think I have never met the Stake President? I said I did not know my bishop - I never said I did not know the stake president personally. I do not need control; I need safety. I think you should read the article referenced in a previous post by a former member of the Seventy and you might not be so quick to judge. You say that all I "need to do is attend church, read the scriptures and pray daily. It's that simple." Have you tried telling a person with cancer to "attend church, read the scriptures and pray daily and everything else will fall into place"? It is never "that simple". You say my request and expectations are unfair. Your assumptions are unfair. NanaBana

THe Stake President said no too. I am leaving the church. I need to be somewhere where they actually care. Thank you all for your advice and counsel. NanaBana

Actually my bishop and I have never met. He has only been there for a couple of months. My old bishop knew me. I wish he was still bishop.... NanaBana

Robin - thank you so much for your kind and understanding reply. You really DO understand what it is like to only feel safe around strangers when you are with a certain person. I am happy for you that your husband has a different shift starting soon. That is great! I will pray for you too. Nana

Well, my bishop said NO......He said that after a year we can "discuss the merrits and responsibilities" of having my records changed. It is pretty obvious that he did not read the article. If he DID read it then he has no heart. Not once has he asked if there is anything he can do or have done to make me more comfortable at church. I cannot tell you how huge of a disappointment it is to have not only my request denied but to have a bishop who seemingly could not care less. NanaBana

THank you so much for your kind and wise words:) NanaBana

Applepansy- thank you so much for your detailed response. It is ironic that location is not a huge issue here as both wards already meet in the same building. Also, my visiting teachers (when I actually have them) have to travel from an area farther than my daughter's ward, so the boundaries in this situation make no sense. My visiting teachers have never asked if I would like to go to church with them and I have never even had home teachers. I have come to the point that I would rather officially leave the church (have my name removed from all records) and attend as a non-member where I want with people I am comfortable with with nobody telling me I can't because I am more imprtant as a statistic in a boundary than a member trying very hard to becom active again. I understand that obedience is important, but I do not believe that we are to be obedient in a situation that we know is wrong. Blind obedience can become a dangerous thing. There is a line from the movie "God's Army 2" where one missionary asks another when they need to make a decision "Would you rather follow the rules or the commandments?". SOmetimes the rules actually do get in the way. I also understand that when we deviate from the rules it must be for a VERY good reason. Thanks again - NanaBana

LMM - thank you SOOOO much for this article! It is awesome:). I am unable to print it up but I did copy and paste it to a return receipt email to all those involved. I asked them to pay attention to myth #4. I said that this would be the last time I would bother them with my request so I am hoping that they really will read it and respond. Thanks again - NanaBana

Thank you for answering with understanding :) NanaBana

Thank you for the advice :) The only reason I was worried about the calling thing was that the Stake President basically bypassed my concern and asked me how I would like to have a calling in either RS, Primary, etc. I was really shocked, and it made me sick to my stomach to even think about it!NanaBana

That is exactly what my daughter said :) Thank you for the input! NanaBana

Can someone please tell me what is absolutely required to change wards? I am trying to change my ward of record so that I can begin to attend church again after many years away from activity. The ward I wish to attend is my daughter and her family's ward. I am able to be in groups/strange places only if a family member or friend is with me. I do not really have any friends outside my family so this seems to be my only option. I suffer severe panic attacks and have asked to have my records sent to another ward. My bishop is unsympathetic and the stake president does not seem to understand the seriousness of my situation. Nobody seems to realize/believe that this is a serious situation for me and I am getting uncomfortable, to say the least, with the way my request is being handled. If I do not switch wards, I cannot attend - it is as simple as that. People say that I can attend wherever I want, but to not be a member of a ward would mean that I cannot have a calling or fully participate even to the extent of hopefully getting a temple reccomend some day. I would feel more like an outsider.....more than I already do. Can someone help me understand what the actual requirements to have records transferred is? At this point I feel like I am just a statistic for the church to keep within a boundary for record keeping purposes. The courage it has taken me to actually even want to attend church again is more than I think anyone realizes. Thank you in andvance for any input you may have. Nana Bana

The bottom line is that confession to the bishop is NOT guranteed to be confidential. The only way to be sure something stays confidential is to not tell anyone about it. However, one really needs to decide if confidentiality of a problem is really going to help them or not. The last two wards that I belonged to were (are) places of good as well as places of gossip. Too many people hide their gossip under the cloak of "prayer and caring". Nana

I don't think that this is exactly a black and white situation. What happened to free will? All callings SHOULD be from God, but I believe that there are times when callings come from the need of man and not necessarily from the will of God. I recieved a calling a mere two weeks before my family was to make a huge move from the lower 48 to Alaska which I, of course, turned down because I would not be around to fulfill it. I truly do not believe that Heavenly Father expected me to stay in one state while my entire family moved thousands of miles away. I was given the call because they needed somebody - anybody - to take that particular position. Needless to say, another recieved the call and the position was filled.... Nana

Wow - what a great example ou set as a home teacher:). I sure wish that I had a home teacher like you. Actually, I just wish I had a home teacher - period. I have been a member since 1994 and had home teachers visit twice - that's it. I have been inactive for a very long time and have begged my bishop for home teachers.....My husband is not a member and was present once when the home teachers came and he actually liked it. They never came again. I really wish that the church would not "act" as if everyone has home teachers and it is a wonderful thing for all members. It took me years to get a visiting teacher........Sorry for the rant - I just wish I had HT's that were as dedicated as you are... NanaBana

I began making my own laundry soap a few months ago and I love it! It took a while to come up with a recipe that worked for us, but now that I have - it is really great. Depending on what soap I use for the base changes the cost, but the real reason I do it is that I really like to be able to proniunce all the ingredients I use:p The other real reason is that I love to "stick it" to the companies that have been over charging me my whole life for something that is so innexpensive to make. Also, it really does get the clothes clean once you get the right recipe and learn that there are ways to improve the quality of washing that have nothing to do with the detergent (such as soaking the whole load for 15 - 30 minutes after the washer has filled and the soap is added. You can probably reduce your use of detergent by at least 1/2 just by doing this.) Also, warm/hot water washing and rinsing can dramatically reduce the need for so much soap...... ok - I will get off my 'soap box" now;) NanaBana

Welcome and congratulations on being baptized! It is the beginning of a wonderful journey:) NanaBana

I love that song and since I will be known as "nana" I thought it was a good "altar ego":) NanaBana

Hi! Yes that is our dog. She is an AWESOME girl that we adopted from the pound a little over a year ago. She is an older girl (about 8 years now) so her chances of getting adopted were slim. She is soooo spoiled:D NanaBana

Good morning and thank you for your kind replies:) We are very excited:D NanaBana

Hello - I am new to these forums and am looking forward to getting to know what it is all about and to have a chance to strengthen my faith. I am expecting my first grandbaby in November and I love all sorts of crafts. I am a real homebody:D (which works out well, as we have snow at least six months out of the year!). NanaBana