classylady

I grew up with Ham Radio in my home. It was enjoyable to listen to my brother talk to people all over the world and to see the QSL cards he received in the mail. The cards came from all over. I have two brothers, two sisters, and my husband who are Ham Radio operators.

So now we know what it looks like. http://fox13now.com/2015/08/04/lds-church-releases-never-before-seen-pics-of-seer-stone-used-by-joseph-smith/

Beefche, well said. I can relate with the sister missionaries. I sometimes panic when I'm asked a question I don't know the answer to. I need to learn it's okay not to know the answer, and answer according to my knowledge and perhaps do some research to find the answer.

I've seen it happening too, even within my own family. It saddens me to see this shift.

My children have made some choices in partners/spouses that I find rather difficult. I decided that if my children love them, then I will love them too and try to find the good in them. I will not speak negatively about their choice in a spouse to my other children or to the son/daughter involved. One particular daughter-in-law can be a prickly pear, and the other siblings will sometimes talk about her to me, but I have decided that as long as my son has chosen her, then I will champion her. If my children decide to divorce, I will also be loyal to my son/daughter and their new spouse if they should choose to remarry. Reality is, in this day and age, divorce may be inevitable between some of my children and their spouses. Hopefully, not. But, I know of very few families where divorce has not happened to a sibling or two. We can be tactful in offering our opinions about our children's relationships. We can let our children know that they are always welcome in our home, where they can feel safe. But, I have found that the apron strings have to be cut at some time, and our children will have to choose for themselves. I hope that I have taught them correct principles. But, I know that the world we live in is tough. They may make mistakes that we wish they hadn't (and some of mine have), and we will weep tears of sorrow and grief. I always have hope. And, I pray constantly for their welfare.

Congratulations! I hope all went well.

NightSG, it is much easier to get a Sealing Cancellation. Women no longer need to be engaged/married to a temple worthy male to request a sealing cancellation. It is also much easier for a man to obtain a Sealing Cancellation from his ex. My husband just received a sealing cancellation from his ex back in October. When he had tried to get it some 30 + years ago, it was not granted, he was advised it wasn't necessary. Many members are not aware of this.

Congratulations!

I never got that at work. In my neck-of-the-woods (Utah), I'll occasionally get the snarky comments from those who have left the church.

I was taught, that if one knows they should be sealed in the temple, chooses not to, and then dies before going to the temple after a civil marriage, that this could keep them from Celestial Glory. Being sealed in the Temple is more than just culture for LDS. If one knows the Temple is where one should be married, and chooses not to, then they are choosing a lesser alternative, which could prevent them from attaining Celestial Glory. I know there are exceptions to this, such as, not living within a reasonable distance from a temple, etc. The Lord will know what is in one's heart.

Would you say this was intervention? My mother was driving with her seven children in the car. It was dark with no traffic traveling the same direction as us. We were coming up to a stop light, and it was green for us. All of a sudden my mother had to sneeze, and such a big sneeze that she pulled over and stopped right before the green light. As she paused, a car sped through the intersection that would have broad-sided us if we had continued through the light. I venture to say that some of us might have been killed or at least seriously injured. Except for the Spirit, there is no way to know if this was divine intervention. Some would say it's just coincidence. That was the only time in her life my mother decided to stop driving for a sneeze. The Spirit whispers to me that this was divine intervention. My father was hit by a train while crossing the railroad tracks in his pickup. He left seven children behind. There was no intervention. My daughter died in a car accident at the age of 19 leaving behind a 2-month-old baby. Again, no intervention. I have pondered the whys and the why nots of divine intervention, and believe it all has to do with God's will and man's agency. I certainly do pray for God's protection in the lives of my loved ones. If I didn't believe that God could step in and intervene I would see no reason to pray for protection.

Disfellowship is not permanent. It is given a time frame that the Bishop/Stake President gives to the member who is having problems. At the end of the time, the member then goes back to the Bishop/Stake President and is either taken off being Disfellowshiped or time can be added to it if the problem is not resolved. If further evaluation is needed, i.e. perhaps Excommunication, then the Bishop/Stake President will look at that also. Also, during the Disfellowship, there most likely will be meetings with the Bishop/Stake President to evaluate their progress.

I was cautioned about changing the cat litter box specifically because of the parasite with my first pregnancy and that was over 33 years ago.

Heavenly Father does not condone this, but in western societies a lot of people no longer get married. They just live with each other. If children come, whether there is marriage or not, there is still child support to pay. If you don't want to worry about child support, stay away from any relationship with women. Problem solved!!!

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I witnessed a little 3 or 4 year old crossing a very busy street/highway on his bike with training wheels against the light. He was small, and low to the ground and nearly got hit. We made a u-turn and followed the little boy where he had stopped at a Red Box next to a gas station. My husband and I made the decision to keep him there, rather than just let him ride his little bike home again. We called 911. We had two officers show up, and then a third one was called due to the little boy only spoke Spanish. (He understood enough English to tell my husband and me his name). The officers where all concerned about this little boy. They showed a lot of compassion. They figured they knew the neighborhood the little boy lived in. And, they were able to ask him, if he knew where he lived, which he answered in the affirmative. So, the Spanish speaking office took the little boy in her car, and another officer took the boys bike, and they drove off to find the little boys home. I'm assuming they found his home since there were no reports of a lost little boy in the media. Most officers are compassionate. Most do the best they can. I appreciate their efforts to keep our cities safe.

Whoever is called, I will sustain them.

Those of us who have served missions most likely knew who the problem Elders or Sisters were. I certainly did. My Mission President was a died-in-the-wool strict German and many of the Elders had a hard time with his dictatorial attitude. I loved my Mission President. I didn't mind the extra rules he gave us. He was fulfilling his calling and serving the Lord the way he saw fit. Anyway, I digress a bit, back to the problem Elders or Sisters. IMO, when we accepted our mission calls, we were called to serve the Lord by serving the people in the mission field. I believe that included our companions. If we serve our companion and help them to become a better person, have we not served the Lord? What if they don't change, yet they remain in the mission field? Was their time on a mission completely wasted? Again, my opinion, no. I remember receiving a letter from a a couple of elders after I had returned home from my mission. Both of these elders were rather goof-offs. I knew them well. We had gone through the LTM (now MTC) together and I was in the same district with one of the elders for several months in my last city of Essen, Germany. So, I feel I knew them. They were put together as companions the last two months of their mission. Maybe, the mission president didn't know what else to do with them? But, they had at least one baptism together. And one of the elder's told me how he finally was able to give up listening to rock music. It took almost his whole mission to get there, but he finally did it. Were their missions failures? I don't believe so. I believe the Lord knew the personalities of these elders before they were called. I believe HE knew how these elders would be during their missions, but, they were still called to the work. And, these two elders still saw some success.--both, while they were companions together, and when they were with other companions. Perhaps, some of their companions had a hard time while serving with them. (In fact, I know they did). But, I still believe that those goof-off elders were where they should have been--in the mission field, serving the Lord, although, they probably didn't fulfill their callings with the commitment they should have had. Out side of the mission, I know many who don't fulfill their callings in the ward as they should, but they are still called. I believe mission service to be the same. We are given the opportunity to serve, and hopefully, no matter where we are in life, full-time missionary, home teacher, visiting teacher, in the primary, relief society, or elders quorum, etc. we will serve with our whole heart and soul, not just going through the motions. I, myself, see where I can improve in my Primary calling. But, even when we serve without truly seeing the vision and knowing that this is the Lord's work, we are still doing good. We are still furthering the Lord's work. Just think how much the Lord's work would prosper if we all worked with the knowledge and commitment because we understood that this is the Lord's work. The Gospel would really go forward. I guess what I'm trying to say in all this, is that we do need committed and strong young men and women to be missionaries. But, even those who aren't as strong as they should be, can still be an asset in the Lord's Kingdom, and still further His work.

The basic problem is, if every young man chose not to go on a mission, how would Christ further his work? The Gospel must move forward! We are in the last days. We must gather in His sheep. There are many of our brothers and sisters who need the Gospel and who will accept it. If the young men of the church choose not to serve missions, our brothers and sisters will not hear the Gospel. It is a duty to declare the Word of God to our brothers and sisters. We need missionaries!!! And, one cannot say, "it doesn't matter if I go because there are so many other missionaries out there". There are not enough! And, any young person who does not fulfill their duty by serving a mission, they may be denying the opportunity of the Gospel being brought to a particular brother or sister. This is a tragedy! And, yes, a young man who didn't serve may repent, and be forgiven, but the consequences of their not serving cannot be denied. There are consequences when young men choose not to serve. I would not want to meet my Maker and say "I chose not to go because I didn't feel like it". I would not want to meet a brother or a sister, and they asked me why I didn't serve, because they would have accepted the Gospel if I had gone. I look at my husband's decision not to serve a mission. As I said before, he has regretted it. And, you know what he lost by not serving? He lost the opportunity to share the Gospel to brothers and sisters whom he would have loved and they would have loved him for bringing them the Gospel. This love is profound! I cannot imagine not knowing the people I taught the Gospel to while on my mission. I love them so much. The joy I felt when they accepted the Gospel and were baptized is indescribable! My husband never felt that joy! He never felt the Spirit so intense, that it can't be explained! Mission service is not only a duty, it is a blessing! I thank God every single day for my opportunity to serve my mission.

I believe I'd take my ten-year old to see it. It isn't really suspenseful or frightening. Anyway, I didn't think so

Love this^^ I was thinking along those same lines, but you beat me to it. My husband turned down a call to go on a mission. He says he didn't like how the bishop just assumed he was going to go when he was called into the bishop's office for an interview. Pride, on my husband's part? Most likely. And, my husband has regretted that decision not to go, to this day. He made some regrettable decisions, that if he had served his mission, he most likely would not have made. And he is still paying the consequences for those decisions, that also affect me and his children. As for me, when my bishop called me in just prior to my 21st birthday, and asked me about serving a mission, I knew I was supposed to serve, but I didn't especially want to. A mission would mess up my plan of finishing school and getting married (even though there was no one I was particularly interested in marrying at the time). My patriarchal blessing specifically mentions that I would serve a mission. But, at that time I wanted to believe that it would be as a senior couple with my husband. But, I knew the Lord had a plan for me to serve, so I went. It was a wonderful experience. I met many missionaries who at first weren't so sure they wanted to be out on a mission. But, for most of them, as time went on, and they experienced feeling the Spirit, and actually bringing people the "glad message", and the joy it brought their contacts, they had a change of heart. Their mission did become "the best two years", albeit very trying at times. Many of our young missionaries go out with a belief of the gospel but come back with more than just belief. They return home fully committed and have experienced spiritual experiences they cannot deny. If they return from their mission having only one convert, and that convert is their self, then the mission was successful.

Blended families have a lot of trials and can be very difficult. I have done a lot of reading on how to be a step-parent since I am the step-mother to a son and daughter. I also have 5 biological children of my own. I am no expert, but, what I have learned is that the biological parent should be the one that does the disciplining. And, don't expect the child to automatically love the new step-parent just because their biological parent loves the new spouse. Same, for the step-parent, don't automatically assume they will love the step-children. Girls, especially, have a difficult time with the step-parent relationship. Some step-children do aggravate the situation because they don't like the new step-parent. They like the old status quo. It sounds like it was just you and your daughter for some time before a step-father came into the picture. Adding a step-parent to the picture is difficult for children (and the new spouse) and there is a long adjustment that can take years. It can be especially hard on pre-teen/teenage girls. The biological parent often feels like they are being put in the middle and having to make choices for or against either their spouse or their children. Often times counseling can be helpful and is needed. This probably should have been done years ago in the OP circumstance. I am not necessarily a believer in the adage: "children always come first". I believe that marriage comes first. But, if the children are in danger, physically or emotionally, then of course the marriage will have to go on the back-burner and the child is attended to and the problem taken care of. But, children need to know that mom and dad's relationship is a priority, even if it's a blended family. I'm talking in generalities here. And, I'm talking about a healthy marriage. It sounds to me that the OP does not have a healthy marriage. To the OP. We can only offer you advise. You know the whole situation and how volatile it is or isn't. You know if your daughter is just pushing your husband's buttons, or if he truly is a danger to you and your daughter. If he is a danger, GET OUT NOW! If, it is just unfortunate circumstances that have occurred then you perhaps need to go to counseling with your husband and daughter, if you should choose to stay in the marriage. Your relationship can be repaired with your daughter. But, there needs to be some open communication. The same for your husband if you should to choose to stay with him. Your daughter is not a child. She is an adult, albeit, a young adult. With her being an adult, you do realize that she won't physically be in the same house with you for long or if at all? So, with a divorce, you will be on your own. If you are in an abusive relationship, getting a divorce IMO would be preferable than staying in the marriage. You know if your spouse has been abusive to you. You need to decide what you want to do. It will be a hard decision. Pray and ask for guidance and it will be given to you.

I like what Dr. Paul McHugh from Johns Hopkins has to say: “’Sex change’ is biologically impossible,” People who undergo sex-reassignment surgery do not change from men to women or vice versa. Rather, they become feminized men or masculinized women. Claiming that this is civil-rights matter and encouraging surgical intervention is in reality to collaborate with and promote a mental disorder.” http://cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/johns-hopkins-psychiatrist-transgender-mental-disorder-sex-change Should we show compassion for such folk? Certainly. And, if someone within our influence has these tendencies, I believe we should try to make sure they are receiving the counseling they obviously need from doctors who actually understand the disorder rather than trying to conform to political correctness.

NightSG, I was never a single parent, but even being married, my husband and I never had friends we swapped babysitting with. Perhaps, we weren't the outgoing type, but we literally had no one to go to for babysitting. We didn't even know who the teenage kids in the ward were who would babysit. If I didn't have my mom or my mother-in-law to baby sit, we didn't go out. And, both of them lived 45 minutes away from us. Now, I'm not saying we couldn't have found someone in a crunch. I suppose we could ask a neighbor in an emergency, but it would have had to be a life-and-death emergency to ask our neighbor. It was most likely our own fault for not finding babysitters, besides family, but that's the way we were.

Courts do not always give custody to the mothers. My husband's ex-wife was the primary care giver to their two chidden. Yet, my husband received full custody. She was not a drunk nor an addict. During their divorce there was a guardian-ad-litem for the children, and it was deemed that the children would be better off with their father. So, that was how the judge ruled. His ex did have 8 months to come forward and try for custody, but she chose not to. She was not required to pay child support. I think if she was required to pay, she would have tried for custody. She also did not receive any alimony. Now, in my sister's divorce, she received custody of the minor children, but she did not receive any alimony. The judge ruled that she willfully chose to be underemployed, (she had a part time job rather than full), so she didn't deserve any alimony.

I've known about this for years too. Pregnant women are cautioned to not change cat litter boxes. I've grown up with cats. We currently have two cats. I most likely am infected with the parasite.