clwnuke

I didn't care about this question when I was young, but a friend of mine recently lost his spouse and it made me think that I would be very disappointed if I lost my wife and could not return to serve in Japan as a full-time senior missionary. It's something that I have prepared for all my life. Can anyone point me toward an article or a previous discussion on why there is a different policy for senior single men and women? The FAQs on the Senior Missionary site really don't address why, they simply point out that single men can serve service missions instead.

I simply want to say is that I was impressed with this man's presentation. It was factually accurate, devoid of bias, and spot on the problems we currently experience every day in the Western Interconnection, Eastern Interconnection, and in Ercot with integrating renewable power sources. The grid is a very complicated system that most people don't understand. He did a great job explaining the core elements and why integrating renewables is difficult. Oh, just one other thing - the 10-30% number is indeed accurate, but it represents a capacity factor. A solar panel may be producing electricity from 8AM to 8PM, but the capacity factor is different than just the time spent producing. Capacity factors represent how much energy it produces in that time compared to the total it could have produced. Example: A 1MW capacity solar farm produces 0.5MW on a clear day in the winter for 12 hours. The capacity factor would be = (0.5MW*12hours)/(1MW*24hours) = 25%. If anyone has specific nuclear or real-world grid questions I'd be glad to try to answer them.

Just some random, not well thought out or reviewed thoughts 1. Keep the field wide open. Consider everyone you respect and associate with as a possible courting partner. Most importantly, don't narrow the list to just the attractive ones. Life has taught me that attraction can come after getting to know someone. 2. Date people long enough to get over the "honeymoon phase" so you can see clearly. Or, if you've known this person long enough to know their character and values, begin dating to determine if you are compatible in more intimate types of discussions. 3. Narrow the field to those that make you want to be a better son or daughter of God after being with them. Which person makes you want to be more worthy before God, and makes you feel like they are your biggest supporter and advocate for righteousness? Kinda how I feel after a great General Conference Priesthood session. 4. Consider the results of a weeding test. Take them on a service project to go weeding in a garden or a flower bed and see if you guys can work happily together. Marriage is far more work than daily bliss. I encouraged all my daughters to weed test their boyfriends and not to ignore the results. 5. Pray, pray, and pray again. But act wisely and proactively if no specific guidance is given. It's hard to see when you are young, but you really can have a successful marriage with many different types of people as long as the marriage is built upon righteous foundations. Final Note: Recognize that no matter who you date and marry, both of you will change over time. Commit to being loyal through all of the changes, recognizing that in extreme circumstances marriages may need to end. I sure wish I'd been wise enough to do all this when I was young!

On Sunday night my father-in-law passed away. He allowed me to give him a blessing for the first time ever that evening. I released him from the cares and concerns of mortality and blessed him with peace and help from heaven. He passed away peacefully three hours later. He was a good man, but not religious. His time on earth ran out, but I'm quite certain that he's doing some on-site family history work now. When I hear President Nelson say time is running out, I think of all the blessings the Gospel could have provided my father-in-law before Sunday. Every day that we don't reach out spiritually to receive those blessings, we are missing out on the joy they can bring.

Ryan, I would focus your life on two things: 1. Do everything you can to have the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Grow as close to your Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as possible. Find a way, all ways, and any way to eliminate anything and everything from your life that is separating or distracting you from the influence of the Holy Ghost. 2. Follow all the promptings you receive and begin serving those immediately around you with love and without judgement. If you do those two things, you will most certainly receive heavenly guidance on what you should do in this situation as you sincerely seek it. God wants you to have joy, and His road map is the best one to follow to receive a fullness of it. May God bless you as you ponder!

I had a tough time being away from home while in the MTC and during the first two months in the field in Japan. But honestly, I don't think calling home each week would have helped. I think it would have made it worse! I like the change, but I hope missionaries will be prudent about not letting it interfere with their primary duties. Now, hopefully we can move on to some more substantial changes like wives being able to sit with their husbands on the stands when they are in the Bishopric

Tenants aren't the only housing deadbeats our there. Hundreds of thousands of homeowners in the US haven't made a payment in over 5 years. Many of them haven't made a payment in over 8 years. They are mostly deadbeats who have jobs and fancy cars, but who just decided to stop paying because they could - nobody was going to foreclose on them anytime soon. Why Bubble-Era Home Mortgages are a Disaster waiting to Happen And many of these mortgage deadbeats also trash their homes when they finally do get evicted. I personally saw it happen several times in expensive neighborhoods when I was an RE Broker in WA. Honor, integrity, and gratitude seem to be bygone virtues. No wonder men's hearts grow cold toward others. You need housing. I hope you find it and when you do, despite your impoverished conditions please take meticulous care of it! You will be blessed for your integrity.

I'm not sure you mean't to ask me, but I don't think she could have prevailed under any circumstances. Given the destructive trail she left at the MTC and on her mission before she was sent home I think it would have been better to address this entire affair privately and in the background. There was no benefit to going public except to try and pressure the church into a larger settlement. Perhaps that was bad advice from lawyers and MeToo advocates??? I agree with Suzie, I think she has issues that make her behavior unstable and unreliable. Mental illness is real, but the answer isn't winning a lawsuit.

"Crying is not corroboration. Anger, however righteous, is not evidence." That quote from this article pretty much sums up this entire time-wasting political abwasser. https://www.city-journal.org/ford-kavanaugh-testimony-16199.html

When my background was evaluated by an unnamed federal agency long ago, the polygraph was almost 5 hours long with breaks and repeated sessions. Three questions will tell you nothing. I am always skeptical when people describe childhood memories. Science does not support people recalling events from years ago with accuracy. In fact, science says even short term memory is notoriously bad. Without corroborating evidence, memories should generally be taken with a lot of salt. Polygraphs don't catch false memories that are genuinely, but mistakenly, remembered anyway. How the Brain Creates False Memories https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050205130345.htm Forgetting details, getting the gist may prompt false memories in older adults https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180321143722.htm False Memories Affect Behavior https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160245.htm Can We Believe Our Memories? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040401075501.htm

I still have Day Planners from the 90's. I would trust the information in those before I would trust anything in my memory or Ms. Ford's memory.

If you expand the definition of sexual assault far enough, you might as well fire 98% of all men from their current jobs. But to be consistent, you'll also need to fire the girls who grabbed my rear in high school and smiled as well. Where do you draw the line and let people move on?

But she is an accuser trying to stop a very political Supreme Court appointment .., Is her memory just as crystal clear during all of her other drunken times? Of course in this instance everything around the event is fuzzy, except for remembering Mr. Kavanaugh and his friend. Very selective. What distinguishes her other trysts with boys from this one? Does she remember all of them? Did she consent to all the others but not this one? All of this unfortunately becomes relevant because politics is a nasty game that motivates people to bend the truth. Of course, this time was different because she only had one beer - right? I've run for office and I'm a first hand witness to how many lies get told to advance political agendas. This is higher up with far greater stakes, and political machines will stop at nothing to reach their objectives. Unfortunately the American people are stuck in the middle.

Then Ms. Ford and Mr. Kavanaugh have much in common https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2018/09/27/blasey_ford_yearbooks.html However, there is simply nothing in all of the allegations that rises to the point of affecting someone's career thirty years later IMHO. This appears to me to be teenage drunken activities being spun into a harrowing tale of life and death for political purposes. It's not relevant to his past or future job performance.

Wow, a lot of discussion in the last little while. I've been on vacation and missed the great comments. Based on the recent comments I'd like to say a few things as an involved party: 1. From the Lord's perspective there is no excuse for a grown man engaging in any type of sexual conduct with someone other than his wife, period. President Bishop is responsible for his behavior no matter what it's full extent was. 2. That being said, I can understand how men and women can struggle with sexual matters. It is by far the most common weakness among people, and being a leader or a missionary doesn't change that. In this case, by admission of both Sister Hughes and President Bishop it was a weakness for both. Let me ask those who think this case is a straightforward example of President Bishop being a predator and Ms. Denson being an innocent victim the following: Why does Ms. Denson's own family not support her account or lawsuit? Is it possible that the victim knew about the hidden room before President bishop took her there? Is it possible that the victim and the accused went to the room willingly for sexual purposes? Would that make a difference to the claim of rape? Would it make any difference to this story if Mr. Bishop were to admit that he sought and experienced sexual encounters with people other than Sister Hughes while he served at the MTC? Would it make any difference to this story if Ms. Denson were to admit that she sought and experienced sexual encounters with people other than President Bishop during that same time frame in the MTC and as a missionary? Is it possible the Ms. Denson embellished her story a little? Could that be why President Bishop (despite being clearly confused at times) seemed to recall a lot of what Ms. Denson mentioned right up until she asked him about raping her on the secret tape?

I posted this information to serve at least two needs: 1. Long before Sister Hughes (Ms. Denson) "revealed" her identity I portrayed myself on these boards as someone who personally interacted with Sister Hughes in the MTC and people deserve to know if I am credible. Adding this information helps to confirm my statements. 2. The second is that the story being told by Ms. Denson and the media is incomplete. There is a virtual blackout of media coverage and interviews from people who interacted with her while in the MTC and mission. Ms. Denson went public to garner support and belief in her claims. I believe that same public deserves to know why many of us who knew her are highly skeptical of her overall story. Once you go public, ALL the details matter.

Hindsight is 20/20, but in that situation I think it would have been prudent to turn the MIC off before she ever got to the stand. Perhaps they didn't realize who she was, but they didn't need to wait to see what she would say. However, then she probably would have accused them of un-Christlike attitudes instead of assault. I also need to update some information that I posted earlier. I have gone back and added the corrections as edit notes in my posts. Sister Hughes was assigned to the Columbia Cali mission in the MTC, was then sent to Washington DC while waiting for a visa. She had an incident there and went back to Provo where she lived with a family that I know. The name of the family is redacted in police reports and I will leave it that way. Eventually, Sister Hughes was allowed to return to the field and went to the Wisconsin mission, not the Indianapolis mission like I had posted. It is my understanding that her mission eventually ended there. Sorry for the confusion.

Amen to that statement!

One of the Elders who was in my MTC district happens to be in the same ward as someone who was in the Indianapolis mission when Ms. Denson was there. Apparently there was some significant drama there that resulted in the end of her mission. It's hard for me to believe that what I've been told could have actually happened, so I'd rather be on the safe side and not share it until I can confirm it better. Of course the Church would already know from their records if it is true. One thing I find interesting is that her ex-husband considers her actions an insult to women who have actually been raped. I would assume that if exposing President Bishop's actions had been a life quest for Ms. Denson, then he would be completely familiar with her concerns, but he does not seem to be. She also didn't mention it to my friends who got to know her very well after her mission. I'd love to see some interviews with her family and ex just to get their perspectives on the matter. [Edit on 9/11/2018: It was not the Indianapolis mission, it was the Wisconsin mission.]

I've read that too. I wonder if she got moved from the DC, Spanish Speaking to Indianapolis at some point. Sorry about the change in my post. A friend texted just as I posted it so I went to edit it with the updated information. [Edit on 9/11/2018: Sister Hughes was sent to Washington D.C. to wait for a visa, then lived in Provo for a time before being sent to the Wisconsin mission]

I agree with you. I'm grateful they raised the bar. I'm not certain what mission Sister Hughes was assigned to in the MTC. Her name tag had Hermana Hughes but I think she ended up in Indianapolis. [Edit on 9/11/2018: Sister Hughes was assigned to the Columbia Cali mission in the MTC and was eventually sent to the Wisconsin mission, not the Indianapolis. She also had an interim period in Washington DC between the MTC and Wisconsin.]

Welcome to the site. I have openly shared my experiences with Sister Hughes in the MTC, and even sent them to reporters who showed absolutely zero interest. Many of my posts on media sites were denied approval because I was "sharing information that was not included in the news articles". But the additional information that I am aware of is highly personal and should only be shared by those involved. Perhaps at some point it will have to come out, but I really would prefer that it didn't for the sake of all those who managed to move on in life. My point is simply this - the story Ms. Denson told to the press and public about being an innocent and naive Sister missionary at the MTC that was groomed by a predator, and was then raped, is not an accurate or complete portrayal. She was an adult, and one who was sexually experienced and mature by her own admission. I would describe her as clever and wise to the world. Scheming and conniving would also unfortunately be words I would use to describe her. She actively and openly pursued Elders in the MTC and treated me with complete contempt when I confronted her and asked her to stop seeking out and physically touching an Elder in my district. These impressions are based on my own interactions with her at the MTC. Others may have had very different interactions and impressions. My prayer is that everyone involved can find a fair and private resolution grounded in humility, accountability, and forgiveness.

What frustrates me most about this recent Sacrament Meeting incident is that I had pretty much convinced myself to let the whole thing go and let the Lord handle it. Then this happens and wham - all the bad emotions from the MTC come right back. I'm simply tired of her playing the media and the public the same way she played with people at the MTC.

I don't know when she changed her name but she has used several different version of her names in her lifetime. There is only one news article that I've seen that delved into her past and here is the link: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-investigations/2018/03/24/amid-quiet-life-chandler-explosive-sexual-assault-allegations-hit-mormon-leader/449975002/ I believe there are extensive dossiers and reports on her because her conduct was so extensive and alarming that entire districts of missionaries like myself could readily identify even after thirty years who would be making the allegations just by reading the headlines - and well before she "revealed" who she was without mentioning that her name was June Hughes in the MTC. The police appear to be familiar with her as well. Here are some excerpts from the article that I think are most important: "As recently as February, the woman was arrested in New Mexico on suspicion of identity theft. According to a police report, she used an ex-boyfriend's name and Social Security number to obtain utility services and to lease an apartment. Detectives obtained a phone recording wherein the woman posed as the ex-boyfriend, using his name, according to the police report. That case is pending. Another police report, from South Carolina, describes a 1999 case in which the woman claimed she was pistol-whipped and locked in the trunk of a car by two men outside a restaurant where she had worked. Detectives learned she had been fired shortly before the incident and had made inquiries about the restaurant's security liability. They concluded she was dishonest and her report "unfounded." In separate interviews with The Republic, the woman's former husband and another family member also questioned her motives and credibility. On at least two additional occasions, they said, the woman reported being raped — once while on her Mormon mission in Washington, D.C. The ex-husband, who is not named in this report so as not to reveal the woman's identity, said, "This is an insult, especially, to women who have gone through something like that and really have been hurt." and "In a brief phone conversation, the accuser said LDS Church lawyers had prepared an extensive dossier on her background. She refused to address specific allegations but said, "Some of it's true. A lot of it isn't." The woman referred further questions to her attorney, Craig Vernon, who said trauma from sexual abuse led, in part, to his client's troubles. He would not address particular events except to acknowledge that she had fabricated the alleged rape in Washington, D.C."

I'm not familiar with the Madi Barney case. I'll have to look that one up. I actually tried to get a copy of all the police reports and the dossier on Denson early on, but nobody would forward a copy. I did get the police reports later just to confirm the time frame in which these events were reported to have happened. I don't anticipate that my information would be the most damaging. I have shared my story of confronting Sister Hughes and asking her to stop touching one of the Elders in our group, and being treated with contempt by her. She also invited him to "go on a walk" which he wisely declined. But I have deliberately not shared further knowledge that is much worse. I don't think it takes much imagination for people (especially church members and missionaries) to conclude what much worse might include. Several of us text and talk in the background about Ms. Denson. Some of us even thought about crashing one of her SLC press conferences and pointing out that she never mentioned any of the recent allegations at that time despite sharing just about every other intimate physical detail from her life. Her actions more than anything leads me to be skeptical of the complete veracity of her story. It's just a very sad situation for everyone.