brycematheson

Your question is kind of a tough one to answer, simply because each and every person is so different from another. I changed a great deal on my Mission. Did my personality change? Maybe a little bit. I think I grew up quite a bit on the Mission. Did my interests change? No, not really, aside from the fact that I was a lot more dedicated to my religion than I was before I left. To me, it's pretty obvious that you're just worried about your boyfriend changing so much that when he gets home, he won't want to date you. My advice is to just let it go, and let whatever happens, happen. Two years is also a long time. I'm sure you love your boyfriend, but a year or so from now, you may be interested in someone else. Just my two cents.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post links to my own content on here or not, so if not, I can delete this. But anywho, I wrote up a blog post on "13 Tips to Quit Masturbating" on my Blog, and it's one of the most viewed posts. Give it a look to see if you can't find something to help you out: 13 Tips to Quit Masturbating - LayTreasuresInHeaven.com

His Grace is Sufficient - Brad Wilcox I'm sure many of you have read this already, and if not, READ IT. I love the way he describes grace. Incredible. I feel like I need to read this talk on a weekly basis as a constant reminder.

People often poke fun of things that they don't fully understand. Take it as a good thing, as they're worried about you and your well being. Have you simply tried talking with them and letting them know where you stand? Or at least explain to them why you're making the decision that you are?

In my personal opinion, the reason that you're evening coming here to look for help is sort of an indication that you have something working inside of you, no? If you didn't have some sort of a testimony, or at least a little tiny bit of Faith built up inside, why would you even care? Why would you still be attending Church? The Bishop is there to help you. And we are too, but as your Priesthood leader, the Bishop is entitled to the specific help and revelation that you need at this time. Continue with the three basic things that we're always asked to do: Read, Pray, and go to Church. As you're searching for a desire to even do those things, and meeting with your Bishop, you'll find the things that you're searching for.

I'd say that as long as you weren't actively searching it out, you're fine. It's all where your true intentions lie. If you had sat there and watched it for a minute or two before turning it off, I might say that constitutes some repentance.

Congratulate him (them) and leave it at that. You might not support their actions, but you can still be happy that they're happy.

The covenant of baptism is a two-way deal. We keep our end of the deal, and God keeps His. From the point of your baptism, it sounds like you had a hard time keeping your end of the deal. But now that you're ready to do that, God will accept that as long as you're willing to repent. So don't worry about the past. Don't worry about being "re-baptized." Work hard, change, repent, partake of the Sacrament, and move forward. That's ultimately what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about. Yes, the physical act of baptism is, to a lot of people, 'the start.' And you feel like you didn't really accept your 'start' as you would have hoped. Unfortunately, being re-baptized a second time is very rare and most likely won't happen again. But speak to your Bishop. He's going to be your best source for counsel.

I personally don't believe that every dream has a meaning. I think dreams are just more of what's going on in our subconscious. Many times I've had dreams, and in the morning I can think back to the dream, and how each aspect of the dream had something to do with the day before. However, that being said, I've received some very strong answers to questions I've been having through dreams. So yes, I do think that dreams are a way to answering. As one person earlier said, what questions did the Missionaries ask you or what points of doctrine were you not quite comfortable with? Maybe we can help answer some of your concerns, or shed some light on why those are there. The Missionaries are there to help and are pushy for a reason. They know that the next step is baptism, and that's their main goal in teaching you. They're good at what they do, and they obviously want to help you get to that point. Ultimately, you have to go to the source. Pray and ask your Father in Heaven what you should do. If you're thirsty and need a drink of water, you can either drink from the ocean, the river, or the stream. They're all sources of water, but which one is the cleanest? Go directly to your Father in Heaven and ask Him what he wants from you.

Personally, I feel that having a daughter wondering if she is supposed to go or not at the age of 16 is a little bit too young. I think it's different for men, as they should be preparing for a Mission from the time that they are little and working and saving. Plus, if many men don't decide to serve a Mission from a young age, they usually don't end up going. This doesn't seem to be the case for women. If your daughter turns 19 years old and decides that she would like to serve, then absolutely. I would support her in every way possible and would encourage her to go. But if she doesn't serve, nobody will look down on her. Pressure to serve a Mission isn't placed on women as it is with men, as it is part of their Priesthood duty. But for now, let her enjoy High School. She can think about it later. Just my personal opinion.

On my Mission, we taught quite a few people on their front porches or in parks (as someone else mentioned). It's warmer out now, depending on where you live, so that might be an option?

Ah! Praetorian_Brow got to it before I did. I was going to suggest that. The Book of Mormon stories are a great resource! I might be grown, but I still love to read through it from time to time. It goes through the most important events in the Book of Mormon in a story form with pictures and easy-to-read captions. They have one of those for each of the major books of Scripture. I'd give that a shot.

Honestly, I feel that if the Spirit has been touching you that much, you need to follow the promptings that you're receiving. But obviously, do it carefully, as others have said. Make sure that although your husband might not be interested, that he's supportive of the decision and that it won't cause any contention or fighting within your marriage and family situation. You also mentioned that you don't feel like you have very much faith. It's okay. Faith begins slowly, but continues to grow over time. You may or may not be familiar with Alma 32 in the Book of Mormon. If not, you should take a second to read it. It's an entire lecture on Faith, and it's great. It talks about how there are some who feel that they have little to no faith, but that you should take whatever you DO have (even if it's just a desire to believe), and to let it work within you. Keep it up! It's not an easy road, but it's so worth it. I love this Gospel.

Relax. It's obvious it was an accident. No worries. I drank tea on my Mission (on accident, obviously) for the first time. Nothing happened. You're now aware that the dessert had Coffee.

As just about everyone has reiterated here, your Bishop is the one who holds the keys. Talking to him is the best way to start the repentance process. While talking to your Seminary Teacher is fine as well, he can't grant forgiveness. My guess is that he would encourage you to speak with your Bishop as well. Although speaking with a Bishop about certain things can be nerve-wracking or scary, just know that he's there to help you. The matters that you and him discuss are confidential and he cannot share them with anyone else.

One thing that kind of worried me was when you said: I've sinned before, but who cares that I may or may not have done something worse than my neighbor or my friend? You shouldn't have to compare yourself to other people, because it only makes you feel worse. Instead of comparing yourself to others, occupy your time with worthwhile things such as reading the Scriptures. Make sure that you have no down time. There's a quote that says, "An idle mind is the Devil's workshop." And it's true. Keep yourself busy. Also, speak with your Bishop. They're there for a reason. Never feel ashamed to go talk with them.

Could you maybe describe a little bit more about what you're talking about? I think I've got an idea, but more details would help us to answer your question.

I always believe that there are two sides to every story. However, regardless of who is and who isn't right in each situation, it's always possible to come back to Church. Nothing you've done (or haven't done) can prevent you from coming back to the Gospel. The Savior is always there with his arms outstretched waiting for us to come to him. Like others have said, make an appointment with the Bishop as soon as you can. If you're worried about going to Church and making an appearance first, you can look around and find the number of the Executive Secretary (the person who plans the Bishop's appointments and schedule) and make an appointment with him. The Bishop can then council you before you ever have to go to Sacrament meeting. Just an idea. Just remember that the Bishop is there to help you and will do all in his power to do so.

I'm assuming that the overweight person is a man and is interested in a woman. We have to remember that regardless of how the man looks, the woman still has her agency. She simply may not be attracted to the man. That's her choice, and there's nothing we can do to change that. Now, this may be slightly off-topic, but I'll go about it anyway. I remember hearing a story of a man going and talking to a general authority about "Marriage after this life." He had pretty much given up the hope that he was going to be able to get married in this life. He had looked, but never really found anyone. The man was extremely overweight, but was just convinced he would receive his marriage after this life. The general authority responded, "Have you really? Have you REALLY tried all that you can to get married? Have you tried losing weight? Have you done this... this... and this...?" Now, like I said, I don't know if that's applicable to this situation or not, but maybe someone can find help in it?

Absolutely! There's nothing wrong with that. The main reason that we go to Sacrament meeting, (obviously) is to partake of the Sacrament. But I think it's great that you respect the Savior's atonement enough to try and quit smoking first before partaking of it. Not to make you more anxious than you already are, but I wouldn't be surprised if you had a lot of people come up to you before or after the Sacrament meeting to say "Hey!" or to introduce themselves. They most likely will try and coax you into going to Gospel Principles or Doctrine classes afterwards, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Welcome back! Take your time, too. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Little by little is great.

Sorry to raise a dead thread, but if anyone is looking for this talk, I've posted it here on my blog: The Restoration of the Church, Why Now? - Hyrum W. Smith - LayTreasuresInHeaven.com

I think it's important to stand firm in your beliefs and continu to let him know that you don't support his decision in leading a homosexual lifestyle. But obviously, continue to do all you can to support him. And obviously, just like everyone else has mentioned, prayers are a HUGE part of that. Constantly, constantly be praying for him. Keep in contact and continue to let him know that you are there for him. And this may sound bad, but ultimately, he has his agency...

I would have to agree. Just act like it never happened, and then jump back in full fledged. And whether people do or don't know, who cares? The Church isn't for other people. It's for you and your relationship with God. So like I said, just jump in. Don't hold back. Today you may be one way, but make tomorrow the first step towards coming back to full fellowship. The change in your life will be night and day!

Part of moving on with your life is forgetting and moving forward. Faith NEVER looks back. Faith always looks towards the Future. I say that you forget everything that happened in the past, and just move onto the next stage of your life. Also, I think it might be worth mentioning that not everything can be fixed with Faith and Prayer. Those are huge parts of it, but there are certain things in life that you simply can't get past until you go and talk to a counselor. Maybe try speaking with your Bishop or getting in contact with Family Services. They've worked miracles for people.

I couldn't agree more with what everyone else has already said on this topic: Do you truly love God? Or are you just trying to hide your sins? Also, if you really love your boyfriend, it would be good to go and talk to the Bishop. You've realized that it's a big mistake, and it sounds like both of you are on the same page. And that's not to say that it will be an easy path to take, but as soon as you get the repentance process started, the sooner you can get rid of the huge feelings of guilt.