NikiB

That was a real good help Finrock! Im very black and white and never do things by halves and when i decided to come back to church i knew it would be completely. i want to go to the temple and gain the blessings that are promised. i want my son to grow up with the gospel and i will teach him well so he can gain these blessings also. could i compromise this? no way and i will never sacrifice god and his commandments. i know the choice i have to make and that i need to make that choice very soon and pray for strength every day to deal with the fall out. thank you so very much for your support. NikiB

you are right marriage isnt an unreasonable desire.....for me! he did propose to me after our son was born but i wear no ring to show of the engagement. he didnt see the need to get me one and maybe hes right but even before i decided to go back he told me he doesnt actually want to get married. it left me believing that we were on different paths in life as i find it important! now im going back to he gospel its offers more questions. im not selfish in anyway. i dont know when god answers my prays all i know that when ive prayed recently about comming back ive felt warm and light and know its the holy ghost. but how can i recognize the answer to the prays im having about this? its not like he can just talk to me....

thanx happy boy i went to church today and had a great experience and knew i was doing the right thing! i also found it easier to understand and to focus! i got a blessing from the 1st councilor in the bishopric and felt overwhelmed by the spirit. i have some things i need to work through but it will all be worth it. the one thing in the whole world im looking forward to is being able to take the sacrament again! i hated passing it by.. i have so much respect for your courage to go back as i know how hard the first steps are. :)

before i start i want to give a brief history so u understand my concerns.... I went back to church for the first time in 12 years today and had such a wonderful experience. the members were lovely and the missionaries helped me so much to fit in. unfortunately the bishop is on holiday for 2 weeks (just my luck!) but i spoke to the 1 councilor instead. i didn't go into detail with him but one thing that upset me while talking to him is my current living situation which is what im asking advice on. I have a little boy who is 4 and is my life. Im still with his father and have been for 5 years but we are not married. he doesn't want to get married and wants nothing to do the church. he gets defensive when i talk about it and thinks im trying to convert him. however he is okay with my son and i going. i want to progress in the church and want my son to be taught properly so he has a great start in life but i dont know what to do with my living situation. in order to repent i have to stop living with my partner after having a full sexual relationship for 5 years and having a child with him which will leave me my relationship in ruins. if i carry on living with him where does that leave my position in the church? i can sacrifice my faith but dont wanna hurt my partner either! i need help!! please help!

i felt the same when i was your age. the girls my age that had strong testimonies of the gospel werent my friend and the girls that didnt have strong testimonies were. i was judged for being good and it was hard. i had alot of resentment because of this and i left. i left because of the people and i regret it. im older now and know that my faith is between me and god and not for anyone else to judge. you hold ur head up high when you go back, if these girls dont talk to you show them love and dont let anyone get you down. if you feel bad about your bishop talk to him about it. bishops can still learn a thing or 2.... good luck when u go to college, dont forget ever to read the book of mormon or pray. that is what will help you the most. i promise :)

the social aspect is what scares me the most. that was on the the reasons i left in the first place. the folk in the church i grew up in were so very judgmental towards me when i was doing good and non judgmental to the ones who weren't... i am asking god every day for his support on Sunday and keep on reminding myself that its not the people but the religion i am going back for. im sure i will be fine i just cant help the butterflies. i will definitely let you all know how i get on. thanx for your support :)

Awwww thank you so much. that made me smile... im looking forward to whats to come and prepared to do what it takes to feel the full love of god again. its good to know theres folk out there willing to offer support and will definatly take up that offer... :)

thank you beef! that makes things clear to me and gives confidene to discuss this in detail with my bishop. take care :)

Thank you so much much for taking the time to reply such supportive messages. its always good to be prepared instead of going in blind to anything. im doing that to a point however your words have brought me comfort. i didnt know there was a gospel principle class at all so that good to know and as for a calling? maybe one day :)

hello! i wanna give u a second of background before i start asking questions.... I'm an inactive member who is preparing to go to church for the first time on sunday in almost 12 years. i am so excited about it and cant wait to get my life back. i am fully prepared to change my life completely however i have something i need to ask about getting sealed. I have the most beautiful little boy who is almost 4. I am still in a pre-marrital relationship with his father who wants nothing to do with the church (he thinks all religions starts wars) even though he is fully supportive of my decision to go back and to also include my son. i don't know where our relationship is going to go as he also doesn't want to get married but that's a whole other thread :) i want to know if i can get sealed to my son with out his father? it breaks my heart to think that i wont be able to as that would be the worst thing for a mother and her child. please help me understand sealings and what they mean. can u be with family your not sealed to after life? I would appreciate any advice you can give at this time. Thank you N x

Hi everyone :) I am absolutly new to this however i am excited that i have come across such a wonderful website. I am an inactive member of the church and have been for alomost 12 years. i used to have a strong testimony of the teachings of the chuch and the word of the book of mormon, however, personal experiances i had with church members and at home led me to try to find "happiness" else where. Believing i iknew it all (as you do in your mid teens) i believed i had everything under control. moved away from my family and from my faith and to cut a long story short, here i am now almost 27 and finding my feet with faith again. I have no church friends because i havnt met anyone yet and the family i have that are members live a long distance away. i am very aware that any progress i make in the church i will have to make on my own, so finding a website dedicated to the beliefs of the church that encourages and supports everyone in whatever possitions in life they are in, i know will benifit me greatly. its what i am looking for... a feeling of belonging to a community with strength and support as i go back to church and regain my testimony. I know god is real. I know the plans he has for us and i love him for it no matter how hard it may be at times. I love the words of the book of mormon and cant wait to study it and gain great depths of knowledge. The respect i have for Joseph Smith out weighs any i have for any living person i know today. Just as Jesus did, he also sacrificed his life for us and endured to the end. If he can do it so can i. I will be going to church for the first time for a longtime on sunday and cant wait for my new life to begin. thank you for taking time to read this. i apreciate it very much love to all, NikiB xx