my two cents

Thanks Roo.  I'll start this off by telling a story of my own father.  This is from back when I was a teenager so it happened a LONG time ago.
I grew up in San Diego less than 5 miles from Tijuana, Mexico.  My dad was huge on helping those in Tijuana that had absolutely nothing.  I went along with him a few times when he went down there to do some work for people.  He got to know quite a community of people who lived on the side of a hill in cardboard shacks.  He was always taking them food and formula for babies and other items that they might need.  
Unfortunately a fire broke out in this community and wiped it out.  A baby died in the fire.  The family was so poor they couldn't even afford the 5 pesos to get the baby out of the morgue so they could bury it.  My dad not only paid this fee but also for the funeral and burial which he also officiated.
My dad taught me to have a great love of the people in Mexico which I still have to this day.  He taught me a lot about compassion for those less fortunate.  We didn't have a lot of money ourselves in those days but yet my dad found ways to help out these people.  
Let me tag @mirkwood and @classylady
 
 

Everyday in our lives we see acts of service. Some acts of service go unseen, and some make a big impact on someones day, or even their lives. 
I thought it would be fun to start a tag where you recognize an act of service, however you'd like. Maybe share a story, or just say I saw so and so do something great today...
If the service was done for you, maybe write how it impacted you.
It can be recent, or old.
Everytime you post something, tag someone to share theirs on this thread.
I'd like to tag a bunch of random people to start this! :
@NeuroTypical @Sunday21 @MormonGator @sarah_22 @DoctorLemon
@pam
Dont forget to tag a bunch and like this so we can spread it! 
Galatians 5:13
"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."
"May we show our love and appreciation for the Savior's atoning sacrifice through our simple, compassionate acts of service." -Elder M. Russel Ballard

@askandanswer. Looks like this guy is on his way to be a general authority real soon!

Another option is to talk to the Stake Pres instead.  He may need to tell the Branch Pres about not having you help with the sacrament but it shouldn't go beyond that so he (BP) wouldn't be able to tell your parents the reason behind it.

When I divorced my ex-wife, a non-member who was a heck of a cheater, I was DONE! FINI! Career military and hard core send me to Iraq or A-stan where I belong mentality. Hard of heart, angry beyond measure, hated the world and I wanted to burn it all down. I was the NOPE guy, NOPE to dating, NO I don't want to talk to you, absolutely finished with such stupid notions. The Bish was great, gentle, told me to pray about it. No, I didn't, had zero interest in a change of heart. 
Fast forward a fist full of years, this short skinny dark haired adorable Mormon girl found me and would not go away (Seriously) and managed to find every crack in the huge walls I had built. It was hopeless, she knew just how to talk to me, how to handle me, my fears, torments, everything. She still has me hopelessly. I'm sealed to her. Buddy, I didn't go easy, I was often in tears the whole way, scared too, still angry then. I got out of the Army a few months after marrying her. She's still working at chipping away at my walls, but she's allowed to.  It took HER, like the only person with the key to ME, to get close. I've finally married someone heavenly father approved of, instead of choosing Mrs. Wrong again, Miss. LDS chose me. 
Sometimes things don't always click, sometimes I'm still SSG Jerkwad, She has the one thing I've keep under lock and key since I was brought into this world, she has my heart.
OP, where you go from here is up to you. I can't tell you what to do, only you know. I can only tell you how it went with me. It's scary letting someone in, it's scarier thinking you'd ever say "good bye", so don't say "good bye", not when you find you love her.  Excuse me, I've got to go tell my wife that I love her.  

I'll retell a story I've already told.
I served my mission in Italy. I was first a senior companion in Cagliari, on the south coast of the island of Sardinia. Six elders lived in an apartment near to a small pizza restaurant, where we would occasionally eat. One day, after talking with my companion about Hawaiian pizzas, I took a small can of crushed pineapple to the pizza restaurant and asked that they make a pizza with ham on it (not that unusual), and also put the pineapples on it. They asked me a half-dozen questions to make sure they understood what I wanted, then sort of held their breath while they took my money and made the pizza. When it was done, literally the whole staff came to watch it get pulled out of the oven. I asked if anyone wanted a taste, but they all said, "Oh, no, that's okay, we're good." And yes, it was absolutely delicious, the perfect marriage of authentic Italian pizza perfection and sweet American irreverence.

Not legal advice from a lawyer is still $50.

It sounds like you're off to a great start!  A couple ideas to consider:
- One thing that helped me was looking at pounds as well as % and 'new dividend (if that's the right word).  For instance, if I was hoping to see a 4 pound change and didn't reach it, maybe I was now in the 150's or lost another 2% or whatever.  That way I wouldn't be as disappointed.  {hope that made sense}
- One other thing that may help - pick a clothing item to try on *every once in a while*.  This can also be motivating.
- Don't be surprised if 2 weeks out of the month, the numbers don't reflect your effort (women's cycle) so just keep at it.
- Words are powerful and your spirit/body will follow what you tell it so don't be saying 'you're fat' because that's not what you want to be.
- Unless you want to find the weight again, release it instead of lose it.
- You need to address the emotions that got you to this place.  We are physical, emotional, mental and spiritual beings and they're all connected.  If you only address one side of things, your success will be limited.
I'll chime back in if I think of anything else.  You can do this!  Take one day and...step...at a time.

That's almost as weird as the pineapple must feel when it shows up on my slice of pizza.  

Thank you. I've decided to continue reading the book of Mormon before I move on to other books, with the exception of essays or teachings on Scripture that help me better understand what I'm reading.  I'm only on 1 Nephi 19, but until today I spent more time being sidetracked with reading Wikipedia and websites than what I should have been reading.  Thank you for getting me back on track.
I'm enjoying it thus far, and I'm glad I decided to focus here.  You probably don't realize it, but you helped considerably.  Oddly, I also received a text from the "online" missionaries and a call from my local ones.    I will say, Nephi says "and it came to pass...." a lot.  Must have been the vernacular of the day.

Another option is to talk to the Stake Pres instead.  He may need to tell the Branch Pres about not having you help with the sacrament but it shouldn't go beyond that so he (BP) wouldn't be able to tell your parents the reason behind it.

Another option is to talk to the Stake Pres instead.  He may need to tell the Branch Pres about not having you help with the sacrament but it shouldn't go beyond that so he (BP) wouldn't be able to tell your parents the reason behind it.

My parents call themselves heathens, so I know I am not insulting them.
Also I think that your standpoint on this is very one-sided, therefore you do not make a valid argument @Maureen

A reason why this issue rankles:  We really are treating LGBT as a kind of race or human category, even as we know there is sin. Why does it seem off to say gay sex is just like any other sin, and we don't call people out on them? It sounds right, but feels wrong. Awhile back I heard the unintended answer. A minister with the Presbyterian Church USA (which recently approved its ministers officiating gay weddings) explained why he could not (he doesn't have to, btw). The challenge came thus, "So, would you officiate the wedding of two open, admitted, unabashed gossipers?"
"Well, if it was brought to my attention, and they admitted it, then probably not. However, chances are, through some counseling, they would repent of their gossiping, promise to 'go and sin no more,' and I would be able to officiate their wedding."
You see where this is going, right? His conclusion?  "How can a gay couple do that, and then ask me to go ahead and officiate their wedding?"
Our struggle with LGBT issues is not so much that it is a special kind of sin (all sexual ones are), but that most do not recognize it as any kind of sin. There is no repentance. Instead, God or the church get blamed. Nevertheless, in the work place, unless the co-worker is seeking spiritual counsel we really have no jurisdiction.

@Maureen I just went through and actually read almost everything. I had no idea this was all bout me. I also dont know why I didnt find it sooner.
I think that (to say this in the rudest way possible) you should just stop.
Why is it any of your busniess? Honestly you want the church to make it so that people with non mormon families should not be allowed to join the church? Wow. Just wow.
If anything Im glad I was baptized young because if not, I probably would not have the same standards i have through the church that I have grown to follow.
Also I think that children who make that decision should feel proud, not scared. My circumstances are very different than most cases and you only know the details of what i have shared. And my parents are not idiots. Also they do what they think is best for me, they dont know whats going on with how i feel about it because I havent shared it with them. I dare you to blame it on my parents when you have little knowledge of my situation.
You have no place to make that kind of judgement.
Thats all and I bid you good day.

@RooTheMormon, my mom and I were the only members all through my childhood.  Not quite the same as you, but I never felt like anyone felt I was less faithful than any of the other kids in the ward.  I think the handful of members who think that way are a very small group.
 
 

*cough cough*
I was baptized when I was 9 and I have non-lds parents.
For some reason, I get the feeling that people take us faithful children who have heathens for parents as nt as faithful as those raised in the church.
If you love the church and Heavenly Father, and if you truly do believe with all your heart, you will get through it.
I think its ridiculiousridiculous for anyone to thibk otherwise.
Heavenly Father never gives you a challenge you cant overcome.
And no one could understand the struggle of this unless theyve been through it themselves, but its a test of faith.
Go read my post "How Being The Only Mormon Has Affected Me"
Im sorry, but this really irritated me. Who are you to say what people can and cant overcome?

Whatever you may have read, it is NOT true that girls can't confess stuff like that to their Bishop.  In fact you need to have a little discussion before you get a renewal for your limited temple recommend.

Thought you just wanted to know what songs were sung.  Didn't realize you wanted a playlist of sorts.  Anyway, have you checked youtube?

Yes.
No.
No, at least temporarily.  Regardless, you may or may not be required to abstain from partaking the sacrament.  Your bishop/branch president will determine what is appropriate to your situation.
No, not if all of this was happening during that time.
No, the Lord will validate the baptism regardless of and in spite of your worthiness as a proxy.
Yes.
No, your ordinations are still valid.  They will become fully validated between you and the Lord upon your sincere and completed repentance.
Most likely you would be commended for your sincere desire to repent, overcome, and draw closer to the Lord.  You should expect to leave the meeting with him at peace and uplifted by the Spirit of the Lord.  You can expect the joy of knowing you are fulfilling the path of repentance the Lord has prescribed.  You might possibly be given a time frame to abstain from blessing, passing, or partaking of the sacrament.  The time frames may be different, such as don't partake for 1 month, don't pass or bless for 2 months; they might also be the same, the bishop will use the spirit to determine what is best.
Missionaries who falter with an act of masturbation, for example, are generally required to continue partaking the sacrament no matter what because the leadership of the Church have determined that it is prudent in the eyes of the Lord to not allow the members or investigators to question their worthiness.  While it is unlikely, given you are the only priest, there's always a very tiny chance that a similar inspiration could come to your bishop/branch president.
Over time you would become fully clean and be ready to serve a mission.  I would expect an absolute maximum length of 1 year for your repentance process, but given the specifics you have shared, if I were your bishop, I would say between 3 and 6 months would be more than enough to determine you have sincerely repented, and to walk with you through the repentance process.  (Disclaimer: I have never been a bishop or branch president)  In the MTC I learned that an Elder who confesses the sin of sexual intercourse while in the MTC is not sent home if his repentance has been and is sincere, so long as the transgression is more than 3 years in the past.  (No, I did not commit such a sin myself, however, it came up in an interesting discussion with my MTC branch president).
You will also very likely need to meet with the Stake President.  Sexual intercourse outside of marriage is a serious sin, and should not never be considered lightly.  Don't ever do it again, this is God's power being used improperly!
There would be no reason to not allow you to attend seminary.  In fact, your bishop would be well pleased with your desire to attend.  It is further evidence of your sincerity.
The bishop would not tell anyone (unless he felt it necessary to include your parents which is entirely reasonable), however, your parents might ask you on their own.  People will try and make guesses and might look at you funny.  That is the result of their own wickedness, pride, and improper judgement.  Regardless, I can assure you no one will ever know about your homosexuality unless you choose to disclose it, or unless your Church leaders act improperly (highly unlikely in a case like yours).  You have no cause to be ashamed for your repentance, only for your sins of the past.  Once your repentance is complete, you may consider it as if you had never committed those acts, for this is how the Lord sees it.  You will be clean!  
You will absolutely be able to go.  It is not even close to being too late.  I would expect you to still be able to go before turning 19.  You should also consider telling your dad that you do think you want to serve a mission, but that you know you need to prepare yourself to go.
You need to know that the Lord loves you.  You have not done anything that will keep you from His love.  His hand is stretched out still, all the day long, for you.  Repent!  Draw near unto Him.  Read your scriptures.  Pray fervently and sincerely.  At this point the only thing holding you back is fear, but Christs love casteth out all fear.  I can tell you already that even just the strength of your desire to repent is preparatory to your becoming a valiant soldier of God!  Your homosexuality, nor your sins, need to define who you are, they are merely attributes of your mortal and physical state.  You are a son of God.  His plan is for you.  Repent!  Just do it, and partake of the fruit of His love.  I promise you will find joy you have never known, or have long since forgotten.  You will strengthen your testimony, and will become a strong witness of the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

This will end if you go see the branch president, Oracle - please trust us on that.  It may still be hard, but it'll be the good hard, the hard of work and progress, as opposed to the hard of despair.
Even if you aren't able to administer the sacrament, and even if people think you did something, they won't know what, and it won't matter.  What matters is you getting the help you need to get right with the Lord - that is worth any sacrifice.  Humbling yourself enough to get through that will make you so much stronger, and bring you so much closer to the Lord.
Instead of saying, "I can't...", start saying, "I will not let anything come between me and the Lord."  Keep repeating that until you have the strength - the longer you wait, the harder it will be, the sooner you act, the sooner bad feelings will be replaced with good.
You still have my prayers.  And lots of e-hugs.

Just fyi - Members of EQ presidencies is handled by the stake.
I'm sorry that happened, Sunday. 

@Grunt
I was born and raised Mormon. Lived half my life in Colorado and the other half in Utah, Mormon Capital of the universe.
Always went to church, prayed might and day. I've never sworn (on purpose or out of anger), drank, smoked, done drugs. Be never been there, done that and never got a single t-shirt for any of them.
I'm your typical peter priesthood Utah Mormon. The kind you see on magazines.
I say this not to brag, but to make a point. 
About my sophomore year of highschool I really began diving into the church and really trying to understand the gospel. I began pondering some of the stories of Christ and Joseph Smith and began finding things that didn't make sense to me. I found aspects of the situation between Pilate, Christ and the Atonement of Christ rather disturbing. I literally asked every church leader I could for a year and never got an answer. But I didn't let that keep me from church and doing what I KNEW was right.
3 years later I was at a conference listening to a leader speak about God's Plan of Salvation for us and my question about Pilate and Christ was far from my mind. He began speaking on a certain topic and the spirit brought that question running back into my mind and within 15 minutes it all made sense to me and my question was answered.
This has happened quote a few times in my life and in similar fashions, always quite a bit of time later do the answers to my biggest questions come.
Here is what I learned: God blesses those who are patient and faithful. If things don't make sense, quiting is a sure fire way of never learning.
I too have had questions pertaining to Joseph Smith, but going forward with faith has generally fixed the questions.
ALSO! Not sure why, but we as Christians tend to believe miracles in the Bible, but when we hear similar events occurring only 200 years ago or even yesterday, we become skeptical and quicker to reject.
God wants us to learn and progress spiritually and intellectually. In fact I believe the more you understand the gospel, the more you come closer to Heavenly Father,
So ask questions  but don't let an unanswered question drive you away, we will never know everything

Sunday weigh-in: I lost another 4 lbs! So from 275, I'm down to 267 now! For my free day, I chose to eat at Hickory for dinner with the family and I had the sourdough chicken sandwich - crispy. I was also peer pressured by an uncle to take a bite of cheesecake. There was a Karie Anne visit earlier in the week and we did stop by Maverik for a large soda drink...with a couple squirts of extra flavor syrup. So, there were a couple choices there that weren't so good but over all, it was great! I'm feeling very good lately, very energetic and the walking is starting to get easier. Not this week but next week, the singles ward I'm going to with my cousin, is going to be going doing trek, so, I hope to get involved in that as well! All of this activity will pay off and I'll be able to walk decently!

Does anyone find it interesting that the lds church was critised for not allowing the children of gay couples to be baptized? Oh how restrictive! Now in contrast we are being criticized for allowing children to be baptized. Oh how loose, how lax! We really can't win!