Robert writes home #36 Aug 21, 1991 (Includes an essay on the Holy Ghost.)

Aug 21, 1991

Dear Mother,

It’s hard to settle back into the old routine. I keep wanting to go on trips. This summer was soo much fun. I don’t like to see it be over.

School stars in another week. Charlie is out for football that is an interesting phenomenon. The more they make those guys sacrifice. The more important they feel football is they’ve been practicing two 2 hr. sessions a day. One at 9am and then again at 5pm with extreme physical stress, just like it’s more than a dumb game that no one will remember what they did or who won, or if it mattered 10 years down the road. But I remember how it works. It relates to “Rooster Juice”, self-esteem, Peer group esteem and getting girls to notice you. I hope he gets through the experience without any serious injuries.

The weather is finally cooling a little (below 100) to the high 90’s.

Our Prayers are with you everyday

Love

Robert, Janet, Charlie and Sam

PS here’s a little essay:

                Holy Ghost

Read Moroni, 6:4

                The functions of the Holy Ghost intrigue me but I don’t understand them as clearly as I’d like to hear Moroni speaks of the Holy Ghost cleansing our souls after we are baptized as people recount this experience I think they experience a wonderful positive feelings of desiring only to do good and be in harmony with the spirit and the will of God. They feel no more obligations to get even or execute justice on those who have wronged them. They are at peace and can feel love for all mankind and feel loved by our Heavenly Father and Christ and the Holy Ghost.

Satan’s hosts usually increase their attack when they see you moving towards following the way Jesus would have you go if one yields to their temptation they will succeed in dispelling the influence of the Holy Ghost. Then you find yourself slipping back to your old self. But it’s possible to keep the influence of the Holy Ghost as a constant companion. Most of us struggle with this and find ourselves vacillating in and out of his influence. But I’m very impressed with the account of the Lamanites converted by Ammon in the book of Mormon who once converted were changed and wrought upon by the Holy Ghost and desired to do evil no more and buried their weapons and would be killed rather than risk being guilty of sin in defending themselves. They so treasured the companionship of the Holy Ghost that they didn’t want to do anything to risk losing it. I contrast this with some people who have been associated with gospel principles all of their lives and feel like they may be missing something in the outside world by living the gospel principles. So they walk kind of close to the edge of the devil’s territory, so to speak hoping to get the best of both worlds they plan on slipping over in to Satan’s territory to grab some desirable things when they see them come along then get back on Christ’s side of the line. In doing so they never qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, in doing so they are naive’ and presume they know what the church life style has to offer and are envious of the freedom of restraints that their non-member associates seem to have while in fact, they don’t know what it’s like to have the cleansing influence of the Holy Ghost work on their life nor do they know the teaching influence. The Holy Ghost can inspire you with ideas and understandings which can have great bearing on your life, if you prepare yourself to receive them. You can live a life smarter than you are if you live worthy of his influence and have faith enough to follow it. The Holy Ghost inspires our leaders. Bro. Marion G Romney once said that a person is truly converted when he can see the power of the Holy Ghost working on the leaders of the church and coming down to us through them. The Lord has revealed wonderful information through his prophets by way of the Holy Ghost for the benefit of all who would take heed.

It’s ironical to me that the scientific method would always support probabilities and not exceptions and yet the exceptions are the basis of most great scientific progress.

I like the story of man who sent his son a guide to lead him back home. The guide would only stay with him when he did as he was told and followed the rules. This is analogous to the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Another analogy I like is the story of some men who bought the parts to an airplane and tried to assemble it themselves without a factory rep to help them understand the guidelines. It had a form of airplaneness but lacked the power to get off the ground.

Joseph Smith was once asked by the Pres. of the US what made out church different than the others. He answered that we differed in the way we viewed the Holy Ghost. In other words, he meant that revelation by the power of the Holy Ghost is the prime characteristic of the true church.