Robert writes home #96 8 June 1997
8 June 1997
Dear Mother,
We got a new missionary in Chowchilla today. He is from Mexico. He'll be a big help to the Spanish program there.
Charlie graduated last Thursday night. It was nice. The temp was in the eighties and the talks were short.
A boy in the Chowchilla branch, who is 19 and graduating, wanting to go on a mission but not having any money, won a $2500 cash prize at Sober Graduation the night after his graduation.
Both boys are out of school now. Charlie has a little rest before his work starts with the beekeeper. Sam is working as the grounds keeper at the dental office.
Janet and I picked up Megan and Travis on our way to the temple yesterday. They told us all about their trip to NYC. They were really excited about it.
A convert baptism from Dos Palos is happening this afternoon at the chapel in Los Banos. Janet and the boys have been taking him to church for the past few weeks, while the elders have been giving him the lessons.
I had an assignment from the stake president to present a name for receiving the Melchizedek priesthood in the Chowchilla Branch this morning. I drove all the way over there, went to the meetings, where I got distracted and forgot what I was there for until the block was over, and failed to present the name to the congregation. I couldn't believe it. It's been on my mind all week that I had to do that. I can't believe that it slipped my mind. I talked to a stake Pres. member. He said I could do it next time as a ratification. That's embarrassing.
Love, Robert, Janet, Charlie, Sam
PS Another essay: Sometimes the devil can make big inroads towards apostasy by getting us to focus on some (apparent to our intellectual depth of perception) inconsistency in the doctrine and then rationalizing that if it were really led by God that inconsistency wouldn't exist.
Yesterday I was told about someone who was making a big deal out of the fact that "The Bible says men shouldn't shave their beards (trim the corners of. I believe are the words.)" Wondering why, if the gospel is true, the church doesn't sustain that scripture. And joking that maybe he would have to start his own church to get it right.
I frequently hear similar comments, pointing out incongruities in the doctrine. They are usually made in conjunction with an effort to justify some vice by discrediting the doctrine against what they want to do.
In Pres. Benson's talk on "Pride" he says, "Humility looks up to God, to know what's right; while pride argues sideways to know who's right."
When I hear those rationalizing comments I see, in my mind, people arguing sideways; when, if they really wanted to know what's right, they would be praying, in humility with an open mind, to God to know what's right...desiring to be in harmony with his will.
What we need to know is that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the fullness of the gospel was restored. When the spirit ratifies that to us then we can rest assured that the apparent incongruities will all turn out to be in harmony with the over all plan and we'll understand it eventually.
I know Joseph was and is a prophet and this is Christ's church restored in these latter days to prepare the way for the ushering in of his millennial reign.
Dear Mother,
We got a new missionary in Chowchilla today. He is from Mexico. He'll be a big help to the Spanish program there.
Charlie graduated last Thursday night. It was nice. The temp was in the eighties and the talks were short.
A boy in the Chowchilla branch, who is 19 and graduating, wanting to go on a mission but not having any money, won a $2500 cash prize at Sober Graduation the night after his graduation.
Both boys are out of school now. Charlie has a little rest before his work starts with the beekeeper. Sam is working as the grounds keeper at the dental office.
Janet and I picked up Megan and Travis on our way to the temple yesterday. They told us all about their trip to NYC. They were really excited about it.
A convert baptism from Dos Palos is happening this afternoon at the chapel in Los Banos. Janet and the boys have been taking him to church for the past few weeks, while the elders have been giving him the lessons.
I had an assignment from the stake president to present a name for receiving the Melchizedek priesthood in the Chowchilla Branch this morning. I drove all the way over there, went to the meetings, where I got distracted and forgot what I was there for until the block was over, and failed to present the name to the congregation. I couldn't believe it. It's been on my mind all week that I had to do that. I can't believe that it slipped my mind. I talked to a stake Pres. member. He said I could do it next time as a ratification. That's embarrassing.
Love, Robert, Janet, Charlie, Sam
PS Another essay: Sometimes the devil can make big inroads towards apostasy by getting us to focus on some (apparent to our intellectual depth of perception) inconsistency in the doctrine and then rationalizing that if it were really led by God that inconsistency wouldn't exist.
Yesterday I was told about someone who was making a big deal out of the fact that "The Bible says men shouldn't shave their beards (trim the corners of. I believe are the words.)" Wondering why, if the gospel is true, the church doesn't sustain that scripture. And joking that maybe he would have to start his own church to get it right.
I frequently hear similar comments, pointing out incongruities in the doctrine. They are usually made in conjunction with an effort to justify some vice by discrediting the doctrine against what they want to do.
In Pres. Benson's talk on "Pride" he says, "Humility looks up to God, to know what's right; while pride argues sideways to know who's right."
When I hear those rationalizing comments I see, in my mind, people arguing sideways; when, if they really wanted to know what's right, they would be praying, in humility with an open mind, to God to know what's right...desiring to be in harmony with his will.
What we need to know is that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the fullness of the gospel was restored. When the spirit ratifies that to us then we can rest assured that the apparent incongruities will all turn out to be in harmony with the over all plan and we'll understand it eventually.
I know Joseph was and is a prophet and this is Christ's church restored in these latter days to prepare the way for the ushering in of his millennial reign.
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