NOM

I’m sitting here on a Sunday evening contemplating the world around me.

The Olympics in the background.

Gray skies and clouds rolling in.

Earlier today I sat painfully through an hour of church in a warm Mormon building listening to the stories of a return missionary.

A missionary who served in….

Pocatello Idaho.

As he described his meaningless mission, he reflected on the greatest convert baptism of his two year experience.

A nine year old who went unbaptized.

It was a glorious conversion story.

Mother of the unbaptized child, a widow who lost her husband to cancer two years prior. Found herself working weekends, evenings, and all other hours of her life to support herself and 3 kids. Couldn’t find time to take her kids to church. It wasn’t until she remarried a non-member that she found relief from her rigorous work schedule. At this point, Elder Smith and his companion, new to the area, knelt down to pray and ask the lord for guidance. They quickly turned to their area book. And reviewed the investigator list and part member families list. They felt inspired to stop by the former widowed woman’s home.

They knocked. She answered.

They were invite in.

Lessons were scheduled.

A baptism shortly followed.

What an amazing experience this elder portrayed. Line upon line. Precept upon precept.

He reflected on the pressure he felt to serve a mission. Than boldly and nobly bared witness that serving a mission was better than…. FORTNITE.

Mormonism… Where Pocatello Idaho comes to life!!

We forgot it was even Sunday and went for a drive around Bear Lake. Stopped at East beach state park, and had a picnic. Weather was perfect. Mid 70s, clear sky except for a tiny bit of smoke from a wildfire in California. Lake a pretty turquoise. Much better than church.

I actually attended church this morning also. Ok ZOOM church but still...

My experience was not a returning missionary, but a leaving missionary headed to South America. Conclusion: They are sufficiently brainwashed to likely have a somewhat successful two-year sales gig. They even bragged about their new underwear. Methinks if you tell your congregation how happy you are about magick underwear, you're in a cult.

My family is probably rejoicing in my viewing, hoping that Holy the Ghost™ has touched my darkest of souls. As the previous sentence hints at: I don't think it worked.



P.S. Zoom church the way to go. You can come and go as you please, and no-one notices. Neither do they notice that you're not dressed in the correct uniform.

What a depressing mission story. Middle of nowhere Idaho for 2 years with a highlight of baptizing a member kid, that poor young man. What a waste.

I also attended church this week, there must be something in the water for all of us to go on the same week... I was happily distracted by watching Team USA basketball on my phone. Kevin Durant is a cheat code, even at 35 and after a torn achilles, nobody scores as easily as he does. But the two women who spoke seemed nice and sincere and determined to shove the gospel down the YW throat.