tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164381560162071223.post1832022920546458142..comments2023-07-18T04:24:08.551-06:00Comments on It's A Wonderful Life: A Sad Story and Observations on MoralityIt's a Wonderful Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13846982001172328421noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164381560162071223.post-50873595894203907742011-10-25T13:42:17.395-06:002011-10-25T13:42:17.395-06:00We are coming into the fullness of times.Good is b...We are coming into the fullness of times.Good is being called evil, and evil good. It used to be that missionaries could assume a knowledge and understanding of Christ, and could start right into the first vision. But we found more and more the necessity to explain that yes there is a God in heaven, even to people in a supposedly Christian country. And don't get me going on the law of chastity -- I found very few couples out side the church that were actually married to one another. And the Sabbath day? Oh dear. You were quite the zealot in Chile if you actually WENT to church EVERY Sunday. They found it easier to commit themselves to baptism then to commit to actually come to church every week (until we explained to them that that was part of the baptismal covenant). But who can blame them in a world where priestcrafts abound? I can't tell you how many people I'd run into who'd been swindled by pastors who'd called the donations, "Tithing."<br /><br />However, I found that my mission made me more, rather than less, hopeful for humanity. Perhaps it was the kindness and hospitality of the Chilean people. Perhaps it was seeing the change that the gospel can have in such good peoples' lives. I think most of all it was feeling the pure love of God for his children as I acted as an instrument. never in my life did I imagine I could love a drunk, or a prostitute, or a drug addict with such fervor as I did. --To see how much God loves them, and wants to take them out of the pit they or past generations have dug for them. --To see the seeds of Godhood in every one of them. I mean...I had always believed that we are his children, but to see it and to feel it with such intensity changed my vision of the world and of myself. <br /><br />I have determined that people are generally good. Despite it all. People are generally Good and just don't know where to turn to be clean. But that is why, as it states in preach my gospel, Missionary Work is the only thing that can save the world from eminent self-destruction. The restored gospel is incredibly powerful. And we are so blessed to have it.<br /><br />Sorry to be so longwinded. This sort of stuff lights a fire in me. <br /><br />oh, by the way. Hi! I'm back from Chile!Gloria Bowdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386747110762534783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5164381560162071223.post-50595467584424423952011-10-25T13:40:33.191-06:002011-10-25T13:40:33.191-06:00I have never been to China, but my recent experien...I have never been to China, but my recent experiences in chile came to mind upon reading this blog. My last week there, my companion and I were rushing to drop off our laundry, trying to make it home in time, when we passed a man, completely passed out on the side of the road. I am ashamed to admit that my time in Chile, and especially in big city sectors, had jaded me to this occurrence. My companion, however, was new to the mission. When we passed him by she looked at me and said, "Don't you feel like the priest passing on the other side?"<br /><br />On our way back from dropping off laundry, the man was still there. We stopped and helped him sit up, asked him what his name was and what was happening. I had immediately assumed that he was drunk, and possibly a danger to two young gringas at ten o'clock at night in a lonely street . Turns out he hadn't eaten anything in three days, and had left his home town for some reason but couldn't find his family that resided nearby. (He may also have been a bit sloshed, but that's beside the point, he was certainly not a threat).<br /><br />Unfortunately, we were out of money and had no idea what to do. The man was so out of his wits that he couldn't tell us where he lived or who to call, and his spanish was slurred. And there was no homeless shelter in this sector to drop him off in as I had done in other sectors. we ducked into a nearby shop and asked for bread that we would willingly pay back later. <br /><br />The woman in the shop gave us the bread for free, and what is more some ladies, and a couple of gents stopped by the give us a hand, getting us in contact with the proper authorities. It had started to rain, but we got him into an ambulance and that was that.<br /><br />For all intents and purposes, Chile really isn't that immoral in comparison to what you have mentioned here. But we weren't the only ones to have passed by him once without stopping. And those that did stop to help only did so because we had taken the initiative.Gloria Bowdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386747110762534783noreply@blogger.com