Dear Elder Snell,

I have been really upset about a friend who is apostatizing.  He is seeing if he can be just as good and just as happy outside the Church.  It’s a misleading experiment.  You can feel good, be good, & do good living Terrestrial Law, but only Celestial Law ensures ultimate saving power and protection, especially through the Second Coming.  And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same (D&C 88:34) .  A better experiment would be to compare how much we are being preserved, perfected and sanctified.

The problem is, the minute we leave the Church, we start losing light, which is essential in “seeing” the effects of our choice.  Furthermore, many of us have one foot in Babylon when we’re in the Church so we don’t have enough contrasting experience with living Celestial Law.  Plus, the process of change is slow and subtle and we have to wait for the fruit.  I’ve noticed we can speed up our awareness of what living our covenants does for us by repenting daily.  We quickly discover how impotent we are, how dependent we are on God’s mercy, and how miraculous the Atonement is when we are actively trying to align ourselves to Celestial Law.  Not only do we begin to notice God’s hand in all things but we can compare how we are now with how we were ten years ago and see a difference.

Sometimes I get frustrated trying to teach YSAs.  I worry about leading them astray with some of the random things that come out of my mouth.  As I asked HF about it, I had some insight.  Teaching by the Spirit doesn’t mean never diminishing His influence through carelessness.  It means being a worthy covenant member of the Church and having faith in God’s mercy, which is sufficient for both those saying something unedifying or misleading and those receiving something unedifying or misleading. 

Andy got out of his sick bed to help me get a video clip on my desktop in preparation for temple prep class.  Blessed boy!

I had an unusual experience at Empty Nesters FHE.  Our home teacher asked your grandpa to share his experiences as a military officer.  I’ve heard bits and pieces through the years but I don’t believe he’s ever told his story.  He emphasized how the Lord had a plan for us and as I listened to it in its entirety, I was not only edified and enlightened (some things I had never heard before), but I had a powerful paradigm shift.  I left with profound respect for the man I married and felt repentant of the disrespectful way in which I tend to treat him.  I wrote my home teacher a thank you note.

One of our YSAs chose to go to the temple after taking our class!  Her parents are in our ward and they were grateful too.

I had such joy over the reaction of a special needs child.  I walked in on their family birthday party to give him a stretchy ball that lit up when you touched it.  He used sign language to throw kisses and say thank you.  I think he liked the shiny blue gift bag too. 

Grateful for happiness boosters such as going to Paradise Café and having tomato aspic soup with Bettylou Burdett.  She’s 91yo & I used to take her & my Mom out together.  Since Mom left, I invited two other widows to join us.  I think Bettylou’s favorite part was the warm sunshine streaming through the car window!

Love your emails and pray for you often.