7 A final word

We're definitely not in Utah anymore . . .

Some missionary thoughts posted on November 11 by our son-in-law Paul Challis, who is now a pharmacy student at Mercer University in Atlanta

One of the obvious differences in coming out to Georgia from Utah is the shift from being a part of the majority religion in the area to being thrown into a hodge-podge of many different cultures and religions.

A month or so ago I jumped out of my box for the first time out here and shared some of my religious beliefs with a few classmates on our way to a Hawks basketball game. One of my friends seemed interested in having a Book of Mormon. I went and bought a few at the Distribution Center when we went to a sealing [at the Atlanta Temple], but I still hadn't gotten around to giving it out to my friend.

The missionaries stopped by last night and followed up on our "family missionary plan" we set with them actually right before I had that experience last month. That gave me the push I needed to give out the Book of Mormon to my friend today. It was a cool experience because I usually don't sit by him very much in class, and I was pretty early today so I was one of the first people in the room. I prepared a list of some of my favorite passages and wrote a short note and said a prayer that I would have a good opportunity to give it to him. Guess who came in and sat right by me?

I don't know how serious about the church he will be, but I really hope that he reads it and is touched by the Spirit. I don't know him very well, but he seems to be a humble guy who believes in the Savior. I think it is just amazing how much Heavenly Father loves His children, I mean it obviously wasn't a coincidence that he sat by me today. It gave me a spiritual boost and I hope I can continue to try spread the good word.

I actually didn't have to wait long for another opportunity. I was sitting by another classmate eating lunch and these two representatives of a non-denominational church came up and started talking to us about our beliefs. So I had an opportunity again to share some of my beliefs with them and my classmate who was talking to me at the time. They were the type who were somewhat argumentative and were trying to tear down my beliefs and stuff.

I actually saw them again later and talked to them about what they believed happened after we die. I explained that we believe in eternal marriage and eternal families and they proceeded to tell me that based on a scripture in Matthew 22:30, which says, For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven; we can't be married in heaven.

They failed to actually read the context of the scripture which is the situation in which the Sadducees asked Jesus if a man who married passed away and his brother married her, he died so the next brother married and same pattern continued all the way down to the 7th brother who would then be married in the Resurrection. Verse 29 says: Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

So basically they can't all be married to her and the marriages were all temporal marriages, none were sealed by the power of God. It really bugs me that people take passages out of context to "prove us wrong" when it is just so way off. It brought back a few memories of similar situations from my mission. It is sad to see someone so diligent, but yet so way off. I got his phone number so I could maybe talk to him later, I'm not sure if it will go anywhere, but you never know.

This has gone on long enough, but I will end by just expressing my gratitude for belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that my family is eternal because my marriage was performed by the priesthood of God. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I can become worthy to return to God's presence and with my family partake in exaltation. I am not mighty in stature, nor in word, but I do have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am doing my best to prove it.