Tuesday, Nov. 18

Yesterday was our preparation day and we also planned to do some visits with the Dillion Family. Our experience last night was one that we will not soon forget!!

It all started with the Dillions, (Larry and Vietta,) on Sunday. We have been trying to get them to come out regularly again and they have been doing better. But this is another family with a lot of Drama!! They are such fine people, but the sins and habits of the parents have carried over into the lives of the children and grandchildren.

Larry and Vietta were converted and endowed about 20 years ago. During the time they were raising their children, it was the same pattern of coming for a while and then becoming offended by someone and stopped coming. This happened several times. As a result their children did not know or recognize the stability of the Gospel plan.

Now fast forward to the lives of their children of whom none are active in the church, (and they can't understand why?) Larry and Vietta have a daughter Loretta who is married to Danny and they have two children, both of whom have not been baptized nor attended the Mormon Church. Their daughter, who is a bit wild, (has used drugs and don't know the rest,) just had a baby out of wedlock. She has straightened up now with the possibility of losing her daughter.

The baby is about 8 months old now and the mom is fighting the father of the baby over custody. They have had the baby in their home and love him very much. They have been ordered by the court to have a shared custody with the father's family. The father gets the baby during the day and they get him at night. The baby goes to Daycare, or the great grandmothers, or anyone who can help out on both sides because they both work.
Now the father has begun to fight for the custody of the baby by proving she is a unfit mother, (even thought he can't take care of him.)

That is the background. So on Sunday, Sis Vietta Dillion has to church with her, the daughter, Loretta, and Loretta's daughter, who is the mother of the baby. They stopped Elder Whiting and ask him to give the mother of the baby a blessing, which he did. On Monday we went out to see the Dillions and try to help them to see how this is their opportunity to draw close to the Lord, repent, etc. so they can be blessed. They then ask us to go visit Loretta and her daughter and baby.

This is such a mess. People make their messes and then they want the church to step in and solve the problem for them. We can't go in and give them a solution to the problem they have created over a life time, in a nutshell!! But we tried!!! That was rediculous. They don't want to change the way they live, they just want to get their baby back and not have to suffer the consequences of their actions. They don't want the spiritual answer, nor can they understand it.

What we saw was a lot of hopelesness and victim mentality. We offered to come and bring the spirit of the Lord back into their lives. They commented that they just get attached to the missionaries and they get transferred. We will see how things go.

We explained to them that every experience that we have in life is to bring us to Christ. That this is the purpose of our lives here on earth. They understood with their minds, (sort of), but not with their hearts. It is up to them to see what they want to do with this. We can't make it go away for them. Such a sad situation for them, but what a great opportunity to repent and come back to Heavenly Father. It is their choice.

In other things, Sunday was a great day. I was asked the play the organ at the last minute because Malinda was ill , (the only organist.) Bob Cornell received the Priesthood. Our speaker in Church talked about being grateful and how we show it by the way we live. It was a great talk. The spirit was strong.

I also got to visit privately with Laura Sanders. She is a Lamanite woman, who is a convert of two years. I have been drawn to her since they moved into the ward. She and I had a good talk and I felt very close to her. She has a very tender spirit and cried as she told me of her conversion to the church. I told the president about her, (he has not interviewed her or talked to her at all, ) I am hoping they will give her a calling with her husband. She is one of those ladies who reaches out to my heart.