"This is the greatest cause upon the face of the earth." p. 161
"I was even more discerning about how I used my free time and more sensitive in my choice of friends." p. 162
"As I prayed, the feeling came: 'You don't know everything, but you know enough!'" p. 163
"In our dispensation, the Lord said, 'Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord'". p. 163
EVERY MISSIONARY NEEDS TO BE WORTHY
"Worthiness is a vital -- an absolutely necessary -- quality in being the Lord's instrument in sharing these eternal truths. To be worthy, all of us need to bolster our inner spiritual qualities while continuing on the path of keeping the commandments." p. 163
"If you are unsure of or have questions about your worthiness or the gravity of your mistakes, share your concerns with your bishop in humility and honesty." p. 165
"The Lord loves you! He is eager to forgive you." p. 165
"Forgiveness is determined by the Lord, and being totally forgiven may need the added time and diligence of missionary service." p. 166
TWO LETTERS (Please read these in their entirety the text)
"Please remember that repentance and forgiveness do not come without honesty, godly sorrow, and a willingness to put your trust in Jesus Christ." p. 178.
LANCE'S JOURNAL A MONTH PRIOR TO STARTING HIS MISSION
25 March 2021
I enter the MTC in one month! Can't believe it. I'm looking forward to serving in Georgia, but fairly freaked out, too. When I went to Bishop Roberts' office about a year ago, I was scared to death to talk to him about my pornography problem. I have to admit that it was probably one of the scariest things I've ever done. I had talked to my dad a little bit about it and he's been really good to help me, but I knew I needed to talk to the bishop, too. Bishop Roberts was good, too. He told me that Jesus loved me and gave me some ideas of what I could do to stop the problem. The biggest thing he told me was to get to know Jesus. That was a huge turning point.
I hadn't really paid attention in church or in seminary, but after that visit with Bishop Roberts, something shifted. I started to pay attention and even felt a desire to understand all these things my parents had taught me my whole life.
Even though I haven't looked at porn in about 4-5 months, I still don't feel like I'm ready to serve. I just received my endowment about two weeks ago, and I DID NOT UNDERSTAND most of what was going on. I kept looking at my dad, making sure that all of this was ok. It just seemed very different than what we do in church and stuff, but I felt good there. I've gone back one other time. I hope to go a few more times before I leave for the MTC.
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