LGBTQ+

If you are wondering about the title, read this whole post. At zone conference, I was able to get up and share my story and testimony. I explained the role of a service missionary and a list that the proselyting missionaries were given that provided them with the info of service missionaries who want to teach. It went well and the missionaries were very nice. 

During a lesson Elder Clawson and I were teaching about God’s plan of salvation, I was bearing my testimony about the atonement and resurrection. The spirit was so strong as I explained my new-found love and gratitude for the resurrection. Since my accident, the promise of a perfect resurrected body has been my source of hope. Jesus Christ is my hope. My joy. My perfect big brother. My friend. My savior. Because of Him, I know I will be healed. I don’t know what I would do without Him.

It is so cool to have friends and cousins serving missions with me. I am learning and growing so much. One thing I learned a TON about this week is LGBTQ+ individuals within the church. I listened to a podcast on which a faithful and active family told the story of their son coming out. My eyes were opened and I was deeply touched by the father’s perspective. I cried multiple times throughout the episode. Out of all the things I learned, here is what I will share. A great reminder for us all. 

We need to love, invite, accept, welcome, respect, and include ALL to sacrament and other church meetings. Nobody should feel unwelcome or ostracized in the church. It doesn’t matter what they smell like, sound like, look like, how they dress, who they are with, or anything else. Everyone should be treated like equals. There is a place for all of God’s children in the church. Everyone deserves a sense of belonging. Out of all the places on earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should be the place where everyone feels like they belong. We are all human and we are all sinners. We must learn to see people as God sees them. God loves all of His children perfectly. He created us all exactly how we were meant to be created. That being said, God’s commandments still apply to everyone the same. Luckily, the church has drawn lines for us, so we don’t have to. Don’t draw unnecessary and unfriendly lines. Before you judge someone, think about how Jesus would treat them. He would love first. He is a perfect and righteous judge. Leave the judgment to God.