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Commune With The Saints

One of the reasons we go to Church every Sunday is to commune with the Saints but what happened when you cannot commune with the Saints because there is so much gossiping, envy, jealousy, abuse, and other serious transgressions  going on without nothing really be done about it?

How can you commune with the saints under these circumstances? how can you get closer to a brother or a sister when in reality they don't like you or they want something from you?.

Saints With Commune

Good questions.

Basically, this forum, and others like it, are probably the best answer.  Another answer would be to travel to a different ward and/or stake.

If there are problems in your ward that are not being addressed, I think you can contact your Stake President.  If he doesn't take care of it, you can go to the Area President, and so forth.

However, I will take it a step further.  I understand that there will be a day, perhaps soon, when we will each have to stand on our own.  I remember, long ago, reading from a General Authority, that a time would come when each member of the Priesthood would have to conduct their own "church" within their own home.  It was so long ago that I wouldn't even know where to begin to find this.

I served in Saudi Arabia 12 years ago.  There were only about 3 or 4 members in Jeddah with me.  We tried to have a sacrament meeting on Fridays (the Muslim "sabbath").  I know of a member who is currently in Saudi Arabia, without any other members anywhere near.

I think in these cases, we must rely on the Spirit for the comfort we get from communing with the saints.

NightHawk

Commune With The Saints Studies Doctrine Mormon

I agree with everything Nighthawk said to answer the first question.  I would like to add my thoughts relating to what I see as the second question:

[quote]how can you get closer to a brother or a sister when in reality they don't like you or they want something from you?.[/quote]

All we can do is always be friendly.  If someone doesn't like you, you don't have to let that determine how you will treat them.  I know this is hard to do in reality, but it is the ideal.  :)

Sometimes if you go out of your way to help someone or to be extra nice to them, this is all it takes to change how they treat you or how they think of you.  I will give an example.  I once had a part time job at night to supplement my income.  This job was at a department store and I was a cashier.  One of the supervisors was not a very nice person.  Most people didn't like her and no one was very nice to her.  One night I made it a point to say good night to her before I left.  I had to go out of my way to do it.  She was quite shocked, but when she saw I had no ulterior motive, she smiled and said good night to me as well.  From that point on she was extremely nice to me.  I always got the best jobs to do and breaks when I wanted, etc.  I just had decided that someone needed to be nice to her and so I did.  In the end, I benefited from my own kindness even though that wasn't my real motivation.

Things don't always turn out this nicely, but I think it is an example of being blessed for doing what is right.

Saints With Commune

What about if the district/stake is 'contaminated' of this kind of things?
I really enjoy my stay in the forum, sometimes I feel is my real conection of 'communing with the Saints' .

Saints With Commune

Wow, LDS_F, are you living this situation??  That has to be hard to deal with.  I can't even imagine.  Would it help at all to have a GA visit?  I've never had any experience with that.

I have a different situation with my sister who is disabled and lives in a nursing home.  She is physically unable to commune with the saints, at least on her own, and the priesthood from her ward will usually bring her the sacrament in the hospital a couple of times a month.  I bring her a visiting teaching message or something I've heard or read that I found uplifting, or read the scriptures to her.  Most people from her ward find it too depressing or difficult to visit with my sister because she can be pretty demanding, and that's only if you can understand her slurred speech.  If you can't understand her, she cries from the frustration.  I live 100 miles away, and my car is unreliable, so I don't see her very often -- maybe once every 2-3 months.

But she has a testimony, and a temple recommend.  My mother refuses to attend church so she won't take my sister to sacrament meetings, and of course my mother can't attend the temple.

It's a big ordeal to take my sister places because she is basically a paraplegic -- paralyzed from the neck down.  We have to make an appointment with a special transportation company, and then the "gerry" wheelchair is bigger than a normal wheelchair, so the aisles in most public places are too narrow.  And it gets tiring to push it around.

On the other hand, she loves to get out of the hospital -- even for a few hours.  The light in her face when she's outside is awesome to see.  Her brief joy is so intense!

She's trapped inside her own body.  People think she's mentally retarded, deaf, and dumb.  But she's none of those things.  If only other people could understand what they are missing when they are afraid to just visit for a few minutes a month, and what she is missing when she cannot commune with her fellow saints.

Roz

Commune With The Saints

Roz what a sad story about your sister, people can be so ignorant and cruel sometimes....I pray God will help her, your mom and you to go through this.
I pray a lot for the Church here in Trinidad, it is not easy at all.

Commune With Saints

[quote]Roz what a sad story about your sister, people can be so ignorant and cruel sometimes....I pray God will help her, your mom and you to go through this.
I pray a lot for the Church here in Trinidad, it is not easy at all. [/quote]
Thank you for your prayers  

Tell us more about Trini...  Do you think anything would help that situation?  I mean, how can you build the kingdom if the saints are all squabbling with each other?  I know I always feel so uplifted after church, especially Relief Society.  How frustrating for you to feel just the opposite!  

Commune With Saints Mormon Doctrine Studies

We even had the Prophet's visit here a year ago and some members even said that they were dissapointed because they were expecting 'more revelation'.

Trinidad is a district with 6 branches and have been a District for the past 7 years. As you see, we were supposed to be a stake by now...
We got recently a new Mission President who seems like a really nice guy. I was praying so much to God that he may send a great leader to help the members here in Trinidad. There are a lot of things going on...but I don't want to dramatize because it doesn't help me but I want to hope Heavenly Father will listen to my prayers...I have been praying for such a long time for the same issues but the Church will not go faster than the members. I know that. I trust Him, I trust He will touch the hearts of the people here...and that we can become one. I don't know when things will change around here but I know God is wiser than I am and far more patience than I am . Thanks for your support. I really enjoy coming to use the forum and chat with people like you that lift my spirit. God bless.