Thank you again, Dana, for your last entry about Mosiah 4:24-25. I got to re-use it in a conversation I had with one of my best friends, Lauren, today. She was fretting about an issue she was having, and since I'd been thinking about this scripture recently, I saw a direct application. So I shared it with her. I love every excuse I have to share Mormon doctrine with her, especially when she responds in a non-confrontational manner like today. She said, "That's a great quote! I'd love to know the reference!" I told her I could find it, but it was in the Book of Mormon. She said, "That's okay, it's still a great quote!" If you know anything of my past brushes with Mormonism with Lauren, this is a big deal. (In the end, I may have "accidentally" sent her the whole chapter. That King Benjamin just had so many good things to say, I just wanted her to see it all, and maybe let the Spirit teach her a little, too.)
I have a theory with most Christians who are have very negative feelings toward us and our quote-unquote extra book of holy writ. I think most of them have never read any portion of the Book of Mormon at all. They are well-versed with the classic Mormon myths, but not so much the scripture. I gave Lauren a Book of Mormon almost two years ago, not expecting her to read it at all. My goal ever since has been to show her, at every opportunity, how the book actually has a thing or two to say that she may like to hear and agree with. Each time she agrees, it feels like a small victory. Although I don't think she'll be baptized during this phase of our lives, that's what faith is about - having the patience to not give up, even when you can't see any progress.
P.S. My boss officially knows I'm leaving in 3 weeks.
HISTORY
A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.
From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.
In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.
Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.
Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.
We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.
As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
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1 comment:
Wow, I really love hearing stuff like that. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
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