Our Responsibility to Rescue

"The less active can't long rest content with mediocrity once they see excellence is within their reach"

How true these words for myself as once a less active member.  I encourage you greatly to read the First Presidency Message for the month of October in the Ensign.  So powerful the words of President Monson.

For journaling purposes I want to write a little of my story of inactivity and my reactivation to the church.

Baptized when I was 8 with my mom and sister, I was very active until I was 18 years of age.  Attending almost every week, I don't recall too much of primary but I do recall the amazing years of young women and the testimony that began to grow at that time.  I had some amazing young women's leaders, fun activities, and each time hardship came my faith would show a little more each time.  I attended seminary all 4 years of high school and was so excited to wake up each morning, although SO early!  I honestly don't know how much I personally learned at that time and I think some of it was repetition of going 5 days a week.  I do remember the walks to school from the chapel with all my LDS friends and the presence we made as we all walked together.  Kinda an awesome scene.

Once I graduated, life got busy and seminary and the daily recurrence was over.  I found myself out of normalcy and looking for something else to do.  I was dating a nonmember which obviously didn't make it any easier to want to continue going to church and young women's was over.  A time in my life that I don't know if my testimony was strong enough to keep me "in".

Once you get out of the routine it is easy to make reasons on why to stay home, why to sleep in and what other things you could be doing instead.  Sadly, I am sure is the same for most inactive members.

When I was 21, after having Damian, Russ and I tried to return, only to be disappointed at the lack of friendliness and introducing of people.  We sat right in front of the missionaries for 3 weeks with not one hello.  We only stayed for sacrament then quickly bolted out to home.  On our 4th week the bishop called us to visit.  We were approached with callings and the insistence of paying our tithing.  We felt like the guard we both had up was put up even higher and went home never to return back.

Russ and I always felt like we lived pretty much right and mostly in the standards of the church.  Not much the desire to smoke, drink or "party".  We were more about our family and spending time together.  Our excitement was going to a movie and catching dinner.  Still our excitement, heehee.  We always felt like we could still "live the LDS way" without attending church.

Many years would go by, 11 years to be exact.  We would still get the occasional 'knock on the door', avoiding it, muting our TV and hushing the dogs.  Pretty funny when I think back at it.  We would make our comments like "they tracked us down again". 

Damian had a 5th grade math teacher by the name of Mr. Drysdale.  As the year went by, he would encourage Damian to speak to us about attending scouts.  We had priced scouting and were reluctant only because Damian will like something and then a couple months later be disinterested.  He was surely persistent!  Finally we agreed to take Damian only to find out it was held at the church.  We cautiously dropped him off then hurry and drove away trying to avoid any conversations that may take another turn other than scouting.

During this time, I had a chance conversation with a fellow nurse at work when she asked me, "are you LDS?"  That would turn a simple question into an emotional and spiritual discussion on my inactivity and my youth experiences.  How that question has changed my life today and how eternally grateful I am to you Emilee.  My connection with you Emilee is a whole post on its own!

Eventually they made us have conversations at home about how nice they were, how 'non-pressuring' they seemed and how they are taking a liking to Damian and the friends he was making.  We would discuss at great length after 6 months of Damian attending scouts if we wanted to consider trying to return to church.  Finally we agreed.  We would start slow and return.  Even set a specific date of September 2, 2012.  Had to psych ourselves up for it!  We discussed that we would only attend sacrament for the first month, then ease ourselves into the other meetings after that.

As we were driving that morning to the church, I had a feeling I needed to attend the entire blocks of meetings.  I told Russ "I know you want to leave after sacrament and that is fine.  Just come pick me up later"  I told him I felt like I needed to dive all in.  He left with Damian after sacrament and returned to get me afterwards.  I spoke of the feeling of peace I would have that day and the emotion that came with sitting in the presence of so many wonderful people.  The next week, he and Damian attended all 3 blocks and here we are today!

In 7 months, I would be called as the 1st counselor in the primary presidency.  By month 8, I would be released and called as president in the primary presidency. 

Now 13 months later, we are endowed and soon to be sealed as a family for all time and eternity.  My life has changed forever and my testimony will be forever strengthened because of the kindness, persistence and the patience of so many others.

You had the responsibility to 'Rescue' the Troutman family and because of you we are here today.

My eternal gratitude seems not enough compared to the pure joy in my heart today.