Reflections on the family, by Elder Morris
This morning during study I had the strangest emotion of anger, frustration, and overwhelming sadness. I was studying and preparing for my lesson for next Sunday for my young men's class. As young men's president it's what I do, and I like to over prepare and be really ready for this class, so I was reading in the lesson manual. After finishing I nearly threw the stupid book away. All manuals are technically the word of God, written by Apostles and Prophets to help us teach. However, when some papo is sitting in some cushy office writing a lesson about "your family can be together forever" "everyone one should be sealed in the temple" questions like "what role do your mom and dad play working together in your family" and things as such.
I sat there reading this perfect Utah dribble. A lesson intended for educated young men, each with their own pair of scriptures, dressed in a white shirt and tie anxiously awaiting. In this perfect Utah world we would talk about everyone in their family. A mom and dad who love each other with brothers and sisters all born in the covenant together. As I tried to prepare for my kids this lesson I just had to throw the book on the ground and go silently cry and pray in the bathroom.
THESE KIDS DON'T HAVE MOMS AND DADS!!! They don't have enough money to eat, how are they supposed to take a bus 2 days away to Guatemala to get sealed together forever. These kids don't have scriptures, they cant afforded them. Some have the free book of Mormon the missionaries gave their family when they taught them years ago. You know, the thin blue cover book of Mormon? That's all they have, and even if they have it that doesn't mean they have the education to read it. If I asked them if there mom and dad loved each other half would say "who is my dad" because they haven't seen them since they were five or six years old.
I stand in front of these strong young men, and try to relate to them. Its so hard. The other day I asked for bad examples of using your agency. The things they were able to say with such easiness made me realize just what they live in. The temptations that are at their very fingertips all the time are enormous.
I wish I could express to everyone what these kids live in. They come to this beautiful chapel of God and just marvel at how big it is. How my class room (about half the size of one in Utah) is almost the size of their house. How can I tell these kids that "families can be together forever" when this stupid book from Salt Lake City has it all messed up.
A family is not a mom, and a dad brothers and sisters living happily together and Gardening like in the Ensign or cooking together in the church magazines. A Family is a group of people who are trying. They work to keep the covenants of baptism, hope for the best, and persevere through the trials of sadness and poverty knowing there Heavenly Father loves them. I want to let these kids know that their dead beat dads don't matter, cause they have an awesome Heavenly Father, that he loves them more than they can understand, and that I love them and respect them so much for doing what they do. Sure they are few, but they are doing the things they should be. It doesn't matter if they have bothers or sisters, cause their Older Brother Jesus Christ knows exactly what they are going through, and he can help them every step of the way.
Its just so sad. I remember the day that I showed a picture of my beautiful family to Hermana Molina, a sister missionary here. She asked if we had been to the temple, and if I was sealed to them. When I told her yes that sad look on her face almost brought me to tears. She proceeded to tell me about how more then anything she wishes her family was worthy and willing to go to the temple together and make the covenants so they can be together forever. What strength!! She teaches people ever day about the blessings she doesn't even have with her family, but she knows its true, and she knows its possible. So she proceeds to fight every day.
I would like to extend a challenge to anyone one with in the sound of this text. If you have a family just like the Salt Lake City book says, with a mommy and a daddy and brothers and sisters sealed together for time and all eternity I exhort you that this very night you get on your knees and thank God for a blessing that hardly no one in this world has. A house of love. It doesn't matter what that house looks like, or how big it is, just that there is love inside.
If you are not blessed to have that blessing and are reading this, my challenge to you is what can you do to make that happen? to make life eternal in the presence of our Heavenly Father possible with your family?
I know this church is true. I know God gave us families as the greatest blessing of all, and I know they can live together forever through the convents we make in the temple of our God.
With all my love and thanks with all my heart for my wonderfully complete Salt Lake City Manual perfect family,
and en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen
Elder Morris
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