Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
This weekend is/was General Conference, the semi-annual meeting of the LDS Church where the Prophet and Apostles speak and give new revelation. 21,000 Mormons go into the conference center to hear their speakers and the Mormon Tabernacle choir in person (this is where Proverbs 24:11 hits home). Thousands of others spread out through Temple Square to hear the broadcast in overflow sections. The rest watch it on the TV or listen on the radio. It’s the central event in the LDS Calendar. They basically stopped giving prophecy as we understand it, because they realized they can’t. Most of the “talks” as they are called are feel-good messages about how great it is to be a Mormon. Sometimes big changes are made (like a few years ago when the Word of Wisdom was re-interpreted to not mean any caffeinated beverage, but only tea and coffee…funny how that same year one of the Apostles was on the board for Pepsi), but usually it’s about being good people and feeling the spirit. Crazy evangelists hold signs during this time and tell Mormons they are going to hell. Others try to strike up conversations, but most of the throngs of people are set on getting into that building.
I was invited by a girl in my ward to join her and a handful of others to try to go get tickets in the standby line. We went to her parents’ house the night before in South Jordan, and then awoke early the next day. I regret that I put my own comfort above showing love actively for most of the night, but I was able to learn a lot about what it means to be LDS and how LDS families work.
Temple Square during General Conference is almost unrecognizable. As we waited in line for a couple hours, we were visited by several pairs of missionaries. It was interesting to hear them speak to an audience of Mormons. They have a new policy of doing teaching through the phone. They asked everyone to go through their phones and give them the names and numbers of all the non-members they know. One in particular struck me because she was so well-suited to be a missionary there. She is a strikingly beautiful girl from Germany and was forceful and flirtatious in everything she said, so that she got what she wanted from everyone. About half the people they talk to on the phone get baptized. That was really sickening to hear. Please pray about that. It was very frustrating to hear them be super excited about the “spirit” and worshipping God by all singing “Praise to the Man” in the conference. My stomach turned at the thought of that. I started praying that we wouldn’t get in. I saw several missionaries that I know and tried to get to know the ones that stopped by. Two that have been fake and deceptive in our talks thought I was in the process of converting when I said I came with my ward. Their excitement and pride really bothered me but I didn’t know how to tell them I wasn’t interested. I think they assume I’m in that successful half.
When I finally texted people for prayer, God answered! The encouragement I received back built me up and gave me more confidence in having friendly conversations with my group. The conference started and we did not get in. They decided to go back up to Ogden instead of staying in Salt Lake. I had been pleading with God to bring the Temple Square missionaries I love to us. Just as we were leaving I finally saw them and went up and said hello. It was a really friendly greeting and I gave them my phone number. I’m really excited to start talking with them more.
We saw the anti-Mormon crowd and on another corner I saw a pastor I know holding a sign that said “God Loves Mormons.” I said hello and introduced him to my group. He gave them a paper he wrote on how the atonement happened on the cross rather than in the Garden of Gethsemane which is LDS teaching. They politely took it but one kept muttering to himself “lies!” as he read. Right after I saw Tommy, a homeless guy whom I had lunch with a few weeks ago. It was cool to say hello and give him what I could. That’s something strange to Mormons. They don’t usually take care of homeless people, because they give so much to the Church (that does not take care of homeless people), they value hard work very highly and look down on idleness, and because they see tobacco and alcohol as such evils.
After a few hours of public transportation, I was back in Ogden and got to go hang out with Christians. I was so excited that God took care of that situation. He really loves his people and he responds to their requests! I don’t know what we would do without prayer emails and texts, but I am thankful for them! I want to encourage you to ask people to pray for you; God really does it! You can’t get much more biblical than crying out to God.
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