Question: dear donny, i have been studying the morman faith, mostly via the internet. my husband was baptised in the catholic church & myself in the church of england. i usualy discuss everything with my husband but i know he would not understand or allow it if i joined your church. i could not receive any representatives in our home. i would hate to go behind my husbands back, but i feel the need to become a member of the lts. could i do so without my husband knowing? he is a good husband in all ways exept in religeous beliefs. i do so envy you & debbie & would love for my husband to join me but i know it is quite out of the question. thank you for taking the time to read my letter donny, you & your family are always in my prayers. god bless you, mandy anderson, ( wales, uk.)
Response: Thank you for your kind thoughts.
I love Wales. You may be aware that some of my ancestors come from that part of the world. One of the great touching experiences of my life was when I was able to visit a grave sites of one of my ancestors last year.
You are asking me a very difficult and personal question. It is difficult because I am convinced that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same church which our Saviour organized when he lived on the earth in the flesh. I am confident that this same church was restored under the Lord’s own personal direction in these latter days. It therefore follows that exercising enough faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ to repent and to be baptized by proper authority and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end on the (…strait and narrow way….”) [Matthew 7:13-14] is essential to prepare to dwell in the Kingdom of God for all eternity. This Eternal Life in the Celestial presence of our Heavenly Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, is the greatest and most important thing we can achieve in this life.
It is personal, because, I, nor anyone would or should encourage you to do something behind your husband’s back. Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ (member of his church) is a major lifetime commitment and would involve you in ways that would render it impossible to hide it.
The dilemma is maybe a matter of following the Lord or saving your marriage. Maybe you can do both. Here is what I feel you should consider doing:
1) I would pray and maybe even fast (going without food or water for a full day) and then pray asking Heavenly Father to help you to:
a. Know what to do.
b. Know how to proceed.
c. Somehow open the way for you to obtain your husbands support.
d. Touch your husband’s heart that he may be open to learning about the restored gospel.
2) Exercise patience, which may be a key to solving this dilemma. It is likely going to take time for you to resolve this in the way the Lord will help you see it through. My thought is that you should consider:
a. Continuing your prayer and study of the Church’s internet sights:
i. www.mormon.org
ii. www.lds.org
b. You might want to listen to my narrated presentations on www.donny.com by clicking on My Beliefs and then on Multimedia. I would suggest that you study these in order and after the Book of Mormon presentation, read the Book of Mormon. If you do not have one, let me know and I can send you one or you can find the complete text in www.lds.org by clicking on The Scripture and then The Book of Mormon.
c. Once you are sure that the restored gospel is true, you will be able to choose the right time to tell your husband of your convictions and ask his permission to join the Church.
d. If you feel you cannot do this without jeopardizing your marriage, then you may need to continue your study and prayer, living the best you can in accordance with the teachings of the gospel until the Lord opens the way for you to act on your beliefs. Surely the Lord will understand and support you if are a true follower in your heart.
e. If you have questions, feel free to ask as many times as you would like and I will do my best to answer.
Please keep me advised of your progress, don’t give up and let me know if I can help in any way.
