CONSIDERING JAILS, DREAMS AND ODD FEARS

Here are few thoughts that occurred last week that I'd like to share:

 SPIRIT PRISON IS NOT PEACEFUL

  

A recent discussion with an American member in the Milwaukee County Public Jail was heart-wrenching.  He was humble, soft-spoken, lonely and contrite. He was clueless about the Priesthood.  

He admitted that he had been inactive since his baptism.  An American, he is married to a non-member Mexican woman and they have a two-year-old baby girl. He was returning from Mexico to the states to try to find employment so he could bring them to America to have a better life. He never expected to be arrested at the US border on an outstanding warrant for nonpayment of child support from a previous marriage in the States.  He faces a minimum of 2 ½ years in jail and has a bail of $10,000.  He has a public defender that will be negotiating a lighter sentence on September 9^th.  

Instead of wanting letters of support and what I call the "Jailhouse hustle," all he wanted was a Book of Mormon.  That’s all he wanted. And to be with his family.

I will ask Salt Lake to send him a copy of a softbound Book of Mormon directly from Church headquarters. The jail will not accept any books or religious material unless it comes from a publisher.

How ironic! When he cared less about his first child, he felt free. Now that he cares about his second wife and child, he is in prison and cannot be with them.

He told me: "If I ever hope to have a better life with them, I will have to serve my time." What we sow, we reap.

DREAMS 

As odd as this may sound, I recently had a dream in which I was taught more about my dreams and how they are one of the means of learning things of the Spirit…for me.  Do you dream? 

WHY WOULD MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SPIRIT FRIGHTEN SOME INVESTIGATORS? 

I have never considered this question before.  However, I am now wondering if one of the Sister Missionaries' investigators has been frightened by the manifestation of the Spirit while witnessing a baptism.  Have you seen this happen?