Dear Gramps, The elders always encourage me to do home teaching, but why should I? Other members, even my home teachers, they do not do their part. They never visit me or phone me…I have been 6 months a member of the Mormon Church but no one do home teaching for me; no one come to my house except the missionaries. I like the missionaries, they are very nice, caring and concern of me. They always teach me about the gospels. I like the moment with them,. They are angels. I like to help the missionaries to have the discussion with the investigator, but I do not like home teaching. Some more, I do not like to ask someone, I mean my home teachers, to come to my house for home teaching because that is not asking their sincerity..am I wrong? John, from Sungai Petani, Malaysia Dear John, You are undoubtedly a member of a small Branch in a growing region of one of the newer Missions in the Mormon Church. The missionaries necessarily teach you what the fully organized Church is like. But each unit of the Church begins its life as a small Branch. New members are often disappointed when the reality that they observe does not match the ideal that they are taught. Let me tell you of an experience I had back in 1962, shortly after the organization of the Columbus, Ohio Stake–the second stake to be organized in the State of Ohio since the Mormons were forced to flee from the State in the early days of the Mormon Church. The visitor at our state conference was Elder Mark E. Peterson, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. During the conference he was most kind and complimentary about how well we were doing as a new stake–about two years old. When the final meeting was over I accompanied Elder Peterson to his car. I thanked him for being so generous in his kind remarks about how well we were doing, and then I said, “but Elder Peterson, both you and I know that the Columbus Stake is just about the lowest stake in the Church in activity. What can we really do to increase our performance?” He replied, “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you. It took the Church out in Salt Lake five generations to get where they are.” In December 1999, I attended the dedication of the Columbus Ohio Temple–the 60th temple in the Mormon Church. How could that Stake out in Columbus, Ohio have matured in just 37 years to merit the building of a temple there? We cannot sit back and think that if home teaching is not being accomplished as it should be, we will refuse to do our part as well. The only way the Church can grow from a small Branch into a well-organized Stake, is for the faithful members to do their part in building up the kingdom of God regardless of whether others are doing their job or not. Nephi, speaking of the growth of the Church, writes in the Book of Mormon—
For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have (2 Ne 28:30).
So if we faithfully do our own part, and not worry about what others are doing, [we] shall learn wisdom; and will continue to receive the blessings of the Lord; and because of our faithfulness the Church will continue to grow and develop, until one day you shall have a temple in Sungai Petani. Gramps
