I enjoyed breakfast with my daughter at her "Memories with Moms" event at the school this morning, and I was walking with her to her class at the end, when suddenly there in front of me was a woman from my ward, whose kids go to another school, but since their school has too many kindergartners, they ship them to our school. I have always liked her but never made time to become actual call-each-other friends.
After we said hi and figured out why she was there, she said, "I'm your new visiting teaching partner! We need to find out when we can figure out the whole lunch thing and do our visits." I stared at her and wondered if I should say something now...is it easy to just say to her face, "I don't go to church anymore"? I just didn't think a lunchroom full of kids and people was the place, so I told her I'd call her. (You may call me chicken if you wish!)
Now, if the RS president, who was the first to know I was questioning the church, who MUST know that we haven't been there, and that I asked to be released from my calling, hasn't figured things out by now, then I am non-plussed. I have no idea what to say or do. Is the bishop clueless? Is she?
I'm going to draft a letter and send it to the bishop and the RS president. In it I plan to tell them that I looked into the church's origins, and from the knowledge I have gained, I've come to the conclusion that the church is not true. I'll explain my specific findings that led me to my knowledge, and that I'm not explaining to debate the issues, but so that they'd know I wasn't offended by anyone or that I just want to be inactive. Maybe then they'll leave me alone and I'll get some peace!
I'm going to draft the letter so I can also e-mail it to my TBM dad and Austrian host family at the same time. Even though I want to get it behind me and move on, apparently I can't until I explain myself. Anything less just drags the torture on and on and on.
12 comments:
Good Luck ML, they don't take no for an answer. They don't understand explainations. And they have no desire to leave you alone. But I do wish you luck...oh, and when you die, they will rebaptise you...because it's what you REALLY would have done.
Here's what I'm thinking:
I wonder if she wasn't assigned to be your partner a while back, and just hasn't gotten around to contacting you. That happened to me all the time. Maybe the RS pres hasn't told her, for whatever reason, or for no reason at all.
I don't know. But since we don't know, I tend to want to assume the best about her, especially since there was something about her that you liked...
Rambling over. :)
La, I think you may be right. I had no partner 3 months ago, but for the last 2 months I haven't done my VT since I've been not going to church either. Duh. I'm planning on calling her and telling her that I don't think the church is true anymore, but would she like to go to lunch anyway? The difficult part is watching and waiting for the "missionary moments" to spew forth from those I tell.
SML,
It does make sense that she was assigned a while ago and just never contacted you. When you call her, you should make it clear up front that you are not interested in any "missionary moments" as you put it. I do wish you luck in your letter of explanation. I am not sure how it will go over, but I am here if you need me.
:)
Let's do lunch on Thursday, then! Noon?
:)
OK, Olive Garden on the 19th, noon. I get there around 12:08, to be exact. I gotta be back to work at 1:00. I'm buyin'!
:) Cool.
Em. I am the adult here. You can call it my donation toward Brazil, if that'll make you feel better about it.
:) I can't wait! It's gonna be better than Anne of Green Gables!
That's way nice to tell her you don't believe in the church, but you'd like to have lunch anyway. Gives her NO excuse to be bitchy, plus you might have a new friend! Woo-hoo!
I totally felt the same way - that I needed everyone important to me to know what was going on. That is, until I TOLD them. Not even kidding - one sister said she wondered why I was telling her, since she would have much preferred to never know. So then I was like, "WHY did I put myself through that for NOTHING? WHY, GOD, WHYYYY?" And then I was like, "Oops, I mean, WHY, JOSS, WHYYYYY???"
Rebecca, LOL on the WHY JOSS, WHYYYY? You make me laugh all the time!
:)
Hey so what happened? did you write the letter?
So you don't want everyone talking behind your back, but when you discover that someone doesn't know about your situation you are offended?
TDAWG, I'm not offended, just don't know how to respond when I tell the bishop I want no contact from the church, yet they keep me on the Visiting Teaching list and assign me a new partner.
That is what bothers. I'm not offended. And I'm certain they have talked behind my back about my "situation."
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