To the Saints...?

I went away from the Lord for a period of five years, this happened fifteen years ago. The whole time the Lord spoke to me from His Word which was hid in my heart, through Scriptures learnt as a child. For the most part of those five years, I would suppress the promptings of the Holy Spirit, because my heart was hardened. However, little by little over the period of five years, my heart began to soften, and eventually I came back to the Lord. Preceeding this, I was going through some very difficult times with one of my teenage children and his girlfriend. My life seemed empty and futile, and my perspective began to change as I remembered how when I walked with the LORD, my life had purpose and meaning. I was in the the fishes belly.

Since making the right decision to come back to the LORD, which was just little over ten years ago now, and seeking to walk in obedience to Him, the LORD has given me a wonderful ministry, and He is using those very diffcult circumstances which I have been in, in times past, and is now using me, to help others who are in simular situations as to what I was in.

The Lord is faithful, and I have learnt a hard lesson, but let me encourage anyone reading this, that nothing is worth living for, other than for the purposes of God.

Yes I have felt that way before.

I was deployed to Africa, leaving my wife at home. We had been married for 4 months when I left, and I was gone for 7 1/2 months. I had always lived my life the way I saw fit, up until the 5th month of my deployment. I recieved a letter saying she wanted a divorce. Unsure of how to deal with the wave of emotions I felt lost, and it was then that I knew I needed to change the way I looked at life. I wasn't doing it the right way. So I decided I would pray (to who or what I didn't know). I knelt down in the middle of a field and spoke outloud.

Long story short, I came home, we didn't get a divorce, but instead invited in two missionaries that came to our door. My wife and I are happily married, and were sealed in the London Temple. 9 months after our first temple visit we welcomed our first child Asher McKay, into the world.

I recognize that my answer does not meet the intent of your question but I'd like to share anyway. Jonah was reluctant but after, shall we say, some prodding he did show up at his assignment. However reluctantly, however belatedly, without any real faith or enthusiasm he was finally obedient. But read the rest of the story. After crying repentance to the people of Nineveh he found a hilltop from which to watch the destruction-- which did not come to pass. Miracle of miracles they repented. If God can use a reluctant, unwilling, slow to obey servant like Jonah then perhaps He can find a place for me.

me my mom and sister were in church she had very little money in that time she had only $3 she was going to put in the basket $1and use the rest for a little gas for tomorrow and in those times the gas wasn't $4 a gallon but then i asked for a dollar to put in the basket and she gave it to me and then my sister asked for one she was left empty she went up to the alter and just cried and prayed to god (i was younger and was not aware of the situation) but when we returned home a lawyer called my mom from which she translated a case from Spanish to English (they hadn't paid her yet) any way he had called to tell here he wanted her to work for another case and also the VERY NEXT DAY HER CHECK CAME with all the money my mom paid some bills and for the first time we went to Florida we went to UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!!!!!!!!

we thank god every day for the blessings he gives us

I feel like I'm in the belly of the whale right now...

well, I was bad, and my Grandpa put me in the "bad seat" so, i did more bad things, and i had to sit in the bad seat more, ..and then i was good, and Grandpa let me watch movies and have snacks with him... Yup, he did?