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3 Friends Visited 22 Countries in 90 Days to Test Mormon Hospitality

Let’s be honest: we here at Mormon Buzzz are suckers for a good story about millennials sharing goodness, and the story of best friends Brandon C.W. Johnson, Wendall Strong, and Cody Myers definitely fits into this category. They took a 90 day trip visiting 22 countries in Europe and relying purely on the hospitality of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Following their travels, they created a documentary film about their experience called the Mormon Connection. The documentary follows their epic trip and showcases how vast and accommodating the Mormon network really is.

The three met at BYU – Hawaii, and after comparing experiences they had all had road-tripping and staying with members of the Church, they had an idea to create a documentary film highlighting the global network of the Church. With limited experience traveling, filmmaking, and even more limited funds, the friends looked to the Internet to support them in their new venture. They started a Kickstarter campaign, bought some filming equipment, and began networking with the members they were planning to stay with.

Johnson said, “A documentary should test an idea or theme, and this documentary went out to test the Mormon network.” It took about four months of work and planning to make the trip possible. Social media helped them get in touch with potential contacts in Europe, including a website called Mormon Explorers that connects LDS travelers with member hosts all around the world. They all had experience with the hospitality of members before, but the opportunity to show that to the world was too good for them to pass up. “The question we asked was, ‘Do we as members of the Church really treat each other as brother and sisters?’ We think members are aware that the answer is yes, but what we were hoping to document was that if people treat others like brother and sister, like the Mormons do, the world would be a more connected place,” Johnson added.

Johnson talked about how members use this network without even being aware of it. Having only joined the Church three years ago, he provides a unique perspective on the global influence the Church has that members often take for granted. “I was baptized 30 days after coming to BYU-Hawaii as a non-member, and as a convert to the Church I quickly became aware of how amazing this network is.” He said that out of all the other churches and organizations he has been a part of, just from a networking standpoint, the “Mormon network” is the most amazing and far reaching network on the planet. Myers said, “We had people helping us out for no reason, just because we were from the same church…a lot of members don’t recognize the amazing community they are a part of.” The three can’t wait to help them recognize that.

This month marks a year since Johnson, Myers, and Strong left to Europe to film, and the documentary is set to be released this month.

For updates on the films release be sure to follow the Mormon Connection on Facebook.

The Mormon Connection

June 4, 2016
Popular Mormon Ads Reimagined with Marvel Characters

This is what happens when Avengers assemble…in your favorite Mormon Ads! Comic book fan Sean Leslie has recreated popular Mormon Ads with a superhero twist. The results are, dare we say it, super.

1. Put it on

2. Some assembly required

3. Rock solid

4. Just once won’t hurt

5. Rise above the blues

6. You’re never big enough

7. Temper your temper

To see more Marvel Mormon Ads, follow Sean on Twitter and stay tuned for his upcoming website, mormoncereal.com.

All images © Sean Leslie.

May 28, 2016
New Mormon Message Discusses Returning Home Early From Mission, Depression

The Mormon Channel released a powerful new video today about a man named Jake, who was called to serve a two-year mission in South Carolina and returned home early due to depression. It’s an incredible testament of the power of the Atonement and something we think you should know about.

Watch the video below:

We encourage you to share this video on social media to uplift friends and family members who may be going through a similar trial.

Do you have a story similar to Jake’s? We want to hear from you. Please email us at mormonbuzzz@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

May 23, 2016
A Simple Trick to Automatically Mute Your Phone at Church

If you’re anything like me you’ve probably forgotten once or twice to silence your phone at Church. There are worse sins to be certain, and after all, nothing really punctuates the sacrament like a few bars of Hello Dolly’s It Takes a Woman. But if your ward members don’t appreciate egregiously sexist show tunes quite as much as yourself, then you may want to consider following these instructions to automatically silence your phone whenever you’re at church.

Yes, you heard me correctly, with a simple app available for both Android and IOS, you can save yourself the embarrassment of explaining away your Backstreet Boys ringtone. It’s called IFTTT which stands for “If This, Then That”.

Get the App

The first step is obviously to download the app for your respective device (Sorry Windows phone users, you’re out of luck).

Initial Setup

The initial setup is easy, just download the app, and make an account. IFTTT is useful for more than just muting your phone. The app works by using “recipes”, which are just simple instructions for how to link together your favorite apps and services. If you think about the name, “If This Then That”, you’ll get an idea of how it works. We’re going to install a recipe that will let your phone figure out when it’s in a church building and then tell it to silence your phone, or in other words, if your phone is in a church building then silence your phone. Once you’ve got the app setup skip down to the instructions for your device.

Instructions for Android

If you’re using an Android phone, congratulations, this is going to be much easier for you. Unlike Apple, Android allows apps to control the volume of your phone. Now in your case what we’re going to do is watch for when your phone connects to the Church’s wifi network, “LDSAccess”. Like the Gospel, the Church’s wifi name and password is the same everywhere, so this recipe should work for you in any church building. The only requirement is that you’ve connected to the Church’s wifi at least once before. Since you’ve probably already done that at some point, I’ve taken the liberty of creating this recipe for you. To install it just click the “add” button below on your phone.

That’s it! Pretty easy right? Now just a caveat, Android devices vary greatly; there’s no guarantee that this recipe will work reliably on your phone, so you might want to monitor it the first time just to make sure it actually works for you. In my experience I’ve found that while all Android phones will silence the ringtone, not all will silence the media volume, so if you’re planning to scroll through Vine in-between sacrament meeting and Sunday school, you might want to make sure it actually is silenced.

Instructions for Apple

Alright Apple users, I have two pieces of bad news. First, Apple doesn’t allow apps on iOS to change the phone’s volume so the process isn’t quite as automatic. What we can do instead is have it send you a notification when you get to church to remind you to turn it down. Second, unlike Android, iOS can’t tell when you’re in a specific wifi network, namely, “LDSAccess”. What we can do instead, however, is use your phone’s location to accomplish the same thing. To get started just click the “Add” button below. For this recipe to work just change the address to your local church building and you’ll get a friendly reminder when you get to church to silence your phone.

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That’s it! You’re all set, please don’t forget to check out more tips at Salesforce! You can repeat this process to add more church buildings or other places like Institutes, or Temples.

You’re all done!

See, that was pretty easy. IFTTT is great for all kinds of similar uses. For example, you can have it remind you once a month to get your home/visiting teaching done, or have it log to a spreadsheet when you read your scriptures to track your reading habits. The possibilities are almost limitless. If you have any ideas for other Mormon IFTTT recipes, or maybe just need some help getting this one setup, just let me know in the comments below. Be sure to share this tip with your friends so you can all keep your embarrassing ringtones a secret.

Did you enjoy this Mormon tech tip? Check out How to use #hashtags to Share the Gospel Online

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May 21, 2016
Sister Missionaries in Disease-Impacted Areas Now Able to Wear Pants

In response to the wide spread of mosquito-borne diseases throughout the world, the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has revised missionary dress standards to allow sister missionaries in select areas to wear pants.

The guideline adjustment, announced Friday, May 20, 2016, is unique for sisters and comes at a time when viral diseases such as Dengue Fever, Zika, and Chikungunya are rampant throughout the world. Roughly half of the Church’s missions (230) worldwide have a significant risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Missionaries in these areas are highly encouraged to wear clothing that covers exposed skin, especially arms and legs. Sisters serving in affected missions are now encouraged to wear full-length dress slacks during proselyting activities. Skirts and dresses will continue to be required at the temple or during worship services. These new guidelines apply only during wet seasons when the risk for mosquito-carried illnesses is high.

The Church also announced today that it will now pay for insecticide solution and repellent containing DEET for all missionaries worldwide.

“We are encouraging and training our missionary force to implement these preventative measures and would also encourage the general membership to consider these measures for themselves and their families,” stated Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer, assistant executive director in the Missionary Department and chairperson of the Missionary Medical Health Services Division.

The First Presidency further recommended that missionaries avoid stagnant and standing water, particularly around residential areas and in their apartments.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are currently 544 reported U.S. cases of the Zika virus alone, you can read more at the latest outbreak news, which has received recent and widespread media attention.

May 20, 2016
Jamesthemormon Just Dropped a New Music Video to Let Everyone Know They’re Treasure

James Curran, who just recently hit number one on the Billboard new artist chart, just released his newest video entitled Treasure. The video features Yahosh Bonner and was written to help the world see that we are all Treasure in God’s eyes. While we may be imperfect and we all struggle with different trials, we are all equal in God’s eyes. Curran never fails to create uplifting beats that make us feel the feels.

Curran said that he wanted to help elevate the negative stereotype that the Church is non-inclusive or homophobic. He said, “No matter what your age, race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or handicaps may be.. I KNOW God thinks you are TREASURE.” After receiving backlash for the song and video, James concluded with; “I will never apologize for believing wholeheartedly that all people on this earth are equal in God’s eyes.” James, keep doing what you’re doing!

Want to hear more uplifting music from James? Check out: JamesTheMormon Raps Up the Holidays With An Amazing Service Project or LDS Rap? This Mormon Is Proving It Has A Place

May 16, 2016
What My Mission Taught Me About Motherhood

I had the privilege of training another missionary while I was serving my mission. I was pretty young in the mission myself and I was terrified at the prospect of training another missionary but still excited for the opportunity. In my mission, and in many other missions, we had the tradition of referring to our trainees as daughter or son. They, in turn, refer to us trainers as mom or dad. It’s remarkable how these seemingly meaningless titles gave you a very unique perspective on your role as a trainer. I’d like to describe to you some of the insights I received about motherhood in my time as a trainer. These are excerpts taken directly from my mission journal.

A reflection on motherhood

She arrives and you feel an exciting mixture of undying love and nervousness. who will she be? will she be like me? will she love me like I love her? Can I provide what she needs? What if I’m not good enough? In the end, all you know is you love her with all you’ve got and you’ll do anything to make sure her experience here with you is worth while.

She cries and cries, life here isn’t easy but the only thing you can do is hold her as those tears dry. She grows and starts to amaze you with her talent and that motherly pride swells. She complains, why is this place so different? It’s not fair! How can I go on living here? I want to go home. I’m sorry, baby girl, you signed up for this opportunity and everything that comes with it. My advice, keep going and slap a smile on your face; It’s more fun that way.

She gets mad when I don’t understand but can’t she see? I’ve been where she is, I’ve suffered what she’s suffering. Why can’t she just trust me? And then I remember how I learned those lessons, the hard way. So i’m here, guiding from a distance but close enough to catch her if she falls.

She’s making more mistakes. Her actions and frustrations take me back to when I was in her place. I remember feeling similarly, thinking similarly, and coming to the same conclusions. I also remember the pain and suffering I had to endure to learn the lessons she’ll have to learn. I want to save her the the heartache. It’s in her eyes, I call her on it, she explains her plan to accomplish her goals and get over her issues. She chooses the hard way. It hurts that she doesn’t trust me, that she doesn’t accept my council. I can see where her decision will take her and I know there’s an easier way. Mother knows best! But then He touches my heart and reminds me, “No, Father knows best.” I let her go. In my mind I know that this really is for the best. She’ll learn for herself, just like I did. But everything else in me is screaming to save her from the pain. But after a while, I just become a spectator. The coach has to stay on the sidelines and pray that something got through to them in practice. She’s caught in the game and I can’t play for her.

The most important thing I learned about motherhood on the mission field was that no one can prepare enough for what motherhood is. Motherhood is to important of a calling for God to just leave it to us imperfect people. While we can’t prepare ourselves for it, we can rest assured that God has been preparing us all along. He prepares us in subtle ways that we can easily overlook, such as sending me my trainee. For you it may be an incredible woman figure to look up to, a difficult relationship with a sister or friend, maybe God only gives you examples of what not to do. Any way He does it, remember that he won’t leave you alone as a mother, He has been turning you into one for a long time.

May 8, 2016
What I Wish I Had Known the First Time I Caught My Husband Looking at Porn

When I was a 24-year-old new mom I caught my husband looking at pornography on our computer from 25pc.com for the very first time. I didn’t know anything about pornography addiction. The Internet was brand new. Who knew this smut even existed on this thing called the World Wide Web? I naively believed him when he told me it was a two-month problem. It never even crossed my mind that he could be an addict. I had absolutely no idea what follow-up questions to even ask him.

I needed an education on addiction, but that education would sadly have to wait another 16 years, until I caught him yet again. The evidence, coupled with all the talk I heard about addiction from my friends and on those 5th-Sunday lessons at church, with the supported sites like https://sex-addiction-rehab.co.uk/, I finally opened my eyes. My husband was an addict. “My spiritual armor was never complete until knowledge about fighting addiction became a part of my life.”

How I wish I could go back in time, take my young, tender-hearted self out for ice cream, and say, “Oh Sweetie, sweetie, here’s what you need to understand. At least learn these three things. There is more to learn, but for now these three could change your life.”

The first thing I needed to understand when I was 24 was this: Pornography is a branch on the addiction tree; it is not the addiction. The real addiction is lust. Addicts feed their lust addiction with pornography. But an addict also feeds his (or her) lust addiction with other sexual habits: sexually explicit books, chat rooms, fantasies about women (or men), masturbation, sexually suggestive TV shows and movies. I thought I stopped my husband’s “little problem” after the first time I caught him because I controlled the password to our dinosaur-dial-up Internet service. Presto! No more pornography problem! What I didn’t realize was that all I did was cut off one of the branches. There were other branches he continued using to feed his lust addiction. Oh, and the pornography branch eventually grew back as well. The branches always grow back. You gotta chop down the lust tree, and then kill the roots of fear, shame, low self worth, and isolation.

The second thing my younger self needed to understand was: What exactly is an addiction? When does viewing pornography go from “just a little problem” to an addiction? Well, I don’t want to get bogged down in the clinical details of when bad behavior turns compulsive, someone else can do that, but here’s one very simple definition that cleared it all up for me: If he wants to stop, but always returns, a day later or a year later, it’s an addiction. Call it an addiction, a problem, or a bad habit. The remedy is the same. All bad habits or addictions require time and effort to solve. That’s what my 24-year self didn’t understand. I simply told my husband, “Just stop!”

“Just stop!” requires no effort on his part.

“Just stop!” doesn’t require him to end his isolation and seek out help.

“Just stop!” does not require a lifestyle change.

“Just stop!”’ doesn’t teach him why he does something he knows is wrong.

Saying, “Just stop!” was like wishing on a falling star. No matter how heartfelt my wish, the star kept falling and eventually crashed into something. It crashed into my heart the year I turned 40, shattering my world, shattering my marriage, shattering all trust I had in my husband. This “little problem” I thought was in the past turned out to be a decades-long addiction.

The third thing I wish I understood is that most often pornography addictions start during adolescence. Yes, grown-mature-LDS men and women can start to view porn in adulthood, but it most often doesn’t work that way. Had I known this, I would have heard an alarm going off in my head when he said it was a two-month problem. Once caught, he tried to minimize the damage by getting me to believe this was a recent problem. I eventually learned my husband was just eleven years old when he was first exposed through a friend in his neighborhood. What does an eleven-year old boy know about what will ruin his life? His future marriage? Nothing. His brain was still developing. And so at the tender age of eleven, my husband found something to help him feel good, to comfort him, to help him cope with low self-esteem.

It would have been important for me to know that a young man’s emotional growth is stunted at the age he begins viewing pornography. My husband rarely shared his heartfelt thoughts with me. He was a great listener, but a lousy sharer. He was not able to be “emotionally intimate” with me because in reality he was still that eleven-year old boy. I was starving for emotional intimacy but I thought he was just a “typical guy.” And guys don’t usually share their feelings. Mine never did.

Over the years of our marriage, I very often did feel like I was starving for “emotional intimacy” but chose instead to focus on all the good he did–reading to the children, rubbing my feet, shoveling snow from the walkways at the widow’s house next door, being a good provider, serving faithfully in callings. Now, my 40-something self knows it is ok to expect my husband to open up his heart to me. That really isn’t asking too much. That’s a normal part of all healthy marriages.

Thankfully, it is never too late to change. I didn’t know any of these things in my twenties, but it’s never too late to learn. And thankfully it hasn’t been too late for my husband to learn. To grow a new heart. To change his brain. With specialized therapy, the LDS 12-Step program, strong boundaries and rules he set for himself, and accountability to others, he’s experienced nothing short of a complete lifestyle change. All these things have been crucial to becoming a new man. The man God always meant for him to be. There’s a spiritual war going on, not unlike the physical wars in The Book of Mormon. My spiritual armor was never complete until knowledge about fighting addiction became a part of my life. Don’t be afraid to learn more. Knowledge is empowering. Truth gave me hope. It gave us a second chance.

This post appeared originally on HopeAndHealingLDS.com and has been reposted here with permission. Hope and Healing LDS is an online community providing resources and support for women affected by the sexual addiction of a loved one. This post is part of a series addressing education on and recovery from pornography addiction and betrayal trauma. To read the rest of this series head over to HopeAndHealingLDS.com.

April 30, 2016
The Miracle I Overlooked In the Story of the Loaves & Fishes

It was 4:50 in the morning, and I had approximately three minutes to eat something before leaving for my very first temple shift. I raced through a dark kitchen on my tiptoes and wolfed down a banana that had been sitting on the table. Worried that I wouldn’t have enough food in me to last throughout the day, or enough patience to eat a second banana, I looked to the slightly squished loaf of Western Family bread on the kitchen counter and felt a glimmer of hope. Bread’s filling, I thought. That should sustain me for awhile, right? Having barely enough time to snarf down a single slice, I ate one and ran.

Two hours later, in the quietest parts of the temple, my stomach made a noise similar to what it would sound like if every creature in Return of the Jedi had been thrown in the Sarlacc pit. Obviously, that single piece of bread had not filled or sustained me. It maybe had momentarily, but not long enough to make a difference or end my hunger.

As I thought about that little piece of bread and how I had expected it to fill me, I was reminded of the story of the loaves and the fishes in the New Testament and struck with new insight.

Picture it with me: the Savior has just heard of the passing of His good friend John the Baptist. Overcome, we can assume, by grief for His friend and the desire for solitude, He tries to get as far away as He can with His disciples. He, in fact, gets on a ship that takes them into the desert, almost literally the middle of nowhere. The people, hearing that the Savior has left, follow Him. These people are so desirous to be with the Savior that they don’t even think to take a boat or wagons — they follow Him “on foot out of the cities” (Matthew 14:13), leaving their homes and provisions behind to walk for who knows how long to get to Him. When they arrive, Christ, in His infinite compassion and in spite of being in the midst of His own trial, goes among them, healing their sick and afflicted.

Now, at some point, it gets to be way past dinner time. These 5,000 some odd people are in the desert, away from their homes, and have had nothing to eat for a very long time, and the disciples are, understandably, anxious about it. They approach the Savior and beg Him to “send the multitude away” (Matthew 14:15) so that they can get food for themselves. The Savior, as we know, tells them that the people don’t need to leave, and He asks His disciples to find food for them. Among all of the 5,000, they are able to find five loaves of bread and two fishes, which the Savior blesses and then breaks.

The miracle of this story that we most often focus on is that, when the disciples hand out the bread and fish, every single person receives some. Our human brains try to grasp how so few items could be split among so many and how the disciples could end up having food leftover to boot. With our small and limited understanding of this miracle, we might mentally divide the bread the fish into 5,000 pieces. They’d be pieces so small, it’d be a wonder that anybody could eat them at all. We consume ourselves with quantity and figures, but we forget another miracle that is, perhaps, more important in this story, one that sneaks quietly behind the first:

“…they did all eat, and were filled” (Matthew 14:20).

The miracle of the five loaves and the fishes isn’t only that 5,000 people all got food, but that they were all filled by it. It staved off a hunger that had likely been building for hours, and it sustained them all. Can you imagine it? With five loaves and two fishes, the Savior provided meals for 5,000. It’s incomprehensible to those of us who concern ourselves with wondering how.

The lesson here, however, is a tender and beautiful one. With this second miracle, the Savior showed the multitude and us that His love and His Atonement can fill us. He doesn’t hand it to us in portions, He doesn’t give a little to everyone. He fills us all with it. He gives us enough and then more than enough. That eternity that He promises those who follow Him is also offered completely. It’s a magnificent thing to think about.

Those of us who actively follow the Savior and want to be with Him are part of that multitude, spiritually if not physically. We might occasionally think there isn’t room for us or that we don’t matter. We might look at others receiving blessings we desperately want and think, I guess I’m not meant to have them. I guess I’m not trying hard enough. The truth, however, is that the Savior is waiting to fill our lives with every blessing. To those who follow Him, He offers eternal life individually, and He offers it in full. We must have the faith, like one in a crowd of 5,000, that when it is our turn to receive those blessings, we will receive them all.

Though a piece of bread early on a Saturday morning will not fill us, the Savior’s love and Atonement always will. There is more than enough for all. All we must do is seek Him.

April 27, 2016
Finding Compassion Through Addiction

When I was small, I never thought I would have to deal with the effects of addiction, especially within the walls of my own home. Substance abuse and other forms of addiction were completely foreign to me, and when I would see loitering smokers standing outside of buildings, I would quickly become afraid of them. Unfortunately, I and so many other members of the church have a natural response to those who do not always follow the principles of the Gospel: we are quick to judge others for their choices and mistakes. As I have grown and endured a long haul of tragic and excruciatingly painful events, my heart has been changed and humbled when considering addiction.

A family member of mine has been a long-time suffering addict. This person is clean-cut, respectful, and reasonable. No one upon first glance would ever see the pain and weariness in their eyes. The signs of an increasing problem started small. A few coins would go missing from the car ashtray, and a few dollars would be misplaced here and there. These small accounts of missing money would go unnoticed or be forgotten. As months went by, my family was in a constant panic regarding the amount of missing items or money throughout the home. Things got bad enough, that I would place my wallet under my bed each night, out of fear that I would be stolen from. Although this person would never admit to stealing anything, and acted completely innocent and normal, something in my heart was telling me and the rest of my family that something was amiss. I know now that the feeling was the Spirit trying to get through to us all. After so many nights of arguments, sweat, tears, and accusations, this person finally admitted to having an addiction to heroine and was desperately in need of help.

The amount of betrayal I felt, and the hatred I harbored toward this person was unbearable. This person was meant to build me up, and was not meant to make me feel vulnerable and small. Alas, I felt smaller than a speck of dust in their eyes. The stealing, the lies, and my own lack of empathy completely crushed my spirit.

My heart was heavy, broken, and fuming. I had changed from being a tolerant, patient, and kind person, into someone who was barely recognizable. I am not one to hold onto a grudge, but this situation was going to be my one exception. I had no compassion for this person within my soul, and compassion was something that often comes easy to me. I blamed this person for giving into temptation in the first place. I hated them. I wanted them to leave and never come back. I would cry every night and hide the truth from most of my friends out of shame. I had a drug addict in my family and I was embarrassed by that fact. The situation caused so much contention even between the sober members of my family because of frustration and confusion on how to move forward. I prayed to Heavenly Father to take the burden he placed on my family away. I did not understand why my family could not shake this trial off after so many years of praying and faithfulness.

One day, as this member of my family was slowly regaining some freedom from their addiction, I realized something: I was looking at them in a different way than God was. To God, this person was still His child, and not even the greatest sin could change that fact. God loved them the same as He loved me and everyone single one of His children on the earth, despite their choices, religion, circumstance, race, or any circumstance. God loves the homeless people on the side of the road whom we quickly disregard and judge. He loves those who have committed the most heinous of crimes. He loves the “A” student as much as the “C” student. And his heart breaks for those who struggle with addiction. He loves each and every one of us the very same, and that love is unshaken by any situation we may find ourselves in.

If the Lord could love this addict, why could I not also? With that thought, my entire countenance toward this person changed. My heart was finally softened in understanding, and the heavy burden of the grudge lingering on my shoulders was lifted by forgiveness. I cannot begin to express the amount of confusion, hurt, remorse, and guilt this person has gone through for so many years. But I constantly remind them of the fact that they do not have to endure the torments of their past alone. The Atonement is for each and every addiction, anxiety, and pain that was ever felt by anyone. It is God’s gift to His children to ensure we never have to endure anything alone, and to remind us that the path to redemption is possible. If there is anything I know for certain, it is that through God and love, people can change. With God, the impossible becomes possible.

By finally loosening my hold on the bitterness that previously filled my heart, I felt peace and humility take its place. This trial has constantly taught me to have compassion and understanding toward all those who struggle with the bonds of any addiction. Often times if we hear about an addict or someone who struggles with sin, our initial thought is to blame them for creating their own problems. I have come to know that good people can fall victim to horrible things. People make mistakes and we do not have the right to categorize them with the other iniquities of the world. Pornography and drugs continue to desecrate even the most vibrant of minds, but addicts are not the only ones who need to come unto Christ for strength and hope.

Compassion, kindness, and empathy will turn the addiction tide toward hope. As hard as addiction is to comprehend if you have not fallen victim to its tentacles, a desire to understand, empathize and to help is the first step. Addicts already feel the pain, remorse, and guilt that comes with their vice; the least we can do is try to lead them back to the light without any further judgments. 1 Peter 1:22 says:

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”

Love and kindness can alter even the most bitter of hearts. Christ-like love and constant prayers of support from friends and family is what will lead addicts to the path that leads from darkness to everlasting light. Just like any other sin, addiction can be forgiven. Though my family member still has a long journey ahead and some set-backs from time to time, I know that through the eternal power of the Atonement and love, all who were once bound to vices can become whole and clean again.

Chakell Wardleigh recently graduated from Weber State University with her Bachelor of Arts in English. Chakell is a firm believer in enjoying the little things in life. She loves to keep herself occupied with a good book and when she is not silently correcting grammar mistakes, she enjoys chocolate licorice, puns, and Harry Potter references.

April 24, 2016