#my ysa is like 10 active people

[lovingldsconvert]

in my search for an lds man who’s not insanely conservative (hard to find on mutual) i suddenly realized that there’s the BYU DEMOCRATS. like the club. why didn’t i think of this sooner

[nerdygaymormon]

Bishops Council

In my stake, twice a quarter the bishops get together with the stake presidency. I typically do not attend this meeting, but stake president invited me to come since one of the bishops had added "counsel with LGBT youth" as an agenda item.

The stake president has a gay son and is fully capable of speaking to this, but I appreciate that he wanted to include the point of view of someone who is queer.

When we got to this topic, the stake president shared a few slides I had sent him earlier based on some research done at Utah State University.

The stake president then spoke about things he has learned as the dad of a gay child. Primarily that it is his job to love, and his son is going to have his own journey. The things he has learned as the parent of a queer child has helped him be a better stake president.

One of the bishops shared that when he was newly called three years ago that I sent him an email with 10 suggestions. He keeps that email bookmarked and has referred to it several times over the years. It helped him understand his role and that he could be confident in meeting with queer individuals and help them feel seen, loved, and valued. Then he read the list while wiping away tears, and I also was moved to tears to hear him share how impactful these suggestions were for him

David's list of 10 suggestions for bishops

All LGBT members need a trusted adult in their life who loves, supports and sustains them, no matter which path they choose.

When someone “comes out” they should be greeted with love, validation and hope, not a lecture on repentance or reminder of the Church’s stance on same-sex marriage  

Create a safe culture for the LGBT person. This could include speaking to youth and YSA about what sort of conversation their bishop would have with them if they come out, that it’s okay if now is not the right time to come out, and there is no shame to the person or their family if they are gay/trans. There's a good chance there's some LGBT people in your ward, even if you don't know who they are.

Don’t use words like “struggling” or say they’ll be “fixed” in the resurrection

Our Heavenly Parents love their LGBT children, we should give them unconditional love and support and recognize they will bless the lives of others

LGBT individuals are more likely to be the victims of bullying and violence than any other minority group in the USA. Be on the lookout for youth or young adults who may be doing & saying unkind things.  

Know the signs of suicide and depression. LGBT people are at much higher risk. It’d be a good idea for youth leaders to have some training in this.

Encourage them to pray and ask if God loves them as they are 

Especially before or after lessons about marriage, say something like “I know there are people in this ward who cannot be married because of same-sex attraction or other reasons. I love you, and the Lord has a plan for you.”

Know that studies show that being active in the LDS church is often detrimental to the mental health and quality of life for LGBT people. For a person’s well-being, they may decide they need a break. Make sure they know they’re welcome to come back.

I then blurted out, "I'm gay, just in case anyone didn't know." A counselor in the stake presidency said, "Duh, we all know you're a happy guy."

Another bishop shared that he has a child who recently came out as trans and is in their first semester of college. This child hasn't fully discussed this with the family but is using this time away to experiment with what feels right to them. He loves this child and wants them to be their best and to be comfortable with themselves and it's taking some adjustments for him to understand and change his dreams for them.

Then my bishop shared that I had given him the same 10 suggestions when he was first called and he feels it has helped him be successful as a bishop to queer youth. He shared an incident that happened recently which involved a young women leader overhearing part of a conversation between two teens. He didn't share the specifics of the discussion other than it was about being gay. The leader was uncomfortable with what she heard and spoke about it at ward council.

Another bishop commented, "Oh yes, ward council, that's the right place to discuss that" as he rolled his eyes.

The stake president said a better approach would've been for the leader to ask the girls to share more with her, to be open to a conversation with them, rather than run to the ward council to share how shocked and uncomfortable she was.

I thought it was a good discussion even though I wound up saying very little. I had prepared some thoughts ahead of time that I could use as reference, and I sent them by email to the bishops (see below).

————————————————————

There are queer individuals who attend our congregations, many of whom aren't out to everyone, and so you speak to queer people even if you don't know who they are.

We are children of God, we deserve to hear good news, to have hope, to feel loved. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen often enough in church settings. People who interacted with Christ left feeling uplifted and that would be a good goal for us.

In 2019, the former stake president said this in Bishops' Council: LGBT individuals are some of the most patient people you’ll ever meet. They’ve heard more hurtful words than most any of us will hear in our entire lifetime. That doesn’t mean they’re immune to the words. There are LGBT members who come to church and they deserve to hear good words, to be welcomed and loved and be strengthened in the gospel.

Handbook 38.6.15 The Church encourages families and members to reach out with sensitivity, love, and respect to persons who are attracted to others of the same sex. The Church also promotes understanding in society at large that reflects its teachings about kindness, inclusiveness, love for others, and respect for all human beings.

Handbook 38.6.23 Transgender individuals face complex challenges. Members and nonmembers who identify as transgender—and their family and friends—should be treated with sensitivity, kindness, compassion, and an abundance of Christlike love. All are welcome to attend sacrament meeting, other Sunday meetings, and social events of the Church

When my bishop was first called, a member of the ward asked me if I thought the new bishop would be safe to meet with and share his orientation. I sent the bishop an email to find out and received this beautiful response:

David, Thank you for sharing this with me. I hope that the Spirit can guide me to treat LBGTQ members and investigators with love and respect. I’m not sure what your journey has been, but I would guess that it has included anguish, heartbreak and innumerable unintentional and even some intentional wounds. As far as I am aware, I am the only person called to be a judge in the ward, and I believe that office is to help everyone come to Christ, not send any away. I may not fully appreciate how or which traditions and traditional phrases may carry messages of exclusion, but I am open to learning a better way. I hope that I can “make the pathway bright” for LBGTQ members and friends. In hope, Bishop

One of the scariest parts of coming out is not knowing how the other person will respond. The previous stake president at a youth fireside shared how he would react if a person met with him and shared that they are LGBTQ.

I would thank you for trusting me enough to share this with me.

If you're willing, I'd like for you to share with me some about your journey up to this point.

I would offer to give you a blessing.

Regardless of whether you accepted or declined the offer of a blessing, I'm a hugger so I'd ask if I can give you a hug.

I'd invite you to come see me again when you want to talk some more.

Questions many LGBTQ+ members would welcome from their church leaders (these come from the fourth option)

What does being LGBTQIA+ mean for you at this time?

What has been difficult about being an LGBTQIA+ member of the church? What's been fulfilling?

What do you want your future to look like?

What do you believe or want to believe?

What revelation have you received, if any, about your path in life?

What's on your mind related to your sexuality or gender identity and faith?

How has being queer influenced your relationship with Christ?

How can we best support you?

Do you feel safe in our congregation? What can we do to make it safer?

Has anyone said or done anything to make you feel unwanted in the ward?

From what you've observed so far, how can we improve as a ward?

How would you like to be involved in the ward?

What callings would you feel comfortable with?

What skills would you like to use to contribute to our ward? 

What else would you like me to know?

Things ward & stake leaders can do (also from the fourth option)

Pray for guidance on how to make your ward safer and more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ members (out or not)

Call LGBTQIA+ members to callings in a range of auxiliaries

Invite LGBTQIA+ members to share their experiences in fifth Sunday lessons, firesides, ward councils meetings, etc

Encourage your stake to call an LGBTQ fellowship coordinator

Speak to LGBTQIA+ members over the pulpit and in lessons (move away from the "use vs. them" mentality; show that we're part of every ward, out or not)

Include LGBTQIA+ members in discussions about ministering and and outreach

Regularly check in with us to see if anyone is making us feel unsafe

Get to know us personally

Wear a rainbow pin or similar thing to indicate that you're an ally

Speak in support of LGBTQIA+ people and help others remember that we are children of God

Ask your ward or stake to start a support group for LGBTQIA+ members, families, and allies (volunteer to help if possible)

Pray for guidance on how to best minister to LGBTQIA+ individuals in your ward

Pray for God to reveal more about His plan for His LGBTQIA+ children

Correct people when they say uninformed or hateful things

Listen to our stories, sit in our pain, celebrate our joy

Studies show that on average gay men (and I suspect this is true of queer people in general) are more creative, have higher IQ’s and higher emotional intelligence, have more compassion and are more cooperative and have less hostility. Of course someone with these qualities is going to bless the lives around them.

We have a stake group for LGBTQ members, and their family, friends and allies, which meets about every other month. For more information, contact me.

[leefi]

ORV 17

jeopardy

the nbc constellation beaming the ghost of alex trebek (pbuh) down:

"WHAT IS THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS????"

"That is in-correct!" *blasts you with my death ray*

you are so mean to yjh and you dont appreciate him and you

h

WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK

did they say tight black battle suit earlier. I'm still processing that is she wearing a tight black catsuit. Is ysa currently Ina. Tight black catsuit are the webtoon artists going to draw her in a *books flight to studio* is yoo sangah in a *knocks loudly on door" we need to talk please eorpn the floor

ladies 😙. am I detecting ☺️☺️🥰🤭🤭🤭 some animosity 🙈🤭🏳️‍🌈❓❓ maybe some ✂️🏳️‍🌈✂️🏳️‍🌈✂️🏳️‍🌈✂️🏳️‍🌈✂️ contempt 🥰🥰🥰 for one another? 😚😚😚 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻 please continue, i am not one to get in the way of successful women ❤️

im just staring at this succession of words and my brain is writing the fic in real time as they speak

The men are speaking out of turn again so let's clarify something. YJH as my future husband I need you to listen to me carefully:

If you are ever in a position where you have to kill me for the sake of the greater good you are going down with me. that timeline is resetting in 10 minutes max, 9 is already late. I do not care if you've done a full pacifist run so far. I do not care if you have the knife to God's throat and you're about to end it all. if i die we die. get in the casket.

a few things to touch on now even though catsuit ysa is currently burned into my brain and actively disrupting at least half of my neural processes:

YSA's skills include a golden thread (??), quick movements (???) and dagger mastery (hot). YJH warns KDJ of her power, and HSY notes that her growth is impossible even with a package and she has tremendous strength for somebody with barely any items. KDJ says the same and notes that the stigmas she's used originate from two different constellations, both of Grecian origin, but is interrupted before he reaches anything conclusive. She's been intentionally hiding her sponsor and attribute from him as well. Does she have the whole pantheon behind her? Is the entire Greek pantheon just one constellation? That's OP as hell. (but not as OP as constellation NBC Jeopardy).

5 champions elected from each species to be guides from ruined planet/universe/dimension/whatever Chronos - wolf boy is one, parasite queen is another. 3 left. Is there a human among them? Do we have INTERPLANETARY SPECIATION? (probably not but that'd be cool)

Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung should, can, and will have hate-charged homosexual intercourse with each other. Happy pride month to them only.

We learned about another ripple effect of KDJ's actions from what YSA updated him to what she'd been up to these past 2 days - Gong Pildu likely won't be one of the ten evils this round, just as Lee Seolhwa likely won't be either. All thanks to KDJ :')

And finally:

People can become constellations. Wonder if this is exclusively a post-mortem thing. Still curious as to what death in this story looks like/if there's some kind of afterlife. If Greek Gods and Christianic angels exist in this universe as gods which afterlife reigns "supreme", if there is one at all? There's the anomaly of the Unknown God as well.

[purplesurveys]

1032

survey by danceamydance

Have you ever witnessed a birth? Never have. I wasn’t present when my mom gave birth to my younger siblings and other than that there’s been no reason for me to be around for the birth of my other younger relatives.

What pattern does the closest tissue box have? I don’t have one in my room, but the one in our bathroom is brown. I think. I never actually checked even though I use it everyday lol.

Where did you lose your virginity, if you have? I truthfully didn’t really keep note of what counts as the first time because we had already been fooling around quite a bit. I’d guess either a hotel room or my room, or maybe hers. The one thing I can remember was that I was 18, so there’s that.

What color car(s) do your parents drive? We have two white cars and one teal. I still don’t know why my dad got a teal car when none of us in the family are into colored cars, but according to him getting the Vitara in white would’ve looked like an FX (a form of public transport here), so I’ve learned to make my peace with the teal car lol.

What are your views on getting rid of the penny? I can’t relate, because we don’t use pennies.

Which Asian country would you most like to visit? Aside from the ones I’ve already gone to, I’d love to take a trip to Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India.

Have you ever had a nosebleed? Nope. I fear the day I get one; I’m scared of blood haha.

How far away do you live from your birthplace? Maybe around 30 minutes without any traffic. A realistic drive to Manila would take me anywhere between 1 to 1.5 hours.

Do you have bangs? Yep, and they’re starting to get pretty long as well so thanks for reminding me that I’ll have to trim them soon. I want to get rid of them already as I’ve had my fun with them, but NO ONE HAS SEEN ME WITH BANGS loooool so they are still staying. 

Are you a good driver? I wanna say I’ve been better through the years? Hahaha the consensus is that I drive a little crazy, but my friends still always pick me to drive them whenever we go somewhere because everyone apparently still finds me the safest driver to ride with despite my temper on the road. Having a tiny car, being bullied by bigger pickup trucks and SUV through the years has helped toughen me up.

Have you ever kissed someone underneath the mistletoe? No. My ex and I always celebrated Christmas separately, with our own families, so we never got the chance to do this.

Do you watch the Olympics on the television? No. It’s not really something that interests me.

What was the scariest experience of your life? The time I nearly crashed into a car that I didn’t realize was stopped in the middle of the road while I was going 80 kph, and having like 3 seconds to hit the brakes.

Do you have a Tumblr account? I mean...

Are your nails painted right now? What color? Nope.

Have you ever played truth or dare? Several times, though I always pick truth because I’ve never had a problem saying it. I also hate picking dares because my friends would usually make us do dumb things, like dance, or worse, make out with someone in the circle.

How long is your driveway? Not very.

Are there any tv shows you keep up with religiously? Mmm it used to be The Crown, but I probably won’t be watching it for a while despite the new season because 1) I used to watch it when my past relationship had still been smooth-sailing, so watching it would just remind me of that; and 2) Gabie loves the shit out of Gillian Anderson and she was brought in for season 4 lol. 

Right now my focus is on a new Korean drama called Start-Up, which is currently ongoing and is so fucking good. Nam Joo Hyuk is also there, so it’s a sweet bonus for me <3

What is your favorite iPhone app? I’m using YouTube the most these days, so it may as well be my favorite.

Where is your mother right now? She’s at work.

Do you know anybody named Carl? I don’t think so. The only person that came to mind is an uncle named Carlo who I haven’t seen in more than a decade. My dad’s college group used to be super tight-knit and I used to be friends with his friends’ kids, so it’s sad to see them kinda grow apart and notice the others be more reclusive over the years.

Are you more of a night owl or a morning person? Morning person. Ugh, work is changing me as a person haha.

What is your favorite song at the moment? Saw You In A Dream by The Japanese House has taken the top spot again. It’s just too goddamn good of a song.

Do you have a weak stomach? Very. I’m awful with car rides, bungee jumping, fair rides, you name it.

Have you ever been to a party where people were drinking underage? Hmm, yes. Kaira’s 18th birthday – it was held in May but most of the people at her party weren’t going to turn 18 until the end of the year, so it was a lot of 16 and 17 year olds drinking. I had just turned 18 then, so I allowed myself to take my first sip of a margarita.

How many stores are in the mall closest to you? Malls here are generally packed compared to what people may have in the US or other countries, so even though our local mall isn’t anything notable, it still holds 200+ stores.

Do you know anybody who has been diagnosed with cancer? Yes, but they’re all outside of family. My mom’s side is very weird about cancer and never share information about family members who may have it and only ever refer to it as ‘the c word,’ so I may have more relatives who have cancer than what is made known to us.

How far away is the closest McDonald’s to you? We have one literally right beside the main entrance of our village but because our house is at the very end of the village, what should be just a couple of steps away is instead a 10-minute drive for me.

Would you ever meet someone in person that you met online? Yeah I’ve done that with a few people in the wrestling circle. Jila I met unexpectedly while we were both in line for the WWE house show in Manila in 2016; Javi I met when I lent him my Chris Jericho memoir; and Rafie was the one who gave me a free ticket to said WWE show. Rafie’s a local celebrity now and he has such a huge following, so as weird as it is I’m also glad I have that little memory with him before he blew up.

What was the last film you watched? That Thing Called Tadhana, but I was unable to finish it. I’m into TV shows these days and I’ve been all over Start-Up.

Does it snow where you live? Never has.

Have you ever been to an art gallery? Of course, I’m a sucker for those. I always go to one whenever I can; there are a lot of malls here that’ll randomly have pop-up art exhibits, so art galleries here actually aren’t limited to just museums.

What are your neighbours like? A lot of them have kids, that much I know because a lot of them play outside in the afternoon and make some noise. We all keep to each other, though, so I don’t know any more about them; the only time we get together is when the neighborhood organizes its own Christmas party for the community.

Do you visit your town’s library often? I would if we have one, but public libraries are not a thing here. If you needed to go to a library to find a book, you would have to go to a university.

Have you ever had to take care of an intoxicated person? This just gave me college flashbacks haha. Of course I have, and the most notable people for me are JM, Andrew, and Angela.

What flavor was the last ice cream you ate? It’s a red bean ice cream sandwich that also has a bit of vanilla ice cream in it.

Can you do a cartwheel? No but I definitely tried a thousand times as a kid.

Who is the last person you spoke to on the phone? Can I do video calls instead? I haven’t done phone calls in a while. The last people I was on a call with were Ysa and Bea.

^ What did you talk about? Secret work stuff.

Which website do you spend the most time on? YouTube, Tumblr, Reddit, Twitter.

Have you ever kissed someone of a different race? I haven’t.

What can you smell right now? My coffee chocolate chip cookie.

Do you read fanfiction? If so, what fandoms? I haven’t checked on my favorite authors since college, mostly because they went MIA at some point and moved on to different fandoms as well. But when I did, I mostly read ones for AJ/Punk and HHH/Steph.

What accent is your favorite? Man this question is asked a lot...

How did/will you celebrate your birthday this year? Gab gave me a cute digital present, I think I may have spent the whole day playing the Switch, and Hans and Angela sent over a box of sushi for me.

Are you more introverted or extroverted? I’m both depending on the people I’m with. If I’m with a crowd I don’t know all that much, I turn my volume down.

Do you tend to repeat yourself all the time? Yeah. I got it from my mom, who unconsciously repeats stories all the time.

How was the last chicken you ate cooked? Fried.

Is there anybody you always find yourself thinking about? Yes, but it has gotten easier to manage/ignore altogether these days.

What was your last argument about? Haven’t argued with anyone in a hot minute. It was probably my mom as always, but I no longer remember what it could have been about.

Are/were you part of any extracurricular activities in school? I had clubs in high school since it was mandatory. In college, I was in yearbook and a journalism org.

Do you want to get married someday? I don’t know about that anymore.

What colors are on your country’s national flag? Blue, red, yellow, and white.

Would you go back to your ex if he/she asked you? I’m pretty stupid when it comes to this, so yes.

[yzzy-gggg]

Get to Know Me Tag

tagged by @active-mind-15

Nickname: Ysa (pronounced Isa)

Gender: Female

Star Sign: Sagittarius

Height: small (as in 5′0″... 160 cm...)

Time: 10:53 PM

Birthday: December 11, 1998

Fave Band(s): uhm... I'll go with BTS and VIXX

Fave Solo Artist(s): LiSA cuz she bomb af, Bruno Mars and John Legend

Song Stuck in my head: “Despacito” cuz it plays every single fucking time I turn on the radio.

Last Movie watched: uhhhh... A Dog’s Purpose

Last Show watched: Boku no Hero Academia SO SO GOOD AH

When did I create my blog: probably like 3 years ago but I wasn't active until like March

What do I post: KnB, Akashi (a lot lot lot), Boku no Hero, Izaya lolol and shit about my life ye

Last thing I googled: Eclipse Chicago time (so I knew when it was safe to buy sugar lol)

Do you have other blogs: yep one other called @akashi-seijuroooo (except I like never use it oops)

Do you get asks: yes, but I've only answered like one cuz I suck I’m so sorry :(

Why did you choose this name: cuz my username for everything was yzzy-gggg which is a spin off of my actual name and that was my Instagram name at the time

Following: a whole fucking lot of blogs

Followers: 31

Favorite colors: currently pastels (pink, blue, purple) and white since they’re so cute and dainty and ever since my trip to Japan I’ve been trying to go for the cute dainty look

Average hours of sleep: solid 6-7 but now that I’m bout to go to college (pls pray for me) it’s gonna drop to like 5 LOL

Lucky number: 4, always has and always will be (also it’s Akashi’s jersey number unf babe)

Instruments: BACK IN THE DAY I played piano (quit in like preschool lolol), guitar, and clarinet. But quit everything to focus on tennis

What am I wearing: a gray nike tank and black shorts with some pink spandex underneath. also a neon green bra. I just had tennis practice lol

How many blankets do I sleep with: one in the summer and two in the winter and with a shit ton of stuffed animals (and always always with my baby Bokushi plushie he’s my child so)

Dream job: a YouTuber or Instagrammer since some Instgrammers get paid thousands of dollars just to post pictures like my god

Dream trip: a countrywide trip to Japan where I explore every single place in Japan (I love Japan so much someone take me back PLEASE especially so I can see Okinawa)

Fave food: OH BOY this is hard. but I’m gonna have to go with authentic, real Japanese ramen cuz that shit is SO SO good especially the one I had in Japan

Nationality: Filipino, but born and raised in America (Japanese at heart tho lol ;) but also everyone thinks I’m Chinese or Korean the first time they see me)

Favorite song now: “Sayonara Moon Town” (the second ending song of Boruto you must listen to it cuz it is v nice)

 This was fun! I low-key really enjoy these things ^^

So I’m supposed to tag 30 people but I’m not particularly friends with 30 people sooo... I’ll only tag like 3 lol

I tag: @thekuroiookami @boku-no-knb and @utsukushiishoujomangas

ya’ll don’t have to do this but if you’re bored or want to, then you should go for it~

[happypench]

Mandatory TCF group picture

Running is more fun if you do it with people.

Having fun and meeting new friends.

Fay, my new running buddy and friend.

It’s Thursday once again. It’s TCF Thursday Squad night.

I am new to TCF, having just returned from a running hiatus and running solo for the past month or two. Although some people say that running is a lonely sport, I never felt it that way. In fact, I love running just for the sheer fun of it and the peace and serenity that it gives me. However, running is more fun if you do it with other people. And it’s also exciting to meet new friends along the way.

Last Thursday night was my second week with TCF. TCF wasn’t my first running group. I was part of a running group in the past that is no longer existent. One of the organizers of TCF, Ysa, is a friend of mine so I decided to join her group. That’s how I came to be part of her team, now my team as well.

What does TCF do every Thursday night?

We run.

Besides that, we do some drills: strengthening exericses to help one become a better and faster runner.

That’s right. We don’t just run together, we train together. That means our coaches will keep our hearts pumping and energy revved up all throughout!

The sequence of activities last Thursday night is as follows:

1. Dynamic warmup. Any runner, running enthusiast or athlete should know that any workout should start with a warmup to prepare the body for any activity that will follow. TCF made sure that not only the exercises are safe and effective but also fun and dynamic. Last night, Coach Heaven gave us a new set of exercises, a different one than what we did last week. When you join TCF, you’ll never know what exercises the coaches will give you so it’s never boring. You don’t have to do the same exercises every time. Every week is always a surprise.

2. Drills. The drills come next after a short break following the warmup period. The set of exercises was for about 30 minutes with the following heart pumping exercises:

a. HIIT and run. High intensity interval training (HIIT), a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense exercise with less intense recovery periods, until too exhausted to continue. We were asked to do HIIT for 12 to 20 repetitions, do a short run, then rest. We had to repeat the sequence until all 10 exercises were completed. Believe me, these exercises will keep your heart pumping! And not to mention that this type of exercise is very effective in fat burning.

b. Whistle run. We took a short break before proceeding to the next drill. In this exercise, we were asked to run from point A to B repeating 20 times for 7 seconds, 6 seconds and then 5 seconds respectively. I was only able to complete the first set and half of the second set of exercise. Yes, you are allowed to stop and rest if you feel exhausted. Everyone has a different current level of fitness so we don’t have to complete the exercises though we were encouraged to perform the exercises to the best of our ability.

3. Heart zone run. After a few minutes’ break, we then proceeded to do a 15-minute run in our respective heart zones. We were asked to pick a partner to run with who’s likely with the same level of fitness. Since not everyone has the same level of training and fitness, some of us ran longer than the others in the 15 minutes alloted for the run. My partner and I were only able to run about 2 km or so. Others covered more distance than us according to their current level of fitness.

4. Core exercise. Once we got back from the 15-minute run, we were supposed to do some core strengthening exercises; however, it was starting to drizzle so Coach Heaven decided to skip this part.

4. Cool down. Every workout should always end with a cool down so Coach Heaven led us to a short and relaxing cool down period to close the workout of the night.

5. Announcements and reminders. Before we went our separate ways and end the night, we culminated our activity with some announcements and reminders. Once again, we were all reminded to support each other especially that one of our team members is set to run a 100 miler (160k ultramarathon) in Antique this August. We were encouraged to give whatever we’re inspired to give as support. It’s all voluntary, not mandatory. So, what we do during TCF Thursday Squad night is we train, we run, and we support each other because TCF is not only a team or a community of runners, but we’re also a family.

I am a newbie runner/aspiring runner/seasoned runner, can I join the team?

Yes, you can! Anyone who wants to run regardless of age, gender, or level of fitness can join. It’s free!

We meet Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. by the fountain at SM by the Bay (beside Vikings), MOA. Just bring your own hydration bottle, towel, and change of clothes.

Come and bring a friend or two. Let’s have fun and meet new friends.

See you Thursday!

Team Choloflight (TCF) Thursday Squad Night It's Thursday once again. It's TCF Thursday Squad night. I am new to TCF, having just returned from a running hiatus and running solo for the past month or two.

[hutchinsonrees25-blog]

Matchmaking

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[sistercampbell]

Woche 33 (Feb 13- Feb 20, 2017) Mormons don't cook with salt.

Hello! Real quick explanation for the subject line. When Debbie on of our investigators first started to learn about the church, she googled “What Mormons believed in” and found an answer that said "Mormons are pretty normal except they don’t cook with salt at all"  Haha! She knows now that’s not true, but it was pretty hilarious that people actually think that!

Last week is honestly a blur so I'll just write random highlights that come to mind...like..

Monday -

We had FHE (Family Home Evening) with Debbie at her place. She made us dinner, we played a Hello Kitty game then talked about how the Atonement can take away pain, not just sin and mistakes. She wanted to learn more about how pain can be taken away so tonight at FHE with a member we are teaching more about that! She’s only learned that the atonement is for sin and mistakes, so learning it can take pain away too was very interesting for her!

On Valentine’s day, we went by on a ton of members and less actives to give them our valentine cookies. All were super grateful for them and one of the kids of one of the families (the family with the 4 snakes, which I hate. I hate snakes guys) was very very grateful. He said "Oh thank you! I have something for you Sis. campbell!" He then came running back to the door with a plastic container, and at first glance I thought it was a box of celery. No...he gifted me with an entire snake skin the snake had just barely shedded...*shudders at the thought*. I then had to carry it around all day in my backpack...haha..I still haven’t touched it so idk what to do with it because it freaks me out too much.... 

We also took Debbie to institute! She's always wanted to go and we had tickets to go to Stuttgart but they were going to waste because we didn’t need to go anymore, but it worked out that we were able to go with her for her first time! Blessings!

Wednesday...was crazy full of traveling! We first met with a self-referral who said he was ready now to meet with the missionaries again. He had a baptism date a year ago, so let’s see where this goes. We went by on two less-actives and were able to bring a member along for one, then the Göppingen Elders for the other! It was so great to have a member at the appointment and for this less active (who has never come to church here in Ulm) to meet someone from the Branch (smaller local congregation). They both clicked really well and are very similar in a lot of ways! 

The other less-active with the elders is this cute little old man who really wants to come to church but doesn’t have a car and lives a good 30 min away! But he couldn’t stop telling us how he prays every day because God is his best friend! He is! He is our best friend!

Thursday, or Donutstag, was fun! 

We met with a member who is going through a hard trial/time right now, but she is so strong! Even though all odds are against her, you would never guess looking at her that her world was falling apart!

She is always happy and as she says at peace with everything going on! She was telling us how she trusts God and the Plan he has for her. That when it does get hard she turns to the Savior. She’s been a convert for only 10 years, but her testimony is stronger than anyones I have ever met! 

Then as always we met Debbie for doughnuts!

We walked again along the river because it was sunny, warm, and beautiful!  We talked again about the Atonement,Repentance, Forgiveness and also went through the Baptism questions with her because she wanted to see what she would have to know/answer if she got baptized.  Guys she’s so close! She just needs to see it in herself!

 We had FHE with sis Thunell again, and this time I made homemade schnitzel and she made the spätzle! We had our lesson about patience and how it’s hard to be patient with others, but even more important and harder to be patient with ourselves!

Saturday-

We had training and interviews with our Mission President! It was great to spend time and learn new things from him. He really pressed how we should master our message and make it a part of us. He then challenged all of us to teach all the lessons in Preach my Gospel (there’s five of them) every week to members, less actives, investigators, people on the street, anyone. I’m excited to work on that and reach the goal each week, because right now I can maybe name all points in the 5th lesson...in English so...

Sunday-

We gave talks in church! Our topic was freude und macht von dem Buch Mormon (joy and power from the Book of Mormon). I focused a lot of my talk actually around the Savior and the talk Joy and Spiritual Survival by President Russell M. Nelson (General Conference april 2016). 

Because the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Christ, when we read it we feel His power and the power the Gospel of Jesus Christ can have in our lives. When we feel that power we come closer to the Savior, who when we put him as the focus of our lives, we feel and experience joy, which makes us want to read, learn more about Him and get to know Him which can happen through the Book of Mormon. It’s a beautiful cycle.   Oh and on a fun note! One of the cute YSA (Young Single Adult) members we reactivated got engaged last week! So I have a wedding planned for the end of the mission!

I'd like to close with a quote from the talk

“My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, Joy to the world, the Lord is come. And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!”

Your support, prayers and love also bring me joy!

Love you all and have a wonderful week! God loves you!

Sister Campbell

Alpenländische Mission

Lommelstraße 7

81479 München

Germany

[nerdygaymormon]

Advice I gave to a Bishop

My friend became a bishop 2 weeks ago. Last night I learned he had a teen speak to him and reveal that she’s gay. 

I sent him a note and am sharing it here.

—————————————————————��—

I know you didn't ask my advice, but since you're my friend, I'm gonna slide it over to you anyway.

I've thought about what I might say that would be helpful for a bishop when they meet with an LGBT member.

1) All LGBT members need a trusted adult in their life who loves, supports and sustains them, no matter which path they choose.  

2) When someone “comes out” they should be greeted with love, validation and hope, not a lecture on repentance or reminder of the Church’s stance on same-sex marriage  

3) Create a safe culture for the LGBT person. This could include speaking to youth and YSA about what sort of conversation their bishop would have with them if they come out, that it’s okay if now is not the right time to come out, and there is no shame to the person or their family if they are gay/trans. There's a good chance there's some LGBT people in your ward, even if you don't know who they are.

4) Don’t use words like “struggling” or say they’ll be “fixed” in the resurrection  

5) Our Heavenly Parents love their LGBT children, we should give them unconditional love and support and recognize they will bless the lives of others  

6) LGBT individuals are more likely to be the victims of bullying and violence than any other minority group in the USA. Be on the lookout for youth or young adults who may be doing & saying unkind things.  

7) Know the signs of suicide and depression. LGBT people are at much higher risk. It’d be a good idea for youth leaders to have some training in this.

8) Encourage them to pray and ask if God loves them as they are

9) Especially before or after lessons about marriage, say something like “I know there are people in this ward who cannot be married because of same-sex attraction or other reasons. I love you, and the Lord has a plan for you.”

10) Know that studies show that being active in the LDS church is often detrimental to the mental health and quality of life for LGBT people. For a person’s well-being, he or she may need a break. Make sure they know they’re welcome to come back.

Last year, the former stake president said this in Bishops' Council: LGBT individuals are some of the most patient people you’ll ever meet. They’ve heard more hurtful words than most any of us will hear in our entire lifetime. That doesn’t mean they’re immune to the words. There are LGBT members who come to church and they deserve to hear good words, to be welcomed and loved and be strengthened in the gospel.

Anyway, I hope some of this is helpful, and if not, well at least you didn't pay for this advice.

your friend, David

[nerdygaymormon]

Maybe you've answered this before, but why don't you just leave your church? Doesn't it bother you being part of something that rejects you? Don't you want love? I don't understand why gay people ever stay in that church.

I get these questions from time to time. Never sure what to make of them. I get that it’s unusual for a gay guy my age to still be part of church. I hope part of this is they like me and want me to be happier. But it also feels like they are looking down on me, idk.

I don’t have a short, simple answer, so strap in, it’s going to be a long ride.

1)   I was a teenager in the 1980’s. It is hard to be gay now, but it was so bad back then. Being gay was shameful. The 80′s was the AIDS crisis, so mostly what I heard about being gay was death. There were no legal protections, society was against us. Actively hostile, bigoted statements were common. My own dad told homophobic jokes to big laughs. Coming out looked like I’d be condemning myself to a terrible life and strip all the good things from me.

Also, with no role models, I was having to work through what it means to be gay. I also did manage to get ahold of a gay porn magazine (this is long before internet was a thing). I was crazy to think I could hide it. I shared a room with three brothers so no privacy. Despite my denials, my parents knew this was mine and they were so upset. My dad now tells me he wishes he sent me to conversion therapy once he learned I had this magazine. Can you imagine?

2)   I grew up believing in this church, which included the terrible things taught about me as a gay person. At age 19 when my bishop challenged me to pray about going on a mission, I instead prayed to know if God could possibly love me (which is really sad that a kid could grow up in church and not know that). I felt love radiate across my body as a voice in my ear said “You are not broken.” That experience sustained me for a long time

3)   I went on a mission in the 1990’s. If you haven’t been on a mission, it’s probably a surprise that it can be a relief. There’s no pressure to date. I could form close bonds with other men, and even though these are non-romantic relationships, they are intensely close.

4)   I was still in the closet when I went to the church schools in Rexburg & Provo. At the end of my first semester, my roommate came on to me and let me feel him up and stuff. I went to sleep thinking maybe the two of us could leave the church, transfer to a different school, say goodbye to my family and we could have a life together. It would be a huge sacrifice for both of us and I thought he felt the same, but the next morning he turned me in to our bishop. I thought I was going to get kicked out of school, be sent home in disgrace, maybe disciplined out of the church, but instead I was put on probation and had to stay the summer in Rexburg. I was heartbroken and swore off love and focused on school. At the end of the summer, to my surprise the bishop made me the elders quorum president.  

That first roommate, we were best friends. He is Bi and decided a life with a woman would be easier, and considering it was the 1990′s, he was correct. He left school a few days later, met a woman and got married. I hate how he ended things, but I don’t blame him for the future he chose for his life.

5)   BYU in Provo was my backup school, and reluctantly it’s where I transferred to. It turned out that I genuinely liked BYU with 2 exceptions, the severe restrictions the Honor Code placed on LGBT students (which was the same as at the Rexburg campus), and the fierceness with which the Honor Code Office sought to enforce those restrictions. Occasionally I’d hear rumors of sting operations they had done to catch gay students. There was this low-level fear always of getting caught whilst a student in Provo. My roommates also expressed their dislike of anything remotely gay. Even though I kept the rules, I didn’t dare tell anyone that I’m gay because the potential cost was high.

While at BYU I had a major faith crisis. I no longer believed a lot of the truth claims of the church, but I wasn’t about to lose all that tuition money. I stuck it out. So not only was I pretending to be straight, I also had to act as though nothing about church bothered me.

6)   The same voice that told me I am not broken would occasionally tell me that it’s okay to pursue relationships. It gave me great hope. I still get that message. Being a good Mormon, I thought this meant that somehow God was going to change the church. In the temple I’d hear that it’s not good for man to be alone and the law of chastity was presented in a way that could include me if I was married to a husband (the temple says no sex except “with your husband or wife to whom you’re legally and lawfully wedded”).

7)   After BYU, I should have come out and gotten on with life, but I didn’t. My first job was working for a Mormon boss. A landlord who is LDS gave me a deal on rent. Coming out seemed like it would disrupt my life in really negative ways. Plus YSA Wards were a source of friends and support network.

8)   In my 30’s I was no longer in YSA wards, and the world was getting better for gay people. The fight for gay marriage was in full swing, and so many of the people in my life were very opposed to it. It bothered me that the church was so opposed and fought gay marriage because in my head, it was a way for me to follow God’s promptings and pursue a relationship.

Being a Mormon is very much an identity. It’s hard to peel off. It’s my social network, it’s what much of family life revolves around, It’s a belief system and way of viewing the world. it’s a map of what one’s goals in life should be, and so on. Staying in the closet kept the rest of my world intact.

I know you’re thinking wtf, you’re a grown man, own your life!!! I grew up in an unstable family situation (we had many financial troubles and moved frequently), so I crave stability. Remaining in the closet and in the church were keys to maintaining that stability.

9)   Squashing all my romantic and sexual feelings also shuts down most other feelings. I spent most of my 20’s & 30’s feeling numb, like I was watching life but not a part of it. I spent those years wishing I was dead, that a bus would hit me or a major disease would strike. Those kinds of deaths would end my misery and also be okay for my family because they wouldn’t have to know I’m gay. I recognize now how messed up that is.

10)   The great source of happiness in those years was being an uncle. I’m the oldest of 7 children, my siblings had lots of babies born in those years. The joys of being an uncle only increased the pressure to stay in the closet and in the church because if I didn’t, my only source of happiness might be taken away.

11)   I finally reached the point where I was tired of going through the motions of having a life. I was ready to come out. Rather than make some grand announcement, I decided to be honest with anyone who asked about my life. When someone tried to set me up with their friend, I would ask if she had a brother. As these sorts of situations came up, I was coming out to people one by one.

I didn’t exactly “come out” to my family. I figured since my parents had found the gay porn mag when I was a teen, and then gay porn malware on the computer when I was college student, they probably already knew (and they did, but were in denial). Also, I thought coming out would be saying I’m not trustworthy and an awful person for having pretended to be something I wasn’t for so long (not true, but that’s how I thought of it).

12)   I’m such a late bloomer that I sometimes am embarrassed about it, especially now that so many people come out in their 20′s and even as teenagers. At the first Pride parade I attended, someone told me that we all come out when it’s right for us, and this was my time. I think that’s true.

13)   Most of my adult life in church was being pianist in Primary. Shortly after I started telling people I’m gay is when I was called to be in the stake young men presidency. My stake president says he looked over at me playing piano one day and thought, “that man has much more to offer.” I wonder if it’s because I was more confident, my identities were less in conflict than they’d been in the past, I wasn’t afraid and hiding.

As stake young men president, I made sure I knew by name and something about every youth in the stake. I wanted them to know they were seen, they were heard, they were loved. Teens go through such hard things and I wanted to be a kind, supportive person in their life. Most youth don’t know who the stake youth leaders are, but they all knew me. Several told me about hard things in their life and some even came out to me. Parents of gay teens would come speak to me and I’d let them know life in church is hard and unfair, ways they could help support their teen, and prepared them that their child’s likely path would be out of the church. I felt like I bloomed in this calling and made a difference.

14)   In 2015 marriage became legal for same-sex couples across the USA due to a Supreme Court ruling. I thought that finally the church would have to come to terms with it and accept it. But then came the November policy banning the children of gay couples from being members. It felt like a punch in the gut and I nearly walked away. I was still stake young men president and weighed whether the difference I made in this calling was worth putting up with how church clearly didn’t want me. 

15)   To help my parents buy a house, I had a bunch of their debt put into my name and I lived in the house with them. At the time it seemed a good way to avoid the loneliness of being on my own. But living with them also made walking away from the church tricky.

16)   A month later I hit the 3-year mark of serving in the stake young men’s program, I was released from that and called to be stake executive secretary. My stake president told me that anyone can make appointments, but he wanted my unique viewpoint in all the highest councils of the stake. In this calling I occasionally meet general authorities and I speak with them about being gay in the church. My stake President recently joked that he has twice been a counselor in a stake presidency and now is a stake president, and in those years he’s met many general authorities, yet I have way more impact on them than he ever has.

17)   Shortly after getting this new calling, in 2016 I started my tumblr blog. Eventually I used the blog as a way to examine, explore and record what it’s like to be gay in the LDS church. In some ways this blog is one giant pep talk to myself.

18)   In 2017 my blog exploded, one of my posts went viral. It’s almost like God got tired of waiting on me, now I was out to everyone who knows me, and many more.

All of a sudden I had so many hurting Mormon LGBT people contacting me, most were teens and twenty-something’s. I’ve tried to help them, to affirm them. In many ways it feels like the years as stake young men president working with teens, the years I spent developing a spiritual independence, the studying & thinking about how being gay can work with the gospel, the fears & worries that are part of being in the closet, all of that prepared me for this.

19)   Later in 2017 my mental health dived. I became suicidal. I started therapy. I finally had to face how harmed I’ve been by my time in church. I also had to admit I will never be enough in this church, I can never reach the goals & purpose of life as laid out by the church,. My therapist helped me see that I need another framework for what a successful life looks like and what would make for a joyful life.

In 2018 I was still in therapy and was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, which partly explains why coming out and leaving the church were so difficult. The major driving motivation of this disorder is wanting to not disappoint people.

20)   My therapist says I feel things more deeply than most people, but because I’d pushed down my feelings so long, it’s actually a bit scary to feel so much. I also started dating and trying to get gay friends. These sorts of big changes were hard for me. The psychologist said, in an amused tone, that I fully examine a path before I’m willing to take a step down it, meaning I’m cautious and slow to get going, but am certain when I begin of where I’m going.

21)   Some of my family openly embraces me as gay and loves me no matter what. Some make their love and access to their children conditional on my being in church.

22)   I thought 2018 would be the year I leave the church. There’s a personal reason I haven’t; I feel there’s one more thing to do, a friend whom I can help. That I came ahead to pave the way for this friend.

I know this all sounds crazy, talking about a voice telling me it’s okay to have gay relationships or that I have some missions in life to accomplish. That’s part of faith, I guess.

23)   It’s unfair to say I’m still attending church for my friend. First, I don’t want him to feel any pressure. Second, it’s my decision, not his. I also am working on paying off debt so I can more easily live on my own, I’ve joined Affirmation and met a lot of LGBT Mormons/post-Mormons and feel like there’s something of a potential support group/friendships there. I’m thinking of changing jobs, even moving to a different university. In other words, I’m laying the groundwork to make any shift more smooth. Whether I take a breather from church or not, these are good things to do.

24)   I’m in my 40′s and can see that in some important ways I’ve lived a stunted life. But I’m also able to use my voice to speak up for LGBT individuals inside the church, to try to make this little corner of church kinder and more receptive.

25)   I can’t even imagine what you’re thinking of me. A hypocrite, someone who stays with an organization that contributed to my own mental health crisis. Someone too afraid to live. I can’t undo my past and all that lost time. I’ve made a lot of progress and am moving forward. I also believe and hope that things I share on this blog and things I say in my local church help LGBT members.

Maybe you can understand, maybe you can’t, why my life went so differently from yours. I’m certain you won’t agree with a number of decisions I made, but they were mine to make and they explain where I’m at now.