Thursday, December 02, 2021

I find rather often LDS members accuse me and others of hating them simply because we disagree with them. I want to ask LDS if you really think we hate you, why is it then you avoid 99 percent of topics posted? Why is it that when you do engage the topic, you simply say it's wrong, you leave an angry face emoji, or do not provide evidence as to what is wrong? Remember, Paul spoke the truth to people. When he spoke truth to people, they accused him of hating them. How did Paul reply to this? He said this in Galatians 4:16, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" I want to point out two things that people do not know. I cannot and will not list every single book I own, but here is a small list of LDS books I own. I own the entire "Journal of Discourses," the entire soft cover set of "History of the Church," and most of the hard cover set, the 1958, 1st printing, 2nd edition of "Mormon Doctrine" and the 19th printing of the 1966 "Mormon Doctrine," the 4-volume set of the "Mormon Encyclopedia," and the 3-volume set of both soft cover and hard cover of "Doctrines of Salvation." I have many other rare old and newer books. I want to let LDS know that I and others have spent 1000's of dollars on these books. We have not spent years and years (for me it's going on 25 years), done all this research and study, and spent all this money, simply so we can try and talk you out of your faith. Just exactly what would we gain from getting you to walk away? If you think my pastor, or any pastor, is teaching that if we can get an LDS member to walk away, we will earn 100 bucks, you are crazy. We share the truth because we do love you and want to see you spend eternity in heaven, not the lake of fire. Here are a lot of pictures with me and LDS members. Some of these pictures are me feeding LDS members or taking them out to eat and paying for them. I will share some info or stories about some of these pictures. This first set of pictures comes with a bit of a long story; I will shorten it to some degree. This missionary's name was Garret, and we met through a friend of mine. My friend and I sat down at his place with Garret and his friend. We spoke for 2 hours. Garret wanted to meet up the following week at the same place. So, we met up and spoke for 2 more hours. On the 3rd meeting, shortly before we met, Garret called me and told me he had the flu. He asked me if I still wanted to meet up. This was back in 2005, and I said yes. He asked me to pick him up at the LDS meeting house. After talking for 1 hour, Garret said to me, "We have spoken for a total of 5 hours, and this will be the last time we can meet. So, can we spend the last hour talking about ourselves and getting to know each other better?"
In that 1 hour we talked, I let him know I was a professional chef. I no longer cook in the industry for the record. But, I was telling him I was/am a chili head. I love hot sauce and hot foods, and at the time I made my own hot sauce. He told me he loved hot and spicy foods and chili peppers also. So, I asked him if he had ever gone to Buffalo Wild Wings and taken the wing challenge? He said he had never heard of it. I told him, you order 12 wings and they are called blazin' wings. You must eat all 12 wings in 10 minutes or less, and if you do, you get your picture taken and win a free t-shirt. So, we made plans to quickly meet up later, and I gave him a jar of my hot sauce and a bag of chips to try the sauce. Then, I gave him a 25-dollar gift card for Buffalo Wild Wings, so he could do the challenge. We exchanged addresses so we could keep in touch via written letters. Over the next few months, he sent me letters and 3 pictures. The first picture he sent was him standing by this sign, and I had it laminated. I feel the same way he did; LDS are my mission field. The next two pictures he sent me were pictures of him and his two companions taking the hot wing challenge. Written on the back of the pictures is him stating his time and how fast he did the challenge. The first picture states he did the Challange in 1 minute 31 seconds. In the second picture, he said his one partner was crying and the other was sweating. Sadly, we ended up losing touch. I sent him one final letter and never heard back from him again. I cannot prove this, but I suspect his letters were being read, and someone did not like me trying to share the truth with him. So, either my letter was never passed on to him, or his was never put in the mail for me. But to this day, 16 years later, I still have all 3 photos and all his letters in my Bible. Now, this is funny. One day, two Mormon Missionaries came knocking on my door, and I know that I can come across as intimidating. So, I showed the pictures to the LDS to whom I was speaking. I kid you not; they looked down at the pictures, then looked up at me, then looked down at the pictures and looked back up at me. Then, they said to me, "You know this guy?" I said, "Yes, why do you ask?" They said that Elder Garret is a legend among the missionaries. I asked why. They said it is because of him all Missionaries must go to Buffalo wild wings and take the blazin' wing challenge. I found that very funny; I explained the story behind it to them and showed them all the letters from him to me.
This next picture is an LDS member named Austin. One day, Austin came with his companion and knocked on my door. We talked for about 2 hours, and while we did not agree, Austin took my phone number. Over the course of a year or so, Austin stopped at my house with various LDS members to visit and talk. Austin and I have been friends for years, and to this day are still friends. In this picture, my wife and I invited Austin and his companion to come over for dinner; I grilled a rack of pork ribs, and my wife made homemade mac and cheese. Until Austin was transferred, he sent LDS members or brought LDS over himself to meet me. When I first met Austin, I told him that I once met an LDS member who told me they talk about people like me. The LDS member told me they have monthly meetings, and they blacklist people like me and "warn" other members to avoid people like me. Austin, at the time I told him, claimed that is not true. I told Austin that one day he would be taught this, and then he would know I was correct. Well, the first time Austin came over for dinner, I was telling his friend the same exact story and his friend said that it was not true. Austin started smiling and nodded his head yes. I did not embarrass Austin and call him out, but he knew I was correct. Well, we invited Austin over again for diner a 2nd time. He brought a different LDS elder a few months later. Austin requested my wife's mac and cheese, so she made that for him. Any time Austin came over and brought an LDS member with him, I would ask Austin, "What's up, today?" He would tell me, I brought Elder so and so over to talk with you. I would ask any member who came with Austin if Austin told them in advance about me? They would say yes, and the local church knows who you are; they said they were there because they viewed me as a bit of a challenge.
I would talk with the elder, and Austin would just sit there and smile and listen. Over all, Austin came over to my house about 7 times, and he knew my house was a safe space for any LDS member. I always told every LDS member, rain or snow, hot weather or cold weather, they are welcome over. If they need food, water, need to use the bathroom or whatever, they can stop in my place if I am home. I also told every member who ever came over for any reason, if you do not want to talk about our beliefs, we do not have to. The LDS members all knew where I stood on my views on what they believe; I am trying to show the love of Jesus, and I do it both in word and deed. In this next picture, these two young ladies knocked on my door. At first, I thought maybe they were friends of my daughter, since I saw them at the door, but did not see the elder badges. After I answered the door, I asked them how it was going? They told me they were looking for Rick Beaudin; I told them that I was Rick. I asked them, how did you hear about me? They said an elder at the mission mentioned me. I asked them, "Was it Austin who told you about me?" They said yes. It did not matter who sent them or why. It was just interesting. I invited them in, and we got to talk.
This next set of LDS Mormon missionaries I invited out to lunch and paid for whatever they wanted to eat. We went to a pretty nice sit-down restaurant. While eating lunch, we discussed our various beliefs.
This next picture was me and two missionaries who stopped by to talk.
This last picture was taken when I went back to Saint Paul, MN for my daughter's wedding. The church I attended for 19 years in Saint Paul would have Thursday night church services in a local park. The church has done this every year from June till August. In this park are 3 fire pits that are open to the public for have bonfires. I have been gone for just a little over 2 years. This service just happened to be my last Thursday before going back home to Texas. In the last 21 years, we have never had LDS members show up to the park while we had a church service. That is not to say that LDS never went to the park, but LDS have just never been at the park during a church service. One thing our church would do is start a public BBQ at 4 pm. Everyone is welcome to walk over and eat. The church does not ask for money or require they stay and listen to the church service. They cook and feed people free of charge from 4-7 pm, then have church service from 7pm to 8:30 pm. These 6 LDS missionaries stopped over at one of the other fire pits; they were all just hanging out playing football and talking. So, I walked over and started talking with them. I talked with them for about 30 minutes, but then told them I will let them get back to what they were doing. I got to share with them the Jesus I believe in and some of the differences in our doctrine. But, at the same time, I told them I walked over uninvited and did not want to take away from their down time. So, I did not stay and force myself upon them.
Over the years I have spoken with hundreds of LDS. I do not have pictures of everyone I have spoken with in person. I have been to SLC 3 times and toured temple square. I've also been to many LDS services. So, if any LDS believe your leaders when they claim that any person like me, who disagrees with you, hates you, you need to show them this post. Please tell me, why is it that I spend money buying LDS books and studying them, asking questions, going to SLC, and church services? It is because the love of Christ constrains me. Tell me how I hate LDS, when I invite members into my house and provide food and water, or take them out to eat? LDS members are told doing this type of stuff is loving thy neighbor. But, if Christians do this with, and for, LDS members, it goes ignored since it does not fit the narrative. If you are taught that we hate you or we are your enemies, you are being lied to.