Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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passionflower
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Darren wrote:The Icelandic Sagas tell how the Twelve “Temple Priests” of the Church, in “Jerusalem-land,” came to Nordic Europe in, about, 43 AD, and established there, “the Kingdom” (“Ric,” in Anglo-Saxon, as in the word, “Bishop-ric”), the “Ric” of “the Keys,” which they held, which was the, “Key-ric,” the Anglo-Saxon origin of the Modern English word, “Church.”

The “LAW” of that Key-ric was to be administered by a Meeting that was held every 3 Months, by the Leaders of each of the “Hundred-ships” into which the German-speaking Lands are divided (“Counties,” in US Government, “Stakes” in the True Church). The Unanimous Verdicts of these Twelve-man Juries were to always remain in harmony with the True LAW, that was established, at that time, for the Key-ric (“Key-reich,” in German). TILL THIS TIME THOSE “COUNTIES” OF THE GERMAN-SPEAKING LANDS ARE ALSO CALLED BY THE NAME FOR THAT ORGANIZATION OF THOSE TWELVE ORIGINAL “TEMPLE PRIESTS,” FROM JERUSALEM-LAND.

One Part of the LAW, that was administered by those Twelve Temple Priests was the responsibility that, “Every FREE (the word for the concept of being “saved in Christianity,” in Scandinavia, till this time) Man, who has been ‘dipped’ under the water, (the Scandinavian word for “baptized”), and who had gone through the Temple (which every “Shire” in Nordic Europe had, which “Temple” was called, a “Hof,” in German - the German word for the English word, “hope”), who was between the ages of 18 and 45,” “had to keep and bear Arms, and know how to use them.”
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And, that responsibility included that: “Every (such) Free Man, so armed, had to put his Life between the Life of a Child, or of a Woman, who was in Danger, and that Danger.” (That is, if a young Free Man saw that a wolf was coming up to a Child or to a Woman, that young Free Man did not run away; but, he was to run up to that Child or Woman and to say, “You run away,” and then he, with his Sword, Axe, Bow and Arrow etc., fought that wolf.) These “armed” “young” Free Men, were called, “the Young-Man-Ry,” of Nordic Europe, the origin of the word, “Yeomanry.” (That same “age specification” is a part of the Constitution of the State of Utah till this time, as the Age Specification for who the healthy young men are who are the “Militia,” “the National Guard” of Utah, till this time.)


The Dictators of the Roman Empire had made a Small, SOLID Gold Coin, which they paid to a man if he would risk his life for it, in his attempt to obey the Dictates of that Dictator. Such a man, risking his Life for that Small, SOLID Gold Coin, to carry out that Dictator’s Dictates, was named that he was a, “SOLID-ier,” of that Dictator, which is the origin of the English word, “soldier.”

The Roman Military Dictators did not trust any man with a weapon except if that man would risk his life for that Dictator in exchange for a small, “solid gold” coin (the Roman word for that coin, “solidus,” is retained, as the initial “s,” as the British have retained the Roman initials for the three British Coin Units, the “Pound, Shilling, and Pence,” which Roman initials were: “L. s. d.” And, any such Roman man who would risk his life to carry out the Dictates of the Romans’ Military Dictator, in exchange for that “solidus” gold coin, was one of that Dictator’s “solid-iers” - “Soldiers.”


In the Law Culture, from before time immemorial, there is not a path in the commitment path provided for the young men, for young women to become a Yeoman or the Minutemen of such. But in Satan's System they will have the same pressure to become Soldiers as the men. Not unlike how the Aristotle's Katholic Assembly has the male and female administrators of the State, monks and nuns.

When will it be time for the elders to come forth and save the constitution and reassert the rule of law?

Ever wonder why there are two spellings of the word c(C)onstitution in the Doctrine and Covenants 101? Because one is the system (constitution with a small c) of the rule of law established at Lake Law, Sweden, 43 A.D. and the other is the most recent continuation of that line of constitutional rule of law system, as the written, U.S. Constitution.

We save the Constitution when we connect it back to the original constitution way of life set up by our Lord and God, as the basis for our Millenniums old constitutional system.

And then we can shut down Greco-Roman-Babylon Government that masquerades as law and revive the Kingdom of the Keys in our Law and economic life. And our young women's choice to live after their calling in womanhood, to be no longer under attack by the dominion of Satan.

God Bless,
Darren

Darren, does the name "Richard" have a common root with this word " Ric" which means " the keys".
Would be very interested in anything you could come up with about this.

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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AI2.0 wrote:My daughter comes home in 11 DAYS!!!!!

She's served in the Poland, Warsaw mission for the last 18 months. I'm so excited for her to return. She's had such a wonderful mission, loved her companions, the other sisters, the Elders, the branch members and the people of Poland. I'm so thankful that she was given the opportunity to serve the Lord full time and preach the gospel. It has been a sacrifice to not have her in our home, she is the 'sunshine' of our family and we've missed her terribly, but we were blessed to support her in her service and the Lord blessed us in abundance for doing so. :)
My mother was born a member of the LDS Church in what is today Wrocław, Poland, in 1942 and has a Swastika on her birth certificate, she is German. She and her family had to walk for hundreds of miles from Breslau as it was called then to Nuremberg to flee the siege of Breslau (Wroclaw). Later my mother went on an LDS mission to Norway. My mother is a very strong and firmly rooted LDS woman, and has fond memories of her mission and life from before she immigrated to the U.S.A.

Your daughter will have so much to share with you about her mission, that will have made an indelible mark upon her life.

So many more young women are embracing serving missions, that it is making a new cultural narrative within the Church.

God Bless,
Darren

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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passionflower wrote:Darren, does the name "Richard" have a common root with this word " Ric" which means " the keys".
Would be very interested in anything you could come up with about this.
The first or given name Richard derives from the Germanic "ric" for Reich or Kingdom, when used as a name denotes the might or majesty associated with a kingdom and church, perhaps as a great leader. And the second half of that name is "hard" meaning strong and brave.

The name means a strong leader, in the kingdom and church.

God Bless,
Darren

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AI2.0
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Darren wrote:
AI2.0 wrote:My daughter comes home in 11 DAYS!!!!!

She's served in the Poland, Warsaw mission for the last 18 months. I'm so excited for her to return. She's had such a wonderful mission, loved her companions, the other sisters, the Elders, the branch members and the people of Poland. I'm so thankful that she was given the opportunity to serve the Lord full time and preach the gospel. It has been a sacrifice to not have her in our home, she is the 'sunshine' of our family and we've missed her terribly, but we were blessed to support her in her service and the Lord blessed us in abundance for doing so. :)
My mother was born a member of the LDS Church in what is today Wrocław, Poland, in 1942 and has a Swastika on her birth certificate, she is German. She and her family had to walk for hundreds of miles from Breslau as it was called then to Nuremberg to flee the siege of Breslau (Wroclaw). Later my mother went on an LDS mission to Norway. My mother is a very strong and firmly rooted LDS woman, and has fond memories of her mission and life from before she immigrated to the U.S.A.

Your daughter will have so much to share with you about her mission, that will have made an indelible mark upon her life.

So many more young women are embracing serving missions, that it is making a new cultural narrative within the Church.

God Bless,
Darren
Wow! That is so neat! Surprisingly My daughter served in two cities--Wroclaw twice and Katowice twice--she LOVED both cities, but she adored Wroclaw. What a beautiful city and one of the stronger branches in the country, they had about 40 members, I believe. There are only about 1700 members in the whole country, so they are a small minority. I have a friend in my ward who's father was from Wroclaw also--had some harrowing experiences during the war--his grandfather was Branch president there before the war--I'm sure his family knew your mother's family. Their last name is Schumann.
My grandfather served in Norway, but that was in the 1920's. He was from Norway and came to America with some LDS missionaries when he was 9. His family eventually came to America as well.

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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AI2.0 wrote:Wow! That is so neat! Surprisingly My daughter served in two cities--Wroclaw twice and Katowice twice--she LOVED both cities, but she adored Wroclaw. What a beautiful city and one of the stronger branches in the country, they had about 40 members, I believe. There are only about 1700 members in the whole country, so they are a small minority. I have a friend in my ward who's father was from Wroclaw also--had some harrowing experiences during the war--his grandfather was Branch president there before the war--I'm sure his family knew your mother's family. Their last name is Schumann.
My grandfather served in Norway, but that was in the 1920's. He was from Norway and came to America with some LDS missionaries when he was 9. His family eventually came to America as well.
My mother's maiden name is Nitchka. The church was doing well in that part of Germany before WWII. Opa was sent home from the war and was not expected to survive, he had come down with tuberculosis. When the siege of Breslau began all their family was able to take with them was the clothes on their backs and a suitcase with their genealogy, walking all of those miles to Nuremberg.

When they arrived in Nuremberg they were among the lucky ones to be taken in by some farmers, and that helped them to keep from starving to death.

Oma and Opa moved into our home with us in Utah for many years. Eventually Opa felt to return to Nuremberg in the late 90s, and they both died shortly thereafter.

I treasure the culture they brought with them from Germany, and the stories they would tell, i.e. about Frau Holle, and other "pagan" or non-Catholic traditions.

God Bless,
Darren

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Young Women Of The “Elsa Generation”

There are two Disney Frozen heroines, Elsa and Anna and it seems that every little girl wants to dress up as Elsa, the hard-to-please ice queen with special powers. No girls seem to want to be her goofy sister, Princess Anna, who falls for the wrong prince within five minutes of meeting him.

This is because Elsa is not like other Disney princesses, or, in this case, a queen. Instead she is the female equivalent of a superhero. And girls who haven’t quite yet had society’s norms thrust upon them, just want the same as the boys – they want to emulate a superhero, and not the demure and subservient princesses waiting for their prince to come.

I hope there is another thing going on here that might bode well for the future of what we could call the “Elsa Generation” – these girls who choose to emulate the 21st-century Snow Queen. We need to tell our daughters to aim higher - the very top of ice mountain in fact. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily follow that a superhero-worshipping child will grow up to be a leader, but these role models early on are a step in the right direction.

This is why I have decided to be intensely relaxed about my daughter’s choice to use Elsa as her role model. It could be that the “Elsa Generation” are the future sixth wave of feminism.
What I Learned From Not Serving a Mission

While not serving a mission, I learned more about myself, my Heavenly Father, and the places he is leading me.

As waves of missionaries return home, lots of things have changed, such as housing, dating, school enrollment, and marriage. President Thomas S. Monson’s 2012 general conference announcement lowering the ages for missionary service changed more than the numbers of missionaries serving worldwide. For me, the thing that has changed the most is social life. When many meet, they immediately ask one question:

Where did you serve your mission?

Many light up and name off a foreign country. Others proudly proclaim a stateside mission, and conversation flows smoothly. But for me and for many others like me, the answer is different. Where did you serve your mission?

I didn’t.

I have been on a solo journey to come closer to Christ and to become the woman I’m meant to be. I say solo because with over 20 of my friends on missions, I’ve felt alone many times during the past few years. During this time, I have found strength in Elder John H. Groberg’s talk “What Is Your Mission?” Elder Groberg speaks of three important points:

“God, our Father in Heaven, does have a specific mission for all of us to fulfill and perform while we are here upon this earth.”

“We can, here and now in this life, discover what that mission is.”

“With His help we can fulfill that mission and know and have assurance—here and now in this life—that we are doing that which is pleasing to our Father in Heaven.”

Through Elder Groberg’s talk, I’ve come to know that I do have a mission—one given to me long before I came here. Part of that mission is to learn more about my Father and what he wants me to do.

My decision to not go on a mission is another story altogether, but it came with a great deal of thought and prayer. I did not make this decision lightly because I knew it was one that would shape my life forever.

Even though I didn’t open a letter from the First Presidency, during the last few years I have learned more about the gospel and God’s plan for me than I had ever known before. I know that serving a mission would have enhanced that knowledge, and I have great love for those who leave the world behind and share their light. However, through my studying, pondering, praying, pleading, and planning, I’ve learned a few things—even without wearing a nametag.

Five Things I’ve Learned from Not Serving a Mission

My relationship with God is not worse because I didn’t wear a nametag.  Not serving a mission means I haven’t had a companion watching to see if I wake up on time and say my prayers. I have had to completely discipline myself to work on my relationship with God, and it’s becoming a wonderful thing.
My testimony is just as strong as returned missionaries’ testimonies. This one is similar to number one. I may feel inadequate as RMs talk about their testimony-building experiences in the Amazon. However, I know that I have worked and am still working to strengthen my testimony and that it can strengthen my knowledge and actions in the gospel.
I need to use my time wisely.  Naps are great, but being productive is the best feeling. I look up to missionaries worldwide because they gain life skills in time management, planning, and communication.
I can still share the gospel.  I live in Utah, and it seems as though everyone in Utah is LDS. But I have still found ways to share my testimony. Social media, however potentially harmful, has the power to be a useful tool if we use it the right way.
Missions are hard.  Letting my friends go was hard, and I will never know exactly what missionaries go through. But that doesn’t mean I have no idea what a mission is like. My father, brother, uncles, cousins, and friends have served, and I know it’s one of the hardest things a person will ever be asked to do. I learned that as I plan for a senior mission someday with my husband, I need to be close to the Spirit and be ready to work.

I will not be ashamed that I didn’t serve a mission, nor will I judge those who did serve. Serving a mission is an individual choice for women and a priesthood duty for men. But that does not mean that those who come home early or do not serve are any less spiritual. Your missionary nametag and your time in the field are not directly related to your spiritual status in the Church. I’ve known returned missionaries who served a full two years but who have lost their testimonies, and I’ve known missionaries who came home early who are spiritual giants.

I received my temple endowment this year and love going with my family and returned missionary friends to the House of the Lord. I’m preparing to serve a mission with my husband someday, and I actively write my close friends who are serving missions around the world.

I didn’t serve a mission, and that’s a wonderful thing. Many of my friends served missions, and that’s a wonderful thing too. I grew from my time alone because I was never really alone. While not serving a mission, I learned more about myself, my Heavenly Father, and the places he is leading me.

That’s a wonderful thing.

—Jenna Koford, Mormon Insights
http://mormoninsights.byu.edu/what-i-le ... cRd6T.dpuf

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Here is a question to throw out there:

If a sister turns down a proposal for eternal marriage so that she can instead go on a mission, and she dies from some sort of an accident on her mission, will she be given the opportunity again to be married for eternity in the spirit world or did she miss her chance and instead only qualify to be a ministering angel in the Celestial Kingdom? Perhaps she blew her chance to have an eternal marriage by turning down that eternal marriage proposal? With so many sisters caught up in the cultural enthusiasm to go on a mission, will some of them risk not reaching their true potential?

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gkearney
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Boy Darren you sure do come up with the hypothetical situations! So while we are on the hypotheticals what about the young woman who doesn't go on a mission but married someone who turns out to be a abusive reprobate who abandons her, and her children? WOuld she have been better of serving a mission and perhaps then finding a more suitable companion?

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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For as long as I can remember the men in the Church have been told by the brethren to not forgo opportunities for marriage, being told that they risked missing out on their eternal blessings by doing so. I was told at the end of my mission to make that one of my most important goals, to get married as soon as possible after my mission. I just wonder if the same get married early encouragement applies to the young women, and they do not have to fulfill a mission requirement like the men do, and whereas men typically marry younger women than themselves, which disadvantages older sisters, so their opportunities for eternal marriage are less than for the men.

The risk for the men is a well talked about issue in the Church, that if they delay, they risk eternal consequences, and according to what culturally has been told to them in relation to what to do immediately after their missions.

Women in the church can be just as screwed up as any of the men. I hear that returned sister missionaries tend to become overbearing to their husbands. My mother left my dad, after having 4 boys born in the covenant, leaving my dad to raise us. So that is not any different for ether sex. Just that the women are more disadvantaged in the marriage dept. when it comes to the norms of what men expect from the women.

Would it be wrong to tell a young woman to put marriage as a higher priority than to go on a mission?

God Bless,
Darren

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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What Are Some Myths that Sister Missionaries Need to Overcome to Succeed?
by Whitney McGruder
http://shetraveled.com/myths-sisters-need-to-overcome/

Since many of you are preparing to serve a mission, you should be prepared for some form of opposition. In my opinion, much of the opposition I faced felt like Satan wanted to scare me out of doing a good job. Often, those fears had to do with being a woman—what impact will I make? Will I be safe? Is this really the next step I should take?

Let’s break down some of the barriers, address some myths Satan would want you to believe,...

MYTH #1: Marriage Is Always More Important than Going on a Mission

... I want to address the stigma that women often face that if you go on a mission, it’s because you’re single or don’t want to get married right away. ...

Just as Elders don’t feel like they’re shirking life duties by serving a mission, sisters shouldn’t feel the least bit “guilty” for their desire to serve.

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Mormon missionary from Kaysville dies in Pennsylvania crash
Wednesday , February 10, 2016 - 1:57 PM
http://www.standard.net/Police/2016/02/ ... school-bus

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MONROE TOWNSHIP, PA — Officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirm that a woman from Kaysville and missionary serving in Pennsylvania was killed in a crash Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Pennsylvania Pittsburg mission president Bradley K. Johnson, "... As representatives of Jesus Christ we know that Sister Wells was ’transferred’ to an even better place."

R.I.P.

Sunain
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Darren wrote:Here is a question to throw out there:

If a sister turns down a proposal for eternal marriage so that she can instead go on a mission, and she dies from some sort of an accident on her mission, will she be given the opportunity again to be married for eternity in the spirit world or did she miss her chance and instead only qualify to be a ministering angel in the Celestial Kingdom? Perhaps she blew her chance to have an eternal marriage by turning down that eternal marriage proposal? With so many sisters caught up in the cultural enthusiasm to go on a mission, will some of them risk not reaching their true potential?
Our Heavenly Father will give us the opportunities to gain all necessary requirements to qualify for the highest glory of the Celestial Kingdom. There are countless millions that have never been married and have died and the millennium is mainly for family and temple work. Those in the lower tiers of the Celestial Kingdom can progress to the highest tier. I also believe that there is Eternal Progression.

Eternal Progression Info: http://www.nearingkolob.com/progression/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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I just want to know if the same principle applies to the women as it does to the men? Are sister missionaries exempt from this council to the men, to put marriage before other things in life?
One young man stated that he must get his education first. But it is not necessary for one to wait until he has completed his secular education before he marries. Many men have finished their education after their marriage, and their wives have been a great help to them.

One young man said that he expected to reach exaltation in the celestial kingdom as one of the Lord’s messengers, without having to marry. He does not understand. No one who rejects the covenant of celestial marriage can reach exaltation in the eternal kingdom of God.

“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
“And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
“And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
“He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.” (D&C 131:1–4.)

He cannot have an increase! He cannot have exaltation!

The Lord says further in the 132nd section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

“No one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory” (D&C 132:4).

No one! It matters not how righteous they may have been, how intelligent or how well trained they are. No one will enter this highest glory unless he enters into the covenant, and this means the new and everlasting covenant of marriage.

These are the words of the Lord. They were said directly to us.

“And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law. …
“Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants [they may be worthy and righteous, but they are ministering servants], to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
“For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.” (D&C 132:6, 16–17.)

Some might say, “Well, I’d be satisfied to just become an angel,” but you would not. One never would be satisfied just to be a ministering angel to wait upon other people when he could be the king himself.

And so we repeat: It is the normal thing to marry. It was arranged by God in the beginning, long before this world’s mountains were ever formed. Remember: “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man” (1 Cor. 11:11).

But for us who have heard the word of the Lord, who have the scriptures with us, who have had many witnesses and many testimonies, who have been informed—tomorrow is too late! We may be angels, if we are righteous enough. Even unmarried, we may reach the celestial kingdom, but we will be ministering angels only.

You see, it is not a matter of righteousness only. That is one of the two important elements, but righteousness alone is not sufficient. There must be both the righteousness and the ordinances.

Any of you would go around the world for the sealing ordinance if you knew its importance, if you realized how great it is. No distance, no shortage of funds, no situation would ever keep you from being married in the holy temple of the Lord.

Ensign October 1979
First Presidency Message
The Importance of Celestial Marriage
By President Spencer W. Kimball
Men in our church have always been told that nothing preempts marriage, beyond that of the duty of going on a mission, and to put this important ordnance aside is to risk an eternity of coming up short.

Young women do not have a duty to go on a mission, only an opportunity when marriage is not available. Which is more important to their eternal welfare? And how are we to advise our young women?

Is this just another case of Feminism getting the young women to loose perspective?

God Bless,
Darren

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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LDS Church sees 15 percent reduction in missionaries after age change surge

The church announced Friday that that initial surge of missionaries serving has subsided, and that the number of missionaries now serving is more than 15 percent lower than at its peak.

Much of that surge came because of an increase in women serving LDS missions, and during that time, sisters were also given more leadership opportunities.

“I don't ever want to downplay our elders because they're amazing, but these sister missionaries are really quite incredible. And we are so grateful to have the large numbers that have come,” Nielson said. “In every mission now we have what's called sister training leaders. And they're called to supervise a number of sisters in the mission. They're part of the mission leadership council. So every month when the mission president meets with the leaders, those sisters are there.”

The announcement came as part of the LDS Church’s missionary report, released before its semiannual General Conference to be held Saturday and Sunday.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/f ... bf9e8.html

And it came to pass that the Mormon missionary surge did cease

Brent H. Nielson, head of the LDS Missionary Department, said the biggest change that has taken place since the historic 2012 age-lowering move has been the dramatic rise in young women serving.

"These sister missionaries are really quite incredible," the Mormon official said. "We are so grateful to have the large numbers that have come."

In one mission Nielson and his wife toured, he said, "the majority of missionaries in a zone conference were sisters."

The LDS Church's full-time missionary force has settled at 75,000 after topping out at nearly 89,000 sometime last year.

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3730604-155/ ... -pass-that

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iWriteStuff
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Darren wrote: Young women do not have a duty to go on a mission, only an opportunity when marriage is not available. Which is more important to their eternal welfare? And how are we to advise our young women?

Is this just another case of Feminism getting the young women to loose perspective?

God Bless,
Darren
Man, I've waited months to use this one:
utahgirls.jpg
utahgirls.jpg (38.59 KiB) Viewed 3100 times
To be fair, my wife's mother always told her this.... until she turned 26 and wasn't married still. She served a mission at 22.

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Darren
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Old Maid Mormon
Face to Face for YSA with Elder Holland
Saturday, March 19, 2016

Regarding the "dating crisis" among YSA, the real issue no one wants to address is that in most first-world countries, 21st century dating now equals premarital sex. Young adults of the world don't "date." They don't even have "boy/girlfriends" anymore. Instead, couples refer to themselves as, "We're seeing each other." or "We're together." Meaning they're having sex with maybe an occasional date on the side. Hopefully, one day, they will move in together and that will, hopefully, lead to marriage.

As a result, Mormon youth are returning from their missions and not dating. Not because they lack financial resources, because sex is such a big part of the picture now, taking over every aspect of the idea.

The wholesome 1960's era dating Elder Holland and Sister Stephens know has literally disappeared from our current culture.

Sex has replaced dating. Because the church does not condone this, YSA women know they must wait while the men feel ridiculous asking a girl to the local malt shop. What if they turn him down? The horror! Instead they can take their time and play the field, browse the buffet, hanging out, be as choosy as they want while the growing number of single never-married sisters just want to give up and die.

To every thing there is a season and the season of the malt-shop date ended sometime after 1989.

The best answers regarding the "crisis" Elder Holland and Sister Stephens' could come up with?
Here they are:

We're married and so can you!
God will bless you in the next life.
Keep living for the ideal which is temple marriage.
Find ways to serve others (especially "the marrieds" because you have so much more free time than they do!)
You are not defined by your marital status. (Um, yes we are, Sister Stephens. What part of "single" don't you understand?)

I felt patronized. I felt that, once again, church leaders wanted to avoid the most important issues plaguing the fastest growing minority in the church.

All they wanted to talk about was marriage but what about dating?
What about the LACK of dating?

Even the words "date" and "dating" were only mentioned in context to when these church leaders met and married their spouses.

When you're sixteen, it's okay if you still haven't been asked out on a date. It'll happen. It'll come - Age twenty-six? Not so cute anymore.

To be the ONLY ONE in your family ward still patiently waiting to be asked.
Feeling like one ruby among hundreds every Sunday at your singles ward.
Is it any wonder church attendance among this age group is falling fast?

In return, Elder Holland had a question for us.
"What do you do as a YSA to find peace and happiness during times of trial?"

He left his blessing on the men who hold the Melchizedek priesthood: to be worthy of it and continue to use it; for good.

His blessing on the women was to stay active, work hard, endure despite the fact we outnumber men in so many areas of the church yet we are equally important in building up the kingdom of God. Our sacrifice (which includes continuing to live the law of chastity) will not go unrewarded.

You will be happy again.

http://oldmaidmormon.blogspot.com/

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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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What I Learned From Not Serving a Mission

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While not serving a mission, I learned more about myself, my Heavenly Father, and the places he is leading me.

As waves of missionaries return home, lots of things have changed, such as housing, dating, school enrollment, and marriage. President Thomas S. Monson’s 2012 general conference announcement lowering the ages for missionary service changed more than the numbers of missionaries serving worldwide. For me, the thing that has changed the most is social life. When many meet, they immediately ask one question:

Where did you serve your mission?

Many light up and name off a foreign country. Others proudly proclaim a stateside mission, and conversation flows smoothly. But for me and for many others like me, the answer is different. Where did you serve your mission?

I didn’t.

I have been on a solo journey to come closer to Christ and to become the woman I’m meant to be. I say solo because with over 20 of my friends on missions, I’ve felt alone many times during the past few years. During this time, I have found strength in Elder John H. Groberg’s talk “What Is Your Mission?” Elder Groberg speaks of three important points:

“God, our Father in Heaven, does have a specific mission for all of us to fulfill and perform while we are here upon this earth.”

“We can, here and now in this life, discover what that mission is.”

“With His help we can fulfill that mission and know and have assurance—here and now in this life—that we are doing that which is pleasing to our Father in Heaven.”

Through Elder Groberg’s talk, I’ve come to know that I do have a mission—one given to me long before I came here. Part of that mission is to learn more about my Father and what he wants me to do.

My decision to not go on a mission is another story altogether, but it came with a great deal of thought and prayer. I did not make this decision lightly because I knew it was one that would shape my life forever.

Even though I didn’t open a letter from the First Presidency, during the last few years I have learned more about the gospel and God’s plan for me than I had ever known before. I know that serving a mission would have enhanced that knowledge, and I have great love for those who leave the world behind and share their light. However, through my studying, pondering, praying, pleading, and planning, I’ve learned a few things—even without wearing a nametag.

Five Things I’ve Learned from Not Serving a Mission

My relationship with God is not worse because I didn’t wear a nametag.  Not serving a mission means I haven’t had a companion watching to see if I wake up on time and say my prayers. I have had to completely discipline myself to work on my relationship with God, and it’s becoming a wonderful thing.

My testimony is just as strong as returned missionaries’ testimonies. This one is similar to number one. I may feel inadequate as RMs talk about their testimony-building experiences in the Amazon. However, I know that I have worked and am still working to strengthen my testimony and that it can strengthen my knowledge and actions in the gospel.

I need to use my time wisely.  Naps are great, but being productive is the best feeling. I look up to missionaries worldwide because they gain life skills in time management, planning, and communication.

I can still share the gospel.  I live in Utah, and it seems as though everyone in Utah is LDS. But I have still found ways to share my testimony. Social media, however potentially harmful, has the power to be a useful tool if we use it the right way.

Missions are hard.  Letting my friends go was hard, and I will never know exactly what missionaries go through. But that doesn’t mean I have no idea what a mission is like. My father, brother, uncles, cousins, and friends have served, and I know it’s one of the hardest things a person will ever be asked to do. I learned that as I plan for a senior mission someday with my husband, I need to be close to the Spirit and be ready to work.

I will not be ashamed that I didn’t serve a mission, nor will I judge those who did serve. Serving a mission is an individual choice for women and a priesthood duty for men. But that does not mean that those who come home early or do not serve are any less spiritual. Your missionary nametag and your time in the field are not directly related to your spiritual status in the Church. I’ve known returned missionaries who served a full two years but who have lost their testimonies, and I’ve known missionaries who came home early who are spiritual giants.

I received my temple endowment this year and love going with my family and returned missionary friends to the House of the Lord. I’m preparing to serve a mission with my husband someday, and I actively write my close friends who are serving missions around the world.

I didn’t serve a mission, and that’s a wonderful thing. Many of my friends served missions, and that’s a wonderful thing too. I grew from my time alone because I was never really alone. While not serving a mission, I learned more about myself, my Heavenly Father, and the places he is leading me.

That’s a wonderful thing.

Read Elder Groberg’s complete talk “What Is Your Mission?” https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/john-h-groberg_mission/

—Jenna Koford, Mormon Insights

http://mormoninsights.byu.edu/en/what-i ... a-mission/

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Mormon sister missionary injured in Brussels said bomb felt 'like end of the world'

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The young, French LDS sister missionary on her way to the United States Tuesday morning was at the checkout desk at the Brussels airport when the first of two bombs exploded nearby, she told European news outlets Thursday.

"There was just an enormous noise, like the end of the world in a second," Sister Fanny Clain told France TV Pluzz, "and I found myself on the ground and debris was everywhere. I was covered in gray stuff, it smelled like burning pork.

"I got up and went outside as quickly as possible," she said. "And then people told me I was burned, and I caught site of myself in a mirror and I saw some of my burns, but I didn't look very long."

Gauze covered the burns on her head, hands and fingers as she gave the interview from her bed in the burn unit at Stuivenberg Hospital in Antwerp, Belgium. She also suffered burns to her legs.

"It burned," she said, "it burned. My leg didn't hurt too bad, it was the burns that really hurt."

She said she didn't panic.

"I wasn't afraid. I just looked for help, I wasn't afraid, people around me were very nice."

The 20-year-old from Montélimar, France, had been serving in the France Paris Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while waiting for a permanent visa to the United States. She was at the airport to catch her flight to Cleveland, Ohio, where she was to complete her missionary assignment.

Three missionaries who dropped her off at the airport were seriously injured by a blast. Nails were included in the suicide bombs to increase the amount of shrapnel, investigators said.

Elder Richard Norby, 66, of Lehi, Utah, is in a medically induced coma. His family has said he faces a long recovery from shrapnel wounds and burns to his head, neck and lower leg.

Shrapnel and heat from the bomb also wounded Elder Mason Wells, 19, of Sandy, Utah, and Elder Joseph Dresden Empey, 20, of Santa Clara, Utah.

Doctors performed surgery on Elder Wells to repair a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Elder Empey also underwent surgery on his legs. Both young men suffered burns to their heads and arms.

"I cried a little bit yesterday but I'm not going to cry too much," Clain said. "Otherwise, I'll get dehydrated."

Sister Clain's father, Thierry Clain, provided an update on her condition Friday morning.

"Fanny is doing well. She was operated on today to remove shrapnel from her body and is resting. She also received second-degree burns to her hands and face and is receiving treatment. I have been in contact with the hospital, but was unable to talk with Fanny because she was sleeping. I have been extremely touched by the concern and goodness expressed by others in regards to Fanny. I look forward to visiting her Saturday and staying a few days with her."
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... tml?pg=all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Darren wrote: To be the ONLY ONE in your family ward still patiently waiting to be asked.
Is it still a thing to insist that men ask the women on dates? My wife was the one to ask me first. Not that I wasn't dating - I was, I just hadn't thought to ask her. Well, I'm glad she asked. Two dates in I stopped all other dating and we were engaged a few months later.

Also curious whether the claim that there's no such thing as "boyfriend/girlfriend" is true. I've only been married 8 years, but there was still such a thing as "boyfriend/girlfriend" when I was dating. I'd guess it's more true outside Mormon culture, but don't Mormons still date and go steady? :-\

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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

Post by gkearney »

Darren, are you somehow suggesting (and I hope not) by posting the story "Mormon sister missionary injured in Brussels said bomb felt 'like end of the world'" that had this young woman not chosen to serve a mission that she would have somehow not been the victim of this kind of criminal act?

If so how would you explain a young LDS woman not on a mission who falls victim to any sort of misfortune such as this.

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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

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Mormon Culture is changing and we are witnessing how this plays out. But we have a choice to make, follow words of the prophets or follow the LDS herd, i.e. the Prophet never said that the sisters should go, only that they could go, with young Sisters feeling pressure to choose missions before marriage.

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Utah birthrate reaches historic low — is Mormon mission age change a factor?
March 22, 2016

Utah's birthrate dipped to a historic low in 2014, continuing a downward trend that began during the Great Recession, new state data show.

The decline mirrors a national trend, but new figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Utah's decrease is more pronounced since birthrates reached a peak in 2007 — a phenomenon that may be an outgrowth of a change in the age of Mormon missionary service.

Nationally, the birthrate slipped to 12.5 births per 1,000 people in 2014. That's a 13 percent drop from the peak in 2007. In Utah, the birthrate fell to 17.4 births per 1,000 people in 2014. That's an 18 percent decline from the peak in 2007.

Pam Perlich, director of demographic research and the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, said Wednesday it seems people are waiting longer to get married and have kids because ... "People have not formed households. They've continued to live with their parents. They've put off marriage. They're putting off childbearing."

The nearly 51,200 babies born in Utah in 2014 ... exacerbated a longer-term societal trend of people waiting longer to start having kids and choosing to form smaller families, Perlich said.

Perlich said she doesn't know exactly why Utah's birthrate is declining faster than the national figure, but it may have something to do with the October 2012 decision by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to reduce the minimum age for female missionaries to 19 from 21.

That led to a historic influx of women serving missions and may be prompting them to wait longer to get married and start families, Perlich said. Women serve 18 months on proselyting missions around the world.

Perlich said that it will require several more years of data to be able to properly analyze the impact.

"It's a natural experiment. We're going to watch and see what happens," said Perlich, adding, "The imprint of that policy change could be being seen in this data."


http://www.sltrib.com/home/3362824-155/ ... toric-low-

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gkearney
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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

Post by gkearney »

Darrin, perhaps you want this approach?

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/13/asia/chin ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Mormon millennials less likely to be married, have children than previous generations
Apr 14, 2016

Like their peers, Mormon millennials are less likely to be married young, less likely to be parents and may be more likely to leave the religion than previous generations, according to information presented Wednesday at Utah Valley University’s Mormon Studies Conference.

“They are part of a generation, and generations have a pull all their own,” said Jana Riess, the conference’s keynote speaker and a senior columnist for Religion News Service.

“This is not going to be a trend that is stopping anytime soon,” Riess said.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the bulk of who are young, are seeing those trends seep into their own numbers. The LDS middle class is shrinking, and fewer members are getting married and having children.

In 2007, 71 percent of Mormons were married, compared to 66 percent in 2014.

“I kinda doubt this is a blip,” Riess said. “It is statistically significant.”

In 2014, 41 percent of Mormons had children under the age of 18, a drop from 49 percent in 2007.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/e ... 7431b.html

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From a Young Single Sister: Why Not Serving a Mission Can Take Just as Much Faith as Serving
April 20, 2016
There’s a difference between a girl going on a mission because she wants to, and a girl that goes because the Lord wants her to. A discrepancy sometimes is the feeling that LDS girls are “supposed” to go. I think the age change indirectly affected this. It’s a priesthood responsibility, so yes, every able young man should and is obligated to go, but it isn’t automatically right (for) young women.

Lately I’ve been hearing this phrase from LDS boys— “I’ll only marry a return missionary.”

After the missionary age change this seemed like a reasonable enough mandate. Young Men and Young Women could serve at virtually the same time, and at a young enough age that it doesn’t interfere with a college education too much; virtually everyone could plan to go. Plus, if girls could say they wanted an “RM” couldn’t boys too?

I had no problem with this stipulation when I planned to serve a mission.

For three years I’ve been actively preparing for my mission. And I’ve told anyone who was interested that I’m going, I’m planning on it, and I’m as capable as any boy. I figured two things: first, if I wanted to go on a mission it would be right for me, right? “Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work.” D&C 4:2 And second, if boys could plan on it, why couldn’t I? That’s my feminist streak.

I guess, looking back, I was a little too confident about going on a mission. I approached it pridefully instead of prayerfully.

Regardless of my pride, I’ve been preparing through scripture study, classes, and reading talks.

Jump forward to last October. I applied for a service internship to get a little more experience being away from home before my mission. I applied to serve in a youth center in Colombia for a semester. I was accepted quickly, my majors fit around it, I could get credit, and even though the University thought they couldn’t hold my scholarship, they did.

After I got accepted to the internship I started to figure out the logistics for my mission. I stayed in my home ward, instead of going to the singles ward, to do my mission papers there. I planned to leave as close to my 19th birthday as I could, and I planned to receive my call during my internship. But, things didn’t come together; I found roadblocks at every corner.

At this point I started to earnestly pray. I thought about it, talked to my mom, and I was confused. I turned to General Conference hoping for missionary talks, for encouragement to go. The answers were about marriage and family…not about missionary work. There came a point where I couldn’t even picture myself on a mission anymore; it was the most frustrating thing. The only way I can properly communicate what I felt was a “stupor of thought.” And when I finally considered that a mission might not be right for me… I felt relieved. And felt guilty for feeling relieved! This isn’t how the story is supposed to go! How could something so obviously good not be right for me?

My story doesn’t have a full resolution. I’m young enough that my answer could still change, but all I can do is take the steps that I know are right- I went on my internship, I study the scriptures, I take the sacrament, and I pray.

Missions are such a beautiful thing; I’ve seen countless friends and peers go and come back so mature and ready for life. But as far as LDS boys wanting to marry an RM goes…there’s a difference between wanting to marry someone that values and understands spirituality, and marrying someone that went on a mission. The two things aren’t mutually inclusive. There’s a difference between a girl going on a mission because she wants to, and a girl that goes because the Lord wants her to.

A discrepancy sometimes is the feeling that LDS girls are “supposed” to go. I think the age change indirectly affected this. It’s a priesthood responsibility, so yes, every able young man should and is obligated to go, but it isn’t automatically right on the front of young women.

But yes, I was called to the work! And so are you! If you have the desire to serve, you are called, and you are called as an individual. I was called to Colombia in as real of a way as receiving a letter in the mail, and I don’t know exactly where the Lord will lead me next.

Serving the Lord without a black name tag doesn’t mean a sister has any less of a testimony or even has less experience sharing the gospel. It takes courage to pray and sincerely ask about a mission, and I have a lot of respect for girls that don’t go because the answer was no.

It would be unproductive for me to go against what the Lord wants to make of my life, and the work he’s called me to do. I know I’m where the Lord called, and I’m not on a mission not for a lack of faith, but for an abundance. I have faith that I’m where I’m supposed to be, and I have faith that the Lord will keep directing my life.

I don’t have to know everything. I don’t have to know if the Lord will change my answer about a mission, but I strive to be ready either way. For now I feel at peace knowing I earnestly asked, and knowing that I’ll keep asking.

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Lizzy Hamner
April 24, 2016

Thank you so much for this article. I’m almost 18 but have been trying to decide what to do after high school– whether it be mission or college. I’ve been struggling for a few months trying to decide. I’ve prayed, I’ve studied, I’ve fasted, I’ve read my Patriarchal Blessing over and over and still am unsure. But I’ve felt recently that a mission isn’t for me. And after reading your article, I’m comforted that someone else has gone through the same thing. thank you!!


http://ldsmissionaries.com/from-a-young ... s-serving/

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Re: Sisters serving missions & forgoing marriage?

Post by Fiannan »

Darren wrote:Mormon millennials less likely to be married, have children than previous generations
Apr 14, 2016

Like their peers, Mormon millennials are less likely to be married young, less likely to be parents and may be more likely to leave the religion than previous generations, according to information presented Wednesday at Utah Valley University’s Mormon Studies Conference.

“They are part of a generation, and generations have a pull all their own,” said Jana Riess, the conference’s keynote speaker and a senior columnist for Religion News Service.

“This is not going to be a trend that is stopping anytime soon,” Riess said.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the bulk of who are young, are seeing those trends seep into their own numbers. The LDS middle class is shrinking, and fewer members are getting married and having children.

In 2007, 71 percent of Mormons were married, compared to 66 percent in 2014.

“I kinda doubt this is a blip,” Riess said. “It is statistically significant.”

In 2014, 41 percent of Mormons had children under the age of 18, a drop from 49 percent in 2007.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/e ... 7431b.html
It's the people's fault, not the leaders of the Church. They cannot be held responsible.

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