Mission Worries

[Confused72]

Ok so im leaving for my mission in a couple of months. I want to go but i am feeling so much opposition to the whole time. About 6 months ago i had a girlfriend who wasnt as good as she should of been and she put her hand below my belt for a few seconds, she didnt do anything just had it there.. This happened two more times before i put a stop to it. She also put mine down below hers once and i didnt like this at all. Nothing happened. So i told her thats enough, im putting my papers in soon and i dont want to have this be an issue. A month or two later i was plagued with the idea of whether i needed to go talk to my bishop and i didnt want this to jeopardize my mission so i decided to go into my living room and pray and if i felt that i could not be forgiven by pouring my heart out to God then i would not need tell my bishop, people have said if you feel guilty then you need to talk to your bishop. Well about 30 minutes into prayer i had an overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness and forgiveness. And now 2 months before my mission im worried that satan will try and get me to feel guilty and come home early over something i know i've been forgiven for. I felt the spirits so strongly when i prayed and when i think about it i feel the spirit again. So am i just worrying too much?

[Dravin]

In my opinion you should just talk with your Bishop. It may not be necessary/required but it'll shut down that particular worry (which honestly, will probably be replaced with a new one).

I kinda had a similar situation when reactivating, I wasn't sure just what I needed to tell my Bishop about what I'd done in the past, I concluded I'd rather have the peace of mind in telling him. Now I didn't get any confirmation of forgiveness on any particular issue as you are describing, that changes things a bit, but in the end I concluded better safe than sorry. Even if it meant bringing things to his attention that weren't strictly speaking necessary. Being able to tell your worries/Satan, nice try but I talked with my Bishop and he's declared me/recommended me as one worthy, go take it up with him, is kinda nice.

In my particular case it was the Priesthood not a mission (that came later) but I think the principle still applies.

[skippy740]

Just talk to your bishop and get it overwith.

Consider it a "clean sweep" to get everything off your chest.

Be prepared to be asked why it took you 2+ times before you put a stop to it.

Be sure to also mention your current relationship with this person (seeing still or not).

[ryanh]

I agree. See your Bishop. Not because I think there are unresolved issued regarding sin, but for your own mental well being and reassurance.

I spent three months in the MTC - two to learn language, and an extra third waiting for my visa to arrive. I saw plenty of guys tormented by things they didn't have fully resolved in their minds, whether completely repented of or not. You don't want that distracting you while you are in the MTC, or while serving in the field.

IMO, from what you posted, you don't have much of a reason to worry about your opportunity to serve being jeopardized. You have more to worry about your state of mind interfering with your ability to serve. Besides, if there was actually cause to worry about your mission being impacted, wouldn't that be all the more reason to go in and see your Bishop ASAP?

[Wingnut]

Originally Posted by Confused72

Well about 30 minutes into prayer i had an overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness and forgiveness.

First of all, kudos to you for praying for that long. I've never done it.

Beyond that, it sounds as though you felt like you were forgiven. Your attitude certainly sounds truly repentant. If in fact you shared here all that ever happened, it sounds like maybe you were right initially that you didn't need to go to the Bishop. When in doubt, however...

And now 2 months before my mission im worried that satan will try and get me to feel guilty...

Well, if you're worried about that and doubting your previous answer, I'd venture to say that you shouldn't be worried that "Satan will try" but that he is already succeeding.

So am i just worrying too much?

Maybe. I'd go see your Bishop, but here's my line of reasoning. It's not because you need to repent of this still, or because you need his help in repenting. It's because you need his help to know if you've truly been forgiven or not, and with his help, you can continue to stay strong in that knowledge.

[candyprpl]

Ditto on all that's been posted!

I'm sure that your experience of being forgiven is valid and it may be that you are still being prompted to talk with your Bishop just because you need validation from the Lord's servant.

[Mirium]

Satan will do all he can to prevent you succeeding and usually when something good is about to happen, like going on a mission, that is when he will put doubts in your mind. If you want peace of mind then please go and talk to the Bishop. It may or may not be necessary I don't know but going will put your mind at rest and leave you free to go on your mission unburdened and able to concentrate on your work. If you don't go and talk to him and find peace I think it will always be there in the back of your mind.

I have found that talking to a Bishop is far easier then expected once you get there and have always found myself feeling better afterwards.

[lost87]

ok....here is the thing, your not taking responsibility for any of this. you say you dated a girl who was "not as good as she should be", and that she put her hand below the belt, and that she put your hand below hers etc...and NEVER admit that you had control of the situation and could have stopped it before any of it started. you could have moved her hand before it ever got there, or pulled your hand away when she was moving it toward herself...in truth you are both responsible, not just her.

That being said, you did well in stopping it before any more happened and ought to be proud of that. Talk to your bishop aout everything, its not going to be a huge deal now, but it will be a tremendous weight throughout your mission if you do not. Don't stress about it, just get it taken care of and stay clean from here on out.

[alucrad1975]

sounds to me like you did take care of it.....I call it the home repentance process....

you stopped the behavior, and don't plan on repeating it right? done deal...no harm no foul as they say

if you really want to talk to the bishop about it, it is up to you, if it was me I wouldn't....just my measly .02 cents....

[tubaloth]

Just print up what you wrote here and read it off to your bishop. He needs to know. If anything it can give you a second witness that you are on the right track, so when Satan tries to throw those darts (they are really really big darts) you know what foundation you are built on.