November 5, 2008

Last time, I swear!

My mom forwarded me this message from our Stake Public Affairs guy. He says it all.


Okay...so this will be my final email about Prop 8. With 86% of precincts reporting and a 52-48% lead, I think it's safe to go to bed. Prop 8 prevailed! Two shorts months ago, we trailed by 15% with a small amount of undecided voters. A 20% turnaround -- we were truly part of a miracle.  I wanted to thank you for all you did to follow the counsel of the Prophet and the First Presidency. When we were asked in June to devote our best efforts to protecting marriage and supporting Proposition 8, I’m not sure that we envisioned all that we would need to do. Thank you for your best efforts. I was inspired by your faithfulness, especially when I knew that many of you were not comfortable being  "politically active". But you did it anyway, because of your faith in and testimony of a living Prophet.

Your sacrifice made the difference -- walking, calling, donating, emailing, letter writing, calling again, blogging, sign waving, poll working, getting out the vote, calling one more time, babysitting, talking with friends, acquaintances and strangers. I'm especially proud of our youth for 
 standing up for truth in the face of peer pressure, intolerance and some hateful exchanges.

Thank you most of all for the way you did this. You were respectful, positive and sincere. That was missing from so many interactions on 
this topic. You represented yourselves, your families, our ward and the church very well.
 
I know that while we are relieved to have this particular challenge over, I suspect there will be something else around the corner. The 
chasm between our beliefs and the beliefs of the world will continue to grow wider, and we will be faced with other challenges, with some 
likely being much more difficult than Prop 8.

I hope that you gained a stronger testimony of the personal peace and blessing of knowing that you were doing what the Lord asked you to do 
through his living Prophet. 
Thanks again,

I was able to give about 3 hours of my time yesterday. It was not hard, I did it with my mom. We mostly sat in the lobby of a retirement home, waiting for the poll updates. As I watched the hustle and bustle, I KNEW that this is the beginning. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and outwardly Followed our Prophet. It is very humbling. I know the fight is not over, lawsuits have been filed, but I am ready to stand up, again, and do it all over again.

8 comments:

Shannon Bousfield said...

Hillary - I have had many of the same feelings as you about this whole experience. I wish it were over, but I am sure this is just the beginning. A church member friend had a big "no on 8" post on her blog, ending with "History DOES repeat itself." Then this morning, the kids and I read Ether 10:2, "And it came to pass that the prophets were rejected by the people..." Indeed, history does repeat itself. I am glad I chose to follow the prophet.

Lorena said...

I am with you on all counts. With 102 here in AZ, we faced many of the same obstacles, but I know that I did the right thing. Good for you!

Jenn said...

Thank you for all you did!!

Devri said...

You are amazing thanks for fighting for what you beleve in.


oops I do know how to spell believe

Heidi said...

I think the members who are against prop 8 simply don't understand it well. There are other ways to give rights to everyone without taking ours away. There can be other props that do this--someone just has to come up with one that will take care of everything properly. Meanwhile, I foresee this as a bigger fight in the future, as you said. sigh . . .

Jan said...

We are so very proud of you guys. This is a very difficult time for all of you there. I just hope all goes well. It is so scary out there. Know that we are all thinking about you and all everyone did.

beetlebabee said...

I find it wonderful that other faiths have stood with the LDS church and not let them take the flak alone.

Los Angeles interfaith leaders voiced their support for the LDS church this afternoon, saying: “The peaceful faiths, families, educators, activists, and community servants who make up the protect Marriage Coalition are saddened to hear of the continued targeted attacks on the Mormon people during and after the conclusion of this fair and certified election. Like many churches, the family is the anchor of the LDS faith and it is no surprise that its members in California joined other faiths in giving everything they had to Proposition 8.“

It’s one of the more amazing things of this election, that so many faiths were able to build bridges and find common ground to stand on.

http://beetlebabee.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/pride-predjudice-prop8-rage/

beetlebabee said...

Gay Activists are using donor lists to target individuals who donated to prop 8. This guy already lost his job this morning. We have to stand up and help support these people who are being persecuted for their personal beliefs in their employment. People need to know what's going on.

Who is next? Where is the image of love and tolerance now?

http://beetlebabee.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/persecution-continues-martyrs-for-prop-8/