I grew up in”the mission field”. We lived in the deep south, the heart of the mid-west, and lastly in New England. Even as a child, there was comfort and peace in seeing that the church was the same everywhere we went. In each new branch, the sacrament, the Priesthood, the classes, all held the same spirit and tone. All proscribed to the same curriculum.
And yet, everywhere I went, there were wildly different cultures and personalities.
All those wildly divergent cultures only strengthened my testimony. As a youth, it seemed impossible to me that such astoundingly different people could all ascribe to a common doctrine without that doctrine holding the power of truth behind it.
And isn’t that really just the case? I have been to a Sacrament meeting that involved revival kind of shouts and “Amen’s” during the songs; I have been to somber affairs that involve deep doctrinal topics; I have been to small branches with 5 other people where”survival” gospel principles are the focus.
In our Summer issue this year, we did an interview with JalShalley Lynch. Her wonderful perspective reminds me again that the gospel is not filled with identical people having identical experiences. It is a rich and vibrant doctrine of happiness that can speak to everyone — southerner, urbanite, farmer, erudite, blue-state, red-state, soccer mom, CEO, single, New Englander, whatever.
The gospel is for all of us. It’s true everywhere. And power comes from each of our own unique cultures.
Where I live now there’s a whole new strangely rich culture and community. It’s just another testimony of the gospel.
Tell me about the wonderful strangeness of your own culture. How has that culture strengthened your testimony?
Loved this Justine. I was raised by convert parents in Michigan and Minnesota. Our small branch, by all outward appearances, would be the last place I would expect to find Jesus. But the gospel is for everyone, and even those who are rough around the edges, and have completely different perspectives then my own, recognize His voice when the truths of the gospel are taught. I am grateful for the opportunity to see such diversity among the saints I was raised with, those I taught on a mission and those I associate with now. The meeting of so many personalities in the gospel reaffirm to me that It is true, that God loves us all, and that we need one another.
I loved the interview with JalShalley Lynch. I love the feeling I get when I go to different wards and hear the same hymns and feel the same spirit. I love the diversity and unity of the gospel.
I’ve lived in Utah nearly all my life–I spent five years in North Carolina as a little girl, four months selling pest control in Georgia, and a year and a half on a mission in Ecuador. That’s it for my out-of-Utah experience. I think I won’t appreciate the “wonderful strangeness” of my culture until I live outside it again, you know, see it from a different perspective… I look forward to doing that one day.
But I also love my sweet ward and the good people here. They are kind and generous. What amazes me about both my Utah home ward and my current Utah ward is the sheer geographical concentration of covenanted, Zion-minded people. Note that I didn’t say “concentration of good people”–good people can be found everywhere. And I know there are many Utah cultural quirks, ones I’m sure I participate in. But for all that, I like it here. I like being able to strike up a church-related conversation with people I barely know and have us all be on the same page. I like being able to walk to church. And hey, funeral potatoes are pretty good food.
Great post, Justine. This was good to think about. Trying to focus myself a little (which doesn’t happen enough for me!), I think of my current ward’s culture. While we lack a great deal of ethnic diversity (how I wish the Stake would integrate the Spanish Ward back into the English wards), there is still a unique culture here. The ward I live in is incredibly accepting, welcoming and loving. I’m not sure what makes it that way. Whether or not the higher than usual number of youth with “special needs” or the generally modest income bracket has anything to do with it, I couldn’t tell you (heck, maybe it’s all the Canadians and twins!). Whatever it is, I am amazed at how people reach out and support each other here. I know that the unconditional love I feel from my ward has helped me feel God’s love to a greater degree, and given me strength. I have definitely felt my understanding and testimony of the Gospel grow as I learn from the wonderful people around me.
I know Shalley! This was a great interview that really caught her spirit and personality. Thanks for posting about it.
I loved one of my wards in Austria where when the bishop asked if there were any objections, there ALWAYS were.
Grievances were aired! It was a lot like Festivus.
Our ward here is diverse, but something about all living in the city is an additional bond. Everyone has lugged their milk home from the corner store; everyone has dealt with mice and cockroaches, found a piece of furniture or useful item on the street and brought it home, and if they’ve stayed long enough has had water come from their apartment ceiling, somewhere. The sameness of the struggles of the city allows us to learn from each other’s different ethnicities, points of view, life experiences. There are so many people here in New York who don’t define themselves by how they are making a living, but instead by what they are pursuing. A lot of the people here are chasing big dreams, and that is invigorating.
I grew up in a tiny town in Wyoming and never realized, until I moved away for school, how much of my life revolved around the good people in my ward. When I went to BYU it was hard for me to adjust to the gospel being everywhere, because I was SO used to having common beliefs with only a small group of people. At BYU, the gospel was there in every class, person, store, and newspaper. I kind of felt resentful because where I come from, the gospel is what made me special and here I was no longer unique, pretty much everyone believed the same things I did.
It definitely took a while for me to adjust to the “Utah mentality” and to having the gospel so readily available, but now I wholly agree with Emily when she said that she loves the concentration of like minded people. I think it to me growing up a little to realize that this gospel is truly a miraculous thing that makes us all equals and brings us closer together. And I appreciate that now, to the fullest extent. Though I am still so grateful for my home ward and am glad that not much changes every time I go back to visit.