Saturday, September 5, 2009

Which Church?

Most of the kids in our San Francisco neighborhood were Catholic except me. It made me curious to pass that big church every day on my way to and from Sunnyside School. Occasionally we would see the nuns walking to the building next door wearing their black habits. They were a mystery. Having only ever been to our own church I really wanted to know about this other church so I asked my Grandma if I could go to Catechism with my friends. Of course I got an emphatic "No", so I took matters into my own hands and went anyway.
I was so excited to see that things were just like Primary! They began with a song and prayer, then they had opening exercises. After that we went to a class with other children our own age. Again, like Primary. The teacher gave a beautiful lesson and I just kept thinking of the similarities, until she got about halfway through and then abruptly closed the class and we went home! I was surprised that the best part of the story had been left completely out but being a child, and a guest, I said nothing about it. I was left with a profound realization that they didn't have the fullness of the gospel. I remember thinking that they never mentioned the temple and that it was central in importance to the subject they were covering. That day I learned from my own experience the difference in the two churches. I had no need to return. I left the book they gave me behind. This would have been the end of it, too, except for the nun who showed up at the door the next day to bring me that book!

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