 Randall Thacker |
| Affirmation Calendar
January 25-29 October 19-21 |
by Randall Thacker, Affirmation Senior Vice President
Hello, Affirmation friends. I hope you are settling well into 2012. I haven’t met many of you, but one thing I know for certain is that you are all in very different places along your journey of reconciling being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender AND Mormon. It is not an easy journey. As a current and gay-affirming LDS bishop recently told me, “It is probably one of the most difficult challenges a person can be given – to be gay AND Mormon.” The journey often includes various valleys of despair, plateaus of acceptance, and then mountain peaks with breathtaking peace.
For those whose journey is just beginning, it can be overwhelming and at times feel hopeless. If you are at this point in your journey and you need help, please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to a fellow Affirmation member or leader to sustain and help you. We are all here to help one another “strengthen the feeble knees and hands that are weak.”
If you have reached a plateau of accepting your sexuality but still struggle to find complete peace, we are here to provide a community wherein you can feel fully affirmed while participating in wholesome activities and gatherings that are filled with the wonderful fruits of the Spirit.
For those of you who have reached that breathtaking peace of reconciliation, we ask you to please continue with those of us still on our journey and to reach out to those who need that steady hand.
I’m honored to be on this journey with all of you and to serve you this year. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time.
Randall Thacker
NOTE: If you are ever really in despair and can’t reach someone, don’t hesitate to call the Trevor Project Hotline at 866-488-7386. Additional resources are listed at http://affirmation.org/contact/someone_to_talk.shtml.