September 8, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Well we’ve been into our place now for a little over a month, and we’re still unpacking! It hasn’t helped that Tara and I had a cold for over 2 weeks! We are pretty much back to normal now.

Rob and Aaron
Last month my buddy Aaron Shafovaloff and I did some ministry in front of Temple Square. We usually go out on Thursday nights when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearses. It draws a lot of people who are not LDS, and we’re able to get out a lot of literature and inform them as to what Mormonism is really all about. One night, Aaron was accidentally hit by a car as the sun was setting. Thankfully, he only got a good bump on his leg. Aaron was able to talk quite a while to the temple worker who hit him and shared the gospel with him. Later that night, I was told by an LDS missionary as he passed by that he’d break my nose if he wasn’t on his mission! At the end of the night, Aaron interviewed me on video discussing what I thought of a recent BYU professor claiming that Mormonism doesn’t stand or fall on the truthfulness of the Book of Abraham. You may watch the video HERE.

Rob, Nick, and Steve
Also last month, Aaron ran into a guy named Nick, an LDS guy who is convinced that God wants him standing out in front of the temple dressed in his temple clothing. Aaron took a video of him, and then Shawn McCraney had him on his weekly TV show. While my brother Steve was visiting us, he and I went to go meet Nick. He seemed to us to be very articulate and coherent. He’s extremely nice and consistent in what he does. So it’s difficult for us to believe others who think that he’s suffering from mental illness and not taking his medication. Whatever his mental state, God is using Nick to show how really bizarre Mormonism is.

I also discovered that the local Wal-Mart is a great place to run into lots of LDS missionaries on P-day (preparation day—a day LDS missionaries take to prepare for the week of mission work). While visiting there one day with Tara and Maddy, I was able to talk to five of them for quite a while. I simply asked them if they ever heard about the differences between Mormonism and Christianity, and we were off to the races! At the end of the conversation, Tara came by while I was telling them about my ex-Mormon wife who became a Christian. It was perfect timing! She briefly shared how she’s trusting in Jesus alone and not herself anymore to be worthy before God. One missionary was so prideful that he claimed to know how worthy he was because he had done all he could do (cf. 2 Nephi 25:23)! We told him that the Bible says he’s a liar if he’s claiming to be without sin (1 Jn. 1:8).

Would you please take some time to seek the Lord on how you can best invest in this ministry? We really need your help now that Tara no longer has an income. For those of you led to financially partner with us, please send in a tax-deductible investment today. The standard way is by writing a check to Courageous Christians United. But we also have secure electronic funds transfers programs available if you are interested in the simplicity of monthly withdrawals without the stamp. Finally, if you are interested in taking advantage of tax-free stock donations (e.g., an IRA rollover to CCU), we can also help you with that. This will help lessen your capital gains taxes. Please see our "Invest" page for all the details of how you can partner with us financially.

Keep praying!,

Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
1521 Rebecca Crest
Redlands, CA 92373
[email protected]
MormonInfo.org
JWInfo.org

****ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS****

1. For a continued healthy pregnancy and baby (due November 9th)
2. For our CFO, Matt Vessey, to find a good job here in Utah
3. For the upcoming General Conference and the display of Joseph Smith’s wives
4. For Tara and Maddy’s family

****MAILBAG****

I see that you made it back to Utah and I am very happy for your family. I hope that everything is going well with the baby and I wish your family many blessings where ever you go.
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I'm so glad to hear that you and your family have moved to Utah.
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Thank you, Rob, for keeping in touch. We rejoice with you that you are now in your own home in Utah, and expecting.
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Hi there again my brother and praise the Lord for the move you all made to Utah. i pray the Lord will bless as you faithfully share God's truth with searching people:)
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What an amazing journey! Many blessings to you and your family!
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As I told you before, being able to support missionaries like you and Tara is what makes doing the 9-5 worthwhile. Life would be pretty lame if it was just about paying bills.
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I'm so glad that you've arrived safely and are getting ready to get settled in UT. It's amazing to see how God has grown you both and how far you've come. I'm so glad to have served alongside of you in D[ivorce]C[are]. Praying for your family that you would have a smooth transition and that the Lord will provide for every need.
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[Most of our email correspondences with LDS last month may be found in the Comments Sections of our MormonInfoDotOrg videos on YouTube.]

Add Comment
Blake says... (Reply)
"What's with the facepaint? Is that really what they wear in the temple? What does it signify?" (9/8/09)
Rob Sivulka says... (Reply)
"You should watch Nick's interview on the TV show. White represents purity, so in Nick's mind, the more white the better. LDS don't wear it in the temple, but Nick thinks he's simply doing what the Lord wants and he's not quite sure all the reasons for it. Seems to me that he's a perfect picture of a white-washed tomb." (9/8/09)