Comment

She Is Not Alone

I was intrigued by “A Refuge for the Oppressed” (January). I identify with the author and the effects of sexual abuse. I have learned that I am not to blame for any of the abuse that happened in my childhood, but I am responsible for overcoming the effects it has had on my life. It is helpful for me to see why I do what I do, but only if I use that information to change and grow, not as an excuse to wallow in self-pity.

I have also found forgiveness to be an important principle. But I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that forgiveness is not reconciliation. Heavenly Father does not want us to wait for those who have wronged us to change before we forgive them. He wants us to let go of the pain and bitterness that destroy our lives. Fulfilling the requirement of forgiveness only means that we are able to say, “Let God judge between me and thee,” and then let go.

I am thankful to this author for sharing her story. She is not alone, and it helps me to know that I am not alone.

Name Withheld

Becoming a Survivor

My mother read me the article “A Refuge for the Oppressed” (January). I thought it was great. I was also an abuse victim, but I am becoming a survivor.

Name Withheld

Mexican Mission Headquarters

The conversion of Jose Apolinar Balderas and his family is recounted in “Saints at the Pass” (December), in which a brief history of the Church in El Paso, Texas, is given. In part, the article reads: “At the headquarters of the Spanish American Mission, the eager Balderas got acquainted with mission president Rey L. Pratt.”

It is true that Brother Balderas met President Pratt at the mission headquarters in El Paso, but in those days it was the Mexican Mission headquarters, not the Spanish American. There was no Spanish American Mission as such until 1936.

James V. Garner
Salt Lake City, Utah

Movie Contents Information

I thought “Can I Watch a Movie?” (December) was both timely and excellently presented.

The author refers to a bimonthly publication (Entertainment Research Report) that provides movie content information. Each issue of this newsletter reviews current movie releases and provides the reader with the following: a summary of the plot, number of objectionable words and terms, and descriptions of incidents of violence, immorality, and dishonesty. It offers no opinions—merely content—and lets the readers make their own decisions.

The report is the brainchild of a few members of the Church in southern Florida who attended a movie that had received favorable reviews, only to find it a complete embarrassment for them and their families.

Robert M. Winston
St. George, Utah

Couple Missionaries

The February 1990 Ensign had a wonderful presentation about missionary couples that included counsel from President Benson urging couples to set their affairs in order and go on missions. It was that issue that inspired my husband and me to serve a mission. Because I enjoyed the missionary article so much, I brought the February issue with me into the mission field. This one Ensign has already provided much material for me as I have served with my husband in the Canada Montreal Mission.

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to thank you for the wealth of information we receive in every Ensign.

Sister Jan Beaulieu
Sherbrooke, Quebec

Update

In “Comment” (January), it was reported that the statue The Christus was placed in the North Visitors’ Center on Temple Square four years after Elder Stephen L Richards, counselor in the First Presidency, passed away. The statue was actually placed in the visitors’ center in 1966, seven years after Elder Richards’ death. The Christus was ordered through Hubert Eaton, president of the Forest Lawn Cemetery in California.