Joy in the Gospel

Alma 17:2
...Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethern; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethern in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

Yesterday I found out that an old roommate of mine and Cyndi's, Melissa, had fallen away from the church. She contacted me on facebook and I followed the URL provided for her blog and was so saddened to see that she was no longer a practicing member. Melissa came home from her mission to England early because she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She went through chemo and all of that and had surgery to remove her thyroid and was doing well when we lived together. She graduated at that time and went to Colorado where Cyndi, Alexa and I went to visit. She was a good Mormon girl and we had great conversations. How sad I was when I saw her wedding dress was spaghetti straps and very low cute with a glass of champagne in her hand. Then I kept reading and was more and more saddened. I think that there are a lot of reasons that I reacted so strongly to her falling away - one of which may be the many comparisons we held in our lives. I really was ready to cry that she was no longer my sister in the Lord. I had always thought I understood that scripture but yesterday the meaning was so much more firmly planted. I know that we all make choices and that those choices can be eternal but I hope and pray that she decides to come back to the church and the fellowship of the saints.
All of this has made me think of how very important it is to stay connected to those we love and try hard to truly understand and support the things that they are doing in their lives. It seems that the individuals that fall away have also not found the support, love and connection that they need in the church which is where we all come in. My testimony of having the three things that President Hinckley always talked about: a calling, a friend and being nourished by the good word of God are so vital to sustaining and building on a firm foundation for our testimony.
My sweet bishop was released today and with tears streaming down his face thanked all of us for serving and sustaining each other. I am grateful for that man that taught us so much about service and love through his actions and made us want to serve and sustain him. What a great leader!