LDS Marathoners Tell Their Stories

LDS Living ^ | April 17, 2013 | Rhett Wilkinson

[greyfoxx39]

Some ran an additional eight miles beyond the marathon just to reunite with loved ones. Others were spared after receiving VIP tickets that placed them across the street from the explosions. All are grateful for the miraculous blessings that kept them safe and sound.

Cell phones and VIP passes convinced Heather Ekola and her husband Josh that they had been uniquely blessed by the Lord in helping to be preserved from the savagery of the Boston Marathon bombings.

The Springboro, Ohio, couple was among many Latter-day Saints participating in Monday’s world-renowned race who found themselves safe after the worst attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001—many of whom attributed their fortunate condition to divine blessing.

The twin blasts on Monday killed three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and sent 183 others to the hospital, some of whom were marred by bombs loaded with ball bearings and nails. Thirteen had limbs amputated, according to hospital officials.

In her nine previous races, Ekola wouldn’t have felt her phone vibrating 24 miles into the 26.2-mile marathon because she had never brought it. But for this trip, for some reason she decided to take it. And just a couple miles shy of the finish line, her phone was suddenly bombarded with 204 new messages.

Two blasts, resulting from heavy devices made out of pressure cookers in dark-colored nylon bags, had just exploded--just across the street from where her husband was, and exactly where he should have been.

The only reason he wasn't there was because Ekola and her running partner, Libby Brown, had unexpectedly been given VIP passes that morning by a manager of Team Hoyt—the charity group supporting Dick Hoyt, who has pushed his 51-year-old quadriplegic son Rick in some 1,000 races across the country.

Josh is adamant that had he, along with Brown’s husband, Brian, not used those passes, he would have found himself on the wrong side of Boylston Street Monday afternoon. “I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I don’t know why and how everything that day unfolded, but I’m very grateful that not more people were injured and I pray for those that were, and their families.”

Ekola, who met up with her husband after running 10 more miles (for a total of 34) after being rerouted through the city, mentioned President Hinckley’s injunction that fear and faith cannot co-exist. “What happened is shameful, it’s wicked, it’s cruel, it’s pure evil in its truest form. But I feel very blessed through all of it,” she said. “This will not dampen people’s spirits. People will mourn and people will grieve, but you can do anything you set your mind to do. . . . Whatever it is, you have a choice: you choose to sink, or you choose to swim.”

Shelley Coutu hadn't trained as well for the race as she should have, and the Cottage Grove, Minn., resident had traveled 25.5 miles before finding herself stacked behind about a dozen people near Massachusetts Ave., where the trail begins to bottleneck normally. Coutu believed someone had fallen, and posted to Facebook asking about the holdup. That was how she learned what had really happened.

“Then I heard big bangs,” she said. Texting hardly worked because of the suddenly heavy traffic load, and individuals began to cry and panic after finding legitimacy in the word “bomb” permeating the crowd.

“Once that hit me, I was a bit stunned and didn’t know what to do,” she said.

After managing to take a taxi to meet her husband at their hotel, she realized that running at her normal speed would have placed her at the finish line exactly when the bombs exploded near the finish line. Her lack of preparation for the race had possibly saved her life.

“I feel like this was in the works for a long time, like that’s how it was supposed to be,” she said. “This has certainly helped me realize that the picture is much broader than I ever knew. Things just get put in place months and years in advance, and you are just watched over.”

Coutu said she doesn’t know why she was preserved and others weren't, acknowledging a scripture from the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount that our Father in Heaven “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). But she is grateful nonetheless for factors in life magnified by tragedy.

[DouglasKC]

When did that happen?

When did what happen?

[Colofornian]

I'm just thankful that Christians aren't exploiting a tragedy where people were scared, injured and died...including an 8 year old boy.

Well, your sarcasm is noted re: your indirect backdoor accusations.

So my next question is: When FREEPERs galore mention some Muslim terrorist attack (or the Boston Marathon where they speculate that Muslims were involved), where are you on those threads with this same "thankful" comment?

I mean those are tragedies, too, right?

Real victims, rights?

Would you -- in your own mild sarcastic way -- insinuate that all FR references to the Mormon Mountain Meadows as being "exploitive"?

If so, how would then Sept. 11, 1857 FR references rate on your "exploitation" scale...vs. FR references to Sept. 11, 2001?

[svcw]

Thank God there are no Christians that would be so crass, unfeeling and hate filled as to exploit this tragedy to tear down others.

You were being sarcastic right?

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

What, a member of the polytheist UCG sticking up for the polytheist LDS self-righteous behavior? Whoda saw this coming?

[DouglasKC]

Well, your sarcasm is noted re: your indirect backdoor accusations.

I'm not quite sure I'm following you here?? Accusing who of what? I think it's a given that politicians...well...usually only the soulless and heartless ones....will take human tragedy and then use them to paint their political opponents in the worst possible light.

I imagine these same politicians will sit around and gleefully high five each other over the corpses of the victims as they try to make their pathetic political points.

I was also expressing thanks for the Christian religion and Christians in general who would never do something like that. And if they did I would bet they would at least feel some type of repentance for what they've did and get down on their hands and knees to beg God for forgiveness.

Maybe we're posting on different threads???

[DouglasKC]

Thank God there are no Christians that would be so crass, unfeeling and hate filled as to exploit this tragedy to tear down others.
You were being sarcastic right?

No sir....that statement is from my heart. If a Christian did do something like that it would make a mockery out of Jesus Christ. It's really kind of disgusting. If they did I would hope they would at least feel some kind of sorrow and repent.

[DouglasKC]

What, a member of the polytheist UCG sticking up for the polytheist LDS self-righteous behavior? Whoda saw this coming?

Huh??

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

You’re a polytheist, as has been confirmed in multiple threads of yours. You believe in two different gods, and believe that mankind can join the Godhead. The LDS is also polytheist. They are here spreading propaganda that they were protected from harm because they were Mormons, which of course follows that those who were not Mormons go unprotected.

And here you are, attacking the people in this thread.

I was just expressing my lack of surprise on this.

[svcw]

So are you saying that the practitioners of mormnism are a mockery in this situation?

[DouglasKC]

So are you saying that the practitioners of mormnism are a mockery in this situation?

I'm not saying that at all. I really enjoyed the article. It showed a human side of the tragedy and a gratitude to God for sparing them. I thanked Grefoxx for posting it! Thanks for letting me clear that up!

[greyfoxx39]

Thank God there are no Christians that would be so crass, unfeeling and hate filled as to exploit this tragedy to tear down others.

That's the mormon church for you, exploit any and everything and everyone to fit their agenda. The fact that mormonism is non-Christian as are other polytheistic sects is notable.

As to "crass, unfeeling and hate-filled" see below:

So if I wanted to summarize in a chart the message the Mormon church gives...in equating worldwide Christianity and the worldwide Christian church to similar status that the Muslims accord Christians (Islam labels us "infidels"; Mormonism calls us "apostates")...it would be thus:

Snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Slanderous Invectives vs. Christian Sects	Mormon Source [Note: Most of these are Mormon ‘scriptures'. In fact, First three rows below are Lds 'scripture' & therefore cannot be rug-swept any more than a Jew might try to take three commandments off of the very tablets of stone Moses brought down from the mountain]
“...which of all the sects was right… must join NONE of them, for they were ALL WRONG… those professors were ALL CORRUPT…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
...“which of all the sects was right…ALL their CREEDS were an ABOMINATION in his sight…they teach for doctrines the commandments of MEN…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
Mormon church the only ‘Christ-sanctioned’ church on earth: “…the foundation of this [Mormon] church…the ONLY true and living church on the face of the whole earth” [Obvious ‘scorched earth’ implication: All other churches are false and dead]	Lds “scripture” Doctrines & Covenants 1:30
Direct question asked of Joseph Smith: 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?" Answer from Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness."	Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119 [Not “scripture” – but still publicly spoken by the Mormon ‘living prophet’ and published by a later Mormon ‘living prophet,’ Joseph Fielding Smith – via a publisher owned by the Mormon church – Deseret News Press, 1938]
“In 1952…the first official proselyting plan was sent to missionaries throughout the world…It included seven missionary discussions that emphasized…[four topics, one of them being]…THE APOSTASY and Restoration…” [This makes it 60 years that Mormon church missionaries, now numbering 55,000, have formally emphasized in its training & door to door saturation a priority in bashing the worldwide Christian church as “apostates” (100% AWOL)]	Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints p. 116, 1996

2posted on Saturday, March 23, 2013 4:05:52 PMby Colofornian

So if I wanted to summarize in a chart the message the Mormon church gives...in equating worldwide Christianity and the worldwide Christian church to similar status that the Muslims accord Christians (Islam labels us "infidels"; Mormonism calls us "apostates")...it would be thus:

Snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Slanderous Invectives vs. Christian Sects	Mormon Source [Note: Most of these are Mormon ‘scriptures'. In fact, First three rows below are Lds 'scripture' & therefore cannot be rug-swept any more than a Jew might try to take three commandments off of the very tablets of stone Moses brought down from the mountain]
“...which of all the sects was right… must join NONE of them, for they were ALL WRONG… those professors were ALL CORRUPT…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
...“which of all the sects was right…ALL their CREEDS were an ABOMINATION in his sight…they teach for doctrines the commandments of MEN…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
Mormon church the only ‘Christ-sanctioned’ church on earth: “…the foundation of this [Mormon] church…the ONLY true and living church on the face of the whole earth” [Obvious ‘scorched earth’ implication: All other churches are false and dead]	Lds “scripture” Doctrines & Covenants 1:30
Direct question asked of Joseph Smith: 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?" Answer from Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness."	Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119 [Not “scripture” – but still publicly spoken by the Mormon ‘living prophet’ and published by a later Mormon ‘living prophet,’ Joseph Fielding Smith – via a publisher owned by the Mormon church – Deseret News Press, 1938]
“In 1952…the first official proselyting plan was sent to missionaries throughout the world…It included seven missionary discussions that emphasized…[four topics, one of them being]…THE APOSTASY and Restoration…” [This makes it 60 years that Mormon church missionaries, now numbering 55,000, have formally emphasized in its training & door to door saturation a priority in bashing the worldwide Christian church as “apostates” (100% AWOL)]	Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints p. 116, 1996

[DouglasKC]

They are here spreading propaganda that they were protected from harm because they were Mormons, which of course follows that those who were not Mormons go unprotected.

Greyfoxx39 is a Mormon???

I have no problem with greyfoxx posting things thanking God for safety from a perspective of his/her's faith. I enjoyed reading it. Sorry. If you have a problem with it why don't you take it up with Greyfoxx?

And here you are, attacking the people in this thread.

Attacking who?? Politicians?? Look the honest truth is that politicians and the left wing media will stop at nothing to perpetuate their hatred against people who don't think the same way they do. They are so low, and we've seen this many times, that they will rummage around in the mud like pigs and sully and pull up anything and everything that they think will further their imagined "cause". And the worst part is that that hatred runs so deep and so wide that they can't see how perverted and corrupted their thought processes really are.

Surely you can't think I was attacking Christians?? Christians would never do such a thing.

Don't you agree??

[DouglasKC]

Aren’t you a Mormon???

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“I have no problem with greyfoxx posting things thanking God for safety from a perspective of his/her’s faith. “

---

Greyfoxx is NOT a Mormon. And though this is hard for someone like you who, as a matter of your religion as has been demonstrated, believes we are all in a counterfeit church because we believe in only one God, it is quite offensive for most normal people to hear claims like this.

[DouglasKC]

Greyfoxx is NOT a Mormon

Oh...my bad. I was confused as to why someone not a Mormon would be posting this wonderful article that shows gratitude and wonder toward God for keeping them safe. The bombing at the Boston Marathon was horrific. I have an almost 8 year old grandson. My heart would break if something like that would happen to him or any of my other loved ones.

If some hate filled politician took those expressions of gratitude and love for my relatives and exploited them as some kind of cheap stunt to "prove" a point I don't know I would react.

And if that politician and his left wing buddies took it as an occasion to mock and laugh at our having escaped from harms ways I would say that they weren't motivated by anything Godly. For all the world an image of devilish jackals is the only thing that comes to my mind.

Or a pack of ravenous dogs...or maybe a bunch of filthy swine?

Mat 7:6 "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

That's what those politicians remind me of....

[greyfoxx39]

I am a former mormon, Douglas. I have seen the sect from the inside out and have left it and since then have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior.

I pray that anyone who is caught in these non-Christian entities will soon do the same.

[greyfoxx39]

this wonderful article that shows gratitude and wonder toward God for keeping them safe.

Perhaps you are not aware of the mormon belief that their faith makes them "special" and therefore expression of the "gratitude and wonder" is just a testimony of their "attitude of superiority" over the "gentiles".

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

“If some hate filled politician took those expressions of gratitude and love for my relatives and exploited them as some kind of cheap stunt to “prove” a point I don’t know I would react.”

---

Apparently you approve of it, as that is what your cousins in the LDS are doing.

[Elsie]

One of the little children who was murdered in Newtown was a Mormon..

Oh?

More likely had parents who were and merely tagged along.

When he (she?) gets old enough; THEN they could CHOOSE to be a MORMON.

[Elsie]

Hey you ex-Kiwi!

I see that NZ just passed fag marriage legality laws!