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The original was posted on /r/exmormon by /u/hesmistersun on 2024-07-02 17:18:21+00:00.

First off, to understand how great of a miracle this is, you should know that I’ve been mourning the demise of the Provo exmo meetup. I feel very alone as an exmo in my ultra-Mormon family abnd neighborhood.

A few Sunday’s ago, I decided to go for a bike ride down to the lake while my wife was at church. I was listening to an episode of LDS Discussions while I rode my bike. At one point they mentioned a question-and-answer with Elder Oakes in which someone had said that their parents told them that they had received personal revelation that they didn’t need to go to church or pay tithing. Of course Oakes reproved/mocked him. Then John and Mike made the point that maybe God had planned some miracle for them that they would miss if they were at church.

Well… right about that time, miles from my home, I happened to see a sign that said “Thrive” with an arrow pointing to a park. So I followed the sign and found a bunch of people having lunch in the park. I asked them what this was all about, and they seemed hesitant to answer. Finally I just asked if this was one of the exmormon “Thrive” events sponsored by Mormon Stories. It was! They invited me to eat with them, but I am a bit of an introvert and didn’t feel up for an un-planned social interaction, so I said I wanted to finish the bike route I had planned. But I asked them if they had regular meetings in the area, and they do, and told me how to find them on Facebook! So I thanked the Flying Sphagetti Monster for leading me to them.

In good Mormon fashion, I should end my story here and not share the non-faith-promoting part…

When I got home I looked up the group and discovered that it is a singles group. I am not single. Oh well. It was still fun running into them.

I bear my testimony that coincidences happen, and that with as many different things as we experience in a life that spans decades, it is extremely probable that some extremely unprobable things will happen now and then, without the need for divine intervention. Ramen.