Baptism

 

And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and acleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the bchurch of Christ; and their cnames were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually dwatchful unto prayer, erelying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.-- Moroni 6:4

 

 

This will be the page where I post my "Harvest" of conversion stories from the web, other media outlets, and from those who send them to me.  I will also include articles on conversion and retention, things aimed at missionary work, helps for new converts etc.

 

If you have a story you'd like to share, email me at Justinodhans@hotmail.com

 

A quote from Brigham Young: "[After I was baptized] I wanted to thunder and roar out the Gospel to the nations. It burned in my bones like fire pent-up, so I [commenced] to preach.... Nothing would satisfy me but to cry abroad in the world, what the Lord was doing in the latter days" (Journal of Discourses 1:313).

 

I hope to have the above zeal and fire for the gospel for all my days!

 

 

http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,2043-1-3745-1,00.html (This is an article from the October, 2006 Ensign directed to new converts).

 

 http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640188919,00.html        

This article from the June, 2006 Deseret Morning News tells of the conversion of an Iranian woman.  It also provides a link to listen to her story.

 

 http://www.suvchoir.org/specialmessagene.html 

This is a video link to watch Former R&B super-star Gladys Knight tell of her conversion story 

 

www.guiling.org  This gentleman sent me a link to his story.  He gained his testimony and converted through Family History work and typing the scriptures onto his computer.

 

A Woman's Path: This is the story of a woman's quest for truth, her obsession with and hatred for the "Mormons" and her journy that lead her to the true gospel.  Most of the names have been changed for the protection of those involved.

 

My Testimony

by

Anna Jones

I was born in the South of England into a nominally religious family and always believed in God but it was not until my sister joined a local church youth group at the urging of her best friend that I really came into contact with Christianity. I too joined the youth club and liked and believed what I saw and heard there. I accepted the tremendous sacrifice Jesus Christ had made for me, repented of my sins, gave my heart to Jesus and was "born again". I joined the Christian Union at school, became part of the "Christian scene" and was neither ashamed nor afraid to own what I believed. I was about fourteen, Mission England was in full swing, it was exciting to be a Christian.

And yet I wondered whether I really was. I didn't feel any different, prayers seemed to be words offered to thin air, the Bible washed over me, I was plagued with doubt. At Christian gatherings, I often went up at the altar call to try once again to commit my life to the Lord and feel genuine about doing so. I heard Nicky Cruz speak, and Billy Graham, I went to Spring Harvest and recommitted myself time and again, but always felt empty inside.

I read a book, "Is Anyone There?" by David Watson which answered some of my questions and confirmed to me that this was right, this was what I believed, whether I felt it in my heart or not. I was assured then that when someone prays committing their life to God and accepting Christ's sacrifice they are saved whether they feel confirmation of it or not. God honours that prayer and, my sister later told me, your salvation begins from that point, whatever you may do later. For many years I attributed my conversion to that book, and I certainly held desperately to its promise, for I felt a hypocrite among spirit filled Christians.

So when I was seventeen and a dear friend called Rachel told me that she envied me my faith and wanted to find God for herself I was confused, partly because of her misplaced envy and also because I was about to go to University in Wales and didn't really have the time to spend helping her. So I directed her to a local church and went to Wales where almost immediately I met a young man called Jon Edwards. He was training for the Anglican priesthood and I envisaged his spirituality rubbing off on me as we studied the Bible together, prayed together and worked in the church together. We were engaged weeks after we met and he once explained to me why I was the right woman for him. "I wanted a Christian girl" he said, "And you definitely are." "Am I?" I thought. "Oh good." Despite this we never did pray or study together, partly because he preferred to do so in Welsh, his first language, but also because of an awkwardness between us when it came to spiritual matters. We married in 1990.

My letters to Rachel were all about Jon, I paid little attention to her search for God until I returned home at Christmas 1987 and she announced with excitement and pride that she'd found a wonderful church - she'd joined the Mormons. My blood seemed to freeze in my veins. I explained to her what had been drummed into me - that there were certain "churches", including the Mormons, whose doctrines were so absurd as to be anti-Christian, that they were evil and brainwashed people in order to get members for their money. She was having none of it and my response - partly spurred on by guilt that I had failed to guide her when she asked me - was to buy every anti-Mormon book I could find and write to her weekly when I returned to University about the errors of the LDS church. Nothing worked, two years after her baptism Rachel married a returned missionary and moved to Utah, and I became obsessed with hatred of the church which had robbed me of my dear friend (she gave up replying to my fiery letters) and swore no one else would lose a loved one as I had.

My obsession continued for many years. I became involved with anti-Mormon organisations like ex-Mormons for Jesus, and Reachout Trust for whom I was an Area Director. I leafleted homes warning householders not to speak to Mormons, I lectured church groups and I even wrote a booklet on the subject. I loved arguing with missionaries (who often told me I was more knowledgeable about their religion that they were) and claimed that my attack was really a defence of my own faith. In truth I had no real faith, I rarely prayed now and only turned to my Bible to look up verses which might contradict Mormon doctrine.

Even while presenting my arguments, I knew deep within that many were flawed, or at least spurious. For example, I claimed that there could be no scripture written after the Bible because of the claim at the end of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament: "I testify unto every man that heareth the words … of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written of in this book." (Revelation 22:18) Even whilst presenting this argument as a reason for rejecting the Book of Mormon I knew that the warning applied only to the book of Revelation, because most of the New Testament was written after these words had been recorded. Happily – for me at the time at least – few missionaries seemed to realise this.

In 1992 I received a letter from the LDS church's solicitors in London accusing me of trying to obtain goods by deception (I had attempted to order temple recommends from the distribution centre) and warning me that legal action would be taken if I did not cease to slander the church. I decided that enough was enough and agreed to end my campaign, to Jon's great relief. I wrote to Rachel offering an olive branch, which was joyfully accepted, and visited her in Utah to renew the friendship, discovering in the process that Mormons are actually normal people.

I wish I could say that I forgot about my hatred of the church, but although I was prevented from actively working against it, I was still fascinated by it, and not a day went by that I did not think about this amazing and intriguing religion. Some months later I began to feel the first twinges of guilt and seized upon the opportunity to invite the missionaries for tea one day so that they could convey my apologies to the local members who had suffered most. Even though I wouldn’t be arguing with them, I loved being with Mormon missionaries, and expected these to be two green young Americans.

To my surprise they turned out to be two very intelligent and confident young men, Elder Bleakley was from Kent and Elder Merl was Austrian. After our meal I outlined the situation and told them I now felt I had behaved badly and wanted them to express an apology on my behalf to the members of the local ward. They agreed, and then began to teach me the familiar first discussion. I let them go on, suddenly feeling that I did not really have one valid objection to them doing so. The church had intrigued and fascinated me for years, and despite all its strange teachings it remained the fastest growing church in the world, millions of others like me felt that there was something which drew us to it. So when they asked me to read to the Book of Mormon I agreed.

I read a little, but it was only a few pages before I realised that I had to be baptised. I felt drawn to the church anew. Five years of study and meeting many ordinary Mormons had persuaded me that it was not actually evil, that if there was a true church on the earth then this was it. I wondered whether there was a deeper reason why my spirit had always been so drawn to the church. I felt that there were a hundred reasons why I should now be baptised.

Since mine was such a special case I was interviewed for baptism by Jeffrey R. Holland who was then the Area President (and is now an Apostle). He truly impressed me with his humility at his calling and his deep love of Jesus which was evident in the reverent way he spoke of the saviour. He gave his permission, and I was baptised in June 1993. The local members welcomed me and readily forgave me, and I loved attending the LDS church for its friendliness and activities. For six months I was truly "one of them" until Jon realised that I no longer hated the church and gave me an ultimatum - the Mormons or our marriage. I chose our marriage and returned to the Anglican fold and my obligations as a curate's wife. For almost two years I had nothing to do with the LDS church, and kept my membership of the church a secret for fear it could damage my husband’s job and promotion prospects.

Our first child was born in August 1995. As babies do she woke often in the night and once I'd fed and settled her I had trouble getting back to sleep despite my tiredness. I remembered that the difficult old fashioned language of Shakespeare used to have a soporific effect on me during my student days so I turned to something with a similar old-fashioned style but less bulk - the Book of Mormon. I had never read it before.

Far from sending me to sleep I have a clear memory of sitting beside the cot wide awake and being filled with the wonder of the words I was reading. A strange warmth and joy swept through me, a feeling of being utterly loved, forgiven and accepted. Not only did the realisation that the book was true and a work of holy scripture come to me, but I knew that I had always known it. The person I had been trying to convince that it was wrong all this time was not Rachel but myself. Overwhelmed, I fell to my knees in joyful prayer and this time I felt my prayer heard and answered and knew and experienced for myself the real and loving presence of my Heavenly Father.

In the morning everything seemed different, the world was a beautiful creation which now made sense to me, I was filled with love and joy and sang hymns constantly. Finally I had what the Mormons call a Testimony and what other Christians might call the baptism of the holy spirit. I was well aware of two problems, however. First, that it was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which had brought me to this point, a church which my entire family and all my friends believed to be an evil cult and which I had promised my husband to have nothing more to do with. Second, that I had levelled some difficult charges and objections to the LDS faith during my anti-Mormon days and as intense as this feeling in my heart was, I could not be led by it alone, my head needed to be convinced too.

My obvious starting point was to see whether this "testimony" applied to other churches - particularly ones not banned by my husband! I tried my husband's church, of course (he was now a vicar with his own parish), the Salvation Army for a month, the Catholic church, an independent Evangelical church and an Assemblies of God Pentecostal church where I found I knew most of the members from the University Christian Union. In fairness to other evil cults I even tried the Jehovah's Witnesses! I did not feel the spirit in any of them. While I enjoyed the experience and the people were often friendly I did not feel any confirmation within that they were right (although were it just a matter of personal taste the Salvation Army would have been my choice).

During this time I also read the Bible carefully and answered many of the objections I had put to Mormonism with ease - indeed many of them just seemed "nitpicking" now. I found much in the Bible which confirmed the Mormon view and wondered how I had missed it before. I prayed at length too about my confusion with mainstream Christian churches, and my Father told me he loved and honoured all those who worshipped him and that they had the eternal life they sought, but the LDS church was where I belonged and where I could find the fullness of the gospel and the greatest joy here and in eternity.

So I finally spoke to Jon and asked to be permitted to go there. He was adamant - he'd taken second place to the Mormons in my life long enough, the "Mormons or our marriage" choice still stood. I spoke to his Bishop (equivalent to a Stake President) asking whether my conversion, if known, could affect his career. Yes, was the reply. I contacted my own LDS Bishop for advice and was told to stick by Jon, to love him and to pray for him. So I resolved to live the gospel and to study the scriptures alone, continuing to attend other churches, until such time as my prayers were answered.

After about a year Jon was forced to resign from his job with the Church in Wales due to mental illness and alcoholism, and I became the breadwinner for our family. He still hated the church and burned my scriptures – even Bibles - whenever he found them. I continued to study (buying a Book of Mormon whenever I saw one in a second hand bookshop) and pray and live the gospel and my testimony continued to strengthen as my relationship with my Father and Saviour developed, and my relationship with my husband deteriorated. In May 1999 Jon agreed that I could attend church once each month provided no one from church ever came to our home.

The wonderful spirit present at that first sacrament meeting moved me to tears, I had forgotten just how powerful it could be. The atmosphere of loving reverence was unlike anything I had experienced before, and my testimony grew yet further as I learned more, followed the guidance of the spirit and saw the miracles and blessings poured out. Our second daughter was born in November 2000 and in 2001 Jon finally permitted me to attend church every Sunday. After much heartache and persuasion he finally wrote a letter of permission for me to attend the Preston Temple for my Endowment in February 2003. That was a truly wonderful and blessed experience.

Sadly Jon’s dependence on alcohol continued, and after considerable prayer and fasting I decided to end our marriage, and he moved out of the family home in December 2003 having lost his job, his faith, and finally his family, because of alcohol. With our divorce in 2004 I moved to a new area and became fully active in the large local ward there. At a Single Adult fireside I met a wonderful worthy returned missionary from my own ward and we were married in the local chapel and sealed in the London temple in August 2006. (Temple marriages are not legally recognised in Britain so we were married and sealed on the same day).

I am grateful that I have at last come to truly know and love my Heavenly Father and my dear saviour Jesus Christ, and to feel and respond to the love they have for me. I now know the reality of the sacrifice Jesus made for me, and am grateful for it. I had longed for many years for this closeness to my Father and it is all I had hoped. I am sad that many people who are dear to me are offended that this has only happened in a Mormon context, I am sorry and understand their pain - I went through it with Rachel after all. I only know that this is the truth I found - the Book of Mormon is scripture, another Gospel of Jesus Christ to stand alongside the Bible, our loving Father still speaks to us and calls prophets to guide us in our day, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Saviour’s restored church and teaches the fullness of His gospel. In His precious name, Amen.

 

 

A readers digest legnth story

This man did not give his name, but gave the short version of his story.

 

I was never really religious, my parents baptized me in the Catholic church, but we never attended church. We would go on Christmas and Easter but that's about it. I got mixed up in all the wrong things in my life mostly drugs and sex. Although secretly, I knew it was wrong it made me feel good so I went overboard with until I had this feeling of emptiness that I couldn't shake. It may sound like a clique but I would go to these huge parties with my buds, and yet I felt alone. After listening to the missionaries and praying, I know that the empty feeling was my soul longing to reconnect with our HEAVEN FATHER and for that I am grateful to all those Elders who I have slammed the door in their face and yet they never gave up on me.

 

 

Through Study and Prayer

 

This woman found the gospel in college through studying the different religious movements, and then attending an LDS meeting, combining that with much prayer, she gives part of her story.

 

When I first passed the college I would eventually go to. I knew that I needed to be there. I didn't know why, but I knew that what ever it was that was calling me to it, would be explained soon after I got there. That was the summer before I "went off to college". I had gone to a Jr College for about a year already. That fall, some friends and I were talking one night and the conversation steared towards religion. They were each talking about what they believed and what their church believed and how sometimes the two differed, and questions they had, etc. All I knew is that I was Methodist, and my Mom and Grandma were Methodist. I could describe the service, but little about my own beliefs or where the Methodist church stood on certain issues. It was funny how out of about 10 of us, there was only one from each religion. I felt out of place in the conversation and wanted to know what I believed (thinking that whatever the Methodist church believed is what I believed too). I went to the college all-Christian building where they had a luncheon every week and some of the different pastors were there too. I asked what the Methodists believed. He said that my question was too broad and that I needed to narrow it down. I didn't like his answer. My dorm was right across the street from the Library. So I went and looked in the religious section for a book on what Methodists believed. I found a wonderful book that had a 2 - 5 page write up on all the religions of the world (or at least most of them). In reading what it said about Methodists, I learned that while there were some things we agreed on, a lot of it made my head spin. It was so contridictory, and seemed like just a lot of words, but never really SAID anything. It was like who ever submitted this write up didn't know what they believed either. It occured to me that I needed to find a church that believed what I believed. So over the course of the next few days I searched the book diligently, looking at both Christian and non-Christian religions. I quickly learned that while there were aspects I felt I could learn from non-Christian religions, I could not deny the Christ and so I focused only on Christian religions. The book was arranged alphabetically and I soon began skimming over a lot of it. Having no luck, so far I decided that I really liked the entries that had a list of their beliefs. It made reading it much easier if there was a list, versas these long drawn out paragraphs that said essentially the same as the previous ones. So, if it didn't have a list, I didn't even bother with it. The week ended and I was no closer to finding what I was looking for. One of the group, a Mormon, asked if any of us would like to visit each others church. We thought that would be fun. It would be a way that we could all learn more about each other, in a safe environment, and not be pressured by those we didn't know at church to "come again". She offered to go first. No one said they would go, so feeling sorry for her, I volunteered, as did a Catholic girl. I went to the library once more before that Sunday. I was at the M's anyway, so I looked up Mormon - I might as well know something about the church before I go, I thought. And to my surprise and delight, a list of their beliefs! Thirteen brief statements that for the most part fell in line with what I believed, at least much more closely than the write up about the Methodist church did. When we went to church that Sunday we arrived about 10 minutes late. As soon as I crossed the threshold into the chapel, I felt startled. Even though we walked in in the back and no one saw us except those few people on the stand, it felt like the whole world was looking at me. After a few songs a man I later found out was the High Counsel representative stood up to speak. He said that he was given a topic to speak about a couple of weeks ago, but something happened about 10 minutes into the meeting. It was as though a bolt of lightening hit him, but he knew it was the Spirit, and that he needed to give a message that was quite different than what he had planned on giving and he hoped that those in the congregation would bear with him. This caught my attention, because I knew we had arrived late and were the last ones to enter, and his words so far were very different than what I was used to. A topic ASSIGNED to him, and he asked permission from the audience to speak on something other than what he had prepared???? Very different. I listened and tried to follow what he was saying. It was as though he was answering questions that I didn't even know I had, almost before I could even think of them. It was as though he were reading my mind. I don't remember exactly what he talked about, but he gave me new insight on the OT. I remember he mentioned Moses and Abraham and Noah. I know now he was using the Pearl of Great Price. I was facinated, enthrawled. It came time for the meeting to end, and I didn't want it to. I wanted to hear more. My friend said there was a Sunday School class for visitors we could attend that might answer more questions. We went, but I couldn't imagine anything like what I had just experienced. For some reason the teacher (who was about my age, and I later found out had just returned from a mission) was having trouble starting the class. It's like he didn't know where to start. I was getting frustrated. Just then, the man who spoke came in. He introduced himself by saying, "Was everyone who is in here in the the previous meeting?" Of the 8-9 of us there, 6-7 of us said we were. Then he said, "One of you needed to hear what I said. How was it? Do you know? I've never given a talk so influenced by the Holy Ghost. I don't even know what I said. But one of you needed to hear it. Which of you was it?" He went around the small room, and a couple of people said it wasn't them. And one person said they guessed it was them, that they had been coming to church for several weeks now, wondering if it was true. He never got to me. The teacher said we needed to start class. But I knew. I knew it was meant for me. We exchanged glances a couple of times, and I think he knew too. I never saw him again, but I also never missed church after that day either, except once at spring break and for a month between semesters. I got a copy of the BOM that Sunday. That was in early April - it must have been the Sunday after General Conference because I didn't attend a General Conference until later. In early May the semester ended and I had to go back home for almost a month. I spent the majority of that time reading the BOM. I didn't know it at the time, but I was fasting too. I ate once a day during that month. Eating was a bother, I needed to know more about these Nephites and Lamenites and what was happening to them. The lessons were so multifaceted - like a diamond. I probably read 10 - 12 hours a day, making sure that I understood what was being said as I went. Later, I learned I was studying and pondering. I prayed a lot too. For the most part I read from the beginning and tried to work my way through the book, but someone marked Moroni's promise and I took it to heart. I prayed constantly that God would let me know that it was true. Finally, one day, I recieved an answer in my mind, but so clearly that I thought it might actually be in the room with me. It said, "You know it's true. You've always known it's true, haven't you. Now stop asking me if it's true. You know it. Do something about it when you get back." (Notice that there wasn't a question in the answer, but a statement.) While startling, and even a little scary (because I didn't think I would really get an answer), I knew. I didn't know what I needed to do when I returned to college, but I knew I needed to get back as soon as I could. As I reflected on the experience, I realized that I had recieved an answer to my prayer many times before then. And I knew that I would do what ever it took to be associated with the Church. My testimony then was very brief - The Book of Mormon is true, and whatever church abides by its teachings must be true too. And it is that church that I must be a part of.
The next week was excruciatingly long. Every hour seemed like a day and every day like a month. My friends were taking me back to college and one was the member who had invited me to church to begin with. I told her that the first thing I needed to do when we got back was meet with the Bishop. The Bishop just happened to be an art teacher at the college, and the three of us had taken an art class from him the previous semester. She said that it would have to wait until the next day - Sunday. Ok, I said reluctantly. The next day, I told him that I wanted to be baptized into the church. "Today, if possible." He explained that I needed to meet with the missionaries, that they had a series of lessons to give me. "...OK, if I must. Can we get them over here today? How long are the lessons? Can I just take them all at once?" I think it was then that he got a little excited. He made a call to the Stake President, and they talked for a while. The missionaries came on Tuesday - they explained that they were on splits, but they heard that I was excited to hear the discussions. I told them I was, and that the only reason I was meeting with them was because I wanted to be baptized as quickly as possible. This really excited the missionaries. The next day I had the second and third discussions (back when they had to be given in order). This time, I had two different missionaries. I told them I wanted to be baptized on Sunday. The next day I had two different missionaries and had the next two discussions. Friday I had the final discussion and one of the missionaries who was there on Tuesday and the other missionary that was there the day before. Saturday they came back with a third who had to ask me questions. And then on Sunday, after the block of meetings, I was baptized. That was on June 7th and I was 19. A month a two days later I turned 20. At some point during that week of missionary discussions, the missionaries were talking to each other and said I was "Golden". It was years before I learned what that meant, and that not everyone who joins the church as a convert is "Golden". It just seemed so natural to me.
So that's part of my conversion story. The complete story is very long and parts of it are very sacred to me.

 

Don't let them in, or "they'll get you."

 

This kind brother shares how through his inactive girlfriend's example, he and  others were lead to the truth.

 

I was in my nineteenth year and dating a Mormon girl who was not
active. Though not active and to my then chagrin she still lived the
standards of the church.   She also "talked" about her religion.  She
told me to avoid it.  She lived in a home with 6 brothers and sisters
and a widowed mother.  Whenever visitors from the church would appear
at her home, (home teachers) a warning would be given and we would all
flee upstairs as if the plague was coming.   "Who are they," I would
enquire.  The answer was quick,  "They are the Mormons and if you ever
listen to them they will get you."  This became a familiar refrain.
"Don't listen to the Mormons or they will get you!!"   Well I was
nineteen, a non-believer (mostly I didn't care one way or another)
played cards every week end night, stole, lied and did everything else
a "normal" nineteen year old did who lived in my part of town and no
one was going "to get me!!"

One Sunday, when my girl friend was away on holidays, I had nothing to
do so,  I decided to go to her church to see what all the excitement
was about.  I thought that I would experience something real weird,
such as people speaking in tongues or rolling in the aisles, as in the
holy rollers I had heard about.   I could then report my experience to
my poker group and we'd all have a good laugh.

I snuck into the meeting just as it started and sat down beside two
young men in suits with nametags and listened. There were over 200
people in the chapel.  Nothing weird happened unless you counted the
continual cries, shouts and sounds of little children and their moms
rushing around trying to keep them quiet.

It was a very unexciting but not objectionable service, ie. there was
no flinging the hands in the air and certainly nothing like people
rolling in the aisles , well the kids were but no adults. One of the
young men beside me appropriately discerned my membership status and
engaged me in a discussion.  He invited me to an evening with the
missionaries. .  Since there was nothing at the meeting that was
noteworthy (that I could mock) I agreed to go,  thinking that maybe
something eccentric would turn up there.

I took two lessons and was about to call the whole thing off when they
mentioned a book of scriptures called The Book of Mormon.  My instant
thought was, "No way!!!  Nothing but the Bible for me!!  What a
hypocrite I was.  In reality I did not even read the Bible or care a
hoot about it.  I doubt I could have named one book in the Bible,
including Geneses (I still can't spell it).    But then immediately
two "great" thoughts came to mind:

One, I realized that I was always a bit bothered by the idea of God.
Specifically what if there is a God and I get caught doing what I was
doing, stealing , lying, cheating, swearing and in general a whole lot
of bad and no good whatsoever?  I would really be in trouble.  I
really must determine that there was no God.


Two, if there is a God there must be more books than the Bible.  The
Lord must have spoken to more people than those of Palestine.   If
there really was a God then he must have other scriptures for His
children in other lands.  Well here was a way to put the religion idea
behind me forever.  Read the Book of Mormon and determine (as I was
certain I could) that it was not true and therefore there was no God.
All I now needed to do to rid myself of God forever was to read the
Book of Mormon, conclude that it was not of God and therefore there
was no God.  All other religions that did not have another book
besides the Bible (including continual revelation) didn't even qualify
for my consideration.  This was great.

An instant solution for judging the Book of Mormon

I did not really have any idea how I would judge the Book of Mormon
true or false but basically assumed it would be obvious that it was
false, especially so since I wanted it to be false.   But then the
Missionaries made the job a whole lot easier.  They pointed out that
if I read the Book of Mormon and then prayed and asked God if it was
true He would reveal the truth of it unto me.  Wow!!  Imagine that.
I figured a quick reading would not be able to convince me of its
authenticity   and I would be off the hook but in addition the
missionaries said I could PRAY about it!!  How cool would that be?
Think about it from my point of view:
1. I did not want it to be true
2. My life style did not deserve any kind of answer.
3. In any case there was no God that I believed in that would or could
answer me;
4. It was totally correct to put some of the burden of proof on God
and prayer as little as I knew about it was a way to communicate with
God, and
5. I was not going to be fooled by some emotion or whatever was going
to happen.   If I was going to get an answer it would have to be a
great and wonderful answer.   I was just too non-religious, too non-
good, just too far away from a believer to ever want anything to do
with religion.   It just will never happen.  I had nothing to fear.
And I meant that.  I felt great comfort.   To receive a revelation of
any sort  would be an unthinkable one of a kind  event in my life.   I
could not even comprehend what it might be like.

I did agree to give this part of the exercise a fair shot. The
visitation of God and Christ, Peter, James and John, John the Baptist
and now additional scripture while  incredible events to consider
there was a certain logic about them.  What if. . . . .?  I read the
Book of Mormon, retired to the woods to pray and was instantly
converted to the truthfulness of the message.  I felt the truth of the
message as much as I have ever felt anything in my life.  In fact in
retrospect I had never felt any truth in my life and this was my first
experience with the spirit and that experience was so singular that I
could not deny it though a part of me still dearly wanted to do so.

I finished off the discussions, started living the Word of Wisdom,
attended church and got baptized.  My girl friend and I separated and
for 35 years I never saw or heard from her.

HOWEVER, NOW THE REST OF THE STORY.

I attended a Mission Conference in Vancouver, B.C. where President
Thomas S. Monson was presiding.  After the meeting, in a discussion
with one of the attendees, we were discussing how we were introduced
to the church.  He told me he was married to an inactive LDS girl who
constantly warned him about the Mormons.  When she left the house she
advised him not to open the door to the Mormons if they came by or
they would "get him."  Where had I heard that before?    One day while
she was out the missionaries came knocking; he let them in AND THEY
"GOT HIM."   I laughed and then proceeded to tell him his wife's full
name, maiden name, height, weight and whole pile of other facts about
her.   He was similarly amused at how I came by this knowledge of his
wife.

He converted, she became active, and they raised 9 children in the
church and sent all the boys and some of the girls on missions.   He
has served as a Bishop and she as a Relief Society President and both
are to this day active in the church.

Several years subsequent to this, while in their hometown, I phoned
her up and without identifying myself started with the words, "Ann,
this is a voice from the past."  There was a moments silence and then
Ann said, Dennis, I have been dreading this phone call for three
decades. "  We then met and talked and laughed about the whole story.
I owe a lot to this girl who while not active still lived the
standards of the church AND to the home teachers who came so
faithfully to an "empty" house.  I have raised 11 children (well,
actually my wife has)  and now have 31 grandchildren(two more this
year)  and all are active, even pro-active members of the church.  It
has been the best of rides for me.

 

 

An early Whitness from The Spirit

 

This kind sister shares of her early experiences with the Holy Ghost, The Bible, and a couragous friend that shared her testimony and beliefs.

 

 

When I was a teenager of 15 years old I had already been seeking truth for a number of years. Before the age of 11 I had read the Bible from cover to cover,.  I'm not saying I really understood what I was reading most of the time, but there was a desire to do this and to learn more so I started at Genesis 1:1 of the King James Version and worked my way through to the end of Revelation a few months later.  I don't so much remember what I read as the way it felt at various points.. There was warmth and peace that words cannot do justice to. It was an important experience that would serve me well so that in the future I would recognize the Holy Spirit when I ran into Him again later.
 
As a 15 year old girl, one of the great fun things in life was experiencing over-nights with friends--you know, those giggly, fun silly times where you did up your hair, tried out makeup, laughed about boys you liked and other stuff. But this night turned out to be a little different.  We did all the goofy stuff early in the evening, but when we finally crawled into bed that night we started talking about faith.  I don't remember what started it; but the topic was one I was often interested in. 
 
As Vanetta began to tell me about her church and the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and countless other things that special warmth kindled in my chest and spread throughout my body.  I hadn't had an experience that clear and strong since the special times when I was reading the bible as a kid. I was astounded to know that contrary to what I had been taught in various protestant churches, the heavens were open again and there was a living prophet on the earth.  There were apostles and seers and a living priesthood again on the earth, just as it was in Jesus time!  And I knew.  It was only a budding testimony; but I knew it was true.
 
The path ahead was a long and winding one as I sought truth and fought with myself through the teenage years. At various times I fought hard against the knowledge I had received. I didn't want to change. I didn't want to make a commitment except to boyfriends and fun; but through it all the Lord was working on me. He sent friends and sometimes missionaries to keep me in touch at least on the fringes of the Gospel, and when I went to other churches there was fun; but something was lacking. 
 
Finally, I stopped the fight and gave in to be baptized.  I remember Satan fought hard to keep me.  Right up to the moment that I stepped into the waters of baptism, in my mind was the little nagging voice telling me I didn't have to do this; that I could just turn around and walk out the door and not do this thing.  I was terrified of going into the water.  I was terrified I would make a fool of myself and my gown would float up and show my undies.  If there was an excuse handy, that little voice breathed it into my mind.  But I stayed.  I went down into the water and came up clean. 
 
I had asked Heavenly Father for a special witness so that I would know that what I had done was right and that I wasn't just imagining everything.  The first thing that happened was that the little nagging voice went away following the font, and I was able to enjoy the rest of the ceremony in peace.  In the days and weeks that followed I discovered a new talent that I had never had before.  I was able to write poetry that touched the hearts of others and expressed my thoughts and feelings.  I knew that it was my gift or my sign.  Only when I felt that special witness or warmth was I able to write the verses.  Only when I was in tune and trying to live the Gospel was the gift with me. 
 
In the ensuing years I haven't always been active in church.  I've made some serious mistakes in my life; but the Lord has made repentance possible and has accepted mine.  And the end result is that I have this killer testimony that makes everything in my life better.  In the last 40 years the bad times have been made bearable by the light of the Gospel and the testimony granted to me; and the good things have become immeasurably brighter by the light of that same testimony. 
 
That little light that was ignited 40 years ago at a simple girl's overnight has turned into the journey of a lifetime.  There is a line in a protestant hymn that sums it up quite well for me--"I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now."  I love the Lord with all my being, I love Heavenly Father and am so grateful He placed the plan before us.  I love and am so grateful to the Holy Ghost who has given me testimony of these things.  I do know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and still works hard for us and Father whereever he is called now.
 
I am so grateful for a 15 year old young LDS girl  named Vanetta Milks, who had the bravery to tell me and share with me the miracles of the Gospel on the night so many years ago.  The Lord used her to change my life not only for now, but for all eternity.
 
Ellie
 
 
Religious Discovery While on Business
 
This brother found the gospel while on business.  He  studied, and discovered the truth
 
The Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. When he was ready for me, apparently I was ready for him. I decided to make this an expanded biography of my life in the Church.

MY CONVERSION

At the age of 16, although I had been an active participant in the Anglican Church (Canada) all my life, including serving frequently as an altar boy, I began to wonder about the ritualistic nature of the form of worship I had grown up with. By age 18, when I joined the Royal Air Force in England on a 5 year hitch, I had already begun my odyssey of informal study of comparative religion.

I had spend 6 months in East Africa during which I had visited with members of the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic faiths, as well as ministers of many Christian groups, most notably including the Roman Catholics. During this period I developed a method of asking questions designed to find commonalties between these faiths, and at the same time causing the respondents to display their weaknesses.

In the RAF I continued my activity in the Church of England, still serving in choirs and as an altar boy. My enquiries outside were always casual and unstructured, but still probing.

By age 23, when I had finished my hitch, I returned home to Victoria, B.C., in 1958 and later moved to Vancouver. There I opened a small photo studio. Once I was visited by a couple of young men who both had the same unusual first name: "Elder" to have some photographs made, but never pursued the oddity of their name ... and they never pursued anything either.

In the early '60s the John Campbell edited magazine, Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction carried an article "The Four Faced Visitors of Ezekiel" in which the author suggested that perhaps the first chapter of Ezekiel was an account of a "close encounter". He detailed verse by verse what it might have been that Ezekiel actually saw. This article profoundly affected my thinking because it implied that the angels of Ezekiel might have been of a more mortal form than I had ever imagined, with the net effect that my vision of the Power that had sent them was elevated to a higher plane.

By September of 1964 I had closed my studio (I am not a business man) and secured a position as a salesman travelling for an itinerant portrait photography company. We called it "kidnapping", and I was the "proof passer". I would travel from town to town behind the cameraman, presenting the proofs of the portraits, and taking the orders. I was fortunate enough to visit many parts of northern British Columbia and Alberta, making winter quarters in Calgary or Vancouver, depending where I was after Christmas.

In September of 1964 I was in Terrace, B.C., staying at the Terrace Motel. I had finished my current issue of Playboy, and while digging through the desk drawers of the motel room, found the expected Gideon Bible, and a book of which I had never heard before: The Book of Mormon. Inside the latter there was an envelope with an invitation to leave 50c and take the book. I have always been a sucker for a good value on a book, so I accepted the invitation.

Over the next several nights I read a bit of it, and was impressed with its style and content. However I soon arrived at 1Ne, 16:18:

v18 And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel; and after I did break my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me because of the loss of my bow, for we did obtain no food.

... and that caused me to do a large "Whoah back!" I was anything but a historical scholar, but I seemed to remember something about the Bessemer process of making steel being developed in 1732, and the footnote on the page where this scripture appeared said "600 B.C."

Now, in the words of the immortal Mr. Spock, "That does not seem logical". How could "fine steel" exist 2300 years too early, and anyway, what kind of a bow would it be if that were what it was made of?

I put the reading on hold and awaited "further light and knowledge".

That December 7th, I was in Calgary trying to get the final orders before Christmas. I was in the home of Kent and Colleen Ockey at 450 Acadia Blvd. in the Glenmore subdivision (you don't forget these things). For some reason the proofs had not yet arrived by mail, and I had to phone the office to ask about them. Then, just before leaving I noticed a large Book of Mormon sitting on their coffee table. I asked Colleen Ockey if she was a Mormon, and she said she was. "Well," said I, "I have a question for you", and I proceeded to open the book to the problematic verse. "How do you explain that?" I asked. She replied with the one phrase I had never heard from an adherent of a religion before: "I don't know", but then she followed it with the most momentous questions of my entire life: "What do your know about the Mormons? Would you like to learn more?", and set the date for the evening of Wednesday, December 9th.

Later that same day I was in another home where the proofs also had not arrived. This time, while making the customary salesman's small talk, I said "They say salesmen should never talk about politics or religion, but it seems that I end up talking about both. For example, this morning I was in the home of a Mormon lady and asked her a question she couldn't answer." My customer answered: "Oh, what was the question?" I looked at her in disbelief. "You're not another one are you?" I asked. She replied that she was. I asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon again, and turned to the verse. Again I heard this extraordinary response: "I don't know", but she quickly followed it by saying "but my husband's a bishop, and has quite an extensive library." She then opened the door of a room that was lined from floor to ceiling with books, and sought out one or two volumes. When she couldn't find an answer immediately, she also hit me with the questions. I laughed and said, "No, I had already made an appointment with the other family."

On the Wednesday evening, Elder Evans, who normally served as the mission secretary was there with a companion who was just passing through. They were the only ones available at such short notice. As they set up what looked like a little projection screen, I asked them if they had the answer to my question. They asked me "What question?" I was floored. Here was a question I had asked that struck at the very core of this church to which they belonged, and apparently Colleen Ockey hadn't even passed it along. I explained what I wanted to know, and by now you can guess their answer; "I don't know, but I'll try to find out for you if you'd like." I agreed.

They began the first discussion by asking what I already believed. For the next two and a half hours I threw everything at them I had. My nearly 14 years of preparation for this moment including my experiences in Africa meant that I should be able to blow these kids, still wet behind the ears, away. I threw some outrageous ideas at them including the thoughts generated by the article in that science fiction magazine about Ezekiel. To my amazement they just bent in the wind. Over and over their response was "There is nothing in what you say that is inconsistent with what we believe."

Before I knew it, our time was up for the first discussion, and they offered to make an appointment for another discussion. We agreed on Friday.

When that next evening arrived, I had decided that the elders had been nice enough to listen to my outrageous ideas, it was only fair for me to listen to them. To my amazement there were two new elders, Lyman and Reese. Of course I started with my question, and they replied with the response that was no longer a surprise. I did have several questions that I interjected during that first discussion, and I recall my laugh of derision when Elder Lyman said "We are having a baptism on December 26th; we'd just like you to keep that date in mind." Most often my questions were handled with "We cover that in the fifth discussion."

The discussions progressed, and I took their tracts and did extensive research in the public library. I found out on my own that very good steel was made in Assyria as early as 1200 BC, and, significantly in my eyes, from iron ore originating in the Egyptian province of Nubia; who other than Assyrians would be more likely to have some of that steel than the nomadic caravaners, who would include Nephi's family, and would have transported that ore to Assyria?

Well, I did read the Book of Mormon, and kneeling by my bed in the St. Regis Hotel in Calgary, I received my assurance of its truth. The fifth discussion came and went rather uneventfully, and on December 26th I was baptized by Colleen's husband, Kent. Two weeks later I was ordained a deacon by my bishop, who turned out to be the husband of that second person I had met on December 7th. You may have heard of him. He is Elder Teddy E Brewerton of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

Three years later, when I met with Elders Lyman and Reese in the Salt Lake temple, I said "I bet you thought I wasn't coming back after that first discussion", and elder Reese replied, "Oh, we knew you were coming back; we just weren't sure we were coming back!"

And so, I can testify that by my own efforts, by prayer, and contemplation I came to learn of the truthfulness of the gospel. By two years later I no longer lived by just a belief in that, I had a sure knowledge, and that sure knowledge is still with me today.

..Dave Birley..

 

"The Unavoidable Mormons"

 

This sister kept running into members of the church throughout her life, and eventually joined

 

 

 

 

This is my story in a nutshell.

My first interaction with the Mormon church was through by best friend in 2nd grade. She was Mormon and I was Lutheran. My parents did not seem to have much of an issue at this time with the Mormon religion. I spent a lot of time with my little friend and her family. I remember her family being so close, it was obvious that they loved each other very much and they always included me and made me feel loved as well. My family was extremely disfunctional. There was always a lot of yelling and not a whole lot of love.

For 2 years everything was fine and Dandy. Around the beginning of 4th grade I came home from school and my parents sat me down to have a talk. They informed me that a lady from our church had a son that was stolen by the Mormons. They told me it was a bad cult, and they didn't want me to be stolen, so I was no longer allowed to be Sierra's friend. This was totally confusing, scary and devastating. I pictured Sierra's family throwing me in a van and stealing me away to some far off place and never seeing my family again. Of course at this age I did as my parents asked. They even sent me to school with a bible and a scripture in revelations. I was really sadthat I  couldn't be her friend anymore. I asked my parents alot of questions as to why. They told me that Mormons believed they Jesusand Satan were brothers and that Joseph Smith the founder was a liar and a cheater and they believe in magic underwear. They also explained to me that they believed in a different God and Jesus and that Mormons will go to hell when they die and burn for eternity. This did not sound like a good thing, so I stopped asking questions and stayed as far away from her as I could.

When I went to High school I met a few more of these Mormons, and even though I tried to stay away it was a little more difficult. I had a few on my cheerleading squad my senior year and one of them became my very good friend. I tried not to get too close to her, but she was so sweet and fun It became impossible. I never asked any questions about her church, but she would always invite me to her activities, and of course I didn't want to burn in hell with her so I declined. During High School, I remember only two people who were there for me, and they both happened to be Mormon. I remember asking my mom why Mormons, who were such good people, would go to hell. She told me again that they believed in a false Jesus and that they were a cult.

So eight years later who knocks on the door, but 2 Mormon missionaries. I, at this time, decided to find out from an actual Mormon what exactly they believed.

Our first lesson began with me asking a thousand questions. I told them that I believed in a different Jesus and that they believed in the wrong one and that they were going to burn in hell if they didn't except the "real" one. I went over with them all the things my parents had taught me. They were kind and they listened. I asked them to tell me what they believed and back it up with scripture, whichthey did.

Every time they would leave they asked if I would pray and ask if it was true for myself…which I did not do. I told my family I was having Mormon missionaries coming over and they FREAKED! They told me to stop having discussions because I would be brainwashed. They also started sending me info about the church. I went against the influence of my family and continued my discussions. I read as much as I could on the LDS church. Most of it was against the church. The only positive stuff I read about the church was given to me by the missionaries. I read about Joseph Smith and polygamy, I read about the Mountain Meadows massacre, I read about their disbelief in the Trinity and how they believed they would become gods of their own planets. I became very conflicted. What the missionaries were teaching me made sense to me. I read and I read and I read. I became more and more confused. I wrestled with this issue for a long time. I did not want to join the LDS church, I most certainly did not want to burn in Hell. I was so confused and in need of an answer. I got on my knees and I started crying. I cried and poured my heart out to the Lord. I looked up and asked Him is this YOUR church, I fell to my knees broken, lost and confused, as soon as I asked this question I felt peace like I had never known. It was a physical and mental change. My burdens were lifted, All the guilt and the sorrow and sadness was gone. I called the missionaries and informed them that I wanted to be baptized.

The hardest thing for me to get over was the fear of burning in Hell for eternity. I would have thought it impossible to get over. But it was not me who took that fear away. The fear left me when I prayed. And even though I hear it all the time from both family and people I randomly encounter, I just smile inside and remember that I once, was just like them.

My family is extremely upset. They are worried about my soul. But I know that this Gospel is indeed true. I know that my Father in Heaven answered my prayers and healed my heart. There are many people out there who believe as I once did, and as my family still does. Many people (both members and nonmembers) cannot get over some of the history of the church and that is understandable. But I knew all these things when I joined. As weird as it may seem, all the history is frivolous, compared to the change that occurred in my heart. I know that throughout church history mistakes have been made. Joseph Smith was a man. I don't worship Joseph Smith. I worship my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ and I cannot imagine where I would be without the Gospel in my life!

So that's me!

 

 

 

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