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Why I Am A Mormon - Page 13

Molly, I loved your testimony. I've been reading this thread for an hour and only yours and one other made me cry. I'm not sure why because there are some amazing testimonies here. Maybe it's that I can relate to that wonderful realization that God loves us personally and will communicate to us on a personal level. I don't doubt that your experience was an answer to your prayer, and that God was speaking to you personally.

I was born in the church. My mom and dad divorced when I was five, and my mom was remarried to a non-member when I was eight. My mom has a testimony of the gospel and, though not terribly active, tried to instill that testimony in me. I always believed the gospel was true but as a teenager thought it too restrictive and not worth the effort. I fell away, but never completely. I would always go to my scriptures or my knees during hard times in my life. I married a non-member almost 20 years ago, at a time when I was not active in the church. I credit my daughter with my conversion. I know that we knew each other in the pre-existence and that we planned to be together in this life. She followed me into mortality, kicked me off the fence, dragged me to church, and set me back on the straight and narrow path. She is truly an amazing spiritual force. Two years ago, with my husbands blessing, I took the temple preparation class and prepared myself to receive my endowment. On the night I received my temple recommend, however, the adversary took a hand in the process. That day, my husband received a very anti-mormon DVD from my brother-in-law, who is a minister in another faith. My husband took to heart every bad thing about Mormonism that was presented to him. He changed his mind, and told me he didn't want me to go to the temple. I knew I couldn't go without his blessing. The success of my marriage is my first priority, as it should be. My goal is to receive my endowment in time to see my daughter married there. She is just 18, so I hopefully have time.

Mormon I Why

I was born and raised in the church. Our family was inactive for a while when I was about 9 just for a few months. I never was interested in the gospel, and what it had to offer me temporally or eternally. I went through lets just say a rough childhood and lots of abuse was in the home. I had been tought in primary that when anything got bad or hard that I should get on my knees in pray or open my scriptures and read them. I hadn't ever taken this counsel into consideration. I think I thought the church was true to a degree, and I was willing to uphold most of its standards. But I was not frequent in prayer, or reading and studying scripture. I got into rap music at a early age as well, and developed a habit of using profane language. When I flashback I can see that Satan was trying to desensitize me even before my baptism with the influence of rap, and hoping that right after my baptism he would have me on puppet strings. Well I continued to listen to rap regulary and seven years later was still listening to it while all manners of abuse went on in the home except sexually. I still wasn't reading or my scriptures or praying. I sometimes questioned if God even existed, and why I was here. I became so influenced by rap music that I began to write raps, and got pretty good at it, and then I learned I had the talent to rap as well. And a year later I was offered a record deal I wanted it so bad, but my Mom forbid it. And something inside of me told me that it probably wasn't right, but I was overcome more with holding a grudge against my Mother because she wouldn't let me pursue my dream. I continued to write raps, and rap, and three years down the road reached a professional level. Where I was being compared to Eminem and other great rap artists. I let rap become my Bail, it was my God. My priorities listed as follows, rap, myself, girls, brother, worldy things, mom, the gospel. The gospel was either at the bottom of my list, or it wasn't there at all. I had a testimony of sin, and how when I do something that isn't right, I would feel the temporal or spiritual reprocussion for it. And all my sins from the day after my baptism really began to eat at my spirit. So I did as I should I went to the Bishop I confessed, and repented. It lasted a mere week and a half. I went back and continued to do many things the church advises against. I was so good at rapping and felt like it was all I had so I continued down the road more traveled by. I started paying attention in sacrament suddenly even during my time of lets just say the major natural man phase. My sins came to burden me once more, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I decided I was going to fully repent, and study the scriptures, and see if Moroni's promise was a truth or a falsehood. So about two months ago this paradigm shift began. And I have found no greater joy that in the scriptures, and I have also gained a testimony of prayer. My testimony isn't imovable yet, but I plan for it to be. I was in the dark mists, and somehow my eye caught the iron rod once more, and now I'm just following it to the Tree Of Life. I just finished the Book Of Mormon last night and feel like its one the biggest accomplishments of my life. I felt the Holy Spirit as I read it in many instances, so I know I can't deny the truth of it. To do that would be lying to myself. Everything has changed I used to want to be a big famous rapper, and now I want to be a motivational speaker, author, and EFY counseler. I'm going on a mission in September. What a great change the fullness of the gospel can bring to your life.

Why I Am A Mormon Studies Doctrine Mormon

Just reading your two testimonies has me all misty eyed. How wonderfully the Lord works in our lives to bring us back "home." Thank you so much for sharing with us!

Roz

Page 13 Mormon I Why

SonOfHelaman, your testimony was wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing. I am enjoying your posts in our community very much. I was very moved as I felt the same way when I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time. I felt so blessed every time I picked it up and do every time since. I never cease to find something new or a new way that it applies to my life. Thank you!

Mormon I Why

I would like to share my testimony with you:
I was 19 the first time I met the missionaries. I worked as a salesman, selling discounts cards to people on the street. One day a missinary was heading towards me and I thought of course I could sell to him. He was the right age and everything. When we were about 5 ft from eachother both turned to the other asking if we could talk. A bit reluctantly I asked: "about what?" "Anything", he said. Ok, I thought that couldn't hurt. We sat down and talked and after a few minutes I understood he could not afford to buy anything. Anyway, I gave him my home adress so he could come visit me once, if he wanted to. After this I met the missionaries several times on the street but nothing else happened than just small talking.

So one Saturday I decided to go visit them (the missionaries had given me their adress). It was about 12 a.m. and when I got there the missionaries had made lots of choclate chip cookies (they were 4 missionaries living together). I was invited in and we just talked and talked, ate cookies and did everything but discussing the gospel. At about 8 p.m. one of the missionaries asked if I had ever heard of Joseph Smith. I said I hadn't and we finally started to discuss the first discussion. (This was in 1993). The hours went by and before I knew it, it was 12 p.m. I said I had to go home, but they urged me to stay. It was late and it was dark outside. They asked if I wanted to sleep over, and I thought why not. Next day I went with them to the Church. After Church I received a copy of the Book of Mormon. I read it and had the rest of the discussions during the next 2 weeks. After 2 weeks I was baptized.

I received a very strong testimony the first day I started reading the Book of Mormon. I know it is the word of God. Today I am married to the finest woman in the world and we just had our 5th child. Currently I am the missionleader of our branch. Previously I have filled the positions of primary teacher, YM Pres, EQ both counselor and pres. and ward clerc.

Why I Am A Mormon

I'd like to share my testimony.

I've been in the church my entire life, baptized at age 8.

I think it is interesting how someone can grow up in the church, go to 4 years of Seminary, serve a two year mission (Sao Paulo, Brazil), get sealed in the temple, etc., and still miss-out on what the Gospel is really about. All of those things are important events, but they are also all empty performances without a vibrant testimony of Jesus Christ and a personal relationship with Him. I think I loved the Lord, through all of those events, as far as I understood Him then, but the real relationship with Him did not start until years later.

A few years after my wife and I were sealed in the temple, we fell into inactivity. We stayed that way for almost 8 years. Then my oldest daughter came of age to be baptized, and I was faced with some hard questions. I began thinking about how my life had been blessed because of the influence of the Holy Ghost. Was my daughter to be denied those same blessings now because we weren't going to church? That just didn't seem right.

I decided to take action. I started going to church again. This was really hard because of the laziness I had fallen into. We received the discussions from the Stake Missionaries so that my daughter could become acquainted with our beliefs. She decided to be baptized. Four months later, it happened. It was a wonderful day.

For me personally, something changed during this period of time. I don't know if I could pin it down to a particular day or event....but something changed. One of the things that brought this about was the experiences I had while praying. I had a 30 minute commute to and from work each day. With not much to do during this time, I decided I would start praying (with my eyes open, of course). Now, I had some expectations of how my prayers would be, none of which were realized. I fully expected the heavens to be silent. I actually thought the Lord had good reason to be angry with me for all of my years of inactivity, for failing my family as a husband and father and priesthood leader.

But an amazing thing happened. The Lord did not treat me that way at all. If anything, the Lord responded to my prayers by giving me intense feelings of forgiveness, acceptance, and love! Not only did He not seem to hold a grudge, but He began the process of healing me in earnest, and restoring me back into His fellowship, but in ways that still leave me speechless. One solitary truth settled upon my heart and mind with great force. He missed me!

Suddenly I understood the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the prodigal son. I discovered for myself that straying from His side is a miserable way to live your life. I discovered for myself that He is ever-ready to forgive and forget, and when He says He will remember our sins no more...He means it. To feel His love and forgiveness is to know that this really is true.

I love Him, with all of my heart, might, mind and strength! While I am still "human" and make mistakes...my heart has indeed been changed, changed by the only Being capable of doing so!

I pray that my relationship with Him may continue to grow stronger. I pray that, in time, my wife's heart will soften and she will come with us each Sunday and renew her baptismal covenants. I know that she is in good hands. As long as I remain prayerful and humble, the Lord will direct me for good, and bless both our lives!

I say this humbly and with deep gratitude.

In His holy name, amen.

Why I Mormon - Page 13

Thanks for sharing and it is a good thing that you came back.

I think that is actually quite common. Long after my mission I feel I am now starting to get my feet wet, and the more I soak them I find that I really do not know much.

Why I Mormon Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 13

This is possibly the best topic on the whole forum. I don't know how my testimony compares to all of yours (molly, joheri, sonofhelaman, very good reading!) but here's where I am right now.
I was born into the church, and lived as a spectator to the religion that I didn't know could be the most immersive and full thing to have in one's life until about 2 years ago. Church was just school for me, a place to go to see my once-a-week friends. It was a place to sing songs and dress up (though I didn't like the dressing up) but I didn't know the substance of it. I met a girl who was a nonmember in my freshman year of high school and we were together for a year. Not once during that year did I talk to her about the church. I was terrified of talking to people about it, afraid that they would change their thoughts about me and I was scared I wouldn't know enough to answer their questions. She broke my heart, I went into a 2 year depression, and in that year I tried to find reasons to live. I started to live more righteously, and I met another nonmember girl who I was comfortable talking about the church to. I was a missionary and I didn't even know it. We both learned many things by the power of the holy ghost that I didn't even know before talking to her. This was my introduction into missionary work. I read my scriptures every night, trying to find the answers to questions we both had. I suppose you could call it my "conversion" to the church, though I was already a member. I took on the challenge of reading the BOM before the end of the year, and my spirit grew immensely during that period. The closer we both grew to the lord, the more temptation we ended up facing. Now I'm going to gesthemine and back trying to earn forgiveness from the lord. I plan to go on a mission before the end of this year, hopefully. I know I'll serve a mission but I don't know how soon it will be. I love this "new" addition to my life and I have always felt that the lord does truly love his children, enough to let his son endure so much suffering for things we shouldn't be doing in the first place. He wants us to succeed, he wants to see us again in full glory just as he is. I know that my favorite place on the earth is inside the temple, and there are so many things that I love much more now that I am deprived of them, and I can't wait to be part of it all again.
I love the power of hymns, the connection we can have with our father in heaven, the burning glow of the holy ghost and the eternal truths found in the scriptures.
I know that our prophet is a true prophet of God, and this church is complete.