by Seth

The Holy Scriptures are here for the benefit of those that will take the time to read, study, ponder, and ask God if they are true. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (mistakenly called the ”Mormon Church” by many) teaches the doctrine that the Holy Scriptures have been written and persevered for us today. How blessed are we to have the Holy Bible to provide us the words of the prophets and apostles of those who were on the earth during the time of Jesus Christ and before Him. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is fair and loves all of His children. It is because of this love that we also have the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (a companion book of scripture to the Bible), which is an account of some of the people who lived in the ancient Americas. It was important for us to know that they also had the opportunity to see the resurrected Jesus and to testify that He is the Christ. This book of scripture is not only a companion to the Bible, but also provides important clarifications of doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ which have been lost or taken from the Bible.

Holy prophets and apostles receive revelation for the people during their specific times on the earth. This is important, as God wanted to be sure that His doctrine was taught correctly and His followers were provided the best opportunity to understand all aspects of the gospel. Since God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Doctrine and Covenants 20:12), it seems only logical and necessary that today there is a living prophet to receive the necessary revelation to help guide God’s followers in the world we live in today. This is one of the important doctrinal aspects of the LDS Church that others have a hard time understanding and accepting. Members of the LDS Church are firm believers that Jesus Christ is at the head of His church and leads it through a modern-day prophet.

It was a modern-day prophet by the name of Joseph Smith who restored God’s only true church upon the face of the earth. It was through this same prophet that the Book of Mormon was translated so that we would be the beneficiaries of the teachings of those prophets and people who lived here in the Americas at that time. It was through the Prophet Joseph Smith that we also received the Doctrine and Covenants, which book is also considered scripture by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This book of scriptures is a collection of revelations given to the Prophet Joseph and others as they restored God’s church. We are also blessed that the Prophet Joseph Smith translated what is known as the Pearl of Great Price as additional scripture. It is within these three important books of scripture, along with the Holy Bible that all of the doctrines of Jesus Christ can be found and taught.

Many religions utilize some form of scripture to help guide their members, but often times it is left up to the interpretation of men and women who preach and or teach from the bible. It is this interpretation that can lead to confusion, frustration, and even a falling away. As members of the LDS Church strive to live as Jesus Christ and God want them to, they do so in large part by reading, studying, and pondering the scriptures and praying to know that the scriptures are true. They also show their love and support of the modern-day prophet by listening to his guidance and doing their best to follow his example. It is through the prophet, his two counselors, and the twelve apostles where the greatest of all modern-day examples of living as Christ are found. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints not only understands but teaches that these men who hold the Holy Priesthood of God are special witnesses of Jesus Christ. As they travel throughout the world and minster to both members and non-members of the church, they teach, preach, and testify that Jesus is the Christ, that His Father is God, and that the Holy Ghost is our comforter.

There is a special spirit that can be felt as one comes to find his or her own personal witness of the scriptures, the prophets, and apostles. It is a witness that comes through feelings in one’s heart. These feelings are the Holy Ghost testifying that what you are feeling is true and is of God. This is how every person who is converted to the LDS Church finds their personal testimony. As one comes to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, he or she will also know that the Book of Mormon is truly scripture. Then individuals will know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly God’s church here on the face of the earth today. As it states in 2 Corinthians 13:1, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” Here we read directly from the Bible just how important it is to have multiple witnesses to ensure the true doctrine is taught and not left up to the interpretation of men. What comfort this brings to those who believe.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

Request a Free Copy of the Book of Mormon

Mormon View of Jesus Christ

Seth Saunders is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon”). He is currently serving as Branch President of the Pembroke Branch.

Written by Josh Lloyd, a BYU student, studying a volume of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, which is written by prophets; members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Mormons” revere it as sacred text. This post comes from a book within the Pearl of Great Price known as The Book of Moses; it is an extraction from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet, June 1830—February 1831.

We can All Become Like God the Father

Reading the first chapter of the book of Moses, found in a book of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, is a remarkably good experience for those who need a model of a solid, personal relationship with God, our Heavenly Father. Moses’ experiences give us some of the most basic and useful insights for building our own relationships with Heavenly Father. If we learn what Moses learned in this chapter, we will find ourselves in possession of key bits of knowledge that, if applied correctly, will lift our hearts and mind and propel them toward an everlasting inheritance.

The first thing that Moses learned from his experience was that “man is nothing.” We have to be careful how we define “nothing” here because we might be led to believe that we do not matter to God the Father, that we are insignificant. That is not what Moses learned. What Moses learned in his moment of physical weakness (and what we ought to learn if we too are children of God) was that we, provided with only our own power, cannot bring to pass any degree of righteousness in the world; or, defined slightly differently, we can only learn and accomplish the things which God the Father has given us power to do.

Our energy and ability to accomplish even the slightest tasks are given to us by the power and grace of God. Without the Father we become pathetic and truly devilish creatures. This truth, if understood correctly, will lead us to walk more humbly and give us desire to pray more earnestly for the gifts of the Spirit and grace of Jesus Christ (See the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 4:11-12). This is why Moses worshipped God. I, personally, would much rather be on the good side of the Almighty and see the grandeur of his power than, by my ignorance and pride, feel the wrath of his vengeance.

Another one of the important facts Moses learned about his relationship with God the Father was that the two of them were alike. Moses was created after the image of the Only Begotten of the Father, Jesus Christ. They had arms, hands, eyes, noses, etc. What we can take from this is that God is not some foreign object or abstract entity. God is real, and certain things about him are comprehensible by our mortal minds. However, the most important part of this principle that Moses understood and that we ought to as well is that if we are like him in body then we can become like him in character. Despite the massive difference in glory and power, becoming like God the Father is a legitimate and even an encouraged goal. So let’s not give up.

Moses also learned of the tools that God, as a good Father, has given us to help us in our mortal sojourn. In Moses 1:15, Moses mentions that the Spirit is what showed him the difference between God and Satan. Moses learned the difference between glory and darkness through the power of the Holy Ghost. We would be wise to learn the same principle that we ought only truly learn through the power of the Holy Ghost rather than be taught by the wisdom of men, lest we be deceived.

There is another principle Moses learned from this same moment. He learned the difference between the circumstances that God the Father and Satan enjoy – glory vs. darkness. We don’t have to learn it just the way Moses did, but we ought to be acquainted with the dynamics of eternal progression. Let us understand that an individual can either reach as high as the heavens or as low as hell, and our destination is determined by our decisions.

Moses also learned about prayer. Moses was spared from an awful experience, seeing the bitterness of Hell (See Moses 1:20), because he had the courage to pray. Similarly, we ought to learn to go to our knees before our decisions bring us to our knees.

What Moses learned about his relationship with Deity gives us some of the most fundamental building blocks for developing our own personal relationship with God the Father. Without a correct understanding that we are in the similitude of the Only Begotten of the Father, we would not feel particularly attracted to this omnipotent figure. Without knowledge of where our power to move and act comes from, we would proceed in a blasphemous, disrespectful and disobedient manner because of our own pride in what seems like “our” accomplishments. Without the most basic tools for communication with God the Father, we are blind in an ever thickening fog; prayer and the gift of the Holy Ghost will give us access to the powers of heaven and allow us to develop this, the most divine relationship, the way it ought to be developed. To clarify, by prayer we can actually talk to God our Father and by the Holy Spirit He can talk back. In this manner we can, in a way, spend “quality time” with our Father in Heaven.

Additional Resources:

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. Request your free copy today.

Read/Watch/Listen to a living apostle testify of the reality that God is our Father.

God’s plan of happiness brings great comfort, peace an hope to life. Read a “Mormon’s” testimony about this truth.

By Greg R., member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and student at Brigham Young University (BYU).

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is often mistakenly called the Mormon Church), I believe in the power of prayer. I received a twofold answer to a prayer while studying the scriptures and reading Doctrine and Covenants 12:5–6: “Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you. Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion.”

I had been asking for guidance and strength to manage my course load in school at Brigham Young University as I transitioned from serving a two-year mission for my church. Before reading this section, I listed a number of blessings I had seen in my life lately. As I read verse 5, the Holy Spirit came upon me and urged me strongly to pray for this guidance again. I did so, and pled in my heart for a sure direction to take—anything to send me in the right direction. As I listened for the answer, my attention was directed almost immediately to the next verse of scripture. In a dramatic irony that only Heavenly Father can produce in such a moment as this, I read these words after my prayer, “Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments.”

The Holy Ghost witnessed to me strongly that these verses had deep personal implications for me; then and always. I know this answer came from God, directly to my soul through His written word. These are the same words that millions of others have read, yet with the Holy Spirit, they taught me deeply about myself. This was the first part of my answer.

The second part came immediately after the first. I realized that the Holy Spirit directed my focus to the next verse for the answer to my prayer. In doing so, He taught me to keep moving forward in all things. I may never have received that first answer had I kept my eyes closed, hoping and pleading for a dramatic expression of divine revelation. It was in front of my nose, and all I had to do was read. How simple—yet I forget this one lesson so often. I have applied this to my school work with wonderful results. If I am stuck, behind, overwhelmed, or stressed, simply moving forward steadily brings me back around. This revelation to me came after pondering the blessings I have received, reading the scriptures, and praying.

I learned a timely lesson about recognizing the Lord’s voice from Doctrine and Covenants 18:34–36. I had heard this scripture before, but I hadn’t read the verses very closely until I read the paragraph in the Doctrine and Covenants student manual by Elder S. Dilworth Young as he quoted Brigham Young:

In 1835 the Twelve were chosen, as you know, and on one occasion they were called together and given their instructions. Oliver Cowdery was the spokesman; and after having given them some very powerful and heartwarming instruction, so moved was he, himself, that he had to stop two or three times to weep. He finally read the revelation [now designated as section 18].

Brigham Young was so impressed by it that he copied it in his laborious handwriting into his diary. I am impressed by it likewise. These are the words:

 These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man; For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them; Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words (D&C 18:34–36).

The thing that impresses me about this is, and I have never thought of it before, when I read a verse in the Doctrine and Covenants I am hearing the voice of the Lord as well as reading his words, if I hear by the Spirit.

Now I have heard it said many times by men that they have often asked the Lord for a special testimony and oftentimes haven’t had it. They seem to want to hear the voice of the Lord. I confess I have often wanted to hear the voice of the Lord, without knowing that all these years I have been hearing it with deaf ears. This woke me up.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1963, p. 74.)

I too have wanted manifestations of the Holy Spirit to hear the voice of the Lord. I have even had measureable doubt as to if He would speak to me as He spoke to His prophets. Like Brigham Young, I have heard His voice and read His words for years past. My whole life has been filled with the words of God spoken to me. The lesson I learned is that I have been hearing them to some extent with deaf ears. The meaning of “deaf ears” was communicated to my spirit by the Holy Ghost. I hadn’t had sufficient experience for these words to carry enough weight to change me. I have changed through the Spirit’s counsel to my soul to listen with new ears. God’s words are everywhere.

Another lesson in asking and receiving came from Joseph Smith as he and the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon sought for the vision of the brass plates promised in D&C 17:1. It was Joseph’s initiative that left an impression on me. I was surprised to read in the Doctrine and Covenants student manual that he and the three witnesses simply decided on a day to attempt to obtain the promised vision:

Not many days after the above commandment was given, we four, viz., Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and myself, agreed to retire into the woods, and try to obtain, by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of the promises given in the above revelation—that they should have a view of the plates. We accordingly made choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer’s house, to which we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises.

I had assumed that the Lord had in some way or another told them when and where and how this vision would occur. It seemed of great enough importance to warrant His direction. Instead, He waited for Joseph and the others to ask Him. This fact should not have come as a surprise, because in every other instance, the Lord waits for His children to ask. The scriptures are full of versions of the phrase, “Ask and ye shall receive.” In fact, that is the phrase that encouraged me to ask and receive the answer to my prayer in the first place. Joseph didn’t receive any visions until he asked God which of all the many churches and sects was true. I cannot expect to receive blessings that I do not ask for. When I do ask, in faith, I receive. The part that stumps me most is knowing what to ask for. It is profound to me that Joseph was so in tune with the Holy Spirit that he knew that it was right and that it was time to ask the Father for the promised vision. I would just as soon not think to direct the Lord as to when I was ready for such an experience, but would wait for the Lord to show me when He thought the time was right. Joseph taught me to be bold in asking for that which I desire in righteousness, in faith, that I might receive; and I will do so.

Additional Resources:

God answers prayers. Learn more at the official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon Church“)

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and companion to the Bible. Request your free copy today.

Attend a local meetinghouse.

I knew Joseph Smith was a prophet when I received a spiritual witness of it.

I visited Temple Square this past Christmas. I had never looked at any of the statues they have out, and this year I decided to stop and take a look. I came across Joseph Smith‘s statue, and it just totally took me off guard. I read the caption they had put below [the statue] and the second I read the part that said, “This is my Beloved Son, Hear Him!” I just got all warm and fuzzy inside.

I wanted to start crying. I wanted to just drop to my knees and pray to my Father in Heaven. I wanted my Book of Mormon right then. I knew in my heart this was true. I knew in my heart Joseph Smith restored the gospel. I knew in my heart he saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I became a true and pure witness of Joseph Smith that night. I love him and am ever-thankful and overjoyed for everything he did.

When I was young, not long after I had been baptized at age eight, I kept on having nightmares and couldn’t sleep very well. My mother had a very interesting solution. I would read a chapter from the book of mormon every night and she promised that I would not have a bad dreams.

So I tried it. Every night I read a chapter. I didn’t always understand what I read, but I did it until I was finished.  I was so excited. I ran to my mother and told her that I was finished. She smiled and asked If I had asked God if it was true.  I was stunned. I didn’t know that you had to ask anybody anything about the Book of Mormon. She then told me that it was a promise from God that all who asked would know if it was true.

So that night I asked God in my prayers if it was true. Stunningly, I recieved an answer. I can’t remember it very well; it’s more of a feeling that I remember than anything else — a feeling that it was true, and it stuck with me.

The next morning I remember proudly walking up to my mom and telling her that I knew that it was true. She smiled and told me that it indeed was.

Well, I remember having a conversation with my friend, a Baptist. We were talking about Jesus. Out of the blue, he states matter-of-factly,
“Mormon‘s aren’t Christian.”

I was stunned. My family, all of whom had grown up in the Church, had always talked about Jesus, prayed in His name, worshipped Him, and believed in the Bible and tried to be as Christian as we could be. I looked at him and said, “What makes a Christian?”
He paused. “You believe in Christ.”
I frowned and said firmly. “You know I believe in Christ.”
Certianly, he couldn’t have forgotten that we had talked endlessly about Christ and his teachings. I had always respected his beliefs and I was finding it hard to believe that he didn’t think I was Christian. It felt a bit disrespected.

He paused and then said, “Well…yeah, you do believe in Christ.”
He never brought up the subject again really, I knew that he was sure of one thing, even if he did think I was Christian per say, that I believed in Him.

There was so much involved in the conversion process for me – a girl friend inviting me to early morning seminary — even though I was a member I didn’t have a testimony of the Church or the book of Mormon – what I felt is that God would answer my prayers — and we didn’t even pray in the family — I was a junior in High school — in my heart I wanted more answers to questions — I had — why was I here on earth? Did I have a mission? Would God answer my prayers? Was there more to life than just working, dying and then what? You see I was not active in the Church — I didn’t even attend the church meetings, neither did my family, we didn’t pray at home, we didn’t read the scriptures, we didn’t do anything the active strong members do, except – we were finally letting the home teachers in – and God had sent a great member missionary to our home – Chris S. You see Chris  loved the gospel and he loved us, and more importantly – he loved sharing gospel with us. Chris would come, and I would hit him with a lot of questions, and he would answer them, some he couldn’t answer — no one could, except maybe God.  Chris knew how to pray; Chris – encouraged us to pray; he encouraged us to read the scriptures. I started to do both - I felt God could answer my prayers.

I felt the book of Mormon,  which I started to read, was true. But God had more in store for me than I knew…. Back to the girl friend – she was in my biology class. I kinda had a crush on her but never dated her (missed out there),  but she invited me to early morning seminary — guess what? They were reading the Book of Mormon that year (in seminary, they rotate through all the scriptures in four years, with two years devoted to the Bible).  I couldn’t be left behind in what they were learning.  If I was going to ask questions and learn more, I had to really read it too, so I did.  But that is just part of the story — my dad had to get me to seminary.  He did, but he smoked, and I didn’t want to smell like cigarettes, so I would roll down the window, and he would ask me to put it up, and I said I would if he would not smoke.  So he stopped smoking while I was in the truck, but after, he would smoke again.

I soon started to attend church,  and soon I found out about a Patriarchal blessing – could God really give me some answers this way? I had to find out so I went to the bishop.  I got an interview for my worthiness, and then got an appointment set up with the Patriarch. You see, he could give me a blessing and get some of these questions answered.  So I fasted that day and went to his house – and WOW – this was going to be a great life changing experience.  These questions about my life’s mission and other things to be aware of and avoid and other things to do — these were well-explained to me through revelation from God.  What a blessing!  Six months later I was ordained a priest, and six months later an elder, and six months later I was on a mission to Korea.  Learning and obeying is a life-long experience in the Church. 

It didn’t end there — I was later married in the Provo temple to a great gal from Springville, Utah.   My family could not attend — they were not active and they didn’t have temple recommends.  [You can only attend the temple if you are worthy.]  My parents could only stand outside the temple and greet us when we came out.

Now I have children and grand children.  My oldest was married in the Billings Montana Temple to a strong faithful returned missionary.  She is expecting a second child.  They are strong and faithful members.  One of the most important things you can do is always read the scriptures, attend meetings, and partake of the sacrament, attend to your duties, say your prayers, and really learn how to pray and let the holy spirit guide you.  For young people — get your Patriarchal Blessing.  Go fasting as you do.  Prepare yourself for a temple marriage and most importantly, find a faithful companion who keeps her covenants.

God loves you, and wants the best for you, but you need to continue faithful, obey the commandments, obey the spirit, and be faithful to your covenants and promises you have made, from baptism to the sacrament to the temple.  Daily – hourly – moment by moment – feed your spirit – love the Lord.  Live the gospel to its fullest, and you will be blessed for all eternity.  Catch the vision of who you really are and how you can bless the lives of your family and friends forever! What a glorious full gospel we have.  May you catch the vision and spirit of this great eternal work,  and may god continue to bless you! Roger

On my mission, serving in Tennessee and Kentucky, I learned to respect and not to criticize other faiths. As you know, that’s the location of the highest concentration of Protestant Christians in the United States, so I was completely exposed to it. In the early part of my mission, I didn’t always speak too highly of other faiths, as we ran into hardcore Bible-thumpers on a daily basis that loved to try and argue and bash with us. As the months went on though, I developed a love for the people, despite the fact we were often seen as a threat to various Christian congregations. One of the reasons I developed this love is because I truly came to understand how MUCH all the people loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and how much they trusted in Him and His Atonement, probably a lot more than many members of the LDS church. When we hear the phrase “I’m saved,” we usually think of Baptist preachers, or ministers from some sort of Protestant religion, and it almost has a negative connotation to us, who know that there is more to being saved than just saying “I’m saved.” The fact of the matter is, Jesus DOES save. He IS the Savior. His blood IS what cleanses us from our sins, and HE is the only way back to the Father. The people I met, day after day, believed this. Some may have been more sincere than others, but they still trusted in Him to get them back to heaven. That is the simplest and purest kind of faith, I believe. My view of the doctrine of grace greatly matured on my mission, as a result of meeting tons of wonderful people of different faiths. While we differed on what is is that WE need to do to get back to Heavenly Father, the one thing we could agree on was certainly the most crucial and most important: Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of ALL mankind. He loved us enough to descend below all things, suffer, beyond human comprehension, for our sins and every infirmity we’ve ever experienced, and then to die on the cross. He WAS resurrected, and He lives today. As Joseph Smith said, this is the fundamental principle of our religion, and everything else in the Church is simply appendages to it.

The best thing that happened on my mission was…

not real sure. I don’t know that there is just one “best thing” that can happen on a mission. I suppose one of my absolute favorite experiences happened in my 4th area, Bowling Green, Kentucky. We were teaching a Spanish family named the Gonzalez’s. The father, Carlos, was an active member in his Baptist church, and was actually on the staff of the church. I believe he was in charge of the money or tithes or something. However, he and his family were extremely humble, and had expressed a desire to one of their Mormon friends to hear the lessons. We taught a first lesson to them. It went all right. I didn’t think much of it. It was hard to be extremely excited after a first lesson, because it was pretty rare to get past that. We came back a few days later to find that they had all done their reading as a family. We taught another lesson and they ate it up. Carlos told us that he believed everything we taught him, and it all seemed to square, for the most part, with his own beliefs. We decided to extend the baptismal invitation a couple days later. At that point, it was a few days before Christmas, and we wanted to set the date for around January 6th. So, not a whole lot of time, but we were bold, and knew that with faith, Carlos and his family could make the date. So we went over there and invited them to be baptized. Carlos was pretty hesitant. We knew he didn’t know absolutely everything, but that if he had felt the Spirit, that was all he needed. We told him that the date was soon, but we knew he and his family could be ready if they had faith to do what was right. We didn’t really get a clear answer from him during the lesson, and we were doubtful as to what he was going to do. After the closing prayer, Carlos got up and went into his bedroom and shut the door. We were confused, but continued making small talk with his wife and playing with the kids. Several minutes later, Carlos emerged from his bedroom, dressed in church clothes, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door, in somewhat of a hurry. We were pretty weirded out, so we asked his son Dublas what was going on.

“He’s going to his church to turn in his keys!” he told us.

Can you even imagine the joy and the relief that filled us when he said that? I was completely astonished. I don’t think I had ever met someone with so much faith! This man, despite not knowing everything, and certainly having not even received all of the missionary lessons, nevertheless acted on the simple yet powerful whisperings of the Spirit, and went and turned in his keys at his old church. The date was set, though the next couple weeks weren’t without some obstacles. The pastor at his old church tried to get him to come back, and fed him some anti-Mormon stuff as well, but we helped him through it and answered his questions as best we could. A few days later, amidst all the challenges he and his family were facing, we decided to give him a priesthood blessing. Somehow, it helped ease his stress, and also eased some pain in his back, caused by all the stress. Carlos, his wife, and his son and grandkids were baptized on January 6th, and throughout the next three months, more of THEIR friends and family members were baptized, and Carlos and his family were able to be sealed as a family in the Nashville Tennessee Temple in April 2009. I am still astounded to this day by the faith that Carlos had. This is one of several grand experiences from my mission that I will be forever grateful for. The church is true, and missionary work is the most genius idea that’s ever come out of it.

A Simple Conversion by Gary

I was raised Pentecostal and Baptist and spent many years in and out of church as a youth. There was a time we even lived on the Navajo reservation as a missionary family with us five kids attending the local school.
I was very familiar with the Bible as I read it a lot. I would spend hours searching and praying, looking for understanding and knowledge. As we moved around, which we did very often when looking for work, it didn’t take long for the family to become ‘inactive’.  But my heart was still drawn to church.

When I was a late teen I was attending a Church of Christ congregation, the only one in my family attending any church services. While I was there I had the feeling I was to be a preacher. I felt this was my life’s calling. But I had so many questions yet unanswered.

Soon after graduation from High School I joined the military and got married to my high school sweetheart. After about a year she kept after me to get drunk. She felt since I was so funny sober imagine how I would be drunk. After many months of her constantly asking, and at times begging me, I relented and started drinking.

I was transferred to go to school for the military and stopped in to visit our families in Oklahoma. My parents had just been baptized into the Mormon church and my mother handed my first copy of the Book of Mormon.

While at school I didn’t give any time to read that book my mother had given me. I was under a heavy load with a pregnant wife, so I felt I had little time even for myself. Then I was stationed in St. Louis, Missouri, right after school.

One day I was sitting in in our apartment in St Louis knowing my life was not what I wanted out of it. So I decided to call my mother back in Oklahoma City. As soon as my hand touched the phone it began to ring.

I answered and said, “Hello?”

The voice on the other side said, “I have the answers you’re looking for.”
I said, “Excuse me?”

Again he replied, “I have the answers you’re looking for. ”

In my state of confusment I asked him who he was, to which he replied, “I am Elder (and I have no idea what name he said) So and So and I am from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.”

I asked him how he had gotten my number and if my mother had given it to him which he replied, “Sir, I have no idea what number I dialed. All I can tell you is, I have the answers you’re looking for.”

To think that out of close to a million people in the St Louis area this elder had ‘just decided’ to call me, right then when I was going to ask about the church in the first place. I knew God worked miracles but could this be? He did have my attention, for certain.

I asked him when he could come over. I then learned that he couldn’t because of the distance involved but he would send someone to me. He said if I would wait by the phone he would call another elder in my area.

After a wait of almost five minutes the ‘new’ elder called me. We set up an appointment at his earliest convenience. When the missionaries came to my door I was impressed to see that they traveled in pairs.

Back then they had a set of 12 discussions on a flip chart. Within one hour we had already finished half. I was asking the questions and was finally getting my answers that had eluded me for so long. I was hungry for what they offered and knew in my heart it was true.

It soon came time for them to leave for another appointment and as we got up and walked towards the door I asked, “I have been baptized in 2 different churches and I am guessing I need to do the same in yours. And if so why isn’t it good enough for what I have already done?”

The Elder looked at me, then to his companion before answering. He said, “Yes, you need to be baptized again. The reason is “Authority”. You have been baptized, true. Now you need the authority from God to make it correct”.

I stayed on the elders about being baptized, but they wanted me to wait for my wife to join also. I kept telling them that I shouldn’t have to wait just because of her choices and that I knew she would not be ready to join for some time. After about a month of waiting I called the elders and asked, “Elder, if I died today and was not baptized whose head would this fall on?” I was baptized a few days later by my father.