A Mormons Woman’s story of conversion

~by Becky

I sat staring at the surf as I listened to the hypnotic rush of the waves.  My feet were going deeper into the wet sand as it disappeared and then covered them again.  It was one of those quiet moments, when, like it or not, my thoughts ran deep. It had happened before many times as I climbed the trees and sat up high staring at the sunset. Sometimes, it happened as I stared at the clouds as they formed into thunderheads or just floated into funny shapes as I gazed at them.  It was in those quiet moments that eternity seeped into my consciousness. What I didn’t understand was the strange feelings that always accompanied these thoughts. It was a combination of a longing, a deep questioning, a yearning for something unidentified. Strong, sure beliefs of my own had formed in these meditative moments. I was absolutely sure that I did not just become me when I was born.  Any other idea seemed absurd. I felt it in every fiber of my being: I am eternal. I also knew that somehow, some way I would have an eternal family of my own someday. The family I was born into never discussed either of these beliefs and it was not part of the doctrine of the church I had attended all my life. I also knew without a doubt that God was not some floating spirit out there who wasn’t real or who wasn’t interested in His children. I just knew that he and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom I loved dearly, were real and full of love.

I had read the Bible many times and it was as clear as anything could be to me that Jesus was talking to His Father, not to himself, in the scriptures. In fact, this was so obvious to me that I was shocked later to find out that my church, pastor, other believers, believed in a very incomprehensible thing to me; that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were all one being. How could that be? The Bible was clear-Jesus talked to His Father, His Father spoke to Him at his baptism and the Holy Ghost descended as a dove. To me,  this was as clear as anything could be.

Even though I had these thoughts and beliefs of my own at the young age of 17, I wasn’t particularly unhappy or unsettled about it. I was going on in my church and didn’t imagine that the answers were even out there. The only thing that couldn’t stop disturbing my peace were those strong feelings!  The deep emptiness and longing that I felt at times became the one thing I could not ignore. I didn’t expect the answer to these deep questions to come in the way that it did.

I was given a book with a name I had never heard of before, by a young man I was dating. It was blue with an angel blowing a trumpet on the front and the title was  The Book of Mormon. When I opened the book and read it, I felt such an incredible feeling! I was filled with a burning peace and light like I had only felt once before. I had felt this same incredible feeling when I had come to know and accept Jesus was indeed my Lord and Savior. Now, as I read this book, I felt it again-this book was testifying of Him! This book was an ancient record from people that had lived on the American continent who had come from Jerusalem. They kept a record of their lives. Most of the record covers from 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. But, the part that was the most exciting was that Jesus Christ came to visit these people after His resurrection. I had always wondered about the scripture in John 10:16-who were these other sheep?  Then I read in this new book of scripture where Jesus told them they are one of the “other sheep” he spoke about in the Bible.  This book was scripture like the Bible!  I was so excited!

Due to many persecutions and trials, it took me years to finally do something about my new-found knowledge that this book was true. In fact, I tried to go on without it. I tried to put it out of my mind. The price was so very high if I did do something about it. Due to many circumstances, I was not able to do anything about it until many years later. After 13 years of living without it, I knew I could no longer bear the emptiness, the cavernous hole inside of me. I knew I had to find the church that had this book. I did and was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was in my lessons to be baptized that I discovered the answers to those deep questions I had held all my life. Where did I come from? Why I am here?  Where do I go after I die?  All those questions were answered in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  It is glorious!  It is incredible!  Now, I look out at the clouds and no longer wonder-but I know with a knowledge that only the Holy Ghost can give.  Yes, you are eternal; yes, you can  have an eternal family; and yes, God, who is Heavenly Father, IS the Father of us all and Jesus Christ is His Son and the Holy Ghost testifies of all these truths. It is so wonderful, so sublime!

I hope you will seek out these answers too. They are right there before you!  Go and find them, as I did–the greatest treasure you can have!