This is an inspiring story of a young man whose life was changed from drug and alcohol addiction and suicidal thoughts to faith and hope. The change happened gradually, through small and simple things: by prayer, fasting, patience, responsiveness to the still and small voice of God’s Spirit, and the simple and kind action of a friend.

(The next time I think a ward party or picnic is not a big deal, I will remember this story. God works through small and simple things!)

You never know where, how, or when God will answer your prayers. Or where, how, or when you can be an answer to someone’s prayer.

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I was engaged just before my 19th birthday to a wonderful man. We were married in December of 2005. We attended several different churches, looking for a place to belong, a place that felt right, none of them met our spiritual needs. 11 months after we were married we found out I was pregnant, then we discovered it was twins. I was so scared, the doctors said there was a problem, it appeared I had only one placenta, the initial ultrasound also looked like there was only one sac, meaning I might not make it past 20 weeks. It was heart broken and I cried out to God. I prayed as I drove home “Heavenly Father I will do whatever it takes, I will raise these children the way You want me to, just please let them be healthy.” Those were my exact words and I meant them, but I didn’t know what it meant, but I meant them.

The NEXT DAY I was at home with my husband when the doorbell rang….

“Carolina Girl” was born into the Church, but after her parents’ divorce, she lived with her father who eventually forbade her and her sisters from going to church (he had lost his belief in the church). she attended a Baptist church with her grandparents, but always felt that void in her life, even as she fought it.

Read more to find out how she came back to the church here.

The post A Mormon woman’s (re-)conversion story appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I was not raised by my mother, but off and on by one of her sisters and her husband. My world was one of complete insecurity. I never had a home that was mine. Furniture that was mine. Even my clothing was usually borrowed or hand me downs until I was too old for the process.

Alcohol was an everyday affair in my family. Lots and lots of alcohol. Along with being sexually abused by two of my uncles these “assets” created a woman with serious anger issues, extreme insecurity and my own alcoholism. I had no successful or appropriate relationship examples in my life. I would fall into the trap of relationship after relationship trying to fill the hole in my soul for love.

Read how over the course of many years, Deanna was able to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how she eventually came to join the Church. And how the gospel helped her find peace, healing, and sobriety.

The post “Mormons were out to get me!” – LDS Conversion story appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Before providing some links, let us first say this, quoting President Gordon B. Hinckley:

We recognize the good in all people. We recognize the good in all churches, in their efforts to improve mankind and to teach principles that lead to good, stable, productive living. To people everywhere we simply say, ‘You bring with you all the good that you have, and let us add to it. That is the principle on which we work.’

We as Mormons believe there has been a restoration of truth that can add to the good that people already have in their lives, and help them both face the challenges that life brings and also deepen its joys . Reading Mormon conversion stories can help you get a feel for why people choose Mormonism.

Here’s a story about a Buddhist man who converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Read a Mormon conversion story from a man who described himself as an “ardent secularist.”

Maria was raised Muslim but says, “since I was a young child I have always been interest [sic] in other religions, always wondered which one Heavenly Father favored the most. This interest had me in a search for many years studying many wonderful faiths, from buddhism to catholicism.” Find out why Maria chose Mormonism.

You can search many other mormon.org profiles like Maria’s. Browse profiles randomly, or search based on people’s previous religious persuasions, ethnicity, location, age, and/or gender. You’ll find that some of us are converts, some are lifelong Mormons. But as you browse these profiles, you can see common threads of what our faith means to us.

There are also many stories of faith at the site Mormon Converts. These stories can be browsed by prior religion, including the following:

Anglican
Atheist / Agnostic
Baptist
Catholic
Church of England
Church of Ireland
Church of Scotland
Congregational
Jewish
Lutheran
Methodist
Pentecostal
Presbyterian
Protestant
Unitarian
LDS (born/raised Mormon)
Non-Denominational

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~by Kathryn

I asked my primary class to bring a family pioneer story to share.  I broadened the definition of pioneer to include any family conversion story. Twelve-year-old Paige brought her mother’s conversion story:

When my mom was in college, she went on vacation with a friend to Virginia Beach, USA.  While swimming in the ocean, they lost all of their cash in a plastic cylinder.  Fortunately, my mom’s phone number was in the cylinder and it was found several miles up the coast by a 10-year-old boy who was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).  He was excited to find the 200 dollars, but he had been taught to be honest by his parents and Primary teachers, and so he returned the money after his dad contacted my mom.  Along with the money he included a copy of the Book of Mormon and a letter asking her to read it and pray about the promise in Moroni.  My mom didn’t read it at the time, but was very impressed by the honesty and integrity of this 10-year-old boy.

Three years later my mom moved to Utah to go to graduate school.  She met many wonderful people in Utah who were LDS.  They never pushed her to join the Church, but instead impressed her with their fellowshipping and examples of righteousness.

While working as a nurse, my mom met my dad who was in medical school.  He too impressed her with his love for the Church.  She finally decided to find out for herself what made it so great.  She took the missionary discussions, read the scriptures assigned to her, and prayed fervently.  She had always wanted religion in her life, and attended another church sometimes, but felt something was missing.  Now she knew…it was the Spirit!  Late one night she prayed, then sat in her bed thinking, and suddenly was overpowered with the feeling that she should be baptized.  It felt so wonderful to know for herself at last that the Church is true.

So my mom was baptized, and when the missionaries found out about the boy from Virginia, they urged her to contact him.  By this time, he was fifteen and living in Utah, so the Church contacted his parents and they arranged a surprise for him during a sacrament meeting.  The bishop [lay leader of a local congregation] told the story of the money, then announced to everyone that my mom was in the chapel that day.  A lot of people had tears in their eyes, and later my mom finally got to meet the boy.  He was embarrassed by the attention, but very happy.

I feel my mom is a pioneer because she was brave enough to move to Utah all alone, and because she had the faith to join the Mormon Church when no one in her family had ever been very religious.

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by Hannah

On July 22 of this year, I commemorated an anniversary of sorts. Twenty years ago on that day, I was baptized, along with my sister, and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was something I had looked forward to for a while. Earlier that spring, my mom started coming back to church and my sister and I came too. We wanted to be baptized, so we started meeting with the missionaries. I can still remember some of our lessons with them, and being touched by the Holy Ghost that what they taught us was true. My aunt and uncle came out to San Diego with their family and my Uncle Ben baptized & confirmed both of us – he later would baptize my brother, and finally my dad. I had been at Girl’s Camp the week before my baptism and so many girls from camp came to support me. It is a day I will never forget, and I can’t believe 20 years have passed.

I don’t think I realized at the time how pivotal that day would be in my life. It helped set my whole family on a path that led to being sealed in the Los Angeles Temple. It helped set me on a personal path that got me through high school relatively unscathed. It led me to Brigham Young University – which was definitely the place for me. It led me to my wonderful husband and to the Salt Lake Temple, where we were married and sealed. It has made it possible for our two beautiful children to be ours forever. While the last 20 years have not been completely blissful, even in the difficult times, my membership in the Church has blessed me immensely, strengthened me when my strength was gone, provided me with an eternal perspective when my own was myopic, and helped me realize how much Heavenly Father loves me and has a hand in my life. That wonderful day, 20 years ago, truly has made all the difference! I can’t imagine my life without the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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