From Sickness to Health and Beyond

While recovering from neck cancer surgery, chemo and radiation therapies in Honolulu, HI, I was cared for nearly 24/7 by my friend Tara who was a nurse and Church member. She arranged for my first ever blessing for the sick and afflicted, invited me to church, and arranged for me to take the discussions. She drove me to and from my medical appointments and essentially loved me unconditionally into becoming a church member. 

Eight months after my surgery I was baptized on June 6, 2006. I had already been visiting the Laie Temple Visitor Center every Saturday for six months because I enjoyed feeling the spirit there, especially after watching the movie Joseph Smith--The Prophet of the Restoration, on a weekly basis. A year after my baptism I received my endowment and was sealed to my wife Lori in the Mesa Arizona Temple. 

Eight months later we moved to Chula Vista, CA to accept church employment and the blessings of serving as San Diego Temple ordinance workers, on the high council, and now in the YSA Bishopric. The windows of heaven remain wide open to me and my wife because of our willingness to put first His kingdom. We are blessed beyond measure by His tender mercies and willingness to help us grow spiritually. We look forward to serving a mission together within the next two years wherever the Lord needs us.

Andy Carillo

Chula Vista YSA Ward

Friendship and Faith

Now in my 60’s, I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 16.  It has been said that there are two elements to complete conversion: 1) a spiritual conversion and 2) a social transition.  For me, the social transition came first.

While sitting in my high school biology class in the fall of my junior year, a young man would drastically change the course of my life with a simple question: “Would you like to play basketball with our church team?”

Well, I loved basketball and I had seen what kind of a person this young man and his friends were.  I was attracted to them.  They seemed happy, comfortable in their own skin.  His offer was accepted, and the following Saturday night I drove to North Hollywood High School, where the church basketball games were played.

I have to admit that I was nervous.  Would I be accepted?  Rejection is no fun at any age, particularly as a teen.  Upon entering the gymnasium they were already warming up.  They stopped, greeted me enthusiastically, and made me feel very, very welcome. 

At that time a player who was not a member of our Church could play on the team as long as he attended two Sunday services and two mid-week youth activities a month.  And so I started attending, still enjoying my association with these young men.

After several weeks of this, the same person who invited me to play with them asked if I would be interested in listening to the missionary lessons, which I was happy to do.  He would come over with them to my house every week.  After they left the home I always felt such a warm feeling, although I didn’t understand the source.  They taught me the gospel of Jesus Christ and invited me to be baptized.  I knew it was right for me.  It was exactly what I needed, and I sensed that this was right in the eyes of my Heavenly Father.

My baptismal service was so beautiful.  Again, I felt that warm feeling, that loving feeling which I now understand was the Holy Ghost, testifying to me that this was right.

My social transition was in place, and my spiritual conversion was well on its way.  I needed to know if The Book of Mormon was the word of God, however.  I read it my first year as a member, but without the deep desire that was necessary.

Two years later I found myself reading the book again, this time with a real thirst to know if it was of God.  I read, studied, pondered and prayed, and received a powerful conviction I will never deny.  This Spirit filled me with such intensity that I knew it was true.

Since that day so many blessings have come into my life.  My conviction that God is real, that Jesus Christ is my savior, and that this Church and its doctrines are true has grown a thousand-fold, and continues to grow.  I was allowed to serve a two-year mission to Mexico, married a wonderful young woman who has made me a better man, been blessed with three faithful sons, and am now enjoying my time as a grandfather.

Raising our sons in this church has made an enormous difference.  We have tried to follow the counsel of our leaders, and our boys have blossomed with gospel teachings from us as well as their youth leaders and many wholesome activities.  They are now raising their families in light and truth, and this beautiful cycle continues on.

I am so grateful.

Craig Dixon

Otay Lakes Ward

God Knows Us Better Than We Know Ourselves

Most of the time our Heavenly Father calls us to serve when we, ourselves, are in great need of something or are going through something that heavily taxes us. That was my experience when I was called to be a bishop. I was going through bankruptcy, I was losing my house and I was going through great financial difficulties, not to mention a supreme level of stress. To top it off, one of our daughters was going through one of those dark moments that youth have and was not making things any easier. Let me tell tell you that the calling at that moment made me feel a strong impression that our Lord was talking to me and saying, you have a testimony I want you to show me, and yourself, how strong it is and how you can put into practice what you have been learning all these years. I took the challenge after some struggle, and knowing that He had great blessings in store if I did that. I could feel that God was preparing me for a higher level in my spirituality. You have no idea how much we pleaded to heaven, in prayer, to be delivered from such chaos. 

Fast forward to today; I can see my life much more centered in Him. My daughter just married in the temple, one day ago, and even though I don't have the house back, my feelings for our Heavenly Father have never been so strong. I can testify you that God really looks after all of us, and is always there to lift us when we think we can not go an inch further. He really knows us. I know that by obeying his will, we receive magnificent blessings that we could not obtain otherwise. 

The gospel is simple but at the same time complex, repetitive (we hear the same messages all the time) but vibrant (when you really start feeling it and listening it, in truth it turns into a complete new experience every time, even if it's the same message), serene but lively; requires faith (something you can't touch or see but feel) but at the same it gives you a security that goes beyond the physical. It makes you feels that God is personal and a very close being that is across a very thin veil. It makes you feel so good all day.

Al Cordova
Otay River Ward   

Looking Beyond the Grade

I gained a testimony that the Book of Mormon was a book from God while attending my freshmen year of college. That year, I took a Book of Mormon class which required the students to read the entire book by the end of the semester.  I foolishly procrastinated this assignment until that last few weeks of school which forced me to begin a marathon read of the Book of Mormon. I admit that I started reading the book for the wrong intention – to get a passing grade. But, as I read, I felt a change occur within me. I started reading the book because I liked the way I felt inside when I read it. One day, after walking out of a class, I began reviewing in my mind what still needed to be completed for the day and remembered that I hadn't read in the Book of Mormon. As this thought came to my mind, I recall feeling excited for the opportunity. It didn’t feel like another school assignment anymore. It was something I wanted to do. When I got back to my dorm room and started reading, a powerful warm feeling entered in my chest. It continued to grow until it filled my whole body. I recognized that it was coming from God so I knelt down to pray and thank him. As I was praying, I knew that God was telling me the Book of Mormon was true and from Him. I fervently thanked him for this spiritual confirmation while reveling in the immense joy I felt.

I did finish the book that semester and I did pass the class. But, the most precious thing I gained was a spiritual witness that the Book of Mormon was from God.

Nathan Price
Chula Vista 1st Ward

Answers Come a Little at a Time

My testimony of the church developed over time. My testimony that the church is true did not come about from one miraculous, earth shattering experience, but came about from many spiritual experiences over my years of membership in the church.

It was in my mission that a big turning point occurred in my testimony. I was just a few months into my mission when my companion decided to get into a Bible bash with a Baptist minister. The minister brought up many anti-Mormon materials that shook me up quite a bit. Because of the experience, I started doubting the church. That night, I could not sleep because I cannot in good conscience continue teaching something I did not believe in or is false. I strongly considered going home. I knelt down and asked God for help in making my decision. I poured out my heart and told Heavenly Father that I can’t teach something that is false, and asked if I should go home. I asked Him to tell me if the church is true. As I was praying, a calm, warm feeling came over and enveloped me. I felt a feeling of peace and assurance that what I am preaching is true. I was told to continue with I was doing and serve my mission. It was a weird feeling because my mind still had a lot of questions but my heart knew that the church was true. I had to rely on faith to keep me going. My testimony continued to grow as I stayed active in the church. I had plenty of questions about things that I did not understand about the church but the more I studied, the stronger my testimony grew.

My testimony continues to grow line upon line, precept on precept. My testimony grows in little increments from my study of the scriptures, keeping the commandments, loving and serving others, and following the Savior’s example. I found that if I am patient and exercise my faith, I will find the answers to my questions.

Jaime Lao
Chula Vista YSA Ward

An Intuitive Formula to Follow

Some 40 years ago as a teenager I became desirous to know if the Book of Mormon was authentic and true.  I understood that if The Book of Mormon was true, then it followed that Joseph Smith is a prophet, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ’s church restored, that priesthood authority and ordinances are restored, that the pure and simple, meaning understandable, doctrines of Christ are again available to God’s children here on earth.  I knew that receiving a positive confirmation would enhance my testimony of God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of this world, whom he had sent.

A testimony is when the Holy Spirit speaks to the spirit within men.  

The foundation of a testimony is that God the Father lives and loves us; that Jesus Christ lives and that he is the Son of God and carried out the infinite atonement.  “And this is life eternal, that they might know the, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)  Of what else do we need a testimony of as one who seeks the truth and a sure knowledge of God? As member I wanted to know of myself that Joseph Smith is a prophet called in these latter days to restore the gospel, and that there are living Apostles and Prophets on the earth today.  I wanted to know if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth.  I have found that a testimony of the Book of Mormon is the most direct route to receiving confirmation through a personal witness of these truths.  

As I reflect on how I approached my gaining a testimony, I realize that there were four steps involved, an intuitive formula, if you will, for obtaining a testimony.  The steps are:

1.     Desire

2.     Study

3.     Practice

4.     Pray

I honestly wanted to know the truth, so I read the Book of Mormon, and strived to live according to its teachings of Jesus Christ, and I prayed to my Father in Heaven asking Him if it, the Book of Mormon, was true.  My personal answer from God came to me when I was in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at Temple Square listening to an open practice of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  As a rousing hymn drew to a close, the Spirit, in a not so quiet voice, distinctly and joyfully testified to me saying to me, “It’s true, it’s true, it’s true!”  And I felt the warmth within my soul, to the very core, that comes with such a confirmation from the Holy Ghost.  That confirmation is my anchor to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Church.  As I continued to live the principles and commandments taught by Jesus Christ, and as I served God, my testimony grew stronger, and continues to grow today.  Of these truths I testify.  

Patric Chavez
Chula Vista 4th Ward

Discovering Truth for Myself

I was blessed to have been raised by parents who were faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).  Raising their children in the gospel was important to them because each came from homes where one or both parents were not active church members.  They wanted their children to enjoy all of the blessings of a gospel-centered home, many of which they had missed out on as children.  As a result, the gospel was an integral part of our family life. 

I cannot remember a day of my life without the gospel.  One of my earliest childhood memories is of attending Sunday worship services and running a toy car along the top of the back of the pew.  A few years later my family was a member of a married-student congregation.  My siblings and I were the only “primary” aged children (ages 3 to 11) in the congregation so my mother was asked to serve as our “primary teacher.”  I specifically remember one lesson she taught about 2000 young warriors whose lives were spared because of the faith they placed in their mother’s faith in God’s power to preserve them.  And like the “Stripling Warriors,” who relied upon the faith of their mothers, I believed the gospel because my mother told me it was true.

Then at age 14 I happened upon a verse of scripture contained in the Book of Mormon which reads, “And when ye shall receive these things (the Book of Mormon), I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost (Moroni 10:4).”

Upon reading that passage it occurred to me that I did not have to rely upon the faith of my parents, that I could know for myself whether or not the Church were true.  I decided then and there to read the Book of Mormon and put Moroni’s promise to the test.  I began reading that night and over the course of several weeks read the entire Book.  After finishing, I set the book aside, knelt at the side of my bed and offered a prayer to God, asking if the Book of Mormon were true. 

I hoped to see an angel, like young Joseph Smith, or to receive a dramatic spiritual manifestation as an answer to my prayer.  What I did receive was, a sweet, peaceful reassurance and a calming confirmation that what I had believed all along was true, that God lives, that Jesus is His Son and our Redeemer, that the Book of Mormon is true and the Church that Jesus Christ established through Joseph Smith is His Church.

To this day, that spiritual witness burns within me so that like my parents, I too can testify that this Church is true.

Adam Dunford
Chula Vista 3rd Ward

Learning How to Float

My roots in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reach back to the pioneer days of the mid-1800s.  Many of my ancestors sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, crossed the country by wagon train, and settled in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah.  I was taught the gospel of Jesus Christ from an early age by my parents.   As a family we prayed, studied the scriptures, attended church meetings, and learned to serve those around us.  I was afforded a rich environment where my faith in Jesus Christ took root and grew.

A convert to the Church must come to accept doctrines and teachings they may not have been taught in the past.  Prior to baptism, they must gain a testimony, or conviction, that the truths taught by modern prophets and the Book of Mormon are, in fact, true.  Those of us born into the Church face a different task.  We too must gain a conviction, but we must come to believe that what we have been taught from childhood by our parents is true.

As a teenager, I attended a religious class our Church provides for high school students.  We met every morning at 6:00 AM before school.  There, on a daily basis, I learned from the scriptures and gained an understanding of where we came from, our purpose here on earth, and where we are going after this life.  I read the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, and other modern scriptures.  I prayed about the things I learned, and by the influence of the Holy Ghost came to know the things I was being taught are true.

At age 18, I left home and began college on the other side of the country, away from the influence of my parents.  Like a newly constructed ship being launched into the water, it was here that I found out if my faith was strong enough for me to float, or if I would sink.  I quickly found that my desire to continue in the ways I was taught remained strong.  I continued to read, study, and pray.  I found myself reaching out to those around me and strengthening them.  At the age of 20 I embarked on a two-year mission for the Church and saw the gospel bless the lives of many people in the country of Poland where I served.

Now, as a father, I have the same responsibility my parents had.  My wife and I teach our children just like we were taught.  We help them and encourage them, but all the time realize that what we are really trying to do is help them come to a knowledge for themselves that these things are true.

Those born in the Church are not different from converts to the Church.  We may be introduced to the Church at an earlier age by our parents, but we must gain our own faith just the same.  We must study the same scriptures, pray to the same God, and receive a witness from the same Holy Spirit.  I have done this and I know that you can too.

Bill Warner
Chula Vista 3rd Ward

A Light That Grows Brighter

When it comes to a person’s conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there are generally two types of people.  Those who come to the knowledge suddenly like walking into a dark room and turning on a light, or those whose knowledge gradually grows like the sun rising in the morning.  I am the latter.

I am not sure when I first knew that God lives; however, I know that this knowledge came to me early in life.  When I was five years old, a friend and I were exploring in the woods around my house, as young boys do, when we got lost.  We tried to figure out where we were but could not.  The inspired thought came to my mind that we should pray.  I told my friend my thought, and we folded our arm, bowed our heads, and prayed to Heavenly Father for help.  Immediately after the pray, I had the thought to “follow the stream”.  I saw the stream close by us, and we followed it.  After a short time walking, we began to recognize where we were and found our way back home.  I knew from this that God hears and answers prayers, and the conversion light in my heart was being to shine over the horizon.

That light grew brighter over the years.  Usually, it was unperceivable, but occasionally a bright shaft burst through.  The next scene that comes to my mind was when I was twelve years old.  I was at church on a Sunday, and I was walking through the halls after sacrament meeting.  I do not remember anything special about that Sunday’s meeting; however as I walked, I felt the peace that comes from the Holy Ghost.  That feeling again confirmed the love of God in my heart.

My teenage years brought the normal storm clouds of confusion as I transitioned from a boy to a young adult.  The light may have dimmed, but it did not go out.  However, the clouds quickly dispersed and the light continued to grow shortly after I started college.  My freshman year of college was the first time in my life that I was completely on my own to attend church on Sunday or not.  Fortunately, I decided to attend church even when my friends did not.  What a blessing in my life!  Because I was acting for myself and choosing to follow Christ, I was blessed with increasing light.  It was during this time, I came to know for myself that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He knows and loves me.  The first edges of the sun over the horizon began to be seen.

Since that time, my experiences in this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, have confirmed in my heart that this is the Kingdom of God on earth today.  The light of Jesus Christ is throughout the world today and felt by many.  The full light of the Gospel is within this church and can be felt by the honest seeker of truth.

Jerry Bregg
Otay Lakes Ward

Undeniable Feelings

I received my testimony of the Book of Mormon when I was in high school. I had spent a year diligently reading and studying it. While I didn’t understand every part, it was like no other book I had read. When I came to the end, I prayed to know if it was true. I was a teenager with only a small amount of faith and didn’t know what to expect from my prayer. As soon as I asked if the Book of Mormon was true, I felt light and heat inside my body and electricity on my skin. I knew it was the Holy Ghost testifying to me that the Book of Mormon was true. I can’t remember if it was an out loud prayer or a thinking prayer. It did not matter. I felt something real. I have read the Book of Mormon many, many times since then.

Jody Bregg
Otay Lakes Ward

Making a New Beginning

I was raised Methodist. Both of my grandfathers served as ministers for that faith in Tonga. My father also served over 20 years as a pastor for the same church in New Zealand. At this time, the LDS church had converted many from other Christian faiths into its faith including from my father’s congregation. Because of this, my father developed a very strong dislike for the Mormon faith. He would look for every opportunity to preach against the Mormon faith.

It was at age 16 when I started to wonder if the doctrines I was taught were the correct doctrines of the gospel of Christ. A few of the doctrines to me stood out contradicting the teachings of the Holy Bible. Such were the belief in Oneness, that God is one God and yet He is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one being, and the ordinance of Baptism which was done contrary to the teachings found in the Bible.

It was not until I was 18 that I had the courage to search out for the truth and against the wish of my parents to study the teachings of the Mormon faith. A very close friend insisted that I should meet with the LDS missionaries. The example of an uncle who had been a good Mormon ever since I have known him and of a very close friend were very instrumental in guiding me towards learning more about the Mormon’s teachings. My uncle was a prominent leader in the Church as a bishop, stake president and temple president later.

The teachings of the LDS Church seemed to have answered every question I had, and added much more to my understanding of what the gospel of Christ should be. Even though at first I struggled to accept the role of Joseph Smith in a restored gospel and a new book of scriptures, the Book of Mormon as an addition to the Holy Bible, I overcame it once I started reading from the Book of Mormon. I was overwhelmed by its power, a feeling I never felt from reading from the Bible

The principle of receiving a special blessing (Patriarchal Blessing) from an ordained patriarch as a special mouthpiece of the Lord in revealing God’s will and personal directions for an individual had such a strong impression on me. Why would a church be willing to offer such a practice, which for sure would destroy a church if it pretends to have God’s power and authority to do so? That would be very foolish indeed, unless the church is true and has such power and authority from God, because no one or a church can fake that. Such boldness in doctrines left a strong impression on me about the Mormon faith.

My decision to be baptized in the Mormon faith was met with so much resistance from my family, but I was never more sure to know that the LDS Church has the fullness of God’s gospel. It has been 29 years since I was baptized to the Church, and to this day, I shall ever be grateful that I made that decision. The Gospel has blessed my life in ways I had never thought would be possible. I testify that God lives, and that He is our loving Heavenly Father, and this is His church with the fullness of His Gospel.

My testimony of the church developed over time. My testimony that the church is true did not come about from one miraculous, earth shattering experience, but came about from many spiritual experiences over my years of membership in the church.

It was in my mission that a big turning point occurred in my testimony. I was just a few months into my mission when my companion decided to get into a Bible bash with a Baptist minister. The minister brought up many anti-Mormon materials that shook me up quite a bit. Because of the experience, I started doubting the church. That night, I could not sleep because I cannot in good conscience continue teaching something I did not believe in or is false. I strongly considered going home. I knelt down and asked God for help in making my decision. I poured out my heart and told Heavenly Father that I can’t teach something that is false, and asked if I should go home. I asked Him to tell me if the church is true. As I was praying, a calm, warm feeling came over and enveloped me. I felt a feeling of peace and assurance that what I am preaching is true. I was told to continue with I was doing and serve my mission. It was a weird feeling because my mind still had a lot of questions but my heart knew that the church was true. I had to rely on faith to keep me going. My testimony continued to grow as I stayed active in the church. I had plenty of questions about things that I did not understand about the church but the more I studied, the stronger my testimony grew.

 My testimony continues to grow line upon line, precept on precept. My testimony grows in little increments from my study of the scriptures, keeping the commandments, loving and serving others, and following the Savior’s example. I found that if I am patient and exercise my faith, I will find the answers to my questions.

Otulea Tuikolovatu

Chula Vista 2nd Ward