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

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

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