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

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