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