In August of 1999 in Madison, WI my mom and I were in the middle of putting together a new gas grill and eating pizza when there was a knock at the door. I went to answer and there were two men in suits standing at the door who asked for my parents. My mom went to talk to them and invited them in.
--Background Time!--
My mom grew up in a Catholic family and went to 12 years of Catholic school, but she says it never really did much for her. She was interested in religion but felt that something wasn't quite right with everything she had been learning. So when I was young she studied around, and we went to a few different churches. When I was about 7 she started studying with the Jehovah's Witnesses (in Ann Arbor, MI while she was going to grad school). I spent most of the time in the basement playing with their son, Noah. The only thing I remember about him is that he used to make his own board games and they were actually pretty fun) She studied with them for about a year until she finally asked them how they knew that what they were teaching was true. When they talked about how they have the best Bible scholars who understand the Bible better than anyone else, she thanked them for the time she had been studying and sent them on their way. Her interest in learning about religion and her time spent studying with the JW's was a primary reason for her not turning away the two LDS missionaries who showed up at our door in August of 1999 while we were building a grill.
All I remember about the first discussion we received then was that I kept leaving to get more pizza, and that I was surprised to see that the modern-day prophet didn't look all Moses-style but wore a suit and looked like a pretty normal guy.
A couple of months went by as we got to know a good number of missionaries that passed through the area. We invited them to dinner, had Family Home Evening with them, and got pretty attached to some of them. My mom had been thinking about (but not reading much from) the Book of Mormon. She was also going to church on Sundays (I wasn't). The missionaries continued to plead with her to read from and pray about (not just think about) the Book of Mormon. Finally one day in a discussion she asked the missionaries how they knew that everything they talked about was true. (Years later my mom asked me if I remember when she did this, because she was fully expecting for this to be one of the last times we met with them, and was worried that I would think she was being too harsh on them.)
Of course they had a simple answer that my mom wasn't expecting. They had prayed about it and had received and answer that it was true. This is when it finally dawned on her that she could do the same. (Even though the missionaries had been telling her all along.) Even then it took her another few weeks to finally do it, but once she got around to it (in a beautiful rolling-hills part of Wisconsin that served as a leash-free dog park) she received her confirmation.
As a 14 year-old, I thought the missionaries were neat, and I respected what they taught, but didn't really think twice about it in the serious way that it deserved. My mom was baptized in November of 1999, and I had actually started going to church and even early morning seminary by the end of the year. The missionaries started re-teaching the discussions for my benefit, and in February committed me to baptism. I honestly wish I remembered the details of this whole part better, but I do remember being baptized on March 12, 2000 just after turning 15.
Looking back, I realize that my real testimony didn't come until after I was baptized. I remember reading the Book of Mormon with my mom one night in 2 Nephi 9 and just having an overwhelming feeling of peace. I had prayed about the Book of Mormon before, but I guess this was the moment that was right for me to finally receive an answer.
It's been an amazing journey since. I've gotten to be the first in my family to serve a faithful two-year mission. I really can imagine how empty life would seem without knowing the truth of the gospel. I don't bear my testimony often, but I hope that doesn't lead anyone to think that I doubt it. I've had doubts and gone through hard times, many questions, and less-diligent phases, but time and time again I'm reminded of how blessed I am to know the truthfulness of this gospel.
Thanks for this post. It's really neat to hear the testimony of friends and especially conversions since not as many (at byu at least) are converts. And it makes me more excited to leave for my mission. I'm getting nervous :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Bob. I am so uplifted by other people's testimonies, especially when they are built on simple truths and experiences and not one-time miracles.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bob.
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