My journey.

In preparation for General Conference, I want to share with you a story. I wrote this on mormon.org a while back. It is my story of how I joined the church and how I came to know for myself that this is true: 


 I'm a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was raised in a "non-denominational" church. I grew up being told what to believe and I thought that was normal. I thought everyone believed. As I got into high school, I become friends with members of this church. I was drawn to them. They were always so happy and so effervescent. I wanted to be like that. I wanted to feel what they felt every day.

My older brother received a Book of Mormon from one of these friends and I saw his whole life change as he continued to read from this book. Missionaries came in and out of our house and my brother was baptized. I wanted to see what it was about. I wanted to discover what Taylor had already discovered. I started to read. I felt in every fiber of my being that this was and is the true church of Jesus Christ. I was soon baptized and everything felt amazing.

Sadly, I fell away from the church within a year of my baptism. I became depressed and didn't want anything to do with it. I tried to attend the church I went to before I was baptized but it didn't feel complete. No matter how hard I searched for happiness in that time, I couldn't find it. I was completely lost. I wasn't sure what to believe. I got so low that I felt like life couldn't go on if God didn't tell me what to do. For the first time in a really long time I got down on my knees and prayed. I prayed for strength and direction. I prayed for help.

Within the week missionaries knocked on my door. I was hesitant at first, thinking that God was crazy to send them to my house. But soon my heart was softened. The missionaries were able to convince me to come back to church. One Sunday. That's all they asked. Then before I said yes, they gave me a passage from the Book of Mormon to read. It was Mosiah 27:28-29. It reads, "Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God. My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more."

The impact of that passage was more than I could describe. I was in awe. The words felt like they were meant for me. I wanted the pain to go away. I wanted to "behold the marvelous of God" again. I accepted the invitation to come back to church. My life is so blessed. I am so grateful for the missionaries. Without them, I never would have felt complete in my religion. I feel like everything is where it is supposed to be. The peace felt from being a part of something so amazing trumps anything I have ever felt.


I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is the true church on this earth. I know that God sent his son to live among us and to die for us so that we may return to live with our Father in Heaven. I know that the Book of Mormon is word of God and that Joseph Smith restored the Church with the proper authority. This Church changed my life and I know that if you pray with a sincere heart to learn the truth, it can change yours too.