I've been wanting to write a post about being a Mormon (or my testimony) for the longest time. I am quite unsure why I haven't gotten around doing it but I thought as an end to my happy days challenge, it was timely to do so. I taught the girls yesterday about
conversion and it was a great discussion. There were questions that let in that they ARE listening even if sometimes I feel that they don't. haha As I prepared this lesson, I am reminded of my own conversion.
It is a common knowledge to friends and family that I was born in the church; in fact, all of us siblings are. Most people will associate my membership in the church to my parents but this conversion that I am to relate is my own silent story. It all began in the summer of 2005 (naks!), I just celebrated my birthday few months ago, all the wards are preparing for the Youth Conference and my senior year in high school will begin in a few weeks. I have been spending days that turn into weeks with the other youth from different wards as we prepare for the road show. I have always been an observant so I would pay attention to everything that is happening - how my fellow youth interacted with each other, with the leaders and just their overall activities during the few hours we were together (creepy much!? haha). There was no specific person that impressed me but all I thought before was that they were NICE. Such a boring word - nice. But they were. I guess one reason was that they grew up with each other and my family had just moved in the stake for just a few years then so I didn't have the closeness that they had with each other but looking in, it was really nice to look at. It got me curious. I suddenly learned that these kids are really active in church - attended
Seminary, church, have a close relationship with their leaders and most importantly, read their scriptures.
Na-curious ulit ako. Ako nga rin, I thought.
The first few times I finished reading the Book of Mormon
I got home one day after a road show practice and opened my
Personal Progress booklet. One of the projects was to read
Book of Mormon from start to finish so I chose that.
Ang dami naman mas madali pero mahilig lang talaga ako pahirapan sarili ko. haha I finished it after almost a year. And my life would never be the same. I am getting emotional as I type this but I just don't know how to explain what happened, dear reader. All I know is that the Book of Mormon changed my life for the better. I don't know the how's but I do know that this book is given to man by God. Why can't we have more books that testify of Christ? I think the more, the better! In 2 Corinthians 13:1,
"In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."
We (Latter Day Saints aka Mormons) believe the Bible to be the word of God as long as it is translated correctly and we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God (
Articles of Faith 1:8). The Bible is one witness that there is a God and I believe that the Book of Mormon is another witness that solidifies that truth. Two is better than one right?! Why can't there be another book that come from the Lord when the whole world was populated by people, not just Jerusalem. I am pretty sure they have spiritual experiences that they wanted to preserve and recorded as well.
Ten years ago was when my conversion started and it was when I gained my own testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' truthfulness. I came to know that the Book of Mormon is true. It has the power to bring man closer to God. As what we've discussed yesterday, conversion is a process, not a single event; so I still have long ways to go but if there is one thing that I am grateful for eternally, that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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