How The Book of Mormon can aid in your conversion to the Gospel
Good morning Brothers and Sisters…I can't believe this time has come already. It flew by so quick it feels like it was just a dream. I was sad to say goodbye to North Carolina, but It is good to be back. It's been quite the adventure. The memories created, the experiences I had, and the people that I met, I will cherish them forever. These two years have definitely been the best two years for my life, and the best decision I've ever made. North Carolina will forever hold a place in my heart, but I still don't think I would ever consider living there, haha.
I've been asked to speak about how the Book of Mormon…
I want to start by reading…
2 Nephi 33:4 “And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.”
#1 Persuadeth them to do good - Megan
At the end of my mission in Zebulon, my last Saturday I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity of Baptizing Megan.
When Megan was 15, she tagged along with her Sister to an LDS church for their first time. Apparently it was for a school project her Sister was doing, I don’t know what kind of School Project it was but it required of her to attend 2 different church services. Well, Megan would forever remember the spirit that she felt that day. That spirit led her to reading the Book of Mormon. Both her parents were Baptist and when they found out that she had been reading the Book of Mormon they disproved of it and put it to an end. Years later she married at the age of 23, and had moved out of her parents. At the age of 27, she felt as if something was missing from her life. She prayed everyday asking to find what she was missing till one day she remembered the Book of Mormon and what feelings it brought her. So she requested one online, and my companion and I happened to be the ones in the area at that time. Once We received her request, we acted immediately. Elder Semadeni and I had no idea what to expect, but we had worked so hard those previous weeks and nothing seemed to be going our way, till we received this request. So we acted immediately because it was a blessing from God. And it truly was, Megan turned out to be our miracle story, she was a drop from heaven.
I have a testimony of hard work. Hard work pays off. Heavenly Father sees our works. 2 Chronicles 15:7 says “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” I like to interpret that to “ Be consistent, be diligent, and don’t give up…” This is very true. I believe we would not have been able to help Megan if we had not worked as hard as we did.
Once we delivered the book to her she could not put it back down. We met with her for two weeks almost everyday before she was baptized. We saw her desire to do good and to follow the Savior's example grow each day as she read the Book of Mormon. So much so that she asked us if she could be baptized before we asked her. She also was able to quit tea like it was nothing. She told us to our faces that she wants to be an active member in the church and help the Sisters in the Ward. The Book of Mormon persuades us to do good, and if it persuades us to do good then it must be of God. I testify to you that this Book is holy writ. If you are filled with hate or anger, or you have been making bad choices. The Book of Mormon has the power to turn those feelings around.
#2 Maketh known unto them of their Fathers - Laura
When I was being trained in Hampstead. I went on an exchange with my Zone Leader in Wilmington. Elder Rawlins. Our day came to a point where we had to decide whether we wanted to go to this flaky return appointment with a lady named Laura, or do something we thought would be more worth our time. We sat in the car not knowing what to do. So we sought guidance through prayer. We both felt impressed that we should go see Laura. I had never met her before, but Elder Rawlins first contact with her didn’t go so well. He told me that there was just too much happening at that time, she was smoking, her dog was yapping, and her non-religious friend was over, and they ended up talking about aliens. The spirit was just not there. This time though, she invited us in and it was a completely different atmosphere from what Elder Rawlins described to me. It was quiet, she was focused on us, and the spirit was there. We bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and told her all about it. She was intrigued to find out that the Book of Mormon was a record of the people here in the Ancient America’s. She shared with us that she was Native Indian descent. She also shared with us about the ‘White God Legend’, how almost every Western Hemisphere Indian Tribe had preserved oral traditions of an ancient appearance of a ‘White God’ who descended out of the skies to instruct and organize his people. She felt an even stronger desire to read the Book of Mormon once she knew that it was a history of the Ancient Americans who are ancestors of the Native Indians. She accepted a copy without hesitation.
I learned from this experience that we should not judge who is ready to receive the Gospel or not. That we should seek the Lord’s will before our own. If Elder Rawlins and I had not sought God’s will, and instead had followed through with our own judgment we would not have had this life changing experience. Let me tell you why it was life changing.
We gave her the book, and that was the last I saw her. Months later, 7 months to be exact, I went on another exchange with Elder Rawlins in Chapel Hill this time. As we were out knocking doors, he told me that Laura was receiving her patriarchal blessing that week. I was confused I asked him who Laura was? He answered with “She’s the Alien Lady.” He continued to tell me that she had read the entire Book of Mormon shortly after we gave it to her. He told me prior to her baptism, she had quit smoking after asking for and receiving a Priesthood blessing. She is very active and loves the church. She also had her sights set on the temple. Laura feels a stronger connection to the book because of the history of her people. That connection changed her life forever.
#3 It speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him
Brothers and Sisters, The Book of Mormon speaks of Jesus, and persuades us to believe in him. As a missionary we studied every morning. I cannot tell you how much better my days were when I studied from the Book of Mormon. I realized that and so I made it the main part of my studies. By focusing more on the Book of Mormon, I have never felt so close to my Savior before. I hope you all know the power that is kept within those pages, they contain the words of Christ and Angels. There is power within, power to change lives for the better and to bring one closer to God and Jesus Christ. I have experienced that change within myself, I have witnessed it in many others. Seeing how it has helped others come closer to Jesus Christ has been the Spirits way of telling me it is true. Brothers and Sisters if you want God to speak to you, read the Book of Mormon. If you want more peace in your life, read the Book of Mormon. If you are seeking answers, or feeling down, or lost, or perhaps you are struggling to overcome a trial and you need strength, I know that the Book of Mormon is one of the best sources you can turn to. We are all seeking something in this life, we are all facing battles, we are all on different levels with our personal conversion, but wherever you stand and whatever you stand in need of I can promise you that the Book of Mormon can bring you closer to God and Jesus Christ and they will bless you with whatever it is you need. As we draw closer to them our days become brighter. Our lives become better. Our burdens become lighter.
President Nelson told us that “in these coming days we will not be able to survive spiritually… “
But I promise you that as you build your foundation upon Christ by feasting upon his words in the Book of Mormon, you will feel the influence of the Holy Spirit more in your life and “that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of foundation upon which ye are built.”
(This was a time filler story but wasn't needed on the day so it was skipped)
Last of all I want to share one more life changing story story, its has nothing to do with the Book of Mormon but it is one I like to share.
One night, when I was serving in Fuquay in May 2018, we were out tracting in the dark and we came across a lady in a powered wheelchair under a street light. She rejoiced when she saw us. We found out that she had been recently converted to- The church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints- a few years back, but lost connection with the church because she moved to Idaho for two years to take care of her sick mother, who was not a member till eventually she passed away. She ended up moving to North Carolina after the passing of her mother. With her mother gone she was lost, alone, and had no family. She felt the Spirit telling her that she needed to reconnect with the church. That's when we happened to come across her! Her name is Maria Storer. I can't remember why or how but we ended up talking about family genealogy. She longed to know more about her family. She had never met her biological father. Earlier before that encounter with Sister Maria, my companion and I felt impressed to get a Family History class going. We let her know that that was something we were hoping to get going in the future, and she was thrilled about it and absolutely looked forward to it. The first class came around and we had an awesome outcome! Sadly though, Sister Maria Storer was not there. We checked up on her. She was very sad that she missed the class. I can't remember what kept her, but we could tell that Satan was working really hard on her. But we didn't give up, we became more persistent than the devil. Anyways, long story short, she was able to show up to the remaining classes. She learned a lot more about herself and her family, and started to attend church again. She is a very faithful woman, her faithfulness inspires me. She feels that she has found purpose, belonging, and family. Right now she is very active, she sings in the ward choir, has been called to be a ministering sister, and has her sights set on the temple.
I learned many things from this experience. The Lord works in mysterious ways. In ways too complex for me to explain, but it is very clear to me that none of it was by coincidence. That the Lord knew what he was doing the whole time, and that his hand was in it all, that he was preparing a way for Maria to be brought back into the fold. It was all by his design, and we were only instruments in his hands.
With that...testimony of BOM
I feel the need to bare testimony of the Plan of Salvation (Grandma & Rhylinn)...
Express Love and gratitude
Testify of God/Christ/Church
Amen.
