“When I was 12, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. However, I didn’t gain a testimony until much later. Due to some family issues and complications, I left home shortly after and spent just under 2 years homeless until I found a place at my Grandparents house when I was 14.
For a long time, I had a lot of hate toward the church, and did my best to avoid it, because I grouped all the experiences of that time of my life into a singular category. As I got older, I started to realize that the entire Church wasn’t bad because of a couple people and experiences. I had a lot of Friends that were LDS in high school that were a very positive influence and eventually, I was homeless again.
A friend of mine, who was a member of the Church took me in, and that’s where it really started. I made a decision to not let my past affect me and figure out if the Church was good or evil and to figure out what was going on. Was the Book of Mormon true? As I was reading, I was in 1st Nephi 17, around verse 50, and it just struck me that it was absolutely crazy that Nephi was able to build a boat. He had so much faith that he could be directed by the Lord in all things in crafting a boat, able to cross the ocean. And I wondered if I would ever be able to be like that. I had the Spirit confirm to me at that time, “Maybe.”At that point, I knew that The Book of Mormon was true. From there, it’s just a domino effect.
It doesn’t matter the circumstances of how it came to be, no one is perfect. No Church is perfect, things happen. Joseph Smith translated that book, and nobody who has read that book and has a sound understanding, of how it came to be, can tell me it didn’t happen or that he “wrote” it. It’s just not possible.So on that day, lying on the floor of my friends house, I decided to do what it takes to lead me down this new path. I tried my best to quit being stupid with my time and I tried my best to follow this new path so that one day, I would hopefully, eventually, Maybe, have that faith. One of those things being here, and serving a mission. I hope that anyone that reads this can make the same decision for themselves.”
I Am Converted 