“I was not raised in any particular religion or church, but most of my family practiced the Catholic belief. We typically only visited church for Christmas and Easter. I did have a belief in Jesus Christ and God, however my knowledge of the Bible was never bright. I believe that I probably had the most basic knowledge anyone could.
My journey of coming closer to Christ began in the summer of 2017, as a 17 year old in high school. I specifically remember talking to my nextdoor neighbor outside. When I saw two Sister missionaries talking with my family. I was curious about who they were and what they could have been talking about, so I went over to investigate. It was very brief small talk. However, within a couple days, we ended up meeting with them again and started taking the missionary discussions.
I had many questions and I was very curious about the messages they shared. The message of Christ’s restored church helped me answer a question I had always had. There are so many churches on earth today… if any church be right, which is it?; how should I know?
We learned in James 1:5 that we ask of God for an answer. The message of the Restoration invites us to pray about seeking a answer, to know why Joseph Smith was called of God in modern times. We then learned about the Plan of Salvation (happiness) explaing why and what our purpose on Earth is and where we came from. More questions and answers. Because of this wonderful plan that God has for us, I learned how much He loves each and every single one of us, and knows us individually. Following the gospel of Jesus Christ is something I could not turn away. My family and I were soon invited to enter the waters of baptism. My brothers and I were baptized July 22nd, 2017. A month later, our father was baptized on the 26th of August.
As for my mother, we were suprised to find out that she was already baptized on April 10, 1988. She didn’t tell the Sister missionaries until our third lesson. Considering the fact that I was a very stubborn teenager, I struggled a lot with deepening my conversion. I struggled a lot with prayer, reading scriptures, understanding the scriptures, repentance (changing), recognizing the spirit of God, and developing a testimony. I believe beginning the habit of going to church was probably the thing I struggled with most.
I fell into a process of just rolling with the punches at some point. I struggled so much that I felt as if I had a massive weight on my shoulders. I struggled to a point that I had asked myself if what I had chosen was right. One day I pondered about that for a couple of minutes. A deeper question I asked myself was “Are you happy?” For a long time I thought I was happy; I knew if I ever gave up the Gospel, I would fall back into a state of confusion. At this moment I finally new what it really meant to be happy. I felt a rush of comfort and peace. I remember the moment of joy. It was such a sacred feeling of love. I know that God had listened and He was there when I needed Him at my weakest. Ever since that experience, I learned what it was like to have a very meaningful conversion. Most importantly I learned that there was a happiness I had been searching for in a long time. This happiness came from knowing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and really applying my faith I have into my life. As a family, it is a real eye opener when we are unified in sharing our progress or struggles of conversion. It has brought us much closer than we could ever imagine.
My conversion has taught me so much about myself and what I need to do to become better, and to help those around us as well become better. Although everyone has there own pace of being converted. God has a specific plan for everyone, and He will continue to allow His children to follow that plan. When we are converted, we are happy, when we are happy, we feel the love of Christ. Obtaining this feeling of happiness or conversion begins with a very simple invitation: Will you come closer to Christ?”
I Am Converted 