“I was nine years old when the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made contact with my family and began to teach us. I was immediately drawn to their message and joined my parents as these young men taught them about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes it’s easy to dismiss the feelings of young children as just a reflection of what their parents are doing or saying, but I still remember those strong impressions that the things the missionaries were teaching were familiar to me, something I already knew but had forgotten. The day that our parents told us they had decided to be baptized was a very happy day for me and I chose to be baptized as well. As a young child, I did not understand the impact of that choice, but I have come to know that it was the best decision we had ever made up to that point.
I remember struggling as a teenager because I didn’t understand how the Holy Ghost could work in my life. I heard people refer to the scripture that said “that your bosom shall burn within you” (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8) so that you would know something was right. I never felt that feeling and so I thought that I wasn’t feeling the Spirit guiding my life. What I have learned throughout the years is that the Holy Ghost guides each of us in different ways and that my Father in Heaven speaks to me in ways that I would recognize if I listen to His promptings. I have felt His love for me multiple times and had my testimony strengthened through talks in church meetings, conferences, time spent in the Lord’s temple, in conversations with others, and even through vivid dreams.
I know that our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ love and care about each of us. I know that Joseph Smith was called to restore Christ’s church and that a Prophet is called to guide us in these latter days. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that studying it helps us through this journey we call life because it contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am eternally grateful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful for the guidance I receive through the Spirit. I am grateful for a living prophet, for the temple, and for the opportunity to make covenants that bless my life every day. I am very grateful for humble servants of God who shared His gospel with our family and, in doing so, impacted my life and the lives of my descendants eternally.”
I Am Converted 