Personal Response by Todd

“I know the Church is true…” I’ve heard the phrase many times growing up in the Mormon Church. Thousands of members of the Church say those words each day and millions each year. When I was in high school I started to doubt. I didn’t remember ever having spiritual experiences like so many talked about. It was hard to believe that my family and friends were really experiencing what they claimed. I grew up in South East Texas where the Mormon Church was a minority. I remember wanting so desperately to fit in, to be just one of the guys. However, one day as I was with a group of friends, I felt a powerful impression to befriend another kid at school who no one talked with. It kept pushing and pushing me. Of course I fought back. I’ve since come to recognize that impression to be the Spirit “which inviteth to do good…, and to persuade to believe in Jesus Christ…wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God” (Moroni 7:16).

That was the first time I felt something different. Simple I know, but it was the grand beginning of a witness. I will never forget the feeling of something beyond me encouraging me to ignore the attitudes of worldliness and seek for the world of a better. I knew at the very least that God was out there. Over the years I started to see God’s hand in my life. The principles of the gospel began to make more sense and I became addicted to learning and absorbing the doctrines taught over the pulpit and in the scriptures. My life seemed perfect. I found that I was much happier. Life’s burdens seemed lighter as I was trying to live like Jesus Christ. Eventually I decided to serve a full time mission, but it was while teaching the gospel in Mississippi and Louisiana that my perspective began to change. I had heard objections to the Church many times throughout my life, but I usually just dismissed them as farce. I had half-heartedly read some literature in the past but never found any substance to it.

One day as I was personally studying the scriptures, I came to a passage that made me really begin to doubt for the first time since I was a fourteen year old boy. The passage was in the Doctrine and Covenants and my interpretation of the verse challenged my reason. I had not read this in another organizations pamphlet…this was right there in the scriptures! It seemed totally perplexing to me. I read the passage again and again with no success of resolving my concern. After searching the Bible, the Book of Mormon and other references, I still was left confused and afraid. In this moment of total desperation, I dropped to my knees in humble prayer confronting my Father in Heaven, “I refuse to move from this spot until I have an answer!” I pleaded. Never had I prayed more fervently than at that precise moment. At first nothing came. I soon fell silent, waiting and pondering. I felt I should read the verse just one more time…as I did it was as if the Spirit of the Lord read it aloud to me and I immediately was overcome with a spiritual witness more powerful than sight. In an instant, my fear and anger melted away. Light, glory and truth seemed to burst out of me. I can’t remember a time when life seemed more clear. The answer came! My testimony for the first time was more than reason. Even my previous experiences of feeling the spirit seemed pale in comparison. I knew that what I was doing as a missionary was right. I knew the Mormon Church was true.

I know many out there are struggling, searching and feeling only darkness. I can only say, “Don’t give up.” Continue to look upward and trust in the Savior. I know God answers prayers. He wants all of His children to feel His love. He does live!

Personal Response by Nathaniel

Friends of other faiths have asked me why I wanted to go on a Mormon mission in the prime of my life. I was 23 years old, and most of my high-school friends had already graduated from college. My motivation for going on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) stemmed not only from my parents’ encouragement but a conviction that a mission would draw me closer to God.

I don’t want to go into details into what a Mormon mission is. General information about missions and missionaries can be found on the official Mormon Church Web site at LDS.org. However, the mission was a period of significant personal growth for me. From September 2003 to September 2005, I traveled to, and lived in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Malaysia as a full-time volunteer representative for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). I spent a lot of time talking to people on the streets and in the buses, knocking on people’s doors, and teaching in people’s homes. I would write or email my family and friends every Wednesday, but on the other days of the week, my companions and I would always be out in the streets-talking, knocking, and teaching.

This period was a period of deep spiritual refinement. Without the convenience of living at home, I learned to rely on God and not on myself; however, I struggled to put my faith in God. How could I find people to teach when I didn’t have the convenience of the Internet and the technology of search engines? How could I help people to change their lives when I wasn’t even making enough money for myself? These questions, along with many others, compelled me to seek help from a source who had all the answers-God.

I have always believed in God. I didn’t always express my belief publicly; nevertheless, I had my private and personal moments with Him. However, my experiences could not really prepare me for my mission. During the first few weeks of my mission, I struggled to know if what I believed was really true. It was a different matter altogether to believe in God and to teach someone about your belief in God. I asked many questions in those few weeks, and those questions didn’t disappear. It took weeks, months, and many spiritual experiences before I really developed a strong belief in God.

These spiritual experiences had always been precipitated by prayer. I remember an incident when I had lost my keys. My companion and I had just returned home from dinner, and I had reached into my pockets to get my keys when I found that my keys weren’t there. Fortunately, my companion had a set of keys, and we were able to enter the house. However, despite my frantic efforts, I could not find my keys in the house. Feeling very helpless and lost, I got down on my knees and began to offer one of the most sincere and humble prayers I had ever offered. I felt that there was no way that I could ever find those keys. They could have dropped out of my pocket when we were in the rickshaw. I could have misplaced them at the restaurant where we had dinner. There was just no way of finding them in the city of Lahore. I felt that the only way that I could find them was through a miracle.

A few minutes later, I heard the doorbell ring. My heart leaped as I ran down to open the gate. Standing in front of the gate was the rickshaw driver who had dropped my companion and I off at our apartment. He asked me if I had lost my keys-apparently, another passenger had noticed a set of keys lying on the backseat. I answered yes and began to thank him profusely.

I have often thought back to that evening where I had witnessed a miracle. In my mind, that evening was a watershed event because it changed my relationship with God. There simply was no other way for me to explain the experience, except that God had heard and answered my prayer. Through that experience, I learned for myself that God is real and personal. I also learned that He cares about us. I also learned that he hears and answers our prayers. I began to see Him as a fatherly figure. I began to talk to Him in the same way I talk to my own father.

Since that evening, prayer has become more than just a daily ritual. It has become a tool for communication. I begin to look forward to prayer, I no longer hesitate to get down on my knees to speak with my Father in Heaven, and the more fervently I pray, the closer I feel to God.

Personal Response by Lance

I served for two years as a Mormon missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) in Mississippi and Louisiana. It was the greatest experience of my life. I loved sharing the gospel with the people of the South because so many of them have deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were very kind to us missionaries coming to their door. I cannot count the number of people who let me into their home, as a complete stranger, to share what I believe. I learned that “southern hospitality” is very real and I believe it is because the people have good Christian values. There were also many people who turned us away but even this was usually done politely.

I was asked many times by the faithful people of the South why I was trying to convert people who are already Christian. Many are living very honorable lives and serving their fellow men as they put their trust in Jesus Christ. They would ask why we don’t send our Mormon missionaries to other parts of the world where people don’t know about Jesus Christ. I would explain that we do. We have missionaries all over the world speaking almost every language. We also have Mormon missionaries who are devoted to humanitarian aid. We try in every way that we can to help God’s children and bring them back to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
They would still wonder why they as Christians needed to talk to me. As I pondered this question, the answer came to me very powerfully in the form of a question: “Why would any Christian not want to know that Jesus Christ has restored His church to the earth, the very church that we read about in the New Testament?” I would simply explain to those who didn’t understand why I served in the South, that the message that we bring is from God and that He sent us out to share it with everyone.
Our message is very simple and extremely important. God is our Father in Heaven, and He loves us very much. By sinning we cut ourselves off from His presence and He has prepared a way for us to return to live with Him (John 3:16). Throughout all of time God has called prophets (See Amos 3:7) to teach us that this way is through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Jesus Christ truly suffered and died for our sins that we might be forgiven and He was resurrected so that we will all live again. These prophets that teach of Jesus Christ hold the authority of God to lead us and keep the doctrines of Christ’s gospel pure. Jesus Christ himself taught His gospel when He came to the earth, and He established His church on the “foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).
God is a God of order and the Church that was established by Jesus Christ was very well organized. He called apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers and others to help build up the Saints and bring everyone to a “unity of the faith”. The church was established to bring everyone to “a knowledge of the Son of God” (See Ephesians 4:11-13).
Sadly, before everyone could be brought to a knowledge of the Son of God and be brought to this unity of faith, Jesus Christ and the leaders of His church were killed. The Lord prophesied that this would happen. He said to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:9-11).
This prophecy was fulfilled. The very foundation of Jesus Christ’s church was destroyed, and the followers of Christ were left to interpret things on their own. Without the authority of God, or the priesthood, men interpreted the scriptures in many different ways and started the many different denominations that we see in the world today. The unity of the faith that was to be established was not achieved and we now have many different religions with highly varying beliefs.
I loved serving in the South because, in sharing the creation of Jesus Christ’s church and the following apostasy or falling away, many people came to understand something that they had been trying to figure out for a long time. I met so many people that had attended many different churches and couldn’t understand why the teachings were so much different and why the churches competed so much with each other. I loved being able to explain that Jesus Christ had established His church but that it was lost.
I was then able to explain the answer to the question I was asked so many times: “Why was I talking to people who were already Christian?” I was able to explain that Jesus Christ didn’t want His church gone forever and that He has restored it to the earth to prepare the way for His second coming. Because they could see the results of the confusion that had resulted following the apostasy, many of the people of the South recognized the need for this restoration of Jesus Christ’s original church.
The Church was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. Much like the people of the South that I was talking to, Joseph had seen the confusion of the many churches in New York as he was growing up. He searched long and hard trying to find out which church to join. He did what all of us must do to find answers from God. He studied his scriptures and he prayed. In the spring of 1820, he went to a quiet grove of trees near his home and prayed vocally to our Father in Heaven. He prayed to know which of all the churches he should join. He had an incredible experience in which he saw God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ.
He said of this experience, “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me . . . when the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith History 1:16-17)
Joseph was called as a prophet, and Jesus Christ established His church again on the earth in these last days through him. I loved being able to share with the people of the South that the Mormon church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the Lord’s church again established on the earth. I saw people’s lives change as they came unto Jesus Christ and lived by His teachings. It was an incredible experience to see someone recognize that the Lord didn’t stop speaking in ancient times but that He has again called prophets and apostles to guide us in these troubling times.
There were also many people that didn’t believe what we taught. I had never had so many people question my beliefs from every angle. This caused me to study my scriptures more and pray to my Father in Heaven to know what was true. I found from God through the power of the Holy Ghost that the message that I was sharing is true. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that He is leading His church today through a modern prophet and twelve apostles. As my knowledge and testimony of this grew stronger and stronger, I would say to people, “I’m here to tell you that this is true. Your neighbor will tell you something else is true. You can ask me what is true. You can ask your pastor what is true. You can ask anyone what is true, but I don’t want you to get your answer from any of us. I want you to get your answer from God through prayer and scripture study. That is the only way that I know for myself.”
Even though many didn’t believe what I taught and even heavily questioned my beliefs, I was amazed at the kindness that they showed to me and the other missionaries. I have some great friends that I still keep in touch with that are active members of other faiths. These friends include pastors and leaders of other churches. It is one of our articles of faith in the Mormon church that “we claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” (Articles of Faith 1:11).
As Mormons, we believe in allowing others to believe as they desire. We still try to share our beliefs with everyone and when I am asked why I share my beliefs with other Christians I will continue to respond with the question, “Why would any Christian not want to know that Jesus Christ has restored His church to the earth, the very church that we read about in the New Testament?”

Personal Response by Rachel
I have summed up the most significant lesson I learned on my mission in six words: “Come unto Christ and be happy.” This phrase has become a personal motto for the rest of my life. Each morning of my mission we had an hour to do personal study of the scriptures and Preach My Gospel. The more I studied the words of Jesus Christ through His ancient and modern prophets and apostles, the more I came to love Him and believe in Him. My growing belief and faith in Christ led me to follow His teachings, develop Christlike attributes, and testify of Jesus Christ’s restored gospel. As I obeyed the commandments of the gospel and became more like Christ, I felt the Holy Ghost’s influence more abundantly in my life. I felt the fruits of the Holy Ghost, which include “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). I learned that “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:17). Every day of my mission was an opportunity to do the things Jesus Christ has asked of us. When I chose to follow Christ, I was blessed with happiness, joy, love, and peace. My dad has often told me that he can always tell when I am happy and acting in a way that is pleasing to the Savior. “You have a sparkle in your eyes,” my dad has said. “So, I know that you are on the right path.”

I saw that sparkle, that light, in the eyes of many people during my mission as they followed the teachings of Jesus Christ. James is one of those people. We first met James when he was in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. His eyes were clouded and unfocused, he had difficulty reading the small print in the scriptures, and he was battling addiction to drugs and alcohol. In the first lesson, my companion and I taught James about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, prayer, and the Holy Ghost. James prayed with us and he immediately felt the Holy Ghost testifying to him that the message we had shared was true. My companion and I visited James once or twice a week for the next month until we were transferred from the area. Close to the end of that time, James told us that it was easier for him to read the words in the Book of Mormon. James was also finding it much easier to combat the cravings for drugs and alcohol. After we left, James continued to study the scriptures and pray often, as well as attend Mormon church meetings. Four months after I left the area, it was time for me to complete my mission. Before I came home, I went to visit James. The first thing I noticed when I saw James was the sparkle in his eyes. James was happy. I’ve often heard that the eyes are the window to the soul, but until that moment I didn’t believe that statement. The expression in James’s eyes was clear, focused, bright, and full of joy and hope. I immediately knew that James was still doing all he could to follow Jesus Christ because his eyes were “sparkling.”

James and I are not the only people who have experienced the enlightening and joy-filling power of the Holy Ghost. Millions of people around the world have been blessed by the influence of the Holy Ghost, which has testified to them of the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church). I know that as we truly seek to follow Christ, we will be blessed with the fruits of the Spirit. I also know that the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible, is the word of God and invites all men to believe in Jesus Christ and obey His teachings. I know that when we follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will be happier than if we don’t follow the gospel. The message of the gospel is one of joy and gladness. The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote, “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! . . . Glad tidings of great joy.” How did serving a Mormon mission bless me and those I served? We were blessed with happiness, joy, and gladness (some of the fruits of the Holy Ghost) when we followed the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.