All About Mormons

I would like to say that I’ve always been religious and that I’ve always led a good life, but that would be a lie. I have not always been very religious or very nice. I’ve done things that I will always regret and I can never take back. I say that so that I can share my testimony. Growing up my parents were divorced while I was very young, since then my mom has remarried and is with the same man, who I share many hard times with yet many good times with at the same time, my dad is a different story he still has marriage problems and has been married more times then I would like to share. The whole time gorwing up I was either at my dads Episcopalian church or at a Christian church with my mom, that’s if I went at all. I always said what had to be said or what was expected of me to be said, without ever feeling anything. It was not until I was in my late teens, I believe I was 17 or 18 when my mom found a new church, I finally felt like I belonged, but it was not to be, only a few short months later I was in boot camp for the navy, and again I was without religion. It did not get better when I went to school or got assigned to my first ship. On deployment I fell further from God by doing many things I know I should not have done but at the time it was fun and felt good so I continued to do them. I did many of these things for long after my first deployment, and well into the first part of the new year. It was not until I met the love of my life on here that I realized what I was doing is wrong. At the time, we were only friends but she made me realize that life was more than drinking, partying and smoking so I stopped. After we started to date, she asked me to go to church with her, and see if I liked it. I will not lie, at first I was hesitant, I had heard rumors about the church and that it was a cult more than anything. I decided though that I should shelve my fears as I knew she was the one. The first time I walked into the church I was greeted with a handshake and a hug, from complete strangers. I felt weird at first here I was some kid who used to party like it was going out of style and yet they were not judging me like other did. I started to warm up to these strangers who knew nothing of my past. When they found out that my fiancé and I were dating they all told me that she was special and I was a lucky man. Again something foreign to me, in my past church experiences you were not a lucky man to be dating someone you were a good couple or a lucky kid. I warmed up even more and became even more relaxed. I could feel something I had not felt in years, I did not know what this feeling was, only that I liked it. When it came time for sacrament I was nervous, what was I supposed to do, I thought I mean yes I had been baptized before, but that was in my dad’s church. I was not sure whether or not to take it, the only thing that let me know I should was my fiancés mom, who told me I could. It was again weird for me but again inviting at the same time. After we finished sacrament, we moved along to gospel principles, where again I was welcomed arms, this time it was into a much small more adult crowd. After we finished gospel principles, I had to leave my fiancés side so she could go to the young women’s in which she is the secretary. I was told that I could stay with her younger brother and go to young men’s with him. This was a new experience for me, actually when we left sacrament was, I had never left a part of church to go to another, it had always been in the same room, except the little kids. I was easily the oldest in there, being 19. I was again welcomed with open arms and invited to participate. I think I did pretty well for my first time, but looking back I got my butt kicked in the Q and A. After church was over we went back to her house and relaxed and made dinner, while we waited for the missionaries. As we were there making dinner and waiting I realized what the feeling I had felt earlier was and I smiled, and told my fiancé that I was going to convert. After just one church session and reading along with the missionaries I knew I had found what I had been lacking. I have not been baptized yet, but I will be soon, actually hopefully in a little over a month. There has been no real changes with my friends, I get the usual crap from them about not drinking and smoking and partying but that’s it, the only real problem was my mom, I don’t know why she didn’t like the fact that I am converting. I can only think it’s because she doesn’t know a lot about the church and what we believe in, she does however believe in God and Jesus. I did forward her the LDS homepage and asked her to read it. Since then me converting has not come up at all, well without issue. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen. Chris-who loves Jessica-whereever the navy sends me.

Webmaster: Congratulations, Chris! I really appreciate the time you took to share your story. Good luck with your continued investigation and eventual baptism! The Church has been a great blessing in my life; I don’t know what I’d do without it. May you find the same joy I’ve found.