Sunday, August 21, 2011

Testimony of Jennifer!

Jennifer is someone that came on Mormon.org to chat with the missionaries and we were privileged to have been able to talk to her. When Elder Spencer and I started talking to Jennifer, we could tell that she had been prepared by the Lord to receive His Gospel. After we talked to her on Mormon.org, we started teaching her over the phone. We also contacted the local missionaries so they could visit her. After several visits and lessons over the phone, Jennifer quickly gained a testimony of the Gospel and was later baptized. When ever we would talk to Jennifer she was always positive about everything. She was always happy and excited to learn more. I always love sharing the testimonies of those we teach; Jennifer was kind enough to share her amazing conversion story and testimony for us:


The story of my conversion really starts as an infant. I was born into a very catholic family as a rule all children were baptized as an infant. So as little as 3 months old I was catholic. I don't know what happened and why my family stopped practicing but that was all the religion that I had been a part of until I was a teenager. When I was a teenager I had a best friend who was a Christian and sometimes I would go to church with her. I never felt like that was something that I wanted or I could understand. 15 years would pass until I would step foot into another church. When I was 22 I got married and thought this was going to be the way my life was until I died. I thought I was going to live with this person and have a family but as most of you know life doesn't go according to how we plan. About 5 years into my marriage I wanted to start a family but I was alone in that thought, so I put those thoughts in the back of my head and said maybe one day. At that time I would frequently pass my local catholic church and think I wonder if there is something I'm missing in my life. I would often think about going but yet again I was alone in that thought. So again I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head.  March 12, 2010 on the day I turned 29 my husband walked out on and that would be the last day he would ever live in our house.



 In June of the same year my best friend gotten engaged and wanted me to be her maid of honor and informed me she would be getting married in her Episcopalian church my first thought was oh great church. At that time I had felt like that is not somewhere I wanted to go I felt like God had failed me and I was living an unhappy life.  Many months would pass until religion was brought up to me again. In January of 2011 I had met an amazing person Brandon we talked about everything and anything and one day he had asked me how I felt about religion he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his religion is very important to him and apart of his everyday life. I was kind of shocked my response was I don't have one but I had thought about it before and was open. That same month I had reconnected with my ex sister in law who was planning her own wedding and she seemed so happy. She was going to marry a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I began asking her questions about it and was curious.

 Months went by until Brandon brought it up before by this time my former sister in law had already become a member of the church herself and she was the happiest I'd ever seen her. I wanted to know what had made her so happy.  So I began asking both Brandon and my former sister in law questions. On July 5th I had given my phone number to my former sister in law to give to her local missionaries I was ready to sit down and talk to them. A few days had passed and no one had yet to come see me. I was getting impatient so I took it upon myself and went on line and went onto Mormon.org and that's when my life changed forever.  Immediately starting talking to missionaries on line and a few hours he called and I had my first lesson. I was asked if I would go to church the following day and I said I would. Later that night two local missionaries came to see me at my house. They had brought a member with them who had recently converted to the church. I listened to his story about how his life had also changed for the better. At that moment I decided this is what I need and wanted in my life.


The next three weeks would be filled with lesson after lesson. I had two lessons a week with the Mormon.org missionaries over the phone and two lessons a week with my local missionaries I was also attending church every Sunday. I was later asked by the local missionaries if I felt like July 30 I would be ready to be baptized and I felt like I was. So that was the date I worked for. As the date grew closer I was asked if I had anyone in mind that I'd like to baptize me and my first thought was Brandon. By this time we had stopped seeing each other but I knew he wouldn't want to miss being a part of it. 

On July 30, 2011 Brandon and I walked into my stake center and I knew right then my life would be different, as I waited for 7pm to come around people from the church that I had hardly ever spoken to started walking in to show their support as well as my mother who was not very understanding of my decision and my former sister in law, her husband their 6 month old son. I felt good and loved. I couldn't have asked for a better feeling. It was right at 7pm on that night my life was changed and would be different from this day forward. I was baptized by Brandon and the next day I was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by elder Edwards, Elder Siordia and Bishop Cannon. 

It has now been three weeks since my baptism and I can honestly say my life is different and happier. I can now bear my testimony and say I know this church is the true church and Joseph Smith is a true Prophet and Heavenly Father does love me!

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