Testimony Tuesday- Dallas' Story

To start out, like many testimonies do, I’d like to bare my testimony that I have faith that this church is the true church. Growing up, I was never really part of a church. My parents would take us to a Lutheran church on Christmas Eve and Easter, but that was really the extent of it. When I was in middle school I started going to one of the “come as you are” Christian churches with some friends from school and just started learning what I could. Then I started high school and things just went downhill I wasn’t part of the church really anymore and I had no motivation from my mom and step dad (who after my sophomore year got divorced, that was hard) to be moral and make decisions that would better myself in the afterlife.
 Everything was based off of “what will help you get your higher education and support yourself in the future?” It was extremely easy to fall under sin in my house, and so everyone did. I knew a lot of LDS kids from school, but just was never interested in learning about it.

Testimony Tuesday- Aly's a new member!

Aly got baptized on the 27th of February 2011. Here is her testimony only 2 days later!

Testimony Tuesday- Olivia's Story

I am 18 years old. For 18 years and 8 months I attended my parents’ church. We went every Sunday and often had family bible studies. Being close to the Lord was (and still is) very important to my mother and she did well instilling this love in me.

When I was about 14 I started to neglect my relationship with God. I made it a chore to read scriptures and pray and over the years quit altogether. Of course I was still going to church and all, but honestly I was just doing what I was supposed to do, going through motions. There were times I attempted to rebuild my relationship but over and over I failed. This had somewhat of an effect on my high school years. But, I know that God was still watching over me and directing my paths, because after a terrible freshman year, I changed schools and made friends. There are three friends in particular that stand out because they have been a great support in my life and all play a big role in how I have come lay the foundations to build my testimony.

Testimony Tuesday- Megan's Story

Here is a little background on my history: All of my life, I grew up in a fairly secular home. I had attended a few protestant churches here and there, but I was never affiliated with one in particular. As I entered into high school, my parents were both remarried to religious people. Through my dad and stepmother, I was learning Jewish tradition. My mother converted to Catholicism after marrying my stepfather, so I had a couple major religions in my life to learn from. Although there were true aspects in both religions, I did not feel like I could commit to one or the other. Neither of them seemed complete to me.

Testimony Tuesday- Sacred Sunday Ordinances

This week, as with every week in church, I had the opportunity to participate in the ordinance of the Sacrament. Ordinances are just ceremonies where we make covenants, or promises, with God. The ordinance of the Sacrament is one that is performed weekly in the LDS Church and is a renewal of the covenants that members make at baptism to stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ and always remember Him. As we make this promise to God, He promises us a remission of our sins as well as the continuing presence and gift of the Holy Ghost.

As I sat in church pondering about the significance of the Sacrament the Holy Ghost confirmed to me once again that it is truly a necessarily and beautiful ordinance that is carried out under Priesthood authority and by Priesthood power. I know that it really is a renewal of our baptismal covenants. With it we can feel clean and pure every week just as we did when we were baptized. I invite all to prepare themselves to make those commitments where they could be baptized, so that they can enjoy all the blessings that God would have for them.

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Testimony Tuesday- Slow and steady...

Recently Elder Baird and I have taken up running as part of our daily exercise. Since we don't get much physical activity during most of our day we have the chance to spend time at the end of the day doing something active. Anybody who has been to our part of Provo, Utah knows that we live on the side of a mountain. It doesn't really matter the direction we go when we run because we are inevitably going to run into a hill at some point along the way. The first few times we ran, those hills terrified and discouraged me. I was not a good runner at first. This was not because I was unhealthy or out of shape, but because I did not think positively about the path ahead of me. I would think to myself, "How am I ever going to make it up that last large hill?? I've already run for several miles, and I am tired!" Always, this pattern of thought was crippling once I did reach that hill.

Testimony Tuesday- A prophet of God

I had the opportunity last weekend to be part of an MTC Choir that sang in the Priesthood Session of General Conference. It was a really special experience for me, and probably something I won't get the chance to do many more times in my life. The sweetest part of that trip though was the chance I had to hear President Thomas S. Monson speak. I can tell you that watching him on TV is a great experience, and that you can feel the Spirit as you watch. But there is also something special and powerful about seeing him in person. I testify that He is a prophet. He is the 16th prophet since the reorganization of Christ's Church to the earth in 1830. Find out for yourself! :) Go watch him speak. Pray about it. I know he is a prophet. You can know it too. Just in case you can't find one of his conference addresses for yourself, here is the one from Priesthood Session that impressed me. :)

Scripture Sunday- Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

This weekend was a very special weekend for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the weekend when we have our semi-annual General Conference. The time when the entire worldwide church is able to come together to be instructed and uplifted by Prophets and Apostles; Special witnesses of Jesus Christ that convey to all of us those things that our Heavenly Father wants us to know.

In Amos chapter 3, verse 7 it reads, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." When we listen to General Conference we are able to better understand the counsel and advice that God would have us know at this specific time.

It has been confirmed again to me today that there is a living prophet on the earth today. His name is Thomas S. Monson. He stands as the leader of this church, under the direction of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I promise that as we follow the counsel that he gives we will have a pure joy in this life. We will be able to follow the commandments that God would have us follow, and we can one day return to live with our Heavenly Father again. For anyone who missed any session of Conference, I would urge you to watch it, and to be open to the Holy Spirit as it speaks to your heart and mind about the truthfulness of the doctrines that were shared. Here is a link: http://lds.org/broadcast/gc/1,5161,9199,00.html

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Testimony Tuesday- My belief in the Book of Mormon

The last few weeks I've cheated and shared the testimonies of others... But I figured it would be a good thing to share my own testimony of something that I know to be true; Namely the Book of Mormon.

I know that it is the Word of God. That it testifies that Jesus is the Christ. It is a companion to the Bible. They support and uphold one another and they contain the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is physical, tangible evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Matthew 7: 16-20 helps us understand that it is one of the fruits of Joseph Smith. One of the many testimonies that verifies him to be a prophet. I know that as we read the Book of Mormon, and honestly seek to have answers from God that it is true, that we will come to know that it is true. I know that, as Joseph Smith said, "...[The Book of Mormon] is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." 

God lives. He loves us. And because He loves us He has given us many things to help us in our lives to be able to return to live with Him again. One of those things is the Book of Mormon. Of this I testify, in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Testimony Tuesday- Let the choir do the talking

So for my first testimony Tuesday, I figured I would incorporate someone else's testimony instead of my own. This is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Along with being THE choir inside the church they are also world renowned and considered by many professional musicians to be in a league all their own.



For an in depth view of one of the members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Click here.