My testimony

So let me explain something about this blog.  I grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However for several years I strayed and made choices that pushed me farther away from the church.  This past summer I finally got back.  Now I want to share the gospel with everyone around me, however I don't have a whole lot of people I can share it with and those few I've already started on introducing them to the church.  So I deleted all my posts on this blog so that I can share some background information, my journey, my testimony, and that maybe people will click on this and want to learn more.

So this post I just wanna post some information from www.mormon.org about our church and then my testimony.



"Christ told his followers during his brief but powerful ministry on earth. It was a timely and needed message since a few hundred years before His birth many people had stopped living according to God’s commandments. Christ brought light back into the world when He proclaimed His gospel just as he had with the prophets of old like Abraham, Isaac, and Moses. He chose twelve men to be His apostles—including Peter, James and John—and laid His hands on their heads to give them authority called the priesthood to perform baptisms, govern His church, and spread His word throughout the world.

In spite of His great influence and many miracles, He was ultimately rejected and crucified. After his death, His brave and faithful apostles carried on without Him, baptizing new members, and starting various congregations.

The Great Falling Away

Regardless of the valiant efforts of Christ’s apostles and their faithful followers, the original church that Christ restored began to fade away. Members faced severe persecution and all but one of the apostles were martyred. The apostolic authority to bestow priesthood keys and to receive revelation for the Church was lost along with many precious teachings. Errors about His teachings crept into the church resulting in conflicting opinions and lost truths. This period is what we call the Great Apostasy. 
Not surprisingly, many new churches sprung up to fill the void, all with conflicting opinions on even the most basic teachings of the gospel. And without priesthood authority or the full gospel, people had to rely on human wisdom to interpret the scriptures, principles and ordinances. A lot of false ideas were taught as truth, and much of what we know about the true character and nature of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost was lost.  Essential doctrines like faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost became distorted and important doctrines were lost entirely.
Centuries later, inspired people, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, recognized that practices and doctrines had been changed or lost and tried to reform the churches to which they belonged.  But without the authority of and direct connection with the apostles to the Lord Jesus Christ, His gospel and Church couldn’t be returned to their original form.

God Restored Christ’s Church through Joseph Smith

If the boy next door told you he was called by God to restore His true church on earth, would you believe him? Probably not. Neither did many people believe their neighbor, Jesus Christ the carpenter, was the Messiah. After centuries of spiritual darkness following Christ’s crucifixion, people were again in desperate need of His original truths. And when God selected a 14-year-old boy in 1820 as His messenger, most people refused to listen. Joseph Smith lived in the United States, which was perhaps the only country to enjoy religious freedom at the time. His family was deeply religious and constantly sought the truth.
Joseph had to decide which of the many Christian denominations to join. After careful study, Joseph Smith still felt confused as to which Christian church he should join. He later wrote, “So great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was . . . to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong . . . In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?” (Joseph Smith—History 1:8, 10).

He turned to the Bible for guidance.  He read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, —that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). With simple faith he decided to do just that. In the spring of 1820 he went to a nearby grove of trees and knelt in prayer. He described his 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). In his vision God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared. The Savior told Joseph not to join any of the churches. Although a lot of good people at that time believed in Christ and tried to understand and teach His gospel, they didn’t have the fullness of truth or the priesthood authority to baptize and perform other saving ordinances. This vision marked the beginning of the Restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church to the earth, which God authorized to be established 10 years later by a wiser, heaven-tutored Joseph Smith, once again allowing everyone to receive the joy and blessings that come from living it.

Authority to Lead His Church Restored

What does having priesthood authority really mean? Some mistakenly think it gives you the power to tell other people what to do. What it actually means is that a person can act in God’s name in behalf of His church—like when we give someone power of attorney so they can act in our behalf.
Prior to the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith received priesthood authority at the hands of John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John. The prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, is the authorized successor to Joseph Smith. He and the Church’s other Apostles trace their priesthood authority back to Jesus Christ in an unbroken chain of ordinations through Joseph Smith.

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon verifies that Jesus Christ lived on earth and still lives today as our divine Savior. It’s a second witness affirming the existence of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Bible. The story of how it came to be is as miraculous as the other incidents surrounding the restoration of the Church.
In 1823 Joseph Smith was visited by a heavenly messenger named Moroni just as angels often appeared to Apostles in the New Testament. Moroni told Joseph about a record of the ancient inhabitants of the American continent that was buried in a nearby hill. He said it contained the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Joseph Smith—History 1:27–34) and was written on thin plates of gold. Joseph translated the book into English. The book was named the Book of Mormon after Mormon, the ancient prophet who compiled it.

Translated and written in the same scriptural style as the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon tells us about the struggles of the righteous people of that time who were trying to live God’s commandments. Just as sometimes happens today, they were often made fun of and persecuted for their beliefs. A particularly inspiring and beloved section of the book recounts Christ’s visit to the American continent soon after His resurrection. He invited the people to feel the wound marks in his hands, feet and sides. He blessed and healed them, performed miracles, and gave twelve men the same authority as His apostles whose works are recorded in the Bible. The effect of His visit was so profound that for the next 200 years the people lived in peace.


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If you had asked me several years ago how I felt about the church, I would have said I hated it.  I didn't want to have anything to do with anyone.  I didn't believe in anything, and my depression made things even more difficult.  Several things happened this summer and I received some insane answers to my prayers and I made it back to the church and I am so incredibly grateful for everything the Lord has done to help me get to that point.  I love the Lord so much and I know that He came to earth to die for our sins.  I know that Heavenly Father knows us and loves us.  I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that this church and that The Book of Mormon is 100% true.  I'm so grateful for the church and everything it is and even though things are difficult a lot of the times, I am not letting my testimony fall away again.