With this post I have finished the family capstone assignment for my religion class. In English we were assigned to write a personal essay on an event that had changed our life. I chose to write about my conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It all started with seeing the families at church and wanting for myself what they had.
Families are the most important unit in society, and they are being ripped apart by Satan and worldly influence. I pray that the post I have included in my blog stand as a witness to defend and strengthen the family. I decided that I will continue to post about family and The Family Proclamation going forward in some of my post. Just because my project is over doesn't mean I should stop sharing. I've learned a lot, and I am a better wife, mother, grandmother, and individual because of it.
The Phone Call That Changed My Life
The
other day I heard my grandson tell my son, “I’m glad I picked you.” If that is
the case, and I believe it very well may be, then why did I pick my parents? My mom had three divorces and eight children
before she married my dad. He had had one divorce before they married. Then, throw
in an alcohol addiction to spice up the family dynamics and you have the family
I chose to come to.
Four years before I was born my mother joined
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That was the best choice she
made for me. I don’t recall her talking of having a responsibility in the
church, or how active she was. I do know that as a two month old infant she
dressed me in a gorgeous billowing lacey white dress for a baby’s priesthood
blessing. In that blessing I received my
name, and a blessing for my life, by a man with authority from God. I believe that
receiving the baby blessing impacted my life fourteen years later.
Life, work, raising kids, another
divorce (which was from my dad) and not living the gospel played havoc on her.
She stopped having anything to do with the church. Was her decision a conscious
one? Or did she slowly slip away? Her
choice affected me. I was but a child. A child usually does not have the
opportunity to choose where to go to church, or to be taught of God. But, there
is deep inside a child, an inner knowledge that is dormant until awakened by
the Spirit of God. The knowledge that Heavenly Father loves him or her, and that
His gospel is there for them to choose the path back to Him.
I remember being about eight years old
and being invited to the children’s class at church (Primary). My mother never took me. After school I was
picked up by a teacher in
Primary.
I would go for a while, but as I think about it now, I imagine the teacher was
released and the new one failed to keep me going. I don’t hold any animosity or
regret towards the unknown teachers. It was probably for the best I slipped
through the crack of the church’s missionary effort. If I had been baptized as
a child, I wouldn’t have understood the importance of the ordinance being
performed. I was not taught, and I only went because I was invited. I had fun
there, and it got me away from home for a while. When I went I remember feeling
something virtuous, but not knowing what it was.
I stopped going completely around the
age of ten years old. I was busy with school and Girl Scouts. My mother helped
often with my Girl Scout activities. I don’t recall my mother ever reading to
me, cozily tucking me in bed, hugging me, or kissing me goodnight, but I do
remember her helping me earn my badges in Girls Scouts. When I went into junior
high I quit Girl Scouts. I felt it wasn’t ‘cool’ anymore. I did not want to be
made fun of wearing the uniform to school. School and reading became my escape.
My escape was soon to become much
better. It was early summer before my ninth grade, I was outside trying to cool
off from the sweltering heat, when I was called into the house for a phone
call. A girl my age, who I didn’t know, was calling me. “Hello”, I said. Then I
heard the words inviting me to go to an activity of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints for 14 year old girls. I surprised myself by saying I
would go. To this day I do not remember what we did, but I do remember feeling
like I belonged, and I wanted that very much. I must have been told what time
church was on Sunday because I found myself getting ready to attend Sacrament
meeting. I asked my mom to take me. I
was so nervous I almost didn’t go. I didn’t know anyone but the girls I saw at
the activity I had gone to. They were nice, but we were not friends. When I
thought of not going I felt the tugging of the Spirit urging me to go. I believe
that the Priesthood blessing I was given as a baby was coming to fruition. I’m
positive I was blessed to be active in the church, and to be married in the
temple. Neither was a possibility until I walked nervously, shaking in my shoes,
into the chapel on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I sat on the back pew alone, I
listened, and I felt the feeling that I had felt before. The feeling of
goodness, and of being where I belonged. I looked around the chapel and saw
mothers, fathers, and children sitting together as families. I love my parents
and I am glad I came to this family, but I do not recall a time when I sat with
my mother and father as a family. I decided that I wanted the kind of family
that goes to church together, that prays together, and most importantly of all,
stays together.
I went to the activities, and I attended
church for several months. I also began the seminary program for teenagers. Not
one soul asked me if I wanted to take the missionary lessons, or to be
baptized. I decided while I was at the
church one day to talk to the bishop about being baptized. He immediately began
the process so I could. I found out later that he left out an important detail,
the missionary discussions. I did not know anything about the gospel, I only
knew what I felt inside my heart. I wanted a family that loved, laughed, played,
learned, worked, and worshiped together. I was baptized in the fall of my
freshman year. I remember my mom taking me to the church, getting dressed in a
crisp white jumper, and sitting on a chair feeling giant in a row with the
eight year old children, while waiting my turn. As I attended church and learned
the teachings of Heavenly Father, I gained a testimony of the gospel. I was excited
to learn that the family I greatly desired, could be a family that is together
not only in this life, but for the eternities to come.
I did get the forever family I desired. I
married a good man in the Manti Temple, we have been together for almost
thirty-eight years, and have the greatest posterity. As my husband and I toast our sparkling juice
on our anniversary this fall we will say, “Thirty-eight down and an eternity to
go. Love you babe.”
Family Easter Picture, 1991, taken at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's
The next comment I added on July 21, 2016 after I received my grade on this assignment from my teacher. I received a 100%!!!!! Yep, I am excited. the following is what she had to say.
Linda,
Your writing has come so far this semester. Keep it up. I love what I'm seeing. I can relate to so much of your essay. My experiences with the Church are very similar to yours.
Good work relaying a personal experience here. I really like the vulnerability that you showed, and the details that you shared. It is not easy to share personal details, but you did it well here. Also, you were able to make the theme of your paper clear and powerful. Great work!
Great work using specific examples and details here instead of just telling the reader everything. The descriptions that you used are powerful. Good work showing us how it felt to be there.
I like the way that you organized this essay. The order that you put the events in makes sense, and I like the way that you relate the story. Good work using transitions to unify your story and transition from one time to another time.
Your formatting and length are great here. Good work editing and proofreading so that your essay is clean and professional. I’m glad to see that you’re applying the grammatical and mechanical skills that we’ve worked on in this course.
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