At an early age, I desired to serve the Lord and learn of Him. My mother, who was a very devout Baptist, instilled my young heart with goodly values, and love for God. I came to love singing hymns and grew a lasting passion to read books with religious subjects, especially theological ones. As years passed and the more I learned about the church and its teachings, I find a lot of dissatisfaction and confusion. I came to a point in my life during my college days that I don’t feel God in my life anymore, and that my prayers seems bouncing on a wall. I tried to fill this void in my heart and tirelessly I started asking several of my church leaders all the questions that bothers me. I buried myself into more books, and went searching from one religion to another. The more I search, the greater the void in my heart grew. Something was just really missing!
When I was married, I and my wife shared this frustration together and in our hearts we fostered apathy for God. We embraced atheism, and the diversity in many churches’ creeds made our testimony for atheism stronger by the day, but the void remained.
Several years passed, I joined a business and there I met a friend who happens to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. I started a talk about his church, just wanting to find a common ground to start a conversation. Little did I know that God was using him to reach out to me. He started answering some misconceptions I had with his church, and in his simple answers, the power of His Gospel was made manifest. His testimony made echoes in the voids of my heart. I went home that evening with a burning desire to know more. I contacted an old officemate whom I know is a member of the same church as my friend, and I told him of the experience I had. He then asked me if he could send some missionaries at my place to help me learn more and have my questions answered, I heartily agreed.
The missionaries came and presented to me the sweet gospel of the Church being restored. I learned about this great apostasy that caused my heart to find no answers in today’s many churches. Those were the days I will never forget. The simplicity and the truthfulness of the restored gospel, like a “two-edged sword” pierced through my soul. The missionaries encouraged me to come to God in prayer and asked him to confirm if these things are true, and so I did. A calming assurance and a burning excitement is what rushed through body since that day. Oh, the Lord is wise in His ways, and merciful to the heavy laden! It is great blessing that my wife is now learning of this Gospel, and my prayer is that all of our families get sealed in the temple for all eternity!
