Oct 2007 General Conference: Do You Know?

[Guest Username-Removed]

I loved this talk on his childhood testimony of Joseph Smith. This is the one where he relates the story of him going to temple square and getting "all of the free stuff".

Found here: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5...-690-28,00.html

His childhood was similar to mine, as I would go to business shows and get as many freebies as possible! I love the quote he gives when he says....

"My favorite activity (on temple square) was to collect all the free stuff. I became very adept at working the system. I would ask, "Is this free?" After a positive response I would reach out my 11-year-old hand and say, "Thank you. Is that free too? Thank you!" On occasion someone might say, "No, I'm sorry; those cost five cents." Undeterred, I would lower my head and, showing much disappointment, say, "Oh, I always wanted to read that pamphlet, but I don't have any money....... Thank you!" It worked every time. The truth is, I never read it. I just collected it."

Then he talks about waiting in the car for his family to return. Being alone in his family car and being bored out of his wits, he decides to read a pamplet on Jospeh Smith, one of the free ones he collected. He read it, and the he got his very first testimony, a life changing experience, all alone in the car.

This reminded me of my first testimony, when I was taking the discussions when I was 15. Before that, I was good friends with my nieghbor Mark, we did everything together! We even went to church to play basketball for mutual. Having made many new friends, I too wanted to join the church. Mark's parents worked it out with my parents and we had the missionaries over at my house to give me the discussions. I was eager to join (sound familiar?) but the missionaries said I coudnt be baptised until I had a testimony. That whole next week I studied and studied to no avail. The missionaries were coming back and I knew it and I had no answer. When they arrived for the next discussion, we sat down, and I prepared to tell them the bad news. Then it came. I had never felt the spirit before, and I knew it was true. My parents were right there in the same room, and they didnt feel a thing. I was excited! Here I was, in a room full of people, and heavanly father was speaking to me, and answering my prayers! In a way, I was totally alone in a room full of people, yet I was not alone. Heavanly Father was real!

Of course I joined the church.

As many of you know, many years later I became inactive. However, for several years now I have been very active. The other day in Preisthood, somone asked me to bare my testimony, right out of the blue. Having experienced conference, and being reminded of my childhood testimony, I told that story. It was great to be able to tell it again!

What's your testimony of the church or Joseph Smith?

[Gwen]

i was raised attending the church, baptized at 8yrs. i was a good kid, didn't do all the stuff the "bad kids" were doing. i think my testimony developed over many many yrs. i had three experiences that stand out as major events for the foundation of my testimony as a youth. i've had many many since then, but these three were the catalyst for my being where i am today.

i think i've shared this one before somewhere else. i was sitting in a youth testimony meeting. all the kids seemed to be bearing testimony of answered prayers. i was struggling, didn't feel like i was getting answers to mine at that time. so i sat there rather hurt and cynically asking, why don't i get answers? are they telling the truth or just saying what they've heard the adults say? and other rather non spiritual thoughts. the meeting got out early, i left rather quickly, i didn't want to talk to anyone. i rounded the corner to the hall primary was in, standing there alone, i heard the primary kids sing the words, "heavenly father are you really there, do you hear and answer every child's prayer..." i started to cry. one of the young men came around the corner, my first thought was great, this is the last thing i need. i didn't' want to see or talk to anyone. he came up gave me a hug, said it's gonna be ok, and left me alone. didn't ask questions, just comforted me, and let me be.

the other was at girls camp. i hadn't been following the promptings of the spirit well. i had some fears about talking in front of ppl (or to new ppl in general), and though i wasn't being bad, was kinda doing my own thing, not following what the lord had asked me to do. over the course of time i felt like i had lost the companionship of the holy ghost. i had been praying to get that back, to feel like i once had. i decided i was going to use camp as a time to get away from things and try to commune with heavenly father and regain the companionship of the holy ghost. i was doing just that, but not feeling like i was getting to far, and come the last night we had a campfire testimony meeting. i felt the prompting to share my testimony. between my fear and thinking i didn't have much of a testimony to share i fought that urge. it was so strong that the more i fought it i became physically uncomfortable. i came to the stark realization that the lord was inviting me to follow his spirit, that if i did not, i would not easily regain the companionship of his spirit as i so desired. i did stand, i do not remember what i said, if anything at all that was intelagable past the tears. tears of remorse for my actions as well as fear of the situation. i recall finding a private place after and with tears on my knees saying, "there, i did it, are you happy now" (i can be a bit prideful lol) but i did feel that peace come a, 'yes i'm happy with you', it started me down a new road, i did get what i went there for.

the other was sitting in sunday school, watching a video. there is one where there are these kids that discuss going to a party. it flips back and forth between them and a scene of these same kids fighting in a battle in the woods. the end point was the armor of god, keeping it on, and trying to illustrate what that means between real armor and in spiritual terms. which i think that description makes no since unless you have seen the video. but anyhow, there was one of the teens that i identified with. kinda bothered me, the kid wasn't bad but wasn't dilligant either. as i watched, this kid ended up taking off his breast plate, helmet, and such, but he still had his sword and shield in hand. when the enemy attacked, he fought but was ultimately killed. that hit me hard, since i had identified with him. lol as i thought about it. the inspired thoughts came to me that i was that person. though i didn't do "bad" things, didn't go to bad places, didn't partake in such activities, i had my sword and shield in hand, i was putting up a good fight. but i was not reading my scriptures, saying regular prayers, doing the personal things i needed to be wearing my defensive armor, the things that protect my being. if i continued on that road, while i may fight a good fight, i would loose, i would die, i could not complete my mission in life like that. i needed to make some changes, i needed all my armor.

so that's mine, and i'm glad i shared, lol i guess today is a day of reminders for me, i needed to remember those events. thank you for starting this topic.

[Maureen]

Do you have access to a time machine?

M.

[Guest Username-Removed]

ALmom,

Isn't it great to share them! This has got me thinking about all the times I've bore my testimony, and the times its been strengthened.

There were, of course, many times I bore my testimony and seen peoples lives changed. One story that comes to mind ....

We were tracting in Western Austrailia on my mission, and knocked on the door of one house. The home owner came the the door and was clearly upset with the missionaries in general. He yelled, swore, and told us we didnt know what we were talking about. I began to think that I should bare my testimony of what I did know, The thought came to mind about my testimony of Jesus Christ. I then told the man, that Im sorry that the previous missionaries had offended him. I told him we did not want to offend. I asked him if I could share with him my feelings of Jesus Christ, he said yes. So right there in the heat of the afternoon sun, on the doorstep of this man's house in Western Australia, I told him that I knew that Christ Lives, I told him he was the Son of God, and that he had taken my sins away. I saw a tear in his eye, and I said, you too believe in Jesus Christ, he said yes.

What a joy to be able to share what we know! Sometimes there are those that dont want to hear what we know, or want us to share what we know. However, I believe we have much more in common than not.

That man at the door step, he knows that I know the church is true. He simply wasnt ready at the time to believe yet. We will wait for him and others like him.

[a-train]

To make it short, I had an Alma-the-Younger style conversion around my 17th birthday. I was a rotten kid with rotten friends headed for trouble. I had the spirit of the LORD hit me hard. The scriptures seemed to consume me. I couldn't stop reading them. I prayed constantly. I cut myself off from all evil influences. I would go days without any ceasing of the burning in the bosom. The Holy Ghost was poured out on me and I found myself saying things in my mind that I never knew and understanding things that I never had heard.

Then, I read the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I read his talks, his letters. I read the Church history volumes. Much of what the LORD was saying to me had been said to Joseph. Now, 14 years later, I still feel the LORD's Spirit in my bosom when I read Joseph's words. He was and is the prophet of this Dispensation. And how great the knowledge and mysteries that God saw fit to dispense!

I can say that my testimony of Christ has come by the Holy Ghost, my testimony of the Scriptures has come by the Holy Ghost, and my testimony of the restoration and of Joseph Smith as a prophet has come by the Holy Ghost.

I place full faith in God that if I or any man will trust personal revelation over all other influences, that man will come to more knowledge, happiness, and freedom than by any other means. For if we continue in His word, we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free. (John 8:31-32)

-a-train