New person questions!

[Rice]

Hello - I am just getting started with the church and have a few questions.

Until I am a 'real member of the church' - having properly converted, been baptised etc. are there things I cam be doing now?

I am trying to pray and read more frequently and just let Him show me how to become a changed/ better person for it - but what else can I be doing?

I want to emerge myself in it all and feel that if I don't start now - when will it happen.

For example, tea and coffee - should I stop that now, not wait until I am further along?

I know that sounds naive, but it's all new to me!

[Suzie]

Hello - I am just getting started with the church and have a few questions.

Until I am a 'real member of the church' - having properly converted, been baptised etc. are there things I cam be doing now?

I am trying to pray and read more frequently and just let Him show me how to become a changed/ better person for it - but what else can I be doing?

I want to emerge myself in it all and feel that if I don't start now - when will it happen.

For example, tea and coffee - should I stop that now, not wait until I am further along?

I know that sounds naive, but it's all new to me!

You are doing great by praying. :) Your question is not naive at all, if you feel you can start slowing trying to live the Word of Wisdom then by all means, do it. I wish you all the best.

[drham3rd]

Welcome to the forum and to the restored gospel. All I can relate is my own experience; I am married to a LDS member of 33 years so I was able to begin the transition prior to my own baptism by learning about the church from my wife! For example, I started to obey the Word of Wisdom very quickly after making the choice to investigate the church since I was a heavy coffee and tea drinker and I knew I needed to transition away from that! As you take the lessons from the missionaries, they will be able to guide you into what changes you might need to consider prior to baptism! My testimony to you is that joining the church was the 2nd best decision I ever made (the first being marrying my wife :))..

This church has greatly enriched my spiritual journey and answered so many of my questions that had perplexed me most of life as I was a practicing christian and experienced several denominations over the years (I'm 57 btw).

I hope your journey is as rewarding as mine has been.

[The Folk Prophet]

Hello - I am just getting started with the church and have a few questions.

Until I am a 'real member of the church' - having properly converted, been baptised etc. are there things I cam be doing now?

I am trying to pray and read more frequently and just let Him show me how to become a changed/ better person for it - but what else can I be doing?

I want to emerge myself in it all and feel that if I don't start now - when will it happen.

For example, tea and coffee - should I stop that now, not wait until I am further along?

I know that sounds naive, but it's all new to me!

The difference between behavior and justification for behavior comes down to knowledge. If you know better, then a sin is a sin regardless of whether you've been baptized or not. Along the same line, good works are good works regardless of baptism.

So what can/should you do? Pretty much the same thing. Get out and serve your fellow man. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. Do good to them that despitefully use you, etc. Study your scriptures, pray. Stay away from harmful entertainment, etc.

Concerning the tea and coffee thing. The moment you have it in your heart that you probably ought to stop, do it! Why on earth wait? There will never be an easier time to break difficult habits, if that's related. The sooner you kick it, the sooner it's kicked.

Beyond that, the only real differences are minor technicalities. You won't have a specific calling, so it would be pretty weird to just start doing a calling. But that's true for members as well. I can't just walk into bishopric meeting because I want to. I really need to be called into the bishopric first.

But you can attend church and attend activities and get involved and get to know people, love them, serve them, etc. These things will draw you closer to God and help you along your journey toward him. They will also play a role in your conversion.

Finally, if you have a desire for these things, then what have you against being baptized? (Quoting a Book of Mormon verse here. Read Mosiah 18)

Good questions.

[tubaloth]

Until I am a 'real member of the church' - having properly converted, been baptised etc. are there things I can be doing now?

I am trying to pray and read more frequently and just let Him show me how to become a changed/ better person for it - but what else can I be doing?

Reading and praying is good. Keep doing that. I assume you are going to church.

To help in your studies you can read some lessons from the Gospel Principles manual https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles?lang=eng

You might already have a manual.

Read through it. Even take time to look up most of the scriptures they are talking about.

You can also take time to read the Ensign, and Listen/Watch/Read the last General Conference on lds.org.

I don't expect you to do this every day. But one day read through the lesson. Maybe the next day you just look up the scriptires from the lesson, the next day do a search on lds.org for some topic. (they also list a lot). The next day read or listen to a Conference talk.

I want to emerge myself in it all and feel that if I don't start now - when will it happen.

For example, tea and coffee - should I stop that now, not wait until I am further along?

Do you believe in the Word of Wisdom?

https://www.lds.org/topics/word-of-wisdom?lang=eng

If you do, you minus well keep it now!

[Roseslipper]

Hello - I am just getting started with the church and have a few questions.

Until I am a 'real member of the church' - having properly converted, been baptised etc. are there things I cam be doing now?

I am trying to pray and read more frequently and just let Him show me how to become a changed/ better person for it - but what else can I be doing?

I want to emerge myself in it all and feel that if I don't start now - when will it happen.

For example, tea and coffee - should I stop that now, not wait until I am further along?

I know that sounds naive, but it's all new to me!

Hello and welcome;

It's great that your investigating the church!!! Seems to me that you are already doing everything, your praying, reading the scriptures and going to church meetings. I assume you are having the missionaries over and they are giving you lessons. This is an exciting time for you. Don't forget to pray and ask the Lord if what you are learning is true. Keep learning and growing is my advice and mingle with the others in your meeting house(ward). Some times this can be hard because of shyness. If you want to stop drinking the tea and coffee now, sure go ahead with it. It is part of the health law.(can't hurt you) Called the word of wisdom.

Iv'e been a member for almost 35 yrs now. I joined when I was 20 :) Opp's I normallaly don't tell how old I am lol guess I just did. My membership in The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints is my biggest blessing.

When I joined the church I thought everyone was perfect, well their not were on the right path. A path of continued growth. God Bless you on this wonderful , amazing journey.

[bytebear]

The best way to know if it's true is to live it, and see how it affects your life. I would encourage attending church, becoming familiar with the LDS community and start living as you believe God wants you to live. Then the covenant of baptism will be an easy one to make.

[missmollymormon]

One of the best pieces of advice I recieved when I joined was that the gospel is a marathon, not a race! I remember just wanting to immerse myself in it, like yourself. There is nothing inherently wrong with that of course, but it does lead us open to expecting perfection from ourselves. Conversion takes time! Enjoy each moment.

[Dravin]

Hello - I am just getting started with the church and have a few questions.

Until I am a 'real member of the church' - having properly converted, been baptised etc. are there things I cam be doing now?

I am trying to pray and read more frequently and just let Him show me how to become a changed/ better person for it - but what else can I be doing?

I want to emerge myself in it all and feel that if I don't start now - when will it happen.

For example, tea and coffee - should I stop that now, not wait until I am further along?

I know that sounds naive, but it's all new to me!

The more closely you are living gospel principles, or in other terms living more like an ideal member, the less of a transition membership will be. Obviously that's the pragmatic outlook. Spiritually, while some blessings and promises are reserved for those who have made covenants (been baptized in this context) many blessings and promises aren't so reserved. So in other words, you'll benefit spiritually from living gospel principles as best you can according to your knowledge even before you are a member.

For the most part the missionaries are going to invite you to keep gospel principles as they teach them to you, all the better to get the jump on those invitations for both reasons above. Though as MissMollyMormon points out, the gospel is a marathon not a race so while running towards your goal is very much a good thing it isn't required that you run faster than you have strength to do so. So if in a goal to live gospel principles as best you can right now, according to your knowledge, don't get discouraged if you can't achieve the goal instantly (on the flip side don't become complacent).

Edited January 31, 2014 by Dravin