I was first introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints through my life-long friend Hannah and her family. They were my next door neighbors when I was two and stayed there till I was 16. When my parents got divorced and my home stopped feeling like a home, I went to theirs and things where better. As long as I have had memories they were there, and still are.
Periodically throughout my childhood I would go to church with Hannah. I liked Sunday school because the teacher was fun and that long quiet meeting wasn't so awful, at least they had songs. But Primary, Primary was awful. Everytime they would ask who was a visitor and then they would sing to you. I know it doesn't sound that bad, but I was a shy kid. I was comfortable being invisible- want me to feel welcome? treat me the same as everyone else. Besides, how many times does a kid have to show up before they stop being a visitor? I vote once. After being sung to one time too many, I told Hannah to let me know when she get's into Young Women's, I'm out.
A few years later it was time for Young Women's. And Girls Camp. And Mutual. Yes, I could get used to Young Women's, and I did. (It helped that they never singled me out and sung at me.) There I made a few more friends and by the time I got to High School, they were my best friends. Hannah and I went to different High schools for the first 3 years so I had to branch out a bit anyways.
Also when high school started I began going to seminary, to learn more I guess. If you were to ask me then why, as a non-member, I still woke up for early morning seminary I would have shrugged and said something like, "I dunno, cuz I want to." Now looking back I can tell you that it was because starting everyday learning about the gospel just felt right.
By the time my Sophomore year was wrapping up I realized that I was no longer just going to church and seminary and mutual because that's where my friends where, I was going because this was the true church. I'll say that again, THE true church; not just a true church but the one and only. I also realized that now, with the infinite wisdom that come with being 16 years old, I had a decent chance of talking my dad into letting me get baptized, after all I had been "investigating" for over a decade.
I went over to Hannah's, which was now across town instead of across the yard, and started taking the missionary discussions from Elder Hulse and Elder Kunz. We made it through one, maybe two discussions before they called their mission president and told him I could probably teach them the discussions and to ask if it was OK to baptize me without finishing them. Sure enough, I was baptized in a white dress on April 7th 2007. Later I would go through the temple and be sealed to my husband for eternity wearing that same white dress.
So that's it; that's how I was baptized. But that's not the end of my conversion story. No one's conversion is finished when they come up from the water. Conversion is coming to know Christ. I know Him better now than I ever have, but not nearly as well as I mean to. It's a process that will take me the rest of my life, and I look forward to it.
p.s. you should watch this.
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