4.15.2012

Testimonies From Around The World.. (part one)

Okay.. I'm going through this very spiritual stage of my life right now.. as you can probably tell since I've been posting a lot about being a member of the LDS faith and what not.  Anywho, one day I was sitting and an idea came to my head.. I should do a blog post titled 'testimonies from around the world' I got really excited about this post.. it has been my 'special' post that I have been working on for awhile now... I will be doing this post in different parts because I have received many testimonies. I will post 5 to 7 at a time. Please be respectful to me and the others that have so willingly shared their testimonies with myself and others. If you don't have anything nice to say, THEN PLEASE DON'T READ THIS.. or DO AND JUST DON'T COMMENT. You DO NOT have to read this, but I would love for you to. Just when you do please be respectful. If you'd like to be a part of this and share your testimony please email me at chelsey-15@hotmail.com with your testimony, age and where you are from. 
Thanks so much and again, please enjoy.. but be respectful. 

Chelsey
Age: 20
From: Utah
I have honestly struggled with my testimony... not knowing what a testimony really is, or if I even had one. When I was 14 I received my patriarchal blessing and it changed my whole life. It helped me to gain my testimony and my love for the church. That is the moment I found out that I did have a testimony and I did know what testimonies really were. I love this church, I believe in it. I love the prophet with all my heart, I know he is the true prophet. I am blessed that I was sealed to my family for all time and eternity. That my parents made that choice to keep us all together. I love my family dearly and I know the Lord has blessed me with them. I am thankful for all the trials I have faced and over com-med. I am thankful for the lessons they have taught me. I am thankful that I have a Savoir a best friend that is always there for me, that was willing to die for me and everyone so that we could all be happy again one day. I am glad I was born into this church. I know that the Book Of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith a fourteen year old boy at the time was the chosen one. That he had a kind and loving heart. That he was a true prophet. I am comforted with the knowledge that i'll be able to live with my loved ones once again. I am thankful for the beauty that surrounds me, for someone who was amazing enough to create such a beautiful place for us to live on. I know that God loves us because of what he has given each and every one of us. I know he is always there for us. That he's just a prayer away. I am thankful for prayer. It has helped me many, many times in my life. I want to express once again how much I love this church and my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for him and for Jesus and the love they have truly shown me. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen. 
  
Sabrina
Age: 19
From: Washington State
I may not be the best member of my church but I have beliefs just like everyone else. I belong to The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter Day Saints and I'm proud. I don't always follow the rules, or listen to what I'm taught but the church will always be in my life. I am thankful for being raised in the gospel.
I am thankful for loving parents and a great family. I believe in heaven and in life after death. Why else would be given this great life for it to be over so soon. I believe we will see those that have passed on and can learn from them. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe in God and in the father and holy ghost. I believe that families can be together for ever. I believe that prayers are a way to talking to our Heavenly Father. I don't believe there is one set way to pray, by all means I've writen God a few letters and emails too. I believe in the power of the priesthood and am so lucky to have it in the home. I believe in angels who protect us here on Earth. I believe in the blessings that we can receive. I believe that my best friend is sharing two years of his life to spread the gospel he wouldn't do that if it wasn't true. I believe that God can heal a broken heart as he has healed mine. President Gordon B. Hinkley was my favorite and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. 

Elizabeth
Age: 19
From: Utah
I bear witness that this church is true. I know this because I have felt my own personal witness of its truth. I am grateful that I live in a gospel where I can ask and 
find out for myself through the power of the Holy Ghost. I know that Joseph Smith 
was called of God to restore the true church to this earth at that time. I have been 
blessed with the opportunity to come into this world at a time where temples are 
abundant on the earth, the gospel is restored and going forth full force, and 
freedoms are available to me in this wonderful choice land.
I know that the Savior loves me and hears my prayers. I know that He answers our prayers, and that He will help you if you ask for it with a sincere heart, fully believing that He will help and guide you. I know that He lives and that He will come again. I know that the trials with which we are faced are blessings that help us to grow if we will let them, and that the Savior will never give us a burden too difficult for us to carry alone. Support, love, and help are available to us from both sides of the veil to help us get through anything that we may face.
I know that the Savior is our Redeemer. He atoned for us that we may return to our Father in Heaven, be resurrected, and have eternal families, something we could not have done on our own. He loves and knows us personally, and it is for us personally that He Atoned for us. I know that families are forever, and that the sealing ordinances of the temple allow for us to be married forever so that we will not be separated at death. I have felt a witness of these things and bear testimony of them in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Andrew
Age: 22
From: Utah
So i'm finding it very hard to write a testimony down, as I feel somewhat like Nephi (or is it Moroni) when they said they felt weak in writing as compared to speaking because the Holy Ghost is able to carry spoken words to the hearers. I don't really know what to say to best express my feelings of the gospel until the moment that I start to share it, and I usually just say what comes to mind, yet in writing I don't feel like I don't have the ability to do that (partially because of the delete key) and so I struggle a bit. Sorry.
I guess I'll just start with I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. It's hard to say when I fully understood what that meant, and also when I first realized that it was true, because the knowledge of the truthfulness of the book has been with me for as long as I can remember. Some of the implications of that book being the Word of God didn't come to me until I was on my mission, and I'm sure there will be some future implications down the road, but regardless of what they are, I know that I can face them with the Knowledge that God is in the Book of Mormon.
The first implication of the Book of Mormon being true is the testimony of Joseph Smith. God can use the ungodly to bring about his purposes (just look at the many times the Nephites were brought to repentance by the Lamanites) but he prefers to use those that He can trust to do what He wants, when He wants, and how He wants it done. In the case of the Book of Mormon, accepting that it's the word of God is accepting that it was brought forth by the power of God, and by someone who had Gods approval to do so. There simply is no way to accept the Book of Mormon without accepting the Prophet Joseph Smith as someone who spoke with and received revelation from God.
This then implies that the church the Joseph established by the authority of God is the church that God wanted to be on the earth, or God's church. It's interesting to think that God has a church on the earth today, particularly when so many people claim that it doesn't really matter what church you go to, as long as you believe in Christ you are fine. But God making a church tells us something about God. He cares what church you belong to. It's not just a matter of preference for Him. What we do really matters. If we are paying tithing or attending meetings, how we are baptized, etc, they all count, and God actually cares.
And perhaps that's an interesting concept to think about as well. God cares. We don't really know how much he cares. We use reference points to try to explain how much he cares (He does too actually) such as Father, Shepard, Bridegroom, Friend, Healer, Maker, Caretaker, but these are all earthy references, and they all really fall short of how much he really cares. Consider for a moment, the amount of pain that you would feel if you were nailed to a cross. Now imagine doing that for someone else. And then think about the fact that the cross, wasn't really where Christ felt the most pain. He didn't ask His Father to take away his cup then, He asked Him to take away His pain in the Garden. That is where Christ really suffered for us. And He did it willingly. Why? Because he cares. It's amazing how much He cares.
And what does the caring really give us? That's a hard question to answer. You see for me it's a sense of self-worth (which people can get other ways) a knowledge that I am never alone and Peace even through the hard stuff. But others may describe it as something else. Ultimately it's about what you need. And that's the interesting part about faith in Christ. He really does give what you need most (but not what you think you need most) in life. Exactly what you need. And He does it because He loves you. He really doesn't have any alternate motivations. He doesn't need your money, He doesn't need your time, He doesn't need your prayers. You do. You need to give up your money, you need to share your time, and You need your prayers more than you'd ever really know.
there is much more that I know and love, and much that I don't. In fact one of the things that I often say is that I don't know everything, but I do know one thing, and that is that God loves his children. I know He lives and loves each of us, and wants us to be happy. Not the fake happiness that the world talks about, but the really lasting happiness that really matters.

Katie
Age: 26
From: Utah
I had been an angry person for a long time. By the end of high school, I had determined that God must not exist, because how could He have allowed such terrible things to happen to me? My mom had been terminally ill my whole life, and she had died when I was 14. Due to her illness and medical bills, my family had been destitute – we lived off food anonymously left on our doorstep and clothing donated in the same fashion. When my mom died, part of my dad did too. He checked out mentally. And as a young teenager, I was pretty well left to find my own way. I was hurt. I was angry. I was alone. And I was an atheist. 
But then, in a moment, everything changed. No, I did not see an angel or hear a voice from heaven. I was driving across the Nevada desert, trying to figure out what I would do after graduation, when suddenly, a feeling came into my heart and a voice into my mind, witnessing that God lived, and loved me. I was shocked. Suddenly, the past years began to replay through my mind, highlighting where and how my Heavenly Father had reached out to me. I sobbed as I realized that for years I had been blinded by my pain and anger and had failed to see that the Lord had never left my side.
That one moment set me on a completely different path; my entire perspective was changed. For once, my eyes were opened and I began to see the hand of the Lord in everyday. I began to study the scriptures with the intent to understand how God communicates with his children. I began to actively engage in church. And as I did so, the anger faded and the hurt healed.
In time, I was called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the California Ventura Mission. It proved to be one of the most challenging, yet positively poignant experiences of my life – I felt as though the Lord had pulled me out of my context and placed me in a culture I knew so well, where I could observe where my choices and attitudes would lead. It was as though I was enrolled in “spiritual boot camp.” As I struggled before the Lord daily, I slowly came to comprehend my relationship with him, and the inherent divinity of being a daughter of God.
I have carried that conviction with me now for some years, and have been immensely blessed by it. I often feel like the prophet Nephi, who when asked by an angel if he understood the condescension of God, responded, “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” There is so much I do not know. But I am not overwhelmed by that, because I know that God loves His children. God loves me. And he always acts in accordance to that love.
I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living Church here upon the earth. I know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, restored it to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Christ came into this world to atone for the sins of mankind, and it is through Him and Him alone that we can be made clean. How infinitely grateful I am for this knowledge! I am so grateful that the Lord has provided a way that each of us can know the truth of His word – that we can study the Bible and The Book of Mormon and pray to know the truth.
I know the Lord will answer. For, “I know that He loveth His Children.”

Tyler
Age: 20
From: New Jersey
Jesus Christ has offered himself for our sins and broke the bands of death. He has made it possible to live with our families forever with him and our Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have of the Plan of Salvation and what he has done for me. Early on in my misssion my cousin passed away at the age of 9. She was born disabled. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that after the resurrection I will be able to see her again all thanks to the atonement. A few months ago on my mission I got hit in the face a few times as some kids tried to beat me up. I was so scared but I was able to feel of the love that my Savior has for me and even for those kids. I know that he loves each one of us as his brothers and sisters and I know that we are never alone and that no matter what we are going through in our life Christ has felt it and if we turn to him we can gain the strength and help we need to move forward. His hands are stretched out. He his just waiting for us to come seeking. I will continue to stand as a witness for him that he lives and that he loves each one of us and has given us a way home.

James
Age: 20
From: Africa
I know that this is gods one true church i testify that our father in heaven lives and loves each and everyone of us. he is in control he will guide our paths i testify to the divinity of jesus christ he is gods almighty son he did for us what we could not do for ourselves. i know he did it out of love and because he did we are going to be blessed. i know that he lives and because he lives we to shall live all of us. i know that joseph smith was and is and forever will be a prophet that god did introduce his well beloved son to the boy to bless our lives. i know the book of mormon is true. i have seen it change lives including my own it has been a great tool to me such a blessing. as my grandfather told me before i left. when times get tough and they will remember your testimony get on your knees and talk to your father in heaven and he will direct your paths. i have had mine guided they still are guided in all aspects. i know he lives i know families will be together forever i cant wait to start my own. i leave these things in the name of my lord and savior jesus christ amen.

1 comment: