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Former Baptist Church Member
"He Guided Me To The Right Place"
By Jennifer Kirkland
My name is Jennifer Kirkland I am 24 and live in
Memphis, TN, I have been a proud Latter-day Saint (LDS) for a year now. I grew up going
to a Baptist Church with my grandmother and aunt. When I was 19 I
lived in Mississippi with my grandparents, I wasn't very active in
church then.
I eventually met a guy who was LDS and we began to
date, I didn't know much about his religion. But every time I'd go
over his house his parents would have the missionaries over and they
tried to teach me several times, but my heart wasn't into it at the
time, I didn't want to change a part of my life for someone else, I
knew it needed to be my decision. Time went on and my boyfriend
moved and eventually went on a mission.
Shortly after I moved back to a little town in
Tennessee with a friend who was also LDS. We lived together for
about 3 years but he was less active but his parents were very
active and I went to church with them a few times but didn't
understand. My friend's dad sent his records to where we lived and
one day me and my brother were going to a store and a car pulled up
in our drive way it was missionaries.
The missionaries had come looking for my friend,
they came back several times and taught me a few lessons and tried
to reactivate my friend, but still my heart hardened. So I had a
copy of The Book of Mormon for several years by then and even after
the missionaries stopped coming I still read it every once in a
while. July of last year I was getting ready to move to Memphis with
a friend I had known for 15 years and my current roommate was moving
back home.
A day before the day to move my mother
unexpectedly passed away, my grandmother had found her and then my
grandmother suffered from a heart attack. I was crushed my mom was
so young and it was so unexpected. A week after my mom passed I lost
my job, and then my car broke down.
I knew I couldn't go on any longer I knew I needed
to strengthen my relationship with Heavenly Father in order to make
it through my trials. So with all the confusion before and I just
didn't know where I belonged I began praying that He would help me
find a church home, and guide me to the right place so I could grow
closer to Him.
Me and my new roommate began to go to many
different churches searching for comfort and truth. One Sunday I
woke up and decided I'd try going to the LDS church, I went alone
and when I got there immediately walking through the door not even
seeing anyone I felt my answer I knew I was home.
I went in sat down and it was Fast and Testimony
meeting and I was so confused, I had no idea what was going on but felt
the spirit so strongly. I began going every Sunday, I went 3 times
before anyone noticed me. On the 3rd Sunday I was in Relief Society
and they were talking about the spirit appearing when you need it
most.
I thought back to my mom's death and my LDS
friends family came down and stayed with me that night and set by
the bedside the entire night watching over me and I remember feeling
the spirit then when she told me I'd see my mom again. So I shared
that experience and after people began to talk to me and before I
knew it missionaries were once again at my door. They began teaching
me about the gospel and I prayed about it, and immediately knew it
was true.
They were coming back to teach me for the 3rd time
and wanted me to read 3 Nephi 11 before they came back. So one night
while preparing dinner I began to read it and again felt the spirit
and it was testifying to me that I needed to be baptized. I
immediately picked up the phone and called the missionaries and told
them I was going to be baptized.
A week later I was baptized and confirmed a
member. The spirit is an amazing thing. And now I have hope and
strength I never had before. I know with all my heart that Jesus is
the Christ who died for all of us and we have a Heavenly Father that
loves us so deeply he has blessed our lives with the gospel and path
to return to live with Him.
I know Joseph is the prophet of the restoration
and that Heavenly Father is the same today, yesterday and forever
and that is why He continues to call and speak to our prophet today,
because He loves us and wants us to draw closer to him. He wants us
to have faith in Jesus Christ, be baptized by His proper authority,
and to have the gift of the precious Holy Ghost and he wants us to
endure to the end, to return to Him once again.
I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life and to
truly feel the love of God every moment of my life. I have been
given this great gift and now I strive everyday to share it with the
world.
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