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Former Baptist Church Member
"My Sins Were Buried In The Water"
By Debbie Fox
I was brought up extremely anti Mormon. I had been
shown all of the anti movies at the early age of 10 and to be honest
was almost scared of "Mormons". I went to a Christian school until
6th grade at which time I started public school.
It was at about 13 or 14 that I just felt
something was missing in my life. The church I was attending just
didn't seem like where I needed to be. I had a lot of questions and
everyone I asked had no answers to give me. I started riding my bike
to different churches on Sunday and almost joined the Catholic
church before I was introduced to the LDS church.
I had to take a summer school class before my
junior year so I chose to take PE in summer school. Summer school in
Arizona is, well, very hot. This year was definitely not an
exception. I made a lot of friends in that class and had a different
feeling when I was around them. We had a lot of time to talk
especially when we were in the weight room so I had gotten close to
a few of my classmates.
One day we started talking about religion somehow.
I told them I was looking for a new church to go to. They, being the
great missionaries that they were, all offered to bring me a Book of
Mormon. I guess they had a fireside the week before on missionary
work. Lucky Me! To be honest I graciously accepted the Book of
Mormon and then put it in my closet and didn't think much more about
it.
When summer school was coming to an end they asked
me if I would meet with the missionaries. The whole time I was
talking to them the scripture "By their fruits ye shall know them"
was running through my mind. I thought "Well they appear to be
normal and I kind of like them. Maybe I'll give this a try."
I couldn't take the missionary lessons at my own
house as my mother was very much against the church so I took them
at a friend’s house. The first lesson was amazing. Things just fell
into place for me. Questions I had forever were beginning to be
answered. The lessons progressed and at the end I wanted to be
baptized.
My mother said absolutely not and that she was mad
that I had even taken the lesson without asking her. But she would
allow me to go to church and to enroll in Seminary because it was
"Old Testament" year. This was my junior year in high school. In
March I went back to her and asked her again if I could be baptized
(I had been pretty much asking her continually since I started the
lessons and knew it was true) and she FINALLY consented. I was
baptized March 8, 1992. That day will always be special to me.
It's so hard to describe that feeling when you go
into the water so heavy and you come out so light. I literally felt
all of my sins burried in the water and I came out a new person.
Then when I was given the gift of the Holy Ghost the warmth filled
every part of my being. Even though I was baptized over 14 years ago
there are some feelings you never forget.
I can not imagine my life without being a member
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. No matter what
happens I know that I am in the Lord's hands. I know He has a plan
for my life and He will and has prepared that way. To say I believe
in Christ somehow doesn't convey the depth of that belief. I need
Him not only every hour but literally every second of every day. I
need the peace and the power only He can give.
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