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Former Baptist Church Member
"There Is No Wound That He Cannon Heal"
By Anonymous
I was rebuilding my life as a recovering
alcoholic, in the program of Alcoholic’s Anonymous. I had left
everything and everyone I knew behind to build a better life. I was
changing, from the inside out. I was seeing miracles of change and
healing in my life. But something was still missing. I was not
happy.
I attended a Baptist Church in my youth with
family, but could never accept their teachings as truth. I felt
shamed, hopeless, and resentful of God, as I was taught to believe
in Him. As I got older, I explored other paradigms and strayed far
from Christianity; atheism, Far-Eastern religions, and New Age
beliefs. Yet, nothing ever satisfied the emptiness and loneliness I
felt inside.
On September 12, 1999 I made the decision to turn
my life over to Jesus Christ, and trust in Him. This was the result
of being given a free miniature Gideon Bible. Having spent every
spare minute reading it, and finding a new sense of happiness in
what I found there, I began to believe in the Savior. But just how
does a person turn their life over to the Lord?, I wondered, and I
prayed to know.
In October of 1999, I sat down in front of the
television, and watched a commercial from the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints for a free Bible. The commercial talked of the
Savior’s visit to the Americas. In my mind, this teaching made clear
sense.
I remembered learning in grade school about Hernando Cortez, the
Conquistador who destroyed the great Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. He
was able to get inside the city when the Aztecs mistook him for the
"white-skinned god" they had been waiting for. Something inside of
me said, they must have been waiting for the return of Jesus Christ.
The commercial also talked of happiness that could
be found in this life through the teachings of the Savior. Suddenly,
I wanted to learn of the Savior’s teachings. I had seen these
commercials before and had felt intrigued, but this time it was
much, much more than curiosity.
Without thinking, I grabbed the phone, and dialed
the number given. I already owned a few Bibles, but I couldn’t fight
the urge to call this number. The voice on the line was friendly,
and full of love. "How is the weather in Illinois?" he said. I had
never been good at small talk, but I found myself joyously
discussing the weather with this person. He promised that my Bible
would be delivered by two missionaries.
Until that day, I had never heard anything about
"Mormons". My family began to tell me stories of how I would be
expected to turn over all of my possessions to the Church, and of
polygamy. They said that two young men in white shirts and ties
would show up, and try to convince me to join the Church. It all
sounded very scary. I didn’t want to be taken advantage of, or to
share a husband with several other women!
On December 30, 1999 my family was proven very
wrong. Instead of two young men in white shirts, I was visited by
two lovely Sister Missionaries who shared with me the story of
Joseph Smith and their own testimonies. I kneeled with them in
prayer, and broke down in tears. It was all shocking and unexpected
to me, and frightening. I didn’t want to be a "Mormon"! But, I did
have a growing ache to be baptized, as the Savior taught.
The next Sunday I attended a Methodist Church near
my home, to see if it was right for me. I was welcomed there, and
talked to the Pastor about baptism. He told me that the Savior was
not immersed in water. Having read the Bible, I knew he was not
telling me the truth. I did not feel the same Spirit that I had felt
with the missionaries. But, I didn’t want to be a "Mormon"!
That Spirit that I felt with the missionaries,
which I now know is the Holy Spirit, led me to make an acquaintance
with a woman that same week. I shared with her my desire to be
baptized, and my concerns over which Church to join.
She was loving, and kind, and carried with her a special spirit and
feeling of peace, and as she talked with me, I decided that I would
like to belong to her Church, whatever it was. I wanted that Spirit
of peace and love that she had. I wanted to know what she knew. I
wanted that beautiful, wonderful light that I saw in her eyes in my
own life. I wanted for myself the happiness that she exuded.
I asked her which Church she belonged to, and she
told me that she was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. My fears about being a "Mormon" melted away. I
contacted the missionaries again, and was baptized three weeks after
my first visit with them, on January 16, 2000.
Today, I am married in the Temple (I am his only
wife), and still learning more about my Savior, Jesus Christ,
everyday. I know that He lives, and that He is the Son of God. His
Atonement is real. His love is the cure for all our sorrows, and
when we choose to follow Him and obey His commandments, we will find
true happiness, and "the peace that passeth all understanding."
He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and there is no wound
that He cannot heal. His love is miraculous, and is available to us
all, when we choose it for ourselves.
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