Why I am Mormon Part X

For the rest of that day I felt like I was on cloud nine and I simply could not stop smiling. As I went to bed that Oct 19th I knew that for once I had made a choice that not only was correct but that was helping me to become a better person.

I woke up on the 20th of Oct and went to church. President Clark was there to confirm me with the Holy Ghost. Bishop Donaldson was conducting the meeting and told everyone about my baptism. He then asked for a manifestation of those who were in favor of my baptism and confirmation. Well I didn't know I was supposed to raise my hand until I received several strange looks from Bishop D, President Clark and a quick whisper that I needed to raise my hand to. Just as I started to raise my hand Bishop D asked if anyone was opposed to me. Well guess what? My hand just happened to finally go up then. President Clark gave me a rather concerned look and as I looked around the room everyone else seemed to be just as perplexed as I was about this hand raising thing. Bishop Donaldson then asked me if I really meant to oppose the vote and I told him heck no and responded that I was really happy to be baptized and a member of the church.

Bishop Donaldson then announced that I was to be confirmed a member of the church and was to receive the Holy Ghost. Well President Clark and a few other men gathered around me in a circle and laid their hands upon my head. At first I was a little worried cause this seemed kind of weird but I felt a calm reassurance that all was okay. President Clark then called me by name and told me to receive the Holy Ghost. I felt a fire go from the top of my head down to my toes. I felt even more happy than I had the day before. I felt somehow different. I felt something, almost like I was reuniting with an old friend. It was almost like a comforting blanket being wrapped around me. I felt more sure and confident then ever before. It is something that I find hard to describe.

President Clark then began to talk and give me a blessing. The one thing that I remember was him blessing me to go on a mission. As I sat there listening to him talk about me being a missionary I was thinking to myself. Is he trying to blackmail me into going on a mission. I don't want to. As he continued to talk about me serving a mission I came to the conclusion he was trying to blackmail me with this blessing. Well he didn't know I had joined the Marine Corps and serving a mission was right out. I had other things I was doing and all these blessing me was talking about were going to be wasted and I was still pretty upset about what I perceived as him blackmailing me.

Bishop Donaldson then asked me to bear my testimony. Well.... I had no idea what this thing called a testimony was. Well since I didn't know what he was asking me to do I asked him as I stood there next to him at the pulpit I asked him what is a testimony. The sisters were sitting up at the front with President Clark and the other members of the bishopric and as one Bishop D, President Clark and the others on the stand looked at the sisters with a look that said why was this kid baptized without a testimony. Well I still hadn't received an answer regarding what a testimony was so once again I asked. Bishop D asked me if I had a testimony.... I said, "well I don't know if I have one... What is a testimony?" He just had this look on his face like what do I do now.

One of the sisters quickly whispered to me that a testimony was what I believed. I whispered back, "Well I believe alot of different things what do you want me to talk about." She replied, "you need to talk about God, Jesus, the scriptures and the prophet and the church being restored." Well I could do that. I wondered why they just didn't put it that simply to begin with. I then looked at Bishop Donaldson and told him I had testimony and I would love to share it.

I then started(I don't remember it verbatim but this is pretty close to what I said), "Well guys, there is a God in Heaven who is my Father and he loves me very much and he is very happy that I got baptized. God also has a Son named Jesus Christ (I still thought that Christ was the saviors last name at this point in my life) that came to this Earth and he lived here. He suffered some really bad things but he loved me and everyone enough to deal with them. Some People didn't like him very much and they crucified him on a cross. He died on that cross but three days later he came back to life." I then told them, " Jesus Christ is my savior from death and redeemer from sin. He suffered for my sins so I wouldn't have to if I chose to follow him and do what he asks. He was baptized and he did everything in his entire life right. I haven't always followed him or did things that are right but from now on I am going to try to follow his example better. I love him very much and if you guys don't know it Jesus Christ is a stud and our messiah."(It might not be eloquent but hey I had only accepted God and Jesus a few weeks before this)

I then told everyone about the book of Mormon and how it was just like the bible but that it happened in America and that it was true just like the bible. I told them I knew the church of Jesus Christ(told you I thought Christ was his last name) had been restored and that I was baptized into it the day before and that I stood speaking in it today. I then briefly talked about the prophet Joseph Smith and summarized with this statement, " Well, Joseph Smith was a pretty freaking awesome guy and a prophet like Moses or Noah and I love him to." I then started to sit down because I had said my piece. President Clark whispered to me that I was supposed to say in the Name of Jesus Christ Amen. I didn't know this so guess what I said... "guys I was just told I needed to say in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. So In the name Of Jesus Christ Amen.

I really don't remember the rest of that meeting but I just sat there with a big smile on my face. The next thing I had to get was patriarchal blessing. However with regards to this blessing I had questions regarding what President Clark said as I was confirmed.

Why I am Mormon part IX

So the 19th of October 2002 arrived. I had called my mother about four days before and told her that I was going to get baptized. I was really worried about telling my family that I was going to join the Mormon church. I didn't want them to be mad at me or disappointed or anything of that kind. It was the sisters who finally convinced me that I should tell my parents at least that I was getting baptized. So I decided to tell my mother first because mothers in general are always more understanding of their children and my mother is perhaps the most understanding and loving of all. So I called my mother up and when she answered I told her I had some good news to tell her. She then asked what it was. "Well mom," I said, "I'm getting baptized." She then replied, "One second, Nana (my grandmother) is here and I am gonna put you on speaker phone because this will make her so happy." (If only they knew what I was going to tell them) "Hey guys," I said. "well I am getting baptized this Saturday up here in Utah." Well I heard my Nana break into hallelujahs that would make an Angel feel like a slacker. "What church are you getting baptized in," my mother asked. "Well.... I am joining the Mormon Church." Talk about a deafening silence for about thirty seconds. "Son, we will be up there on Friday," my mother said. I was excited that my mom and Nana were coming up. Little did I know that the only reason they were coming was so that they could come and rescue me from the cult that had brainwashed me.



The next call I had to make was far more scary for me. I needed to call my father and tell him. Now the relationship between a son and father is different that between a son and a mother. I was far more afraid of disappointing my father or making him angry then when I talked to my mother. I decided to metaphorically attack my father on two fronts so he wouldn't know what to do.



Unknown to anyone except myself and my recruiter I had joined the United States Marine Corps on the 29th of September. I had neglected to tell anyone about this because I knew that almost everyone would be upset with me so I had decided to keep it to myself.



So with regards to this I had decided that I would tell my father both that I was becoming a Mormon and that I had already joined the Marine Corps and in so doing this he wouldn't know which thing to be more upset about. So I called my father the Friday night before I was baptized.



The conversation went something like this, "Hi dad, its JD." "Hows it going son?" "Good I told him. I have something I need to talk about with you dad." The things that go through a parents mind when one of their children utter something like that is something I don't understand but I am sure that it isn't a pleasant thing. "So son, are you in trouble, do you need money or something?" "Well dad, I have something to tell you." "Nothings wrong is it Son?" "No dad . . . Well . . . I have joined the Marine Corps," and I quickly added, "and I am joining the Mormon Church tomorrow morning." Well this time the silence lasted for about a minute. Finally I asked, "Dad, are you still there?" I thought he might have hung up on me in anger. "Son," he said "It seems like you are making grown up choices and you are going to have to deal with the consequences of them." Then he hung up.



Well that went a lot a better than I thought it would.



So like I was saying earlier before I digressed it was Saturday the 19th. My baptism was at 10:00 in the morning. The sister told me I had to pick two people to talk at my baptism. I had to have someone talk about the Holy Ghost and someone talk about baptism. For the talk on Baptism I decided to ask someone who never would have guessed I would pick them. First off the person I picked was not even baptized yet. His name was Jeff Spears. He had been on the debate team the year before with me and had investigated the church and while he was investigating the church myself and others consistently told him why he was stupid to waste his time with the missionaries and how it was all wrong. He finally stopped meeting with the missionaries that year but when I started to take the discussion he started again to. We constantly were talking to each other about what we thought about the Book Of Mormon and other things and also bounced questions off each other. Jeff gave an amazing talk about baptism and why it was important. Jeff went on to be baptized two weeks later. Well I decided to pick Amber to speak on the Holy Ghost. She is one of the ladies who I had given the hardest time concerning the church my freshman year. She gave an awesome talk after I was dunked that compared the Holy Ghost to a radio station and she admonished me to always stay tuned into the right frequency.



I had asked President Clark to baptize me since Sister Glancy or Niu couldn't because they didn't have the priesthood. (that was another concern I had when I learned that women couldn't hold the priesthood. I wanted to know what kind of sexist crap that was. I really wanted one of the Sisters to baptize me. They finally got it threw my thick head why they couldn't.) President Clark had been a stud answering all my hard to answer question and taking time out of his busy schedule to help me.



I got dressed in a white jump suit and stood at the edge of the baptismal font. President Clark was already in the water and he stretched out his hand toward me asking me to come into the water. I stepped into the water and very quickly I wanted to step out. Now this isn't as some people might have assumed because the year before I had been an anti Christ and by entering the water it might start to boil rather it kind of hit me what I was doing. However a feeling of calm came over me and I enter the water.



The curtain opened and standing there were all my friends and family who had come. President Clark raised his right hand to the square and called me by name and by the power and authority of the priesthood baptized me in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. It all happened so quick one second I was dry and the most vile of sinners and the next I was soaking wet from head to toe and as clean and sinless as a newborn babe.



I had never felt so happy in my entire life. I knew that I had made the right choice. Such happiness that I felt then I had never before known. I knew then that I had made my Father in Havana proud of me and that he was well pleased with my choice. I felt so clean and pure, I never wanted to even think a bad or dirty thought in my life. I remember just smiling and smiling a ten mile wide grin from ear to ear. It is an amazing feeling to know that you have made your Heavenly Father proud of you.



As I sat down and listened to Amber's talk I just kept smiling because I was just plain happy. After Amber finished Bishop Donaldson welcomed me to the ward which was kind of weird since I had been going there for two months but whatever I was happy. And now a funny thing happened Bishop D asked me to stand up at the front with him and I did. He then asked my Nana to come and stand with us. (Now remember Nana wasn't a member of the church and had been convinced I had been brainwashed by a cult and got my mother and aunt to come with her to come and rescue me and take me back home far away from these crazy Mormons.) He asked Nana how she felt. Now I was scared, I was ready for Nana to read the riot act to everyone present and grab me and make a break for the border. However Nana said this, "All the angels in heaven are singing and saying hallelujahs and I am just so proud of the choice JD has made to give his life to the Lord."



Wow I thought, apparently when I was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost she decided it was all okay and I am sure that having pictures of Jesus all over the church didn't hurt either.



The next day I was to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and this only served to open a new can or worms and provide me with new questions.

Why I am Mormon Part VIII

So as Sister Glancy looked into my eyes I felt a tingle of terror sweep through my body as I thought of what it would be to lose this pearl of great price that I had found.

The sisters asked me what I thought about conference and I told them I had figured some things out and got my questions answered.

Sister Glancy said. "JD, we have something we need to talk about and it really important." Well being the guy I am I decided to go on the attack with a question of my own. "Sister Glancy," I asked, " Can I ask you something first?" She said I could. I then asked the sixty four million dollar question, "Can I get baptized? I know I don't know very much but I really want to."

Wow talk about that look totally disappearing from the sisters faces. It looked like them were almost going to hug me as they both just started smiling and told me, "Of course you can get baptized JD." I then asked still on the offensive, "How about this coming Saturday?"..... it was Sunday if you remember.

The sister said we still had some things to go over but that if I really wanted to get baptized on Sunday I could. Well guess what that week I learned about the law of chastity and the law of tithing and a few other things I needed to know about before I made a covenant with God.

Well Friday afternoon showed up and the sisters turned me over to some Elder who had to interview me. Boy am I glad that I had such smart sister the few questions I had this elder couldn't answer. At one point he even broke off our interview to call the mission president and ask him a question. This elder who I don't remember because he was rather unimpressive didn't know what to do when I told him I was pro choice and supported a woman's choice pertaining to if she would have an abortion or not. Well I got to talk to the mission president who's name I don't remember either but wow could he use the spirit like a righteous club over the phone. He asked me if I believed it was okay for a women to have an abortion. I replied, "Yes." He then told me this, Well, until you change your mind you can't get baptized." I then quickly replied, "Well sir if that is going to be the way it is, then I no longer believe abortions are correct and I want to be baptized." He then told me to give the phone back to the elder. I did and guess what... I passed the rest of the interview.

Well that night came and I decided to be a brat. I called them that night and aSister Glancy answered the phone I told Sister Glancy who I was and she asked if everything was okay. I told her kind of but I needed to know something. In a rather concerned tone Sister Glancy asked what was up. "Well I was thinking about Jesus," I said, "And Jesus was baptized in a river and since I am being baptized not only to be washed of my sins but to follow Jesus I want to be baptized in a river to." (Well if you know anything about Eastern Utah you realize that the only river around Price is the Price river and that is not exactly a river that it would be easy to be baptized in. ) Sister Glancy told me that the church wanted people to be baptized in fonts in stake centers and wards. I told Sister Glancy that I wouldn't be baptized unless it could be in a river and told her not to call me until she found a river for me. Well about and hour and half later I called the Sisters again. This time Sister Niu answered and all I said was, "Sister Niu, this is JD, I was just joking about the river thing I can't wait to get baptized tomorrow at ten." I then hung up my phone and unplugged it from the wall.

Why I am Mormon Part VII

So as everyone stood up I stayed seating thinking to myself why are all these people standing up. Amber who happened to be one of the women I went to conference with grabbed me by the arm and told me that we stood up when the prophet entered the room. Well, now I could finally see who this guy was. Did I mention that my seat in the conference center was far up in the nose bleed section where everyone on the stand appeared to be as small as ants. However the two screens to either side of the stage showed a picture of this wonderful little old man who was walking across the stage. He had a cane but he wasn't using it. He was carrying it and as he walked be these stern looking young men who could only be body guards of some type he hit a few of them in the leg. I thought to myself as I watched him, "Wow, I really might like this little guy."

However just because he was cool didn't make him a prophet by any means. Now if you remember my reason for going to conference was to see for myself who this Gordon Hinkley guy was and if the church that was restored by Joseph Smith was still true or if it had faded into apostasy. Well there was an opening prayer that seemed like it lasted forever and was almost a talk in and of itself. There were a few hymns sung and finally someone got up and started to speak. Now a few people spoke but none of there talks were amazing or had within them the answer I sought. This was true until this German guy with a heavy accent got up and started to speak. His name was Elder Uctdorf, he was from the quorum of the seventy(I had no idea what that was at the time) and this German guy started to speak about the restoration of the gospel in Joseph Smith's time. He then started to speak on how the church was true today just as it was when it was restored by Joseph Smith and as when Jesus set it up. Talk about my jaw hitting the floor. I just sat there in disbelief as my prayer seemed to be directly answered.

Well I still wasn't one hundred percent convinced with regards to the Hinkley guy just yet. however my time was shortly drawing closed. As the hour passed and it was time for the last speaker to get up and talk I noticed it was that cool old guy from before who was supposed to be the prophet of the Lord. Well he got up to the pulpit and started to speak. A feeling of calmness washed over me as he spoke. He talked of his travels throughout the world and how he visited the children of God in those countries. As he spoke that same voice that spoke to me before spoke again. At first I didn't understand what it said and looked to see if Amber was whispering something in my ear. However she wasn't and then I heard and understood the voice. I heard just as clearly as you are reading this a voice that said to me, "That cute, little old man is a prophet of the Lord God, and he doesn't have time right now for your stupid questions."

Well I had all of my questions answered and I just sat there in awe of being privileged to hear a prophet, a real, living prophet give me advice. Well now I had no more questions. As we drove back to Price from Salt Lake City I contemplated upon what I had learned in the last few days and weeks. I had found out for myself that God truly lives and that he sent his only begotten son to earth to suffer and bleed and die for my sins. That God's church was upon the face of the earth and it was led by a living prophet of God. That the bible and Book of Mormon contained God's plan for me and eternal truths within their pages. As we traveled down the road a scripture kept coming into my mind concerning baptism. Now I had never been baptized before much to the sadness of my Mother and Grandmother. This scripture stated very simply that if the lamb of God being holy have need to be baptized by water to fulfil all righteousness how much more need have I being unholy have need to be baptized by water.

Now by this time I knew that I had done some rather unseemly things and might be considered somewhat unholy if not in cahoots with the Anti Christ. I thought about baptism and the more I thought about it the more I wanted to do it. I mean why wouldn't someone who believed in Christ choose to follow in his footsteps.

Well we got home and on Sunday between conferences I had a meeting with the Sisters. When I let them in I knew something was wrong. I could look at Sister Glancy looking at Sister Niu and I could tell something was up. They just seemed to be uncomfortable and somewhat scared. I was starting to wonder if I had done something wrong. I started to think that maybe they and found out what a bad person I was and that they were going to tell me that I was just not what the Mormon Church needed. I started to become apprehensive. We made some small talk but it was obvious something was wrong and I was the only one who didn't know what it was.

Sister Glancy is all seriousness looked me dead in the eye and told me there was something we needed to talk about and it was serious and important.