Sunday, July 15, 2012

Two Testimonies of the Book of Mormon

Hey everybody!  How's it going? I just got back from Girl's Camp, so I'm super tired, but I really want to share this video that one of our leaders showed us. 


    
       How one man gained his testimony of the Book of Mormon.

I just want to let you know that I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. When I was twelve, I decided that I really wanted to know for myself if the Book of Mormon was true or not. I knew that my parents and teachers believed, but I was ready to know for myself. So, I read. And I prayed. I did that for a long time. But nothing came. I kept reading, and praying. Still, nothing came. I started to get discouraged, but still, I read and prayed. At that point, I didn't actually read the whole thing, the thought of doing so daunted me. Looking back, I realize that I was expecting to feel a burst of emotion, a fire in my bosom, and warm tears running down my face to know that the Book of Mormon was true, but that never happened. My testimony came slowly. I would read some, and I would feel peace. The next day I would read and pray some more. I would feel at home. The day after, I would read and pray again. I would forget my cares. After a while, I realized that all of these seemingly small feelings added up. I knew that the Book of Mormon was true. I didn't see a pillar of light, but the Holy Ghost did whisper the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon into my heart.

Fast forward a year. I had just finished reading the Book of Mormon, cover-to-cover, for the first time. I had just reached Moroni's Promise, in Moroni 10. I decided that since I had just read the Book of Mormon all the way through, I would pray to see if it was true. The previous experience I just told you about came to the back of my mind, but I paid no heed and went ahead and prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. Here's an excerpt from my journal of this experience:

"I just finished the Book of Mormon for the first time. I feel accomplished. I feel  the Spirit.  It is whispering peace to me, but really I just feel at home. I feel comfortable and at home. When I got to Moroni's Promise, I decided to pray about the Book of Mormon again, even though I'd done that before. And, [when I did] I didn't feel anything. I was afraid I'd done something wrong. So I kept reading. Then the words, "I already know" came to my mind. the Spirit was confirming my knowledge reminding me that I already knew. those words were accompanied by a very quiet sense of relief and truth. Then, exactly as I finished the last word of the Book of Mormon, I fel a gentle surge of confirmation. I felt at peace, happy, joyful, and at home. I know Heavenly Father is pleased with me." 

I am so very very grateful for the Book of Mormon in my life. As I have continued to study it, the precious confirmation of it's truthfulness keeps coming back. I love the wonderful knowledge and promises which are contained in it's pages. I know that it confirms the truths that are in the Bible. I feel so blessed to be able to read out of this holy book.

 




9 comments:

  1. I added your beautiful testimony to Heather's blog hop at Women in the Scriptures for Emma's birthday. Hope you don't mind ;)

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    1. Oh, wow, thanks! I don't mind at all!

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    2. I am so glad you added it! This is beautiful. So often I think that when we have had the spirit with us most of our lives it is easy to dismiss his still small whisperings. We look for a waterfall of feeling and miss the ocean we've been sailing in. Thank you so much for sharing this.

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    3. Thank you. I just really hope that my experience can help someone else who may be confused about trying to gain a testimony.

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  2. I've read The Book of Mormon ever since I could read, and I've loved it ever since.

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  4. This book is interesting , guess i have to buy one so i could read it :D
    thanks to this. God bless
    churches in Oakville

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  5. I love the Book of Mormon. Everytime I read it, and really study it, I learn new things. It is like a "Can-you-Find-It?" picture book that you have to find items hidden in the picture. You have to really study it, and even go to the reverences and Topic Guide to find out a little more about both the words the prophets write, and the history behind it as well. Check out this link for additional info.
    http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon

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