Wow. The last month has been truly amazing. So much has changed. I don't even feel like the same person anymore.
For weeks I had been drifting, not unhappy but not happy either. Just kind of existing. January 13th I attended the Bessemer Stake conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and many of the talks resonated with me. That evening, Hermana Schroeppel and Hermana Coleman (the Sisters who were teaching me the discussions) invited me to attend a CES (Church Educational Systems) Broadcast with them. Due to some technical issues we were only able to catch about half of President Dieter F Uchtdorf's talk. What I did hear interested me and I wanted to hear the rest. So when I got home I went on the Mormon Channel and finished watching the talk. Then another caught my eye and another, so I watched 4 or 5 back to back. Many of the talks addressed concerns and decisions I had been thinking about.
Realizing that this was Heavenly Father giving me direction, I acted on what I heard.
That night I made the commitment to begin studying my scriptures every morning and every evening. I also decided to eliminate the worldly influences in my home. I got rid of the violent video games I had wasted so many hours on and eliminated rated "R" movies from my game collection. Getting rid of the the games was hard, I had been so hooked into them for so long but it felt so good.
I began my scripture study the very next morning. I started reading the Book of Mormon and finished it on February 15th. What a difference in my days! Starting and ending my days with scripture has made my days go much more smoothly.
The Thursday after I made these decisions, during that weeks lesson the Hermanas taught about the importance of praying with intent. To have a question in mind as I study the scripture. When we want to talk to Heavenly Father we pray, but when He talks to us He does it thru the scriptures.
Again I acted on what I had heard and began to pray for guidance on what direction I needed to be moving my life in. That weekend I received two very distinct impressions. One is that I need to continue my education and the second, the second one scared me a little. The second was that I should serve a mission.
I immediately began to see about what needed to be done for me to return to school, but was a bit more hesitant about the mission. But as I continued my scripture study, a desire to serve grew within me. I have made a few alterations to my schedule now. I still study the scriptures in the morning, but evenings are spent studying Preach My Gospel.
I have been learning so much. In addition to my spiritual studies, I have also begun taking piano lessons and learning Spanish. My mind feels so open and I haven't felt this alive and engaged in years.
When you truly accept and embrace the Gospel, the Holy Ghost really does change your heart and the desires for worldly things fall away.
I know that this is His true church and that He loves us and wants us to be happy. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it makes me so happy to KNOW these things for myself.
If you seek that knowledge for yourself. I challenge you to read the Book of Mormon and accept Moroni's invitation in Moroni 10:4-5.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
