FAST & TESTIMONY SUNDAY
I wrote a note to an investigator I've been talking with on line today. I occurred to me that if I can send a note this personal to an almost complete stranger that I should share it with the people I love most in the world. That's my family.

The Gospel and the atonement of Christ has made a huge difference in my life. I was born into the church, but to an semi-inactive family, I have memories of attending church in my youth but not regularly. I remember visiting the Temple grounds in Salt Lake City and feeling something different. I'd find myself visiting those grounds in my teen years just to enjoy the spirit I felt there. I think I always have had a simple faith in the restored gospel.

Years later after being married and having a child of my own I decided to become active in the church, to follow those feelings and put my life in order and live as I knew I should be living. During this time I had things pull me both towards the church and away from it.

The owner of a print shop that I worked at was in contact with a group of professional anti-mormons and I heard all the negative things that you can hear about the church. Not having a strong background in the church or very much education in it's doctrine I was in some serious turmoil. With all of that going on I decided to trust in the Spirit. I relied on what I felt of the Spirit and the comfort and light it provided me.

My wife and I plus our two children were eventually sealed in the Arizona Temple and we've been active ever since. I have three kids all now out of high school.

After my experience with the anti-mormons I decided to read the scriptures word for word and cover to cover. I wanted to be able to answer the questions put to me that I struggled with earlier. To be totally honest, I wanted to be able to pound them as hard as they pound us LDS types. I've come to see that it's not the best approach or probably what Christ would have me do. Knowledge is good to have but not to use as a hammer.

What I've learned over the years is that no amount of study can replace the simple and sweet voice of the Spirit whispering to your spirit pure truth. I believe in Christ. He's my savior and I know that he loves and cares for me. I know without Him I'm lost. I'm imperfect, but I want to be like Him and do the things he'd have me do. It's such a blessing to know that there is a plan, that there is a way to be forgiven of my shortcomings. I have so many. I know that if I do my best and always get back up after I stumble that He'll do the rest and ease my burden.

Down deep at the core I believe in Christ and that this is his church because of personal revelation from the Spirit. Not just on one occasion, but continually. I find the more I try to live as he would have me do, and the more I am concerned and care about others and forget myself the more and greater my testimony of Him becomes.

Read the scriptures, and pay special attention to the Spirit. Develop a personal relationship with the Savior through selfless service to others. The best way to know if something is true is to put it into action in your life and see what the results are.

Remember we're all converts. Even those with a long family history in the church.

All my best Troy