I guess I should start this out with a little about myself. I'm Kristina, I'm 18 years old and I'm from and currently live in Alabama. And I'm a Mormon.
I converted to the church a few weeks ago actually. One of the craziest steps I've ever taken in my life, but it's the best thing I've ever done and the best thing I will ever do.
Growing up I never made the best decisions. I had some problems making friends (mostly because I was that mean). As I hit my early teenage years I started having a lot of depression, gained weight and was seriously unhappy. Once I hit High School things started getting a little better, and I was getting better.
I was in Jazz Band (and something you've gotta know about me is I'm a musician! I play the saxophone) and there was this kid who annoyed me so much, he was pretty good (though I would NEVER admit that!) What's interesting is that I never knew why I was so mean to this kid, I thought I was mostly happy all the time. His name is Daniel.
I eventually found out Daniel was Mormon. I thought it was rather "mystical" and started asking him the craziest questions about it. Growing up a Catholic in a very Protestant part of the country I found religion interesting, but rather annoying and I never really thought about it.
I asked him about G's and if they pray to Joseph Smith and all these insane questions. He mostly blew me off because he thought I was kidding but I was dead serious! I looked up more about it online and it lead to some rather crazy stuff.
Well a few months later I found myself at the Jazz Educators Network concert in Dallas, Texas. Daniels father was a chaperone. I found this as a great opportunity to completely embarrass Daniel in front of his dad, and started asking him questions about the church. It was kind of funny because I got to her the Brigham Young University Synthesis Jazz Band play too - it was really good!
A few weeks later I found myself sitting at home during a week off school due to snow storms, I went on Mormon.org and started watching Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration and a few other movies and "Mormon Messages." I don't even know why I started doing that, but I became so fascinated with it.
That week I sent a text to Daniel saying "Hey, could I come to church with you?" You could say he was surprised. He was like "are you sure you want to come?" Haha really funny. So leading up to that Sunday was crazy because he actually didn't believe I was coming to church. On Sunday he sent me tons of texts like "are you seriously coming" and "do you know where this place is?"
Now coming from a Catholic we normally get to church like 10 minutes early to pray and stuff, but little did I know Mormons are on there own time system (MDT) - Mormon Standard Time. Which means the entire congregation shows up 3 minutes before church actually starts.
When I walked into church I saw these two dudes with name badges on and thought "oh hey, they must work for the church." I walked in the chapel and there were about two people there...I thought Daniel was already there...nope. I asked the guys with the name badges on "Is Daniel here?" One of them said "Yeah I think Brother ... is here." I thought "oh my gosh, he's like ordained?!" Haha.
In walked Daniels father who said "Kristina, what are you doing here?" I was going to kill Daniel. He didn't even tell his own father I was coming?! I was so embarrassed/ angry at him. We went in and sat down and I had him explain the whole brother/sister thing to me, I looked back and saw a woman who I work out with every morning at CrossFit, Lauren. I told Daniels dad "oh, I know her." He was a little surprised.
It turns out Lauren was called as Young Women's President just weeks earlier. Crazy, because at the time I was 16, just about to turn 17. Turns out she joined the Church when she turned 18 and didn't have the easiest time with that either.
That Sunday it was fast and testimony meeting (for those of you who don't know what that is it's when members fast for 2 meals and the time during sacrament meeting members of the congregation are invited to bear their testimony of the gospel!) Daniel leaned over and told me "people might start crying, so don't be freaked out." You can say that weirded me out a little. But it probably was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. I felt this feeling, and at the time I didn't know what exactly it was, but I had to find out more.
I kept reading, and it came to a point where I would spend hours studying the Book of Mormon and things online about it. I also became highly fascinated with temples, I wanted to go inside so bad, but when I found out I couldn't I was a little upset.
About a week later I met with the missionaries, and we had an interesting lesson. I knew almost everything they were saying and it was like I already knew this doctrine, they were just reminding me of it. I decided to take upon myself to pray to know if it was true.
A few days later I got my answer. I can't really describe how I felt, but it was just an overflow of emotion, something I definitely didn't feel often. I knew it was true. And I never in my life thought this would happen, but I knew I was meant to be a Mormon.
Things got really challenging after that. It was like the things of the world were going against me. My parents wouldn't let me get baptized. It took every ounce of courage in my body to tell my father, and when I did things got really bad. I had to sneak out to go to church, had constant fighting about church doctrine, and they were very disappointed in me.
What got me through it was faith. It was knowing this was Gods will and this is what made me happy. These people made me happy. The happiness that came from the church is something that couldn't come from this world, but from the power on high.
And about year later, on April 11, 2015, after numerous trials of my faith, I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Throughout my journey I would ask myself "If this is true than why isn't this happening now?" And the answer was simple. Heavenly Father has prepared a way. It isn't always how you want it to go, or even how you expect it to go, it's wayyyy better than anything you can ever expect. Through my trails and waiting of becoming a member I learned so many things I would have never learned otherwise.
I learned patience, faith, prayer, the power of the atonement, the power to be forgiven. I learned how important the scriptures are, and the power that comes from them. I learned to NEVER take the gospel for granted. I needed that wisdom, and Heavenly Father provided that (just not in the way I expected.)
This is the way, the truth, and the light.
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