My Heart

These past couple days have been so amazing.

On Friday we had to do splits because at the same time we had two appointments. Splits are always hard because you don’t have another missionary to help guide the lesson, and I never like doing them! But coming out of the lesson, we all (3 members came with me so that they could get to know the family) were on cloud nine. Walking out into the dark night, all our thoughts and feelings started bursting out, and we had all felt the Spirit so strong.

On Saturday we had a long-awaited baptism!!!!! She came early so we were calm and happy and could talk with her about how she felt. She kept saying she felt calm and sure. But hearing her bear her testimony for the first time after her baptism was even better. It filled my heart to see how much she has progressed. She really and truly knows the sacredness of the covenant she has made and the value of this church she has found. If only everyone could know these things for themselves.

I know that God is the father of our Spirits. I know that we lived with Him before we came here. I know that coming here to earth is part of our Father’s plan for our eternal progression, that He is so worried about us while we are here and just wants us to be successful and come back to Him. He spends all his time and energy trying to make that happen, without overriding our agency. I know that Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Brother and that before sending us to earth, God prepared Him to be our Savior and make our redemption possible. God didn’t send us to earth without all the tools we’d need in order to come back and be perfected and eternally happy, and Jesus Christ is the center. The prophets, the scriptures, and priesthood, families, prayer: the list of tools at our disposal goes on and on. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is sanctioned and directed by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ—it is the church that includes all the tools. I have no doubt. I don’t apologize and I don’t want to apologize—what I want is that everyone could know these things for themselves.

Every single one of us is a child of God, and as such has the right to know these things for themselves—if they humble themselves more than they ever have before, if they truly desire and diligently work for that knowledge. It was not easy for me to truly find out, but it is the best thing I have ever done and has brought me more peace than I ever had before.