Better than my Birthday.

 On April 10, 2010 I was baptized and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  As of today, I have officially been a member for one year! 

Once Upon a Time...

  Although it's the most significant and important, April 10th wasn't the first time I was baptized.  I was baptized into the Catholic church just a few months after being born.  While my family wasn't extremely active, I attended weekly religious classes and received my first communion.  We were the type of Catholics that most people refer to as C&E...only attending church for Christmas and Easter. 

  When I was in middle school and high school I noticed that a lot of my friends were really religious and knew a lot about the Bible.  I realized that was something I wanted; I wanted to know more about God and life after death.  I went to church with my friends when I had the chance but after awhile I just kind of stopped.  Even though it wasn't at the forefront of my mind, I still really wanted a closer relationship to my Heavenly Father.

  My junior year of high school, my life changed.  I met the most amazing boy and started dating him soon after.  He was mormon.  To be honest, I really had no idea what that meant.  All I knew was that he went to church for three hours and wasn't really allowed to hangout on Sundays.  Unlike some stories, this boy  never forced the church on me.  He never asked me to go with him and it was never an issue when we were dating.  Honestly, we didn't even really talk about it.  It wasn't until after about 10 months of being together that I asked him if I could go with him.  I have to admit, part of me wanted to just spend a Sunday with him but mostly I wanted to know what the church was like.  I saw how much he loved it and how close his family was because of it, I just wanted to figure out why.  I mean, I could barely sit through an hour and a half of church, how could he do it for three hours and enjoy it?

The Spark

  I can still remember the first time I went to church as if it was yesterday.  It was not only the first Sunday of the month but also the first Sunday of 2009.  It was fast and testimony meeting.  (For those of you not familiar with that phrase, fast and testimony meeting is usually the first Sunday of the month.  At this meeting, there are no assigned speakers, anyone can just go up on the stand and bear their testimony.)  People of all ages got up and talked about why they knew the church was true.  For a first timer I was surprised to find out that there wasn't just one person who stood and talked the whole time.  Also, it wasn't an exercise class.  You didn't have to keep standing, sitting, and kneeling over and over again and they brought the bread and water to you!  I thought it was so cool.  After a little more than an hour, the service ended.  I was surprised when I got up to see not only lots of faces that I knew but many new ones too.  Everyone was SO friendly and kind to me.  I felt incredibly welcome.

  After sacrament meeting, came Sunday school.  In a family ward, Sunday school classes are divided by age.  So I got to spend the next 45 minutes with my close friends and one awesome teacher.  We were told to write down 10 things we wanted to accomplish for the year and also wrote one nice thing about everyone in the class.  Although I don't remember if there was a gospel lesson taught that day  I remember how comfortable I felt and how much fun I had being there.

  The last hour of church is split up by gender.  The girls attend young women's (or relief society if you're older) and the boys go to young men's(or elders quorum).  I was really nervous about this part because I didn't know too many of the girls and didn't know what to expect.  Just like the other two meetings, I was welcomed and made comfortable.  I had never felt so special before.  I don't remember the exact lesson but I remember leaving and wanting to go back next Sunday.  I loved it. 

The Challenge

  I kept going to church every week and after about a month or so the missionaries started wanting to meet with me.  I was nervous at first but really wanted to learn more.  I remember going to Barnes&Noble and looking for a Book of Mormon to buy because I wanted to read it and surprise everyone...no such luck.  I decided I would meet with the elders.  I  told my mom, but she didn't think it was a good idea.  Being the rebel I was I told her I'd just come home after church.  Instead, I went to Jaycob's and sat down with the missionaries.  I DO NOT recommend doing what I did.  It was not smart, to say the least.  Long story short, my mom found out then continued to freak out and forbade me to go to church and meet with the missionaries. 

  I stopped going to church, for awhile.  But every now and then my mom let me go.  After awhile I just stopped completely though.  It was too much of a struggle for me to get my mom to let me go and it was always an issue.  It was easier for me to not ask then to deal with my mother.  So I did just that, I dropped it.

  Summer came and I decided to try the singles ward with my best friend (singles ward is for single members ages 18-30).  I loved it! It was easier to relate to the talks because they were given by people closer to my age who were going through the same things in life that I was.  I really enjoyed it but didn't go back after that Sunday.

  It wasn't until October of my freshman year at ASU that I started going to church again.  Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that I was the right place at the right time with the right people.  Talk about choosing the right.  I started going to singles ward weekly and meeting with the missionaries.  It felt good, and it felt right.  Every message and every lesson related to me, always.  There was no denying the way I felt about the church, it had to be true.  I set a date to be baptized and talked to my parents about it.  They weren't exactly happy for me.  They didn't think I was ready or knew enough and thought I wasn't doing it for the right reasons.  Those were exactly my fears and doubts that were holding me back and having them echo those thoughts made me second guess myself.  Needless to say, I didn't get baptized.

  Months passed and I had stopped meeting with the elders and going to church every week but the thought of baptism never left my mind.  February came and I knew I needed to contact the missionaries and start meeting with them again.  I kept telling myself I'd call them tomorrow...I never got the chance.  Instead, I got a phone call from Elder Rammell asking me when I could meet with him and his companion.  I was surprised and excited and planned to meet with them the following week.  I walked into the discussion and said what I had been practicing all morning, "I want to be baptized."

Elder Rammell, Me, Elder Burns & Elder Page - April 10, 2010

Elder Rammell & I - April 10, 2011

Living Happily Ever After
 My baptism day was one of the happiest days I've ever experienced.  I remember walking into the bathroom after being immersed, and just staring at myself in the mirror and smiling.  I'll never forget that feeling.  That smile is still with me today, though it fades from time to time, it always comes back.  That's the glory of the gospel, it's a happy one.

 Although it wasn't completely easy, deciding to get baptized as Christ once was, was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  I have never regretted it.  In fact, if anything I wish I would have made the decision sooner.  Being a member of Christ's true church has given my life meaning that I never knew, brought friendships into my life that will last for eternity, helped me to understand and know the importance of family, and has taught me how to be closer and more like my Savior.  I'm so grateful for this church in my life and what it has taught me about who I am, who I was, and who I want to be.