PS. Two missionaries helped me to share about my conversion story in English before I was baptized 10 years ago!
I am grateful for the opportunity I have today to share with you my feelings about this church. My first contact with the church was an English conversation class activity. I attended one Saturday afternoon. It was there that I was invited to attend the monthly fast and testimony meeting to be held the next day. I still vividly remember that experience - the moment I felt as if I had been wrapped up by something large and overwhelming. "Something" for which I lack adequate words to describe; as if love and happiness were tangible and had clasped me up into their arms! It almost brought me to tears. Shortly thereafter I began, with the help of the missionaries, to hear the discussions. It was during those discussions that I received, on two occasions, invitations to be baptized. I was unable to, as will be proved hereafter, receive baptism on either of the occasions provided me. When the first opportunity presented itself, I was met by strong parental opposition; which opposition was on account of their firmly held Buddhist beliefs. Taking into consideration my family's feelings in regard to my being baptized, I made the decision not to receive baptism. When the second opportunity was offered before me, I rejected it by my lack of faith and the cloudiness of my mind. Which cloudiness came because of the difficulty I encountered in keeping the word of wisdom. That and my relative frailty in the face of other diverse temptations caused me to withdraw myself from the church. I loved the discussions and the precious truths contained in them, but I couldn't force my physical weaknesses into compliance with my heart and soul. It seemed impossible for me to commit myself to it. However, through the grace of God, and by the help of the missionaries and members, and on account of the countless prayers in my behalf, I was once again able to begin to associate myself with the church. Unfortunately I still considered my faith to be weak, which in turn led me to compare myself to others and to ponder deeply my own inadequacies. It was a very difficult time, but one necessary to my proper spiritual growth.I exercised and showed forth what little faith I thought I possessed in my strong desire to learn more of Him and His ways, and He showered forth blessings! I was blessed with increased help from church members and from missionaries. With this new-found hope and support I suddenly came to an abrupt realization that there is a God! And that He always watches over us! And that His hand is over all of His children, whom He loves, no matter what land they are in!This experience instilled within my heart a burning desire to do those things that would please Him. I loved and craved "café au lait," but my new-found faith and desire to please God helped me to live without it. Now I'm scarcely even tempted by its savory aroma. Such is the power that faith can bring into your life. As for alcohol and tea, two other substances that would stand to defy the word of wisdom, I was able to discard from my life without looking back. Now I will say something regarding those "hidden treasures of knowledge" promised to those who faithfully observe the word of wisdom. I received some very special blessings by obeying the Lord's counsel on health. They were: One, I was able to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost more often and more poignantly. That blessing in turn led me to discover a "hidden treasure" that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. Jesus Christ is my Redeemer, my Savior, as He is to the rest of human kind. As I shared this realization with the sister missionaries I remember feeling a deep love for them, which was reciprocated back to me. I also felt the warm burning of truth envelope my heart, once again bearing solemn record to me of the truthfulness of the gospel.I am very blundering and weak, especially when searching for the words which will be able to express my feelings. I often experience extreme difficulty expressing my true feelings and thoughts in a clear and intelligent manner. How can the beautiful and profound language of the heart be translated into spoken wounds? It is during these difficult times that all of the help and encouragement I receive from my family and friends, are what really keep me going. I'm so grateful for each and every one of them. I'm not joining the church because of somebody else or their testimony. I am joining because I was able to show faith and feel the spirit confirm to me that joining was what I needed to do. Accordingly, I want to be baptized on August 29th. I am truly looking forward to that day.
There are still many things I wish I could say, but let me close with letting you know that I love these fast and testimony meetings! Maybe someday somebody will be touched by my testimony the way I was touched that first fast and testimony meeting I attended. I love being able to share our testimonies with one another.
