Carolyn T.

My story starts with my family. I was the most religiously inclined in my family. My mother took us to church, but I don’t remember her doing other religious things, such as pray or read the scriptures. I loved to sing in the choir as I grew older, but I do not remember anything outstanding about the Presbyterian faith. In high school I started attending Bible study classes with a more religiously exciting and evangelical group called Campus Crusade for Christ. But at Christmas break my senior year my daily scripture reading and prayer routine got interrupted, and when I tried to restart it, I found that I had no desire to do so. It seemed empty.

That was the beginning of six religion-less years during which I went to college and started medical school and participated in all the usual activities characterizing the late 60’s and early 70’s. It was a sometimes lonely period. I remember one well-meaning Christian classmate trying to share religion with me near the end of this time. I told her I appreciated her sincerity, but I was not interested in religion. The fact that I remember that incident so well speaks volumes about how, inside, I really did feel like that was missing in my life. I think down deep I knew I was ignoring God.

Then I started dating a guy in my medical school class whom I had known in high school, barely, but only as the guy in the back of the German class who threw spitwads. He was still a somewhat eccentric, not-so-serious guy, but he was funny and I enjoyed his company. More importantly, he did not do many of the usual things guys often did in our culture, and I was very curious why. So I asked him and found out it was his religion. He answered my multitude of questions, but he never tried to convert me, and ultimately, I ended up calling the missionaries myself to try to find out more. Imagine their surprise at such a call—and disappointment when they discovered I was not in their area.

They referred me to a set of sister missionaries who taught me the gospel. I read small parts of the Book of Mormon which they assigned and tried to begin to pray again. It had been a long time, and I was not even sure there was a God listening to me. I remember my first private prayer started, “Dear God, if you exist…” After several lessons I remember they shared with me some scriptures from the Old Testament, especially Ezekial 37 about the stick of Judah being joined to the stick of Joseph so that the two would be used as one. They said these two sticks referred to the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I suppose there was nothing remarkable about what they said, but the Spirit of the Lord took that opportunity to bear witness to me that this was true!! I felt this overwhelming knowledge, this very strong impression which enlightened me in such a unique way that I was totally unprepared for. I had never had such an experience. I sat reveling in this amazing knowledge, but curiously, I did not tell these two sweet sister missionaries about this till their next visit. Of course, then I was ready to accept their invitation to be baptized into this religion.

That was over 30 years ago. It was the single most important decision I have ever made and started me on a path that I have never left. The gospel has brought me such joy that I cannot express it. Having the Spirit to guide and comfort me is something I would not trade. And my fervent hope is that I will never get off this path.

Carolyn T.