5 Great Things About the Mormon Church!

"If you could tell me 5 reasons to consider this convert to Mormon, what would they be?"

A great lady I was teaching on Facebook yesterday asked me this question.  It was the best question I've been asked in the last week.  Thrilled to answer, I gave the following items

1. Makes it so your family can be sealed in the temple to be together for ever.
2. You get extra guidance from the Holy Ghost to give you warnings and directions when you're lost.
3. Guidance from Christ through modern prophets to help you make sure you're living so you can have the holy ghost, and also be warned of worldwide problems.
4. Richer understanding of why Christ's sacrifice is so important and how it Adam's fall help us become like our Father in heaven.
5. Having a church family to support and help your own family.

She topped my answers by giving me a good one of her own.

"I love that this religion believes babies are born pure and if they passed before baptism, they would still enter heaven."

If you were asked for five reasons to become a Mormon and be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what would they be?  What should mine be?  Don't be afraid to comment if you've only got one idea or a question about mine.

Audia's Baptism

Not long ago, Audia shared her testimony on this blog before she was baptized.  This last weekend, Audia was baptized after several months of preparation.  I asked her for her testimony again to share on this blog.

It's been a couple of days since I was baptized, and I've felt incredible and amazing.  Everyone at church has been so happy for me that I made a great choice.  When I got baptized, it was a dream come true.  That dream was finding a church that liked me and I liked them.  I have no trouble at all with paying attention and focusing like my other church.  I had trouble with that every  day. I look forward to church eagerly.  I really enjoy it so much I'm not leaving. I found where I belong.  

Audia and Elder Kump dressed up for the baptism.

Since I've been going, I can't stop smiling.  I am so amazed on how much I've changed.   Whenever I leave, I leave knowing things I never knew before, and I love it.  There is no way, no how, that I'm leaving this church now that I'm a member.  I'm glad I did that research and gave it a chance. I thought I would have to go from church-to-church looking for the one but not in this case.  It feels good knowing I have true friends that I love, and they love me and care about me. I've never felt so loved.  I never realized I have so many friends, and I hope these feelings I've experienced never end.

My Story: Audia

It all started when I did my research on the Mormons and I went to Mormon.org. I wanted to leave my old church and get a new church, a new faith, which will help me change for the better. On Mormon.org I met some ladies and they gave me a number for the bishop and his wife then his wife gave me a number for 2 missionaries. So I called and that following Wednesday I met them and that Sunday I went to my first day of Mormon Church and since then I’ve stuck to it.

I decided to be baptized to be an official member of the church because I knew in my heart that it was my new church where I belong. To me, baptism means getting a new life and getting rid of the old and becoming a new person; which is why my testimony is my new life is my LDS faith and it's true and no one can tell me different. It helped me change my life and me I felt a change since coming to this church and I’m sticking to it.  No one can make me leave. I'm happy where I am and I enjoy it. I have friends who I love dearly, who I care about and they care about me.

My favorite scripture is Mosiah 5:7 because it's who I became:

My four year-old cat Socks

"And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters."

Also Psalm 37:5, because the Lord will take care of the people who picked on me and harassed me in due time and I shouldn't be worried: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

I'm excited for when I'm ready to be baptized in the upcoming months.



-by Audia

Need No Baptism!

I've heard many Mormons, and non-Mormons argue that since Mormons believe that little children do not need to repent or be baptized, that means that they also have no need for the atonement.  This is simply untrue.

Little children's exemption from accountability for sins not their own (which we also have), repentance, and baptism is a result of Jesus Christ's atonement and mercy, not an exemption from that as well.

"And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption."  [Moroni 8:20]

The atonement is the very reason and power by which have hope that little children are saved from death and sin.

While children may not yet be accountable for their sins, and not yet ready to repent and be baptized in Christ's name, the day will soon come.  Parents should lovingly and diligently show their children the means by which we are saved.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." [2 Nephi 25:26 emphasis added]

Cassia's Baptism

My second Sunday here in Provo, we went to church with the singles ward across the street. They were having a "munch and mingle" for the single members after church. We went to get to know the ward members better, and spread the word more about Mormon.org.

One of the members told us she brought a friend to visit and then had to run off to take care of something. Elder Spencer and I went to go introduce ourselves to her visiting friend, and after following Cassia around for a minute, caught on that she didn't know English. After talking to Cassia with her friend to interpret, she agreed to hear about the Book of Mormon and the restoration right after the 'munch and mingle'...