I have grown up in Davis County my whole life, and was always asked my friends and some people I didn't even know to read the Book of Mormon, or attend church with them, I always declined. I never knew anything about the LDS religion, I judged it on the "goody-two shoes" culture that it seemed EVERYONE was living. I had an "anti-mormon" attitude toward the church and wanted nothing to do with it, I never attended church, I attended achievment days for a while in grade school, but then it became awkward being non-LDS. I always had LDS friends, and they would ask me to attend an activity with them and I would kindly decline, it wasn't until I was 20 that I became more interested in learning about the LDS church.
My dear friend Tabi Hammer...soon to be Stout is an amazing part of why I became interested in learning about the mormon religion. I have known Tabi since we were young, we had Girl Scouts together at a community church in Bountiful, we would play on the weekends and soon our families stopped attending church and we drifted apart. In high school and after highschool Tabi fell off the "straight and narrow path" she had a friend give her a Book of Mormon and she started reading it, she was really understanding it and taking the words to heart, she started taking the missionary discussions and was later baptised, Tabi and I hung out one day, after not seeing one another for probably 10 years. I listened to Tabis story and was amazed. I started thinking a lot about how this book that so many people wanted me to read helped Tabi.
I started talking to my friend Bryan (who is now my fiance) an RM about all my questions I had always had about the church, he answered every single question I had, I started reading things online about LDS converts, and my heart felt overjoyed, I started reading the book of mormon and attending church, I also started going to Institute during school lunch hour.
I decided to start taking the missionary lessons, I was super nervous, a few days before I met with them I said a prayer to help me figure out the answer and if I was making the right decision to investigate, I randomly opened up the Book of Mormon to 3 Nephi 11:33 in the jist of things it told me to get baptized, I was overcome with joy. I started taking the missionary discussions and had decided to be baptised on June 25, 2011. In May my parents had a bit of a problem with this date because they thought it was too soon to know if I wanted to be baptized and that I needed to attended all the classses at church; I made the decision to put off my baptism, it ended up being such a great decision. That following Sunday I went to church with Bry and his family, an older man got up and talked about the Book of Mormon, he was a convert, he brought up many things I had been feeling, he even brought up the scripture in 3rd Nephi, and also a conference talk that Bryan had showed me the night prior, Bryan and I both felt something, we kept looking at eachother the whole time, and it gave us both the chills. I attended all the church meetings, and at the singles ward they started teaching a gospel principles class, which went over basic doctrine that was very helpful to investigators and new converts.
On June 21 (week of what was supposed to have been my baptism) I sat in institute, and Brother Harding asked if I would share how I became interested in the church. I started talking about Tabi, and how I started reading the book of mormon, and how I had opened to the scripture in 3rd Nephi, to my surprise my eyes fill up with tears, and I was overcome with happiness, that next day I went to lunch with my mom who told me she did someones hair who was a convert into the church, I thought that was pretty cool. That weekend (June 24th) Bryan and I went to a wedding reception, we sat down at an empty table and a middle aged couple came and sat down at our table, we started talking and Bryan started talking about his mission, and the gentleman was telling us something and he said "when I was baptized....." Bry and I looked at one another thinking "wow" we learned that this man converted when he was around 20 years old. As we drove home neither of us knew what to say at first, I thought it was crazy that all of these things happened in that same week that I had originally planned on getting baptized, I mentioned this to Bry and he was amazed as well, I had my answer, I had many of them, I had to listen to the answers that Heavenly Father had been sending me.
I kept attending church and I decided I was destin to be a member of the LDS church. Over a dinner conversation my mom asked if I was still planning on being baptized, and I said yes I wanted to in August, my parents were so supportive and so happy that I was happy; and I was so happy! On August 20, 2011 I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Bryan baptized me and it brought us closer that I ever could have imagined, my family was all there, along with Brys family as well as many friends and neighbors, and some people that I didn't even know. There was so much support, that next day in Sacrament Bryan gave my confirmation, the bishop ric, our good friend John, Bryans dad Bruce, and the missionaries all came up and placed their hand on my head, and Bryan confirmed me into the church, and gave me an amazing blessing, he was told I would be a great wife, and mother, and to have extended faith, we were all crying, I felt so much love, and the spirit was so strong. It has been one of the greatest decisions I have made, and I am so thankful to have everyones love and support.
Bry and I before the Baptism
My Family, thank you all for the love and support
My soon to be family after my confirmation
Bry and myself after my confirmation
