LDS Convert Stories of a New Mormon

I’m going to provide a “talk” that I gave today at our Stake Conference. (3 minutes or less, not really a talk. The purpose was to give my testimony) I’m not the best public speaker, so I write down nearly every word that I want to say. I wanted to share it with everyone. It may not be my best piece of writing, but it felt oh-so-good today when I spoke these words. (I was very nervous, but it felt great when I was finished.)

Good afternoon Brethren. My name is Brother Jon Hagar. I’ve been a member for almost 5 months now, and it seems that everything I’ve done, within the Church, has been “go big or go home”, so to speak. My baptism happened on Oct. 1^st, which is also the week-end where I was able to watch my first General Conference, and that was pretty exciting. A month or so later I was asked to give my first talk, and if I remember right, there was a baptism the day before, so there were all sorts of new faces at Church that Sunday, which was a different kind of exciting.  Since then I have received a calling, the Aaronic Priesthood, and a few other smaller things which brings us to this weekend. This week-end is another very exciting one for me. In a few hours I’m going to receive my Patriarchal Blessing, and later on I will, hopefully, be sustained as a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood. I’ve heard many times that great things come in threes, which brings us to this little surprise. I received the phone call this past Wednesday, in the evening. The way I remember the conversation went something like this. Hello Brother Hagar, what is the thing you are most afraid of? Oh, public speaking, ok well will just have you talk for a few minutes, or less, in front of all the leadership of the entire stake. NO PROBLEM. That’s not exactly how it went, but it’s pretty close. Now, I’ve had conversations with myself before I’ve had the actual conversations with people like the Bishop, and President, where I was thinking about my answer to the question, do you mind getting up and speaking? Each time I ask myself these questions the answer is always a resounding NO. That’s just my brain getting in the way. Each time I was actually asked to do these things the answer has always been, sure, no problem, no bid deal, piece of cake. This has to be the spirit talking for me, because immediately afterwards I always wonder, what did you just agree to do? And than I go through with whatever I was asked to do, with the help of the Spirit and it really is no problem. The Spirit has been in my life for quite some time, but I’ve just recently been able to acknowledge that it is the spirit that’s helping, calming, lifting, and testifying to me. Because of the spirit, and many other things, I have a very strong Testimony. I know that the Bible and The Book of Mormon were both Authored by Our Heavenly Father, and that both are true. I know that Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us, very much, to come back to him. I know that Jesus Christ lives and is our savior. I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, and has restored the Gospel in these Latter Days. I know that we now have a living Prophet on the earth and this is Thomas S. Monson who along with his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve are all prophets, seers, and revelators in our day and I leave you this testimony in the name of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. 1 Corinthians 2: 1;

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2 Nephi 27: 13;

And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead.