A new look on life

For those of you, not LDS none of this may make any sense. But for the ones out there that are, I hope I can inspire someone to reach higher, know you are not alone and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In 1999, I left the LDS Church because a few things that bugged me. I was born and raised in the church, had served a mission for the church in Seattle, WA. I moved back to there a year after I had finished. It was then I fell into the worldly traps and lost all that I had.




The person I was living with was not a member and we were planning on getting married. She was 9 years my senior and we were in love, or so we thought. We moved to Idaho to further her education in textile design. Little did we know that in the 8 months we lived there, we would split up and go our separate ways.



The members of the church were ecstatic to have a lost sheep come back to the fold. In fact it was said by my Stake President that i was the most active non-member he had ever seen. It was partly because of them that i came back. I also came back for my own choice. I left my worldly life and began anew.



It was on September 2, 2001 I was rebaptised into the church and was on the journey to have all my blessings restored of the Priesthood and temple. A few weeks later, I fell back to my old ways. And to my dismay, I began a destructive life that has put me in jail a few times, lost my family, and almost my life.



After I had lost my family, i moved here to Utah to begin anew. It was hard to adjust to the area and the way they do things here, but I have managed. Again i fell into some old habits and had to be punished for my sins. 2 Years it took for me to be able to send in my paperwork to have it be looked over by the leaders of the entire church. That was in 2009. After a long wait of nearly 4 months, they said no. I did not have a job, did not provide for my family, did not pay my tithing. When i did that, then i could resubmit my application.



Depression set in, I had 2 boys and my wife to support and i couldn't keep a job for anything. Then i get the news in 2010 that my mom dies. I felt so alone, so out of it, so far in the hole that I just wished the earth would cover me up and I would never see the light of day again.



Another incident happened, that I was so ashamed that I begged my Bishop to punish me and banish me from the church. With his guidance, and work with a councilor, I could crawl my way out and see some light again.



At the beginning of this year, I got a job. Then got a semi better one. then i got a dream job and things looked up. I was given a time frame to work and do as the brethren asked. In May that time came due and I had another interview with my Bishop and he felt it was time to re submit my paperwork. I had another interview with my Stake President and he felt it was time too. So sometime in the middle of May, it was re submitted. We thought it would take a few months to go through, but this morning when we came to church, our SP(Stake President) secretary pulled me aside and told me the SP would like to see me and my wife after Sacrament. I only thought of one thing. He had the ok.



Almost 10 years of hard work, has finally come to a close. They accepted my application and told my SP to have it done as soon as he was able too and to have my be interviewed by him and the Bishop to see if I was still worthy. Both interviews have been done and on Tuesday night, I will sit in a chair in his office, have his hands placed on my head and with the authority given him through Christ and the Living Prophet, restore my Priesthood, and Temple blessings and then sign our temple recommends.



What a wonderful thing to behold. A lost sheep, being carried and helped back to the fold. When the Savior said that He could move a mountain with just the faith of a mustard seed, I think He was speaking symbolically that everyone has mountains in their lives that get in the way of true happiness. And that ones faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, miracles can happen.



I am a living testament to the understanding of what the Infinite Atonement means. No matter what I may do in this life, if i just turn to God, and do all I can to do the right things, He will bless me and show me the way.



I bear witness that what i have shared is true. I know god lives and loves all of us. His Son Even Jesus Christ lives and loves us too and is there waiting at the door, knocking to have us let Him in to our lives. I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and that he did see them and testified to the world of it. And that Thomas S Monson is Gods Prophet on the earth today and speaks the will of the Lord for all to hear. The Book of Mormon is true. Fasting and tithing are true. I bear witness of this and leave you this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.