We Can Find Happiness

Conversion Story - Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck is an American conservative radio and television host, author, entrepreneur, and political commentator.

Conversion Story - Sister Cathy Lee

All the way from primary to secondary school, I studied in a Convent. When I met my best friend Jean at 11 years old, Jean introduced me to Catechism classes (kind of like seminary classes for the Catholic children). From then on, I learnt about our Saviour and I so much wanted to follow Him. By the time I was in secondary school, I asked permission from my mother to be baptised as a Catholic. My mom told me,"You are born into a Buddhist family and you will remain a Buddhist until your dying day.....unless, the man you marry is a Christian, then you are allowed to follow his religion.".

So you can imagine what my prayers are for ever since..... it had always been for me to meet a nice Catholic boy so that I could become a Catholic! I had only wanted to become a Catholic because to me the proper authority was important, and Jesus Christ had passed the authority to Saint Peter....... so I believed that the Catholic Church was the only true church and no other churches would have the direct authority from Christ himself.

It took me a long time waiting for the right 'Catholic boy' to come into my life. Not a single one did......... until I met Eric.........he wasn't a Catholic yet but he was taking classes to get ready to be baptised as a Catholic. So I would finally marry my 'Catholic' and get to become a Catholic myself.....or so I thought..............

Then one day, Eric told me...... that he did not believe that the Catholic church is the true church and that he would go in search for the truth! I was stumped but I just waited and watched where the search would take Eric. He would become any missionary's favourite target! Any friend, contact or acquaintance who invited Eric to their church, he would willingly go....... One day, he was at his office when he saw one of his colleques (Sister Annie (Ling) Teh) reading some kind of church literature. He asked her what was she reading.... she said it was her church book (Eric can't remember now whether it was an RS Manual or Book of Mormon) and she invited him to investigate the church. Of course Eric willingly went along. He took the lessons and attended Sacrament meetings but I would not go along (because it was not the Catholic church!); but every time he came back, I would ask him what they taught him. He would share with me but when I started asking more and more questions, he said,"Why don't you just take the lessons yourself so you can ask as many questions as you like because I don't know how to answer your questions any more"!

So I agreed to take the discussions but was appalled when I found myself in the Mormon church! In my mind I was thinking,"What! Isn't this a cult?"! I prayed to Heavenly Father and asked Him what was happening and how on earth was I led to a cult and to please show me back to the right church"! However, I didn't get any answer from Heavenly Father so I continued with the discussions. I must have given the missionaries such a tough time because they had to continue seeing me for the next two years!

Finally, when Eric and I were ready to get married, I asked Heavenly Father to show me what I should do........... Interestingly, that was when Eric decided that this was the true church he had been searching for and wanted to get baptised (but he didn't ask me to because he thought I wasn't ready). So I thought about it and realised that perhaps it was THIS church that Heavenly Father wanted me to join! I felt that since I was marrying Eric and he was going to become a Christian, then so be it, this would be the right church for me....... So you can imagine the surprise I gave the missionaries....... I remember the day clearly........... The couple missionaries were asking Eric to commit to a baptism date and before Eric could answer, I said I would like to be baptised too (by then I had gained a testimony that Joseph Smith was indeed the Prophet who restored the Gospel after reading the book "Truth Restored" given to me by Brother David Chan). So we decided to be baptised together 3 days after our marriage registration!

When I think back, I am indeed grateful that through Eric, I found the true church and I am certain that was the reason Eric came into my life. I realise now that Heavenly Father has indeed answered my prayer after all. The best part is, He led me to the right church by placing Eric in my life otherwise I would never have in any way come into contact with the church at all!

Isn't it so amazing how things had turned out? I did not end up as a Catholic (much to Jean's disappointment) but I got something better..... the Restored Gospel! For this, I am thankful for Eric's part in my life because I now see a bigger purpose in Heavenly Father's plan for me!

Former Buddhist Monk Solid in His LDS Testimony

Mani Seangsuwan

Seangsuwan walked right up to the missionaries to hear more.

"I think I scared him," he writes. "Can you image how you would feel if a Buddhist monk in the orange robe came up to you, knowing that what you were doing was contradictory to Thai culture?"

(To read the entire article, click here)

Conversion Story - Sister Tina Lee

After my husband died in 2006, I was very sad and afraid as I felt like a tree with no branches, just emptiness. So I did something which I had never done before: I went to church. After two years of going to the Catholic Church, I still felt afraid, alone and without anyone whom I could confide in. As time went by, it became worse. I felt weak and vulnerable. When I finally thought that I had found a friend, this person took advantage of my trust.

One day, I saw two white guys traveling on the same bus, talking to the other passengers. What surprised me was that one of them was talking to a passenger in Tamil! I later asked the passenger what the white guy wanted and he said that the white guy was telling him about God. He was also given a book in Tamil. I became interested and wanted to know more but the question was: How? Where could I find them?

Some time later, I saw those same white guys in Mid-Valley Mega Mall where I was working. I approached them and asked for the book about Jesus Christ. They were so happy and asked whether they could meet me to teach me. I told them no problem and a date was set for the following week. However, when the time came for us to meet, they were taken ill and I never got taught by them.

Later, when my work took me to Ampang Point, I saw another two guys from the same church. When they checked my address, they told me that they were the ones who were supposed to teach me, not the previous two guys. I got to know them as Elder Houston and Elder Taimoni.

Not long after they started teaching me about the Prophet Joseph Smith and what he did, Elder Houston told me that he had been transferred to Singapore. I couldn't understand why someone who was so concerned about me and my knowledge of God had to go. My heart ached and I felt very sad.

Elder Taimoni continued teaching me with Elder Richards. After a few meetings, Elder Taimoni too had to go. You can imagine how I felt as the teachers kept being changed.

Then came Sister Parry and Sister Clark. By the end of September last year, they decided I should get baptized but I was very reluctant. I became afraid. I told them I couldn't be baptized as I was already baptized in another Church but if God called me to be baptized, I'd do it. I wouldn't do it just for the sake of making them happy.

They agreed and started sending me scriptures to read every day. They also asked me to ask God about my baptism. I started having problems with one of my sons and as I thought about it, I realized that God was calling me to be baptized so that I could have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and be able to feel peace.

One day before I was baptized, I felt faint. I don't remember how I managed to walk to where I could get a cab, told the driver where I live, got out of the cab, walked up the stairs and reached my front door. I realized later it must have been God who had taken me safely home. I decided to do what God had wanted me to do and that was to get baptized. The date was set for 19 October 2008.

Sister Parry and Sister Clark were very happy but neither of them got to attend my baptism. Sister Svenson and Sister Kotogama took over their place. I was baptized by Brother Friend. I had a very good feeling. I felt like all my burdens and sadness had been lifted up.

Now, I feel happy going to church. I am very blessed that President Renner takes good care of me as he knows I had a lot of sadness in my life. I feel like I have a family now, not just a bare tree but one with many branches. After Sister Svenson and Sister Kotogama left, Sister McCurdy and Sister Alford continued to teach me and it made me happy. I feel the Holy Ghost who comforts me.

It feels really nice to belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's like a home, full of laughter and love that I had never experienced before, not even with my sons. They have all left, thinking that I'm the most foolish mother. But with God by my side, I don't worry so much any more. I know He is there for me.

Stephanie Smith: Top CIA Exec and New Convert, Tells Story

Stephanie Smith received an MPA at Harvard University and worked her way up in the CIA to become Director of Support, managing the largest directorate in the organization. For 25 years she was at the highest level of the senior executive cadre managing intelligence, public diplomacy and defense —but for Stephanie, something was missing.

(For the full story, click here)

Thanks Sister Cathy, for e-mailing me this very dramatic conversion story. It was a great read.

Conversion Story - Sister Vanitha James

When I was asked by the missionaries to read the Book of Mormon and pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit, I was reluctant because I did not believe in it. Our whole family and I were angry with my husband because he continued going to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We thought we had convinced him to leave the church and believed that he had really left. But after some time, we saw him still going there and this time, he was very strong in the church. So, we decided to give up on him, ignore him, maintain our distance and keep away from him.

During this period of time, our family and I were very against any teachings by the church members including the missionaries. But the elders continued to come and visit us. This made me listen to what they had to say and they showed me how to read the Book of Mormon.

Our son, Vasanthan was very angry at first but I told him that the elders were referring to the bible to explain the words from the Book of Mormon. Vasanthan then came and joined me to listen to what the elders were teaching. It made us feel peace in our hearts.

Two months later, I decided to be baptized and our son, Vasanthan was baptized just last month, in June. I did not tell the rest of the family that Vasanthan and I are baptized. I want them to see the changes in us.

Now, the Holy Spirit guides me and there is peace in my heart, which leads me to study the Book of Mormon every day.

I still have challenges especially during this period of time but I pray to God daily and submit myself to Him. Now, I feel light in my heart and I hope that God will deliver our family soon. I know that one day my prayer will be answered and our whole family will come to know about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Conversion Story - Sister Claire Lim

My parents are Catholic, thus I was born a Catholic. So, I went to Catechism (Catholic Sunday School) all throughout my primary school years. However, I grew up with my grandpa in Melaka and not my parents, who were working in KL. I remember when I was 8 or 9 years old, I would ask questions like, “Why are we here on earth? What is the purpose of life?” Well, I asked those questions, because I hated doing homework ALL the time! ^_^

Nonetheless, my questions were answered when I was 16 years old. The answers came through a series of events. I didn’t know then, that they would lead to my baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Looking back, I never regretted the path I chose.

My baptism was a member missionary effort. My aunt Lillian shared the gospel with her sister, Susan and Susan’s husband, Michael. During that time, Michael and Susan were also living under the same roof as my grandpa and I. The missionaries started coming over to teach the discussions to Michael and Susan. Subsequently, they would also go to the missionary couple’s home for the new member discussions, watch church videos and also hold family home evenings. Of course, I would always tag along.

In the beginning, I would just tag along for fun. When new missionaries came, I would be the “investigator” for them to practice teaching the discussions. All these happened around the time when I was 15 and 16 years old. Not long after that, I started skipping Catechism to go to “their” Sacrament meetings. My parents were not happy about it. However, I felt that the Plan of Salvation the missionaries had been sharing made sense. It’s very logical. So, I wanted to learn more. I also started praying to know the truthfulness of the gospel.

Wanting to learn more meant spending more time in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with the Saints and mostly missionaries at that time (as it was still a very small branch). Thus, I gradually removed myself from the Catholic Church. There was one particular Sunday (I don’t remember the date) I went to my usual Catholic Mass in the morning. I sat on the aisle seat looking at the people seated in the cathedral. During that time, females were assigned to sit on the left side of the cathedral and the males were on the right side. I remembered thinking to myself, “What if ALL the males in this cathedral hold the priesthood of God?” That would be A LOT of members in Melaka!

I sat there weighing heavily on the pros and cons of staying until the Mass was over and most importantly if I should leave the Catholic Church for good. I believe I was only about 16 going on 17 at that time, nonetheless I decided there and then to get up and leave the Cathedral and subsequently the Catholic faith. I still remember vividly the moment I walked out of the Cathedral, telling myself, “There’s nothing here for me anymore.” I didn’t feel a loss, I felt at peace.

This bold decision that I made was aided by a few incidences which happened as answers to my prayers. I shall share one. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d already been praying to find out whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. There was one time I had a religious discussion with my English teacher in school. I brought up the topic of ‘Mormonism’ and my teacher went on to share what she knew about the ‘Mormons”. I started to correct her and defending the church. The moment I realized what I was doing, it dawned on me that I already knew this church to be true.

As a Catholic, I’d already been taught to pray to our Heavenly Father. However, the most crucial part of prayer that I’ve learned in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that He answers our prayers. He truly does! I found out for myself through prayer that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and that the prophet Joseph Smith Jr. was called to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ here on earth. I also know the Book of Mormon is written by ancient prophets for the people in our day.

I was finally baptized when I was 18 against my parents’ wishes. Nonetheless, I had support from my aunts and uncle. My grandpa also joined the church after I did. He was 71 when he joined. ^_^ I was privileged to be able to serve a mission in the Kaohsiung, Taiwan mission. After that, I was blessed to attend BYU Hawaii and the University of Hawaii. All these came to pass, because of the gospel in my life.

I testify that when we stay faithful, doing and giving our best to build His kingdom here on earth, we will be guided by the Spirit to do whatever that is right and necessary for us to go back to our Heavenly Father. Through that, we are able to help our brothers and sisters as well.

Heavenly Father has been very kind and generous to me. The atonement of Jesus Christ has enabled me to repent of my sins and get back on track every time I fall short. I truly am an unprofitable servant. That’s when I learned that when much is given, much is required. This life is for us to prepare to meet God. We will have to learn to endure to the end and endure it well, work together with our families and our loved ones and bring them to the knowledge of the gospel. With Christ as our Savior, we can and will make it when we do our part.

Conversion Story - Sister Susan Seet

Susan and Michael with the Elders who taught them the Gospel, Elder Andrew Confer and Elder Mathew Wall.

The year was 1994. My husband, Michael, and I were leading a worldly lifestyle. He was holding two jobs and I was teaching during the day and going to law school at night. Life was too hectic for us to enjoy anything.

My sister, Lillian had recently been widowed. Michael and I knew that she was hurting badly so we visited her often and even accompanied her to her church. It was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had been baptized into it eight years before.

Soon after our visiting the church with Lillian, two elders were sent by the mission to our little historical town of Melaka in Malaysia. We were wary of the elders at first and even hid from them, however, in no time, we became fast friends. We felt sorry for these two American young men who had nobody. There were no members and they were so far away from home.

Invitation to a Very Small Sacrament Meeting
They invited us to their sacrament meeting one day and we agreed. Sacrament meeting was held in their apartment. They did not even have chairs, so we sat on one of their beds. Week after week, there were just the four of us. We started asking them questions and they asked us to take the six discussions.

During one of the discussions, we were taught the principle of tithing and we both felt that it was right. We went home and discussed it and decided that if we felt a teaching to be correct, then the right thing to do was to act upon it.

We decided to pay our first tithe even though we were not baptized yet. ---The only problem was that we had spent our income without planning for a 10% tithe and if we were to go ahead, we would not have enough money for food for the rest of the month. ----It was a tough decision but we decided to go by faith.

Miraculously, we survived the month because my father visited us often and brought us plenty of food. We then had our first testimony of tithing and this has never been a challenge to us ever since. We continued to act upon everything that we were taught and felt to be right.

Everything that the missionaries taught us was very acceptable to me, as I was hungry for something more in my life. That which was seriously lacking in my life, I now seemed to have found.

Disagreements
It was harder for Michael to completely accept that this was the only true church and we used to have huge disagreements, especially on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings which made it extremely difficult for us to get to church. However, we always seemed to make it there somehow. It was so amazing that the elders would invariably talk about something that we had been arguing about even though we had never told them about it. The spirit was so strong, always, and tears would often flow freely.

I was sure that I had found that missing piece in my life and was ready to be baptized but it was not so with Michael. We had more arguments as a result. One day, however, he came home from work and ---to my surprise announced that he also wanted to be baptized! ---While driving home, he had a vision of us. In the vision we were members of the church and we were very happy!

Susan and Michael with Elder Brian Ashby who also helped teach them the truths of the Gospel.

Baptism
The elders set the date for November 5th. We had our biggest argument on November 4th, over nothing! My sister Lillian told us to pray and as we knelt down and prayed, all the anger and negative feelings just left us and we could not figure out what we had been arguing about.

We were baptized and at about the same time, a missionary couple was sent to our little town and a few months later another family moved in. With two families, a branch was formed and Michael was called as the branch president. It was quite overwhelming, as we were so new in the church. However, the missionaries continued to teach and train us.

Michael and I spent a lot of time reading from manuals and whatever church materials we could lay our hands on. We thought we were hungry, but we were practically starving. One couple described us as sponges trying to absorb everything.

Becoming Parents
One day, Michael read a quote by President Kimball stating that putting off parenting for the sake of studies or career was a form of idolatry. ---He thought about us and shared what he had read with me. I knew then that I had a big decision to make. I remember taking one whole day, praying and studying it out in my mind before I decided that I would give up law school to start a family. Michael agreed with me and almost a year later, our son Matthew (named after the first missionary who taught us) was born. His Chinese name is Jing Wei, meaning defender of the scriptures.

When Matthew was born, we decided that I would quit my teaching job to be a full time homemaker, just as the church teaches. This decision drew lots of criticism especially from some family members and most of our friends. ---Since Michael's sole income would not be able to sustain us, Michael also had to quit his job to look for a better paying one. Most people thought we were either stupid or crazy or both. In the scriptures, the Lord promised us that if we would do the things that He wants us to, He would provide a way and He did. Michael was able to provide for us with his new job.

When Matthew turned one, we made plans to go to our nearest temple, the Manila Philippines Temple. Lillian went with us and it was such a wonderful experience especially when we were sealed together and when Matthew was brought in to be sealed to us.

The Seets' three boys, named for the missionaries who taught them, Andrew Seet De Wei, Brian Seet Song Wei, and Mathew Seet Jing Wei.

As we continued to learn, progress and serve, my niece Claire, who was staying with us was observing us and learning as well. Claire wanted to be baptized, but she could not get her parents' consent. When she turned eighteen, however, she was baptized. She served a mission in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She cycled about 15 kilometers a day. She worked so hard and touched so many lives. We are very proud of her.

My father Samuel, who was also staying with us, got baptized later. He was 71 years old at that time. He does not speak or understand English but he has faithfully attended church all this time. We do not have a Mandarin branch, all is in English, but he is able to say prayers, bless the sacrament, sing the church hymns and read his church manuals and other materials in Mandarin. He was 75 when he went to the Taipei Taiwan Temple to serve as an ordinance worker and then returned home with his proud granddaughter, Claire. He was not able to serve a regular mission, as he is a widower.

Michael and I later had another son, Andrew (named after the second missionary who came to Melaka and taught us). His Chinese name is De Wei, which means defender of virtues. Just before Andrew was born, Michael was retrenched from work and it was four months of refining and living by faith. Michael later got a better job but we will never forget the things that we learned during that ordeal. We have become more compassionate, more generous, more understanding and more grateful.

An Amazing Miracle
Sometime after this, something really wonderful happened. My uncle (my father's younger brother) who had just returned from one of his trips to visit our relatives in China, brought us a book. It was all written in ancient Mandarin and my father could not really make out what it was so he showed it to me. At first, I too did not know what it was but as I slowly studied it, I realized it was a record of my father's ancestors! If I am not mistaken, we have information on eighteen generations! ---I often wondered when I was growing up, why my parents had sent me to a Mandarin-medium school when all my siblings were sent to English-medium schools. Well, now I know! What a tremendous blessing this was. Our hearts were filled with so much gratitude. We made copies of the book and sent it to be translated. When we went to the Hong Kong Temple with my father for his endowment, we had the opportunity to do work for some of our ancestors. We can feel the love for our ancestors even though we only have names and dates to look at. My father finished doing work for all the names in the book when he served in the Taipei Temple.

Just before our third son Brian (named after the third missionary who came to Melaka and taught us) was born, Michael was offered a better job but this required us to move to the city of Kuala Lumpur. I have never been one who likes to live in the big city so I was very undecided about this. One day after praying about it, I was prompted to read the scriptures from where I had left off the day before. When I opened my Book of Mormon, I knew I had my answer because it was the chapter about Lehi moving his family from Jerusalem! The Lord has never failed to help Michael get a better job so that he can provide for us, as our family grows larger. We have a very strong testimony of this. By the way, Brian's Chinese name is Song Wei, which means defender of the mountain (as in mountain of the Lord).

There have been so many spiritual experiences in our lives that there is not the time nor space to share them all. We are so grateful for all that we have learned and for all the blessings that have come into our lives because of the gospel. We love our three beautiful boys so much and we are working hard to bring them up the right way by changing ourselves to be the best that we can be. We pray that they will grow up to be valiant young men. We want to make it to the celestial kingdom and we are trying our best to do it one day at a time.

In fulfillment of the vision that Michael had, we are indeed happy!

Quote - Conversion

"Those who have felt the touch of the Master's hand somehow cannot explain the change which comes into their lives. There is a desire to live better, to serve faithfully, to walk humbly, and to be more like the Savior."

--Thomas S Monson, "Anxiously Engaged", Ensign, November 2004, 58