How Jami Knows

It is difficult to know where to begin. I suppose I will begin by describing faith. I am, by nature, a doubter. It is difficult for me to accept and believe things I have not seen for myself; not just in spiritual things, but secular as well. I just know there is a lot of misinformation out there and I don't want to be deceived.

Faith, however is asking you to do just that - believe without seeing first. Although it is difficult to exercise faith at times, I have done so throughout my life - leaning on the mercies of The Lord as I do so.

I have been blessed with witnesses from the Holy Ghost as I've exercised faith; as promised in the scripture, " . . . For ye receive no witness until after he trial of your faith" (Ether 12:6).

Among witnesses I have received include a sure knowledge that the man I married was the right choice for me.

Motherhood is the most difficult thing I've ever done and I rely on faith that I will receive the help and guidance I need to raise my three daughters the way The Lord would have me. As I've exercised my faith and struggled, I've received witnesses and help - sometimes through a scripture I've read, a person, or a reassurance through the Holy Ghost.

I have received witness that Jesus Christ is my savior and that through His atonement I can be saved if I repent. I remember my dad teaching a Sunday school lesson in my youth where he broke the word atonement into three parts -

at/one/ (ment)=with. That has stuck with me ever since. I know that Christ want me to be like him so that I can return to Heavenly Father.

Life is not easy - nor do I think it is meant to be. We are given the gift of faith to grow stronger. After the trial of our faith we receive witness. The witness, at least in my own experience, is more often than not a small experience. I think this is so our faith is tested even more. I also believe we need to write down our experiences so we can reflect and remember.

I testify that I have exercised my faith and have received witnesses over and over that Jesus Christ is my savior and that the atonement is real. I know that God lives and loves us and wants us to return to Him. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

How Rea Knows #2

Keeping up with schedules of five school children and three pre-schoolers always proved challenging.  However, in this particiular week, it seemed the unexpected was even more prevalent than usual.  Emergency trips to the Doctor; helping with school assignments; soothing hurt knees and hurt feelings; cleaning up messier than normal messes; many important not-to-be-ignored telephone calls;  my much valued helpmate being called by his work to be away from home for the entire week..............these were a few of the barriers that delayed my preparations to be able to teach a spiritual class in our church women's group, called Relief Society.

When the morning of that day arrived, I was panicked, and wondered if I should even go teach because I was so unprepared.  As I knelt to pray before getting dressed for the meeting, I pleaded with my Heavenly Father to help me teach this very important lesson, which was on forgiveness.  I told Him that I really had wanted to study and prepare for it, but that I felt I had nothing to offer these ladies since I hadn't been able to hardly even look at the scriptures and other materials available to me.

A great peaceful relief came over me, and I knew that it would be OK.  Even though I had no idea HOW it could be OK, I had learned by then that I could trust in that peace which signified to me that my prayer had been heard.

By the time I had walked up to the podium to begin my lesson, my faith began to waver somewhat, as I had not had one idea or inspiration as to how to even introduce this subject!  

For some reason, I felt the prompting to begin by asking questions....I don't remember exactly what they were, but as a result of one of those questions, one lady raised her hand and said, "You know, there is such a fine line between love and hate."  Miraculously, with only a split second of hesitation, my mouth opened and thoughts/words came forth.  The words I heard were obviously not MY words or MY thoughts!  I had heard this idea before, but never given it any thought.  Until that moment, I had not considered this subject!

I listened carefully to the words, though, because I  knew they were truth.  My first unexpected comment was "Satan would like for us to believe that, because it is HIS doctrine rather than true doctrine."  I continued the comments for about 2 minutes, I believe.  I began to have the thought, "What on earth am I going to say or do when this is over?"

I do not remember what the answer to that question was, but I do remember that the whole  lesson went so well, and that the revelation we had each heard sparked much good participation.  I had only been home for about half an hour after church that day when I got a phone call.  It was a sister that I did not know, who was visiting that day in my class.  She was crying.  She said over and over, "Thank you,  thank you.  What you said today gave me some perfect answers to my prayers.  I needed so badly to hear that about hate and love.  I can't tell you the relief and peace I have now."

I never saw that lady again.  But I knew the words given to me that morning were especially for her......and for me.  The concept I learned that day has served me so well in many, many times in my life.  I know that my Heavenly Father wanted me to know about that, and looking back on events in my life since then, I know that He lovingly prepared me for those times, as well as answering this sister's prayers.

How Stephan Knows

When I think of how I know, it all comes down to one thing: the spirit of God. It is thanks to the mercy of God allowing a portion of His spirit to be with us that we are able to discern light and truth. I feel so humble and grateful when I receive peace about a concern, an answer to prayers, or joy in simple things.  Indeed, those are tender mercies from the Savior.

One of those mercies is my testimony of Joseph Smith. I remember having a testimony of His calling and mission when I was a teenager. It was just that simple. When my older brother got home from his mission however, he shared some things with me about the Prophet's character and virtues. He told me he read that Joseph's axe yard was always an example of order and he could do three times the amount of work in one day an ordinary man could do (it could mean he was just strong, but I also took that to mean he was a hard worker).  He also told me of his extraordinary ability to connect with children, how he played with them and didn't shoo them away as many would. These little details prompted me to learn more about the prophet's history and read the Doctrine and Covenants.  My study and prayer on these matters brought stronger witnesses of every step of the restoration of the gospel, including priesthood ordinances and temple covenants.

I know that Joseph had visions and saw angels. I know that he saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ who really spoke to him. I know the Book of Mormon is a true record of ancient civilizations that lived on this continent and knew and worshiped God intently. I know the Book of Mormon was written on gold plates and delivered to Joseph Smith and translated by the power of God. I also know he saw miracles in protecting those plates. He saw miracles during each step of restoring all keys, truths, and rites of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Earth. God is all-loving and wants us to have everything that is good and pure. I know God lives, I know Christ lives and I know there is a true prophet living today through whom God speaks to us all and guides us in the right direction.

How JeLyn Knows

There’s an experience that I feel strongly about telling, but it is one that requires a little more courage because I will reveal something that, until now, I wasn’t comfortable sharing with people I hadn’t grown to trust.

As a bit of the necessary background, which is the most difficult part to tell, I was diagnosed with Bipolar at age 15. Though I never lost my faith at that time, the skewed perceptions brought on by the illness before my diagnoses led me to perceive a loss of all other supports one by one, and I found myself in the depths of almost complete despondency in which the only hope I had to hold on to of a life worth living was the hope my faith offered. I remember listening to a favorite CD of mine put out by my church over and over again. It was a source of peace for a mind that offered none. By the point that I had perceived a loss of all supports except my faith, I started to live in fear that it would soon fail me too, so I began contemplating ending my life if it ever did. A life of such complete despondency would be no life at all.

My faith was able to pull me through until I got the help I needed. Fast forward a few years, and I wanted to serve a mission for my church, but was unable to due to Bipolar. To this point, my illness had been the main source of me feeling that I wasn’t enough for anyone at one point or another, except for God. After being told I couldn’t serve a mission, I felt for the first time that I wasn’t enough for Him, because all my faith and all I had worked through with Bipolar “wasn’t enough” for me to serve a mission. I could bear the pain of feeling like I wasn’t enough for imperfect people, but not the pain of feeling like my strengths weren’t enough for someone who knew me better than I knew myself! That made me doubt God’s love for the first time in my life, and from there came other doubts I never thought I’d have. Slowly, I stopped praying and reading scriptures because the pain I was experiencing was too much.

One day in this state of doubt, I turned on my ITunes. I had always, always made sure I specified a playlist, because otherwise I’d end up with Christmas in July, and I am not my mother’s daughter in that respect to be able to enjoy that. However, I soon found it had slipped my mind this time, because it skipped to a song on the same CD I used to listen to over and over again, pre-Bipolar diagnosis. Immediately, tears came to my eyes, because not only did it bring back the Spirit that I hadn’t allowed myself to feel in a while, but it stood as a reminder of the times He’d pulled me through, that He still loved me, and would do the same this time too if I allowed Him to, and that even though I had turned my back on Him for a time, He had never, and WOULD never forsake me.

This is a truth that I know and that nothing now can ever make me doubt. HE LIVES! He loves us unconditionally! What’s more is He is constantly with His hand outstretched, wanting us to take it and to take that magnet of skewed intentions off our figurative compass so that He can get through to us and point us in the right direction when we turn to Him. His love is always the answer and will heal more than we could ever imagine if we let it work in and through us.

How Rachel Knows

I was thirteen year old when the Nauvoo, Illinois temple was being rededicated. As a young child, my parents took us to the grounds where it had once stood before it was burned down. I remember walking the grounds in reverence. For some reason, my family felt a certain closeness to that particular temple so once it had started to be rebuilt, we made plans to drive out there again to see the glorious replica.

On our drive to Nauvoo, we stopped at many different church and historical sites. It was Saturday June 1, 2002 and we stopped at a little camp ground in Keokuk, Iowa to prepare for fast Sunday the following day. My family set up the camper trailer and I set up my little tent that I enjoyed sleeping in alone.

On June 2, I wrote in my journal:

“We went to a little branch in Keokuk. We were so lucky to be there on fast Sunday. Every one’s testimonies were so strong. Everyone was so excited for a temple to be a couple minutes away rather than a couple hours away. In Utah, there are temples everywhere. I take it for granted. I never realized what it would be like with only a couple people in the whole school are LDS or having a temple far away from you.

“My family is picking on me. I’m the only one that gets in trouble. This trip sucks because: my mom left her purse 2 ½ hours (one way) away, we got a flat tire, I’m being picked on, every one’s mean and we forgot a lot of important stuff. See what I mean.”

I don’t remember why I was upset, I just remember being extremely upset and I chose to leave my family in the camper and confine myself in my own little tent. I remember deciding to read my scriptures, even though I was angry and upset. I continued:

“I have just studied a scripture. It is Moroni 10:3-4 [which says “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”] After reading it over and praying about it I can now say it’s all true. Jesus Christ is the true God. He will manifest this unto you if you go before Him with a humble heart and faith. He has done it unto me and I know he can do it unto you. I know this is the true church. I know the scriptures are true. I know this gospel is true.

“The spirit is very strong with me right now. I feel much joy from the testimony I have just gained. I know it is all true and what joy that brings to me. It’s kind of funny it all happened in a little tent in Keokuk at a hard time in life with my family. But I know it’s true!”

This was the pivotal experience in my life. Before this, I had believed the things that I was taught, but after this experience, I knew that it was true. Sitting in that little tent, weeping with joy, feeling my Savior’s love and a burning in my heart as I prayed to know that the scriptures were true, is an experience that I have carried with me my whole life. In times of darkness, I sit back and remember what I felt that day and what I learned that day and I still retain my testimony and can testify that God hears you and He hears me. He loves us with a greater love than we can imagine. He reaches for us with His arms wide open, inviting us to come to Him and to come home.

How Lynette Knows

I could basically write my life’s story in answer to the question of “How do you know God lives?”

But, I’ll spare you and start with this experience. ;)

I love the imagery Glenn used about God being like Oz behind a curtain, and revealing Himself in

Glenn’s life.  I love it because I know it’s true that God is near all that seek Him. The universe is very largebut God is near. When we have a prayer in our heart and do His will in our lives we feel Him at home, at work, on a walk, at the store, or whenever our greatest need is. When I pray and put myself at God’s feet the Holy Ghost wraps me with His love, I know that God is near, that He listens, and then He speaks answers to my heart.

Stephan and I have struggled to start our family. About a year ago my heart and mind

were obsessed by the grief this caused me. This obsession caused me to focus on what was lacking in my

life.  Stephan was in the Air Force ROTC, training to become an officer after graduation from college. He

submitted paperwork for a 2012 graduation and commissioning in the Air Force. We didn’t know it but

the paperwork never got submitted. He was in the books as graduating in 2011. No one noticed it until

after the cadets for year 2011 had made bids for their careers. His commander told him there was

nothing he could do. He either needed to separate from the Air Force or finish his degree in 2011. Aside

from that, there was no time to finish the coursework for the major and minor Stephan had chosen AND

finish by 2011. I was very upset by this. Because of my lack of perspective at the time I blamed others for

the situation and tried to figure out how we could get the approval we needed to finish in 2012.

Meanwhile, Stephan sat down and figured out that if he took a full semester load straight through Fall,

Winter, Spring, and Summer terms he could finish his degree without his minor in August 2011. So

that’s what he did. We decided to stay in the Air Force so Stephan went to work! It was hard on him but

he is very organized, so it worked out. I still had a bad attitude about this until we reached our first Air

Force Base. We went from scraping through college together to having all of our needs and more, this

was such a relief. Additionally, I had nearly “everything is covered” health insurance! This meant that I

could vigorously pursue our fertility situation. The graduation date fiasco was actually an answer to my

prayers; an answer to the numerous prayers that came from the deepest desire of my heart. I was too

negative to realize all of the implications for good an earlier start in Stephan’s career would have on us.

One day I just sat after a prayer and a multitude of my blessings from the previous year poured into my

mind. I felt so humbled that Heavenly Father in his mercy still saw fit to bless me despite my lack of

gratitude. Heavenly Father is a loving and merciful God. I know He lives! I know these blessings in my life

and more are possible through Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. Regardless of what my life may

lack, there is nothing more beautiful than knowledge that the Savior lives, that my soul can be restored

from sin, and that I can live again with God and my family because of the atonement. There is nothing

more beautiful for all of humankind than this truth.