Dustin's Testimony and Conversion...

I was sent this amazing conversion story and had to share it with all of you. His testimony has made mine grow. I hope you will read through his experience and reflect on your own testimony and conversion. It made me think of where I am at now and where I'd like to be. I know that each of us can grow and be strengthened by the testimonies of others and I am grateful that he has taken the time to share with all of us.

Unto all who reads,

I am a convert to the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints. I grew up in a loving family that taught me good morals and supported me from day one. I love them! We were not very religious however, so I really had no solid spiritual foundation. Friends in elementary and high school spoke to me about Jesus and the Bible, but I did not understand Their importance at that time in my life. When I was about 15 years old my kidneys began to fail, and I eventually ended up on dialysis by the age of 18. I was a very miserable teenager during those high school years. It was a difficult challenge having a chronic disease, and I was depressed because of it.

Fumbling through life, I partook of anything and everything the world had to offer. You could say I was quite comfortable in the presidential suite of the "Great and Spacious Building" (what the world has to offer). At the age of 19 I received kidney transplant, selflessly donated by my grandmother. It was like night and day with my health. I had been sick for so long that I had forgotten what it was like to be healthy! I had a new lease on life (or so I thought.) Not only did I have a new kidney, I was now also of legal age and could go to the bars and clubs - involving myself foolishly in them. I began to hang around people whom you could consider modern-day Gadianton Robbers (bikers and gang members). I began to have a chip on my shoulder, thinking the world owed me respect. The false sense of security I had around these "gentlemen" had also puffed up my pride even more.

Then, one morning, my mother woke me up and told me to turn on the television. It was September 11, 2001. My heart sank into my stomach. I was scared, confused and ashamed. Ashamed at how I had been living my life up to that point. Ashamed by my selfish recklessness and utter disregard for the sacrifices my family and friends had made for me over the previous years. Something stirred inside of me. I had a deep yearning to know the TRUTH. What was I doing with my life? Why had I gone through so much? What was the meaning of it all? I had been given a second chance at a healthy life, yet I was literally wasting it away with frivolous living. I was also troubled because those who allegedly crashed the planes said they did so in the name of their God and their religion. This did not sit right with me. From the little I knew about God, I was under the impression that He loved us - or He at least liked us enough to not have us kill each other! From that point on I began a “spiritual binge“. I quit cold turkey all of the substances, places and people that had been a negative influence in my life. I had no desire for ANY of it. I went to the library on many occasions and studied the different religions and beliefs of the world. Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Hinduism. I LOVED it!! I was soaking it up. I was a sponge. Eventually, I began to learn about Christianity. I cracked open an old bible and began to read.

"In the beginning..." As hard as I tried, I couldn't really understand it. And to make things even MORE confusing, there were many, many different denominations and sects within Christianity itself. Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist, Presbyterian, Evangelical, Episcopalian... You get the idea. I was overwhelmed! And who WAS this Jesus? My answers soon came.

About mid-October I was at a "friend's" house, sitting on a couch. Whilst sitting, I had an unmistakable feeling that I had to leave, NOW!!! - that it was not safe to stay. I abruptly left and got into my car. I began to drive home, wondering if the impression I just had was real. Then, all of a sudden, a thick warm blanket of pure love and light enveloped me from head to toe. To describe this experience with mere mortal words cannot do it justice. The feeling was like having all of the best times of my life wrapped into one joyous, happy moment. The feeling was like having every birthday party, Christmastime and colourful dream coming true - all at once - multiplied by infinity. My heart burned within me. It was so familiar. Someone or Something not of this world knew exactly who I was, and loved me with a love that is indescribable. I began to ball like a baby and wept with sheer joy. I then began to weep with sadness, realizing that the life I had been living was not what I was put on this earth to do. I felt encouraged to continue seeking, searching and I would find the answers I was so desperately yearning for. I experienced peace in my heart, comforting me and urging me to continue to the Light - to continue to fight for good. That moment changed me forever. I know that what I felt and experienced was real and true. I also know that God knew it, and I could not deny it - neither dared I! From that day on I continued my spiritual journey. I learned more about the different denominations and doctrines, but they were more confusing than comforting. I even went to a bible study group. They spoke about God and Jesus, which was good, but something was missing. Where was that feeling that I had previously experienced - that burning within my heart that had filled me full of hope, faith, love and light? I was starting to get frustrated.

November 13, 2001 was my father's birthday. That evening, my family decided to go out for dinner to celebrate. I wasn’t feeling too well so I stayed home, alone. I turned on the television to one of my favourite shows. A woman on the show explained to a man that she was a Mormon. What was a Mormon? Was it another religion I could study? I was getting excited. And while I was pondering this new topic, the doorbell rang. Oh, who could that be?! I was watching my show, just beginning to process this new information about Mormons.

I answered the door...

Two missionaries from The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints stood before me, The Book of Mormon in their hands. These two young men introduced themselves, both curiously named "Elder". They explained to me their message about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith’s First Vision and the purpose of the Book of Mormon. What touched my heart the most was their invitation to read passages from the Book of Mormon, and then ask God MYSELF to know if it was true. We talked in the doorway for about 20 minutes. They gave me a copy of the book and said they would contact me in a few days. I felt like I was walking on air.

I immediately went upstairs and began to read. I did not understand everything right away, but I knew in my heart that I had to pray to God to know if this was what I had been searching for. Besides, it just couldn't have been a coincidence that the Mormon missionaries showed up at my door at the EXACT same time there was a Mormon on television, right? I got down on my knees, not knowing how to pray, but prayed silently nevertheless. I offered up the sincerest desires of my heart and asked God to show me what was true. I asked Him if it was right to meet with the missionaries. I prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true. I got up, poured myself a bowl of cereal and opened a magazine to an article in the back. I began to read. The article was about BYU's football team. It explained how players on the team sometimes left football for two years to serve throughout the world as missionaries for The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints. This was NOT a coincidence any more. This was divine intervention. This was an answer to the prayer I had said only minutes before.

I met with the Elders the next day. They taught me many truths - plain and precious truths that had been lost due to the Great Apostasy – that were restored once again to the earth through the Prophet, Joseph Smith. They boldly testified of living Prophets and Apostles upon the earth today, teaching me how I could find out for myself if what they were telling me was really true. How? By sincerely studying, pondering and then praying to my Father in Heaven. I learned about the Holy Ghost. Who is the Holy Ghost and what does He feel like? He is a Personage of Spirit – the third member of the Godhead. He testifies and bears record of God the Father and Jesus Christ. He reveals all truth. He can cause a warm burning within our chest and heart - like purifying fire. He can cause sudden strokes of ideas and quicken our understanding about scripture and doctrine. He can fill us full of hope, faith, love, peace and light - all of the things I had felt that day driving home!! The Holy Ghost is also a still, small Voice. If we are too preoccupied or distracted, we can drown out that Voice. After a couple of meetings, the Elders then asked me to pray aloud for the first time. I had never done that before! Nervously, I bowed my head and crossed my arms. I began to pray to my Heavenly Father. And you know what? My chest burned within me! I felt pure warmth and peace. I had received a witness from the Holy Ghost! I had found what I was looking for! Over the next two weeks I participated in the concluding lessons, and prepared myself to enter the waters of baptism. I was baptized November 29, 2001 and received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands a week later. The Spirit of the Lord has been my constant companion – my guiding light (so long as I remain worthy of His companionship). Entering into this sacred covenant with God has been the greatest and best decision I have ever made.

I testify that God lives, and that the Heavens are open. He is the Father of our spirits and Jesus Christ is His Only Begotten Son - the Redeemer and Saviour of the world - our Advocate with the Father. Through His Infinite Atonement, He has made it possible for us to return to the Father’s presence by obedience to the Gospel principles of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance and the ordinances of baptism and confirmation (receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands) by proper Priesthood Authority. God the Father and His Beloved Son have ALL power. Their timing is perfect. Jesus Christ is the Light and the Life of the world. My greatest of joys is knowing exactly who I am, where I came from and where I am going – that there is a plan for each and every one of us. I testify that Joseph Smith truly was a Prophet called of God, and that angels ministered to him (and to us) continuously. Joseph was an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring the Fullness of the Everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints is the only true living church upon the face of the whole earth - God Himself bearing witness of it. This knowledge has opened and softened my heart. I love and care for EVERY human being upon the face of the earth. We are ALL God’s children – each and every one of us! It’s magnificent! The Bible AND the Book of Mormon are true. They are the Words of God – both witnessing and testifying of the glory of Christ. I invite all to exercise faith by reading these scriptures, (especially The Book of Mormon) and you will come to know that they are true for yourself. Come; humbly learn what The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints has to offer. God is faithful, and will not leave us alone in the dark - if we but reach out and seek Him. This humble testimony I leave before the entire world, in the most sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

My warmest regards,

Dustin Lee Burnham

Focus Desires...Simplify Life...Become Better

Yep...so that is what has been on my mind lately.  Cutting things out.  Adding things in.   Intentionally noticing where improvements are needed. 

I've started to realize that although I do many good things some of them aren't necessarily the best or take time away where it is more importantly needed.  I've been letting some things start to slip from my routine or at least not be so high on my list.  It has been good.  I am looking forward to a continued journey of simplifying.

This all started from this talk - Desire by Elder Dallin H. Oaks.  I actually sat down and started writing down what my desires are and then I realized that what I was really writing down was what my desires SHOULD be.  Some of them match the actions that I take and some I realized I am not truly following through with.  I realized that some of the ways I was using time showed that different desires were somehow eeking up on my priority list.  Not good.

So of course while I was thinking on what I desired most and what I desire to BECOME I thought back to another one of my favorite Conference gems:  What Manner of Men and Women Ought You to Be? by  Elder Lynn G. Robbins. 

My brain and my heart and my spirit have been churning with all of these ideas of simplifying, righteous desires, and becoming who I can become.  It has turned into a mush of goodness and still has me making changes and pondering and trying to grasp what needs to be done and what needs not to be done, and where things need to slip and where things need to expand or be emphasized.  I sense a great push to simplify life and yet a great push to expand spirtual things and be more intentional and present at each stage of rearing my children.

After much of this reading and thinking and pondering was done I went and read this talk - Daughters of God by Elder M. Russell Ballard.  So good.

It is time to focus my desires, simplify my life, and strive to become better in very specific and intentional ways.  Off to work (well, off to bed of now but you know what I mean). 

Bee Changeful

Over the past few months we have dealt with many various difficult situations and behaviors with our children.  It has been a ride and it is, for the time being, slowing down a bit.  Whew! One day while thinking about what I could do to change the way things were going once again I actually had an idea that "worked"! 

My 4 year old son and I sat down at the computer and printed out a beehive, some bees, and various flowers and then for FHE we colored and colored and then later I cut and cut and when all was said and done we created this:

The idea originally stemmed from President Hinckley's B's but we put our own family twist on it so that it would encourage us to work on the things that our little family needs to work on right now.  Our "Bees" include:  Be Prayerful, Be Patient, Be Polite, Be Kind, Be Brave, Be Happy, Be Obedient and Be Clean. 

At FHE we talked about all of these things we were going to try to become and we set off to become better each and everyday.

Here is how it works:  We try to do things that will help us be more like the Bees we have chosen and make an effort to notice when we are doing them and at the end of the day we head to our chart for "Bee Time".  We even have a Bee Song that we sing each night before our bees start flying around on our chart.  And if you read THIS post from a while back this song will be familiar, it comes from a cheerleading chant from Saved By the Bell.  "B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B. B-B-B-B-B-B-B. It's Bee Time!" Repeated two times.  You gotta love it. 

After our ever so lovely song we notice what others in our little family did during the day to be more like one of the attributes we have selected.  For example, if we saw someone being really patient then the Patient Bee gets to fly to his next flower (each attribute has a certain color of flower and each flower is numbered).  When all of the bees have made it back to the hive we get to do something special as a family, because we are doing this TOGETHER.  We just received our first family reward last night when we went to Chuck E. Cheese (it took us a while to redeem it we are about to reach the end of another round).

As simple as it is, it has helped a ton.  When my son is doing something that doesn't match one of our bees, I will sometimes say, "Are you being like one of our bees?"  Or "what bee should you try to be like right now?"  Or sometimes I will be specific and say, "are you being kind?"  Occasionally I will simply make a buzzing sound at him as a little reminder.  Kind of silly but hey it works (some of the time :).

It has been amazing what an incentive it is to just simply get to move a bee or two each night.  Of course the family "prize" helps as well but it isn't an immediate reward.

So here we are buzzing along and Conference comes shortly after with this perfect gem from Elder Robbins "What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?".  It was perfect.  It helped to pull all of my thoughts together and to expand and teach me so much more.

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know that I love the word "BECOME" so our Bee Chart and this talk about Being were right up my alley.  Here are a few tidbits I pulled out of this great talk:

• To become as He is, we must also do the things He did: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do” (3 Nephi 27:21; emphasis added).
• To be and to do are inseparable. As interdependent doctrines they reinforce and promote each other.
• While He recognized the importance of do, the Savior identified be as a “weightier matter.”
• Many of us create to do lists to remind us of things we want to accomplish. But people rarely have to be lists. Why? To do’s are activities or events that can be checked off the list when done. To be, however, is never done. You can’t earn checkmarks with to be’s.
• Because be begets do and is the motive behind do, teaching be will improve behavior more effectively than focusing on do will improve behavior.

I hope that we can do more to become better and be more by doing better.

Oh and if you are still wondering what the title is about.  Ever since we have started doing all of this Bee Business my son has asked for help in his prayers by saying, "Help us to be prayerful.  Help us to be kindFUL."  Too Cute.  Let us all BE CHANGEFUL!

Becoming LDS or Becoming a Mormon

So you may be asking one of these questions:

• What do I need to do to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?
• What happens in the process of joining the LDS Church?
• Or How do I become a member?

Talk to the missionaries.
They will answer any questions you may have about the Church and walk you through everything you need to do to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints if you so choose. But don't worry, by talking to the missionaries it doesn't mean that you have already decided to become a member, it is just the best step to learn our basic doctrines and to gain a testimony for yourself. You can contact the missionaries at these links:

Have Missionaries Contact Me

Talk to Missionaries Online

Attend a Sunday worship service.

You may do so on your own or if you choose to meet with the missionaries they will invite you and encourage you to attend.You can find your nearest LDS church at the link below. Visitors are always welcome.

Find Places of Worship

If you are a little nervous or simply curious about what happens at one of our meetings you may enjoy watching this short video which explains the basics of how our meetings go:

Attending a Mormon Church Service

After attending a service if you would like to learn more or contact your local missionaries you can talk to the leader of the congregation called the Bishop or one of his counselors. These are the men that are sitting on the stand who conduct the meeting.

You may gain a testimony and be baptized.
As you go through the process of meeting with the missionaries you may gain a testimony of your own and your faith may grow.  As the Spirit teaches you, you may have a desire to make changes in your life and may begin to repent of past or current wrong doings.  If you gain a testimony of your own and repent of any necessary wrong doings you may be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

If you are in the process of studying and learning about the LDS church on your own and are not ready to meet with the missionaries yet you may find these sites helpful in answering your questions and/or clarifying our beliefs and doctrines:

Basic Mormon Beliefs - This is one of the best sites to answer your questions.  It is filled with profiles of members of the Church and their thoughts and testimonies. 

True to the Faith - This online book is a reference that covers all of the basic doctrines and principles of the LDS church.

Request Free Media - This includes booklets, videos, and the Bible and Book of Mormon.

Jesus Christ - On this site you will read more about our belief in Jesus Christ, His role in our lives, and will discover for yourself that we are Christians.

Joseph Smith - At this link you can learn more about the Prophet Joseph Smith and his role in the gospel.

Temples - Here you will learn about the purpose of temples and receive answers to questions that you might have.

Last I will just share my simple testimony with you:

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church. I know that it is Christ's church restored to the earth in our day by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he saw our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. I have a testimony that God answers our prayers, that He loves us, and that He sent His Son to die for us.  I bear testimony that our Savior is our perfect example, that He did perform the atonement for us, and that through Him we all may be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven again. I am so grateful to have the Book of Mormon so that I can continually feast upon the Word of God. I know that this book is true and can give us direction in our lives. I know that our modern-day prophet, Thomas S. Monson, is a true prophet of God who leads and guides us in these days. I am so grateful that I have been able to grow in this knowledge through the guidance and assurance of the Holy Ghost. What a wonderful blessing it is to be a member of the church. My hope and prayer is that all might have the opportunity to gain this knowledge for themselves, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

If you have any other questions that this post and/or these links do not answer feel free to email me at becominglds@gmail.com or leave a comment on this post. I hope this post helps a little.

Our Spiritual Purpose

I have had a portion of this quote by Elder Bednar in the header to my blog for some time now and today I came across his following words and had to share:

"The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that 'we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin's people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin."

"Clean Hands and a Pure Heart," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 81-82

Wow...that could make you think for a minute. I think in many ways my goals might be set too low and I could and should be seeking the power of the Atonement more fervently as I strive to reach the higher goal of doing good continually not just merely repenting after I make mistakes but having no desire to sin. As Elder Bednar states, this is "our spiritual purpose".

Words of Wisdom Wednesday: Compliments

I hope that each one of us will be a better husband or wife, kinder to one another, more thoughtful, more restrained in criticism, and more generous with compliments.

(Gordon B. Hinckley, A Time of New Beginnings.)

As grateful partners look for the good in each other and sincerely pay compliments to one another, wives and husbands will strive to become the persons described in those compliments.(Russell M. Nelson, Nurturing Marriage.)

I try to not be a particularly naggy or critical wife but I know that I fail in this area sometimes but I hope not too often. But as I have read over these quotes the thought crossed my mind that even though I may not be overly critical I don't think I am very generous or consistent in giving compliments to my wonderful husband. He really is wonderful.

Although I am not perfect at giving compliments one of my biggest pet peeves are the actions of those I'd like to call "Spouse-Beater-Downers". You know what I am talking about-the people that tend to tell you every negative thing their spouse has done or said or not done or not said. It would make me so sad to hear that my husband was out telling everyone the dumb things I've said or done. I hope to be a "Spouse-Builder-Upper". I hope that whenever I speak of my husband, whether he is present or not, I can share only the kind and wonderful things he does for me and our family.

Once again I think I can learn a lesson or two from my little boy. Here are a few recent statements of encouragement/compliments he has made to me:

Example 1:

"Mom, you're precious."

"What does precious mean."

"Important."

Example 2:

I couldn't get his button done on his shirt and this is what he said when I finally succeeded:

"You did it Mom! Whoo-hoo! Way to go, I'm proud of you."

Example 3:

While eating lunch-

"Mmm-mmm, tastey, tastey."

I hope that we all can strive to give more words of encouragement, more sincere compliments, and leave the negative, critical, or discouraging words alone. I love the thought that compliments can stretch us to become better as we strive to truly become what the compliment describes. Let us give more sincere compliments to those we love.

More Holiness Give Me...

On Sunday we sang the Hymn, "More Holiness Give Me", and it was one of my favorite parts of the meeting. I have heard this song many times but for some reason this time every phrase, every thought seemed to portray a need for greater desire, personal action, and complete diligence. I mentioned this to my husband and found that he had experienced the very same thing as I did during this sacrament meeting hymn. One thing that he said during our discussion was that the Hymn is like a sermon and it really is. Each line could be turned into a sermon in and of itself. What a powerful hymn.

While thinking about the words to this song I came across this wonderful talk by Bishop H. David Burton where he talks about the need for a decrease of the worldly "mores" and a greater focus on developing the "mores" of virtue, "The current conventional wisdom is that more is better and less is usually undesirable. For some, the pursuit to acquire more of this world’s goods and services has become a passion. For others, more of this world’s wealth is necessary just to sustain life or raise living standards to a minimum level. The unbridled desire for more often has tragic consequences.

The meaning of more and less is not always crystal clear. There are times when less is in reality more and times when more can be less. For instance, less pursuit of materialism may enable more family togetherness. More indulgence of children may result in less understanding of life’s important values.

Some aspects of life can be significantly enhanced by the notion that more is better. The sacred hymn “More Holiness Give Me” (Hymns, no. 131) brings to our remembrance the virtues worthy of more of our attention. Jesus Himself described what it requires to be “more, Savior, like thee.” He said, “I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (3 Ne. 12:48)."

As you read the words to the Hymn below, what line sticks out to you the most? What area could you use more perfecting in? As I listened and sang along on Sunday so many things seemed worthy of my greater attention.

More holiness give me, more strivings within.

More patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin.

More faith in my Savior, more sense of His care.

More joy in His service, more purpose in prayer.

More gratitude give me, more trust in the Lord.

More zeal for His glory, more hope in His Word.

More tears for His sorrows, more pain at His grief.

More meekness in trial, more praise for relief.

More purity give me, more strength to o’ercome,

More freedom from earth-stains, more longings for home.

More fit for the kingdom, more useful I’d be,

More blessèd and holy, more, Savior, like Thee.

Bishop Burton continues, "The virtues expressed in “More Holiness Give Me” fall into several groups. Some are personal goals, like more holiness give me; more strivings within; more faith, gratitude, and purity; more fit for the kingdom; more purpose in prayer; and more trust in the Lord. Others center on adversity. They include patience in suffering, meekness in trial, praise for relief, strength to overcome, freedom from earth stains, and longing for home. The rest firmly anchor us to our Savior: more sense of His care; more pride in His glory; more hope in His word; more joy in His service; more tears for His sorrows; more pain at His grief; more blessed and holy; and more, Savior, like Thee. More of these virtues is better. Less is not desirable.

I have a new found love for this Hymn and many mini-sermons to take a much deeper look into. It is time to take a closer look at my life and turn some of my "mores" into less and some of my lackings into "mores". Let us strive to give more attention to the virtues so perfectly written in this Hymn.

As you read the Hymn, which line had the greatest impact on you? Would you like to see me write a post on a specific line from this Hymn? If so, which one?

Becoming LDS or Becoming Mormon

So you may be asking one of these questions:

• What do I need to do to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?
• What happens in the process of joining the LDS Church?
• Or How do I become a member?

Talk to the missionaries.
They will answer any questions you may have about the Church and walk you through everything you need to do to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints if you so choose. But don't worry, by talking to the missionaries it doesn't mean that you have already decided to become a member, it is just the best step to learn our basic doctrines and to gain a testimony for yourself. You can contact the missionaries at these links:

Have Missionaries Contact Me

Talk to Missionaries Online

Attend a Sunday worship service.

You may do so on your own or if you choose to meet with the missionaries they will invite you and encourage you to attend.You can find your nearest LDS church at the link below. Visitors are always welcome.

Find Places of Worship

If you are a little nervous or simply curious about what happens at one of our meetings you may enjoy watching this short video which explains the basics of how our meetings go:

Attending a Mormon Church Service

After attending a service if you would like to learn more or contact your local missionaries you can talk to the leader of the congregation called the Bishop or one of his counselors. These are the men that are sitting on the stand who conduct the meeting.

You may gain a testimony and be baptized.
As you go through the process of meeting with the missionaries you may gain a testimony of your own and your faith may grow.  As the Spirit teaches you, you may have a desire to make changes in your life and may begin to repent of past or current wrong doings.  If you gain a testimony of your own and repent of any necessary wrong doings you may be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

If you are in the process of studying and learning about the LDS church on your own and are not ready to meet with the missionaries yet you may find these sites helpful in answering your questions and/or clarifying our beliefs and doctrines:

Basic Mormon Beliefs - This is one of the best sites to answer your questions.  It is filled with profiles of members of the Church and their thoughts and testimonies. 

True to the Faith - This online book is a reference that covers all of the basic doctrines and principles of the LDS church.

Request Free Media - This includes booklets, videos, and the Bible and Book of Mormon.

Jesus Christ - On this site you will read more about our belief in Jesus Christ, His role in our lives, and will discover for yourself that we are Christians.

Joseph Smith - At this link you can learn more about the Prophet Joseph Smith and his role in the gospel.

Temples - Here you will learn about the purpose of temples and receive answers to questions that you might have.

Last I will just share my simple testimony with you:

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church. I know that it is Christ's church restored to the earth in our day by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he saw our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. I have a testimony that God answers our prayers, that He loves us, and that He sent His Son to die for us.  I bear testimony that our Savior is our perfect example, that He did perform the atonement for us, and that through Him we all may be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven again. I am so grateful to have the Book of Mormon so that I can continually feast upon the Word of God. I know that this book is true and can give us direction in our lives. I know that our modern-day prophet, Thomas S. Monson, is a true prophet of God who leads and guides us in these days. I am so grateful that I have been able to grow in this knowledge through the guidance and assurance of the Holy Ghost. What a wonderful blessing it is to be a member of the church. My hope and prayer is that all might have the opportunity to gain this knowledge for themselves, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

If you have any other questions that this post and/or these links do not answer feel free to email me at becominglds@gmail.com or leave a comment on this post. I hope this post helps a little.

Becoming a Missionary

Missionary work has been on my mind a lot lately as I have been recognizing the opportunities for missionary experiences in my neighborhood. I have never lived in a place where there are many missionary opportunities and now I am surrounded by people who are not members or who are not active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The opportunities are there yet it can be difficult to take them. I have taken a few small steps in the right direction and even then I was nervous. I felt impressed to give two sisters that I visit teach (both are not active) copies of the conference issue of the Ensign. This obviously was nothing too big but it was kind of a leap for me. I am not sure if they have read any of it or plan to, but I feel good knowing that I received a prompting and I followed it.

With all of that said about my recent experiences with missionary work now I will mention the real reason for writing this post. My husband has been reading his mission journal lately and thus has shared stories with me that I have never heard. I was absolutely blown away at some of the experiences he had. I am not talking about wonderful experiences of baptizing a family, or teaching a wonderful sister, or anything of the sort. I was shocked by the unreal experiences he had with a few very disobedient and heartless companions (this was before the bar was risen).

After he shared one particular experience I responded with a line of this sort - "If I found out that my son was that kind of missionary I would be heart broken and dissapointed...we can't let our children be missionaries like that." Then I asked him if their parents knew that their sons were missionaries like that and he said that they probably didn't. Then I asked him, "So how will we know if our sons are good missionaries?" We came to this conclusion...we will know long before they ever leave what kind of missionary they will be.

This brings me to this wonderful talk by Elder David A. Bednar called Becoming a Missionary. He perfectly answers what one must do to prepare for a full-time mission and further suggests that in every area of our lives we must focus more on becoming rather than going. Enjoy portions of the talk below or click on the link above for his full talk:

“In meetings with young members of the Church around the world, I often invite those in attendance to ask questions. One of the questions I am asked most frequently by young men is this: “What can I do to prepare most effectively to serve as a full-time missionary?” Such a sincere question deserves a serious response.

“My dear young brethren, the single most important thing you can do to prepare for a call to serve is to become a missionary long before you go on a mission. Please notice that in my answer I emphasized becoming rather than going. Let me explain what I mean.

“In our customary Church vocabulary, we often speak of going to church, going to the temple, and going on a mission. Let me be so bold as to suggest that our rather routine emphasis on going misses the mark.

“The issue is not going to church; rather, the issue is worshipping and renewing covenants as we attend church. The issue is not going to or through the temple; rather, the issue is having in our hearts the spirit, the covenants, and the ordinances of the Lord’s house. The issue is not going on a mission; rather, the issue is becoming a missionary and serving throughout our entire life with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. It is possible for a young man to go on a mission and not become a missionary, and this is not what the Lord requires or what the Church needs.

“My earnest hope for each of you young men is that you will not simply go on a mission—but that you will become missionaries long before you submit your mission papers, long before you receive a call to serve, long before you are set apart by your stake president, and long before you enter the MTC” (Ensign, Nov 2005, 44).

Let us all focus on becoming missionaries now and help our children to do the same. I loved Elder Bednar's suggestion to emphasize things differently - to focus on the more important issues and become better people rather than just go through the motions of going to church, going on a mission, or going to the temple. Let us not only go but become.

Becoming Hearers and Doers

Spencer W. Kimball
"One cannot become a “doer of the word” without first becoming a “hearer.” And to become a “hearer” is not simply to stand idly by and wait for chance bits of information; it is to seek out and study and pray and comprehend." (“How Rare a Possession—The Scriptures!,” Tambuli, Dec 1985, 3)


Last night I thought of this becoming topic and was reminded of it once again as I was reading my scriptures not because of a particular verse but because I was not being a hearer and I was no where close to being a doer. When I neared the end of my scripture reading I realized that I had not heard anything that I had read. I was reading the words but not listening. Just as President Kimball said, we must first become hearers to be able to become doers. If we don't first seek out what we are to do and truly open our ears and hear it than we cannot make changes and be a doer.

Richard J. Maynes
"Remember when the Lord warned Joseph Smith regarding those who “draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” ( JS—H 1:19).

Remember the admonition of James: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only” ( James 1:22).

Actions truly do speak louder than words. In fact, actions mean much more to the Lord than words. The Lord declared in the Doctrine and Covenants, “If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my commandments” ( D&C 42:29)."(“Keeping Our Covenants,” Ensign, Nov 2004, 92)


One of the reasons I thought of this becoming topic was because we have General Conference coming up in a few weeks. We will have the opportunity to listen to Prophets and Apostles but will we "hear" them? And if we do hear them then will we turn the things we hear into actions and be "doers of the word"? Let us all take the challenge of Elder Johnson below and resolve to listen carefully and then follow or do the teachings that are given.


Paul V. Johnson
Decide now to make general conference a priority in your life. Decide to listen carefully and follow the teachings that are given. Listen to or read the talks more than once to better understand and follow the counsel. By doing these things, the gates of hell will not prevail against you, the powers of darkness will be dispersed from before you, and the heavens will shake for your good.(“The Blessings of General Conference,” Liahona, Nov 2005, 50–52)

Becoming Involved

Become Involved

Doctrine and Covenants 58:27
Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

I love President Hinckley's B's - the talk. I think that they are all extremely important including becoming involved. I think that it is easy to become idle, to not make an effort to be involved, or to do things only when we are asked rather than taking the initiative to be involved ourselves. There are so many good things that we can be involved in - in our homes, in our churches, in our communities and neighborhoods, and in the world as a whole.

We can be involved more in our children's lives, we can be more involved in our wards and in our callings, we can be more involved in our neighbors lives or in our communities endeavors and concerns, we can be more involved in serving those in the world who are less fortunate than us. There are so many ways that we can be involved. To be involved meens to be commited to something or engaged in something.

"When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.” - Anonymous

What a true quote. There are days when looking at the mess I have to clean up looks overwhelming and sometimes even impossible. Some days I put it off and I feel like I haven't accomplished anything and become even more overwhelmed. But when I get up and get involved or engaged in cleaning up our house I feel more happy and powerful. This is such a simple everyday example. If we really pushed ourselves to be more anxiously engaged in every aspect of our lives just imagine how much more empowered and accomplished we would feel.

One of my favorite phrases from the Book of Mormon is found in Alma 60:24 - "begin to be up and doing". So I challenge us to be more up and doing, to find something good in our lives that we can be more engaged and involved in.

Become a Peacemaker

I am sure we have all witnessed and been engaged in moments where we or other individuals were not peacemakers but were instead contention or conflict-makers. I think that to become a peacemaker is very highly associated with our self-control. Can we control our tongue when we see an opportunity for teasing or for pulling another down.? Can we have a good attitude despite being in an unfavorable situation or during a stressful time? Can we manage to be patient amongst our fast paced world and selfish agendas?

I remember times when I was younger when a younger sibling wanted to play with my friends and I and I wouldn't allow it. I remember times when I or other siblings ran to the bathroom in tears. I can think of more recent times when arguments have arised and both sides have been trying to get their points across rather than listening to the others point-of-view or concerns.

We all have experienced moments like this and so I chose the topic of Becoming Peacemakers. Enjoy the talk below on this much needed becoming characteristic.

Franklin D. Richards, “Be a Peacemaker,” Ensign, Nov 1983, 57
Click on the title to read the whole talk.

"It seems to me the most pressing need in the world today is peace—not only among nations, but also within families and in our social and business relationships.

Jesus Christ is called the Prince of Peace (see Isa. 9:6), and his message is a message of peace to the individual and to the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan of life that will restore peace to the world, remove inner tensions and troubles, and bring happiness to the human soul. It is the greatest philosophy of life ever given to man.

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to establish this peace and happiness in the hearts and homes of the people.

Have you ever wondered how you could be a peacemaker?

An interesting example that I was closely associated with and which I have referred to previously was one in which several young adults became peacemakers in their homes.

A very wise bishop called several young people into his office and said to them: “I would like you to help me in an experiment. I would like to prove the impact and influence of one member on the spirit of the family. For one month, I would like each of you to be the peacemaker in your home. Don’t say anything about this to your family, but be thoughtful, kind, and considerate. Be an example. Where there is quarreling or bickering among members of your family, do whatever you can to overcome these faults by creating an atmosphere of love, harmony, and helpfulness.

“When you are irritated—and irritations arise in almost every family—control yourself and help the others to control themselves. I would like to see every home in our ward be ‘a bit of heaven on earth.’ At the end of the month, I would like you to meet with me again and report.”

It was a challenge for these young people, and they met the challenge in a wonderful way... I can promise you as you try this experiment and become a peacemaker in your home that the rewards will be most gratifying."

Becoming Humble

I've decided to add another becoming post. Becoming Charitable will still continue but will be dispersed throughout my other posts.

BECOMING HUMBLE

In portions of President Benson's talk "Beware of Pride" he talks about how we compare ourselves to others and try to put ourselves above them. Basically life becomes a competition with others and we measure our level of worth or our joy and fulfillment by having more and being better than others.

I have seen this so much in the world and in myself. However, I have met a few individuals who seem to have this portion of humility down. They seek out the good in others. They find others' strengths and they magnify them instead of diminish them. They are the type of people that you want to be around because they make you feel good about yourself. They are happy for you when you succeed. They don't secretly mark tallies of their successes verses your successes and failures. As C.S. Lewis said, "Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.”

Enjoy selections of the talk below. The entire talk is wonderful - to read the whole talk click here.

Beware of Pride

President Ezra Taft Benson

We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.) The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” (Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109–10.)

Some prideful people are not so concerned as to whether their wages meet their needs as they are that their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity of pride.

When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men’s judgment. The world shouts louder than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. The reasoning of men overrides the revelations of God, and the proud let go of the iron rod. (See 1 Ne. 8:19–28; 1 Ne. 11:25; 1 Ne. 15:23–24.)

Becoming Charitable - Charity is Kind

So this is both my quote of the day and a continuation on becoming charitable. Charity is so important that it could be a long lasting run of posts.

Moroni 7:45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Elaine L. Jack, “Strengthened in Charity,” Ensign, Nov 1996, 91

Former General Relief Societ President 1990-1997

"Nothing will bring the Spirit of the Lord into your meetings, your homes, and your personal associations more quickly than showing kindness. “Charity … is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4). Kindness should be right at the top of everyone’s list of things to do. Write it down every day: “Be kind.” Kindness comes in many different packages. Be thoughtful to your neighbors. Be patient in a crowd. Be considerate of your children and your husband. Be honest with your sisters. Trust them and they will trust you. Go out and bring them into this grand circle of sisters we call Relief Society. As we increase our kindness, we add charity to our storehouse and we are strengthened."

I love her directions to - "Write it down every day: “Be kind.”" What a great reminder that would be if we truly put "Be kind" at the top of our daily to do list.

And then I love the blessings that we will receive if we are kind - we will have the blessing of the Spirit of the Lord where ever we are, we will have charity added to our storehouse, and we will be stregthened. What great blessings.

Becoming Charitable - Charity Suffereth Long

Moroni 7:45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Robert C. Oaks, “The Power of Patience,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 15–17

How thankful I am for latter-day scriptures regarding core Christian virtues.

The Book of Mormon provides insight into the relationship between patience and charity. Mormon, after pointing out that if a man “have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity,” goes on to name the 13 elements of charity, or the pure love of Christ. I find it most interesting that 4 of the 13 elements of this must-have virtue relate to patience (see Moroni 7:44–45).

First, “charity suffereth long.” That is what patience is all about. Charity “is not easily provoked” is another aspect of this quality, as is charity “beareth all things.” And finally, charity “endureth all things” is certainly an expression of patience (Moroni 7:45). From these defining elements it is evident that without patience gracing our soul, we would be seriously lacking with respect to a Christlike character.

In the Bible Job offers the classic portrait of patience. In the face of losing his vast empire, including his children, Job was able, because of his unfailing faith, to proclaim, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all of his tribulation and pain, “Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:21–22).

How often do we hear oppressed souls ask foolishly, “How could God do this to me?” when really they should be praying for strength to “beareth” and “endureth all things.”

The greatest scriptural examples of patience are found in the life of Jesus Christ. His long-suffering and endurance are best demonstrated on that excruciating night in Gethsemane as He uttered, in His atoning agony, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). He truly suffered and bore and endured all things.

While nailed to the cross on Calvary, Christ continued in His perfect example of patience as He uttered the singular words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

These examples of patience have greater meaning for us when we consider the admonition found in 3 Nephi: “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27).

Several scriptures highlight the importance of patience. Let me mention a few:

“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).

“Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith” (Mosiah 23:21).

In Mosiah, King Benjamin instructs us that we will be a natural-man enemy of God until we yield to the enticings of the Holy Ghost through our patience, plus other virtues (see Mosiah 3:19).
Joseph Smith stated, “Patience is heavenly” (History of the Church, 6:427).

Is patience important and worthy of our pondering and pursuit? It certainly is if we would avoid the demeaning classification of “nothing” used to label those without charity. It is if we desire to be less a natural-man enemy of God. It is if we would be heavenly. It is if we would seek to become after the manner of Christ.

The impatient, natural man is all about us. We see it manifest in news reports of parents, in a fit of rage, abusing a child, even unto death. On our highways, incidents of mobile impatience, or road rage, result in violent accidents and sometimes fatalities.

On a less dramatic but much more common level are flared tempers and harsh words uttered in response to slow-moving customer lines, never-ending telephone solicitation calls, or children reluctant to respond to our instructions. Do any of these sound familiar?

Fortunately, there are seldom-reported but marvelous-to-consider stories of great patience. Recently I attended the funeral of a lifelong friend. His son told a beautiful story of parental patience. When the son was in his youth, his dad owned a motorcycle dealership. One day they received a shipment of shiny new motorcycles, and they lined them all up in the store. The boy did what every boy would like to do, and he climbed up on the closest one. He even started it up. Then, when he figured he had pushed his luck far enough, he jumped off. To his dismay, his dismount knocked the first bike down. Then, like a string of dominoes, they all went down, one after another. His dad heard the commotion and looked out from behind the partition where he was working. Slowly, smiling, he said, “Well, son, we had better fix one up and sell it, so we can pay for the rest of them.”

I think my friend’s response personifies parental patience.

Patience may well be thought of as a gateway virtue, contributing to the growth and strength of its fellow virtues of forgiveness, tolerance, and faith. When Peter asked Christ how many times he should forgive his brother, Christ replied, “Seventy times seven,” rather than the mere seven times that Peter had offered (see Matthew 18:21–22). To forgive seventy times seven certainly takes a large measure of patience.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell linked patience and faith together when he taught: “Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His” (“Patience,” Ensign, Oct. 1980, 28).

We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God’s purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable.

Since impatience is so natural, how do we develop the divine virtue of patience? How do we move our behavior from that of the natural man to that of our patient, perfect example, Jesus Christ?

First, we must understand that to do so is necessary, if we desire to fully enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel. Such an understanding might motivate us to:

1. Read each of the scriptures in the Topical Guide listed under the topic “patience” and then ponder Christ’s patient examples.

2. Evaluate ourselves to determine where we stand on the patience continuum. How much more patience do we need to become more Christlike? This self-assessment is difficult. We might ask our spouse or another family member to help us.

3. Become sensitive to the examples of patience and of impatience that occur around us every day. We should strive to emulate those individuals we consider to be patient.

4. Recommit each day to become more patient, and be certain to keep our selected family member involved in our patience project.

This sounds like a great deal of work, but to achieve any worthwhile goal requires hard work. And overcoming the natural man and working to become more Christlike in our patience is a most appropriate objective. I pray that we will pursue this path with diligence and dedication.

I testify that Jesus is the Christ and that He stands at the head of this Church, guiding us through a living prophet and blessing our every effort to become more Christlike. And I so testify in the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Our Savior is our Perfect Example that Charity Suffereth Long.

The Lamb of God
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Becoming Charitable

One of the things that I find most interesting about becoming-characteristics is that you cannot "do" them you must "become" them. You cannot do charity, you must become charitable. You can do service but that is only a small part in becoming charitable. In Moroni 7 it defines charity and it's importance. This will be one of many posts on becoming charitable.


Moroni 7:45-48

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.


President Monson - The Good Samaritan

Becoming a Latter-Day Saint

I've decided that I am going to start something new on what this blog is actually called - Becoming LDS. In the following weeks I will be adding many more insights of characteristics or things that we can strive to become that will help us to reach our overall goal to become more like our Savior.

Some examples of things to look forward to are: to become charitable, to become clean, or to become quick to observe. I am starting out with the thing which all others fall under- we should be striving to become a saint, someone who is pure and holy, someone who is an exceptional example, someone who is a follower or a desciple of Christ. We should be striving to become perfect in Christ. We call ourselves Latter-day Saints and therefore we should be striving to become what we profess to be.

Becoming a "Latter-Day Saint"
David A. Bednar, “Clean Hands and a Pure Heart,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 80–83

"The gate of baptism leads to the strait and narrow path and to the destination of putting off the natural man and becoming a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord (See Mosiah 3:19).

Mosiah 3:19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

The purpose of our mortal journey is not merely to see the sights on earth or to expend our allotment of time on self-centered pursuits; rather, we are to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4), to become sanctified by yielding our hearts unto God (see Helaman 3:35), and to obtain “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16)...The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us.

The requirement to put off the natural man and become a saint, to avoid and overcome bad and to do and become good, to have clean hands and a pure heart, is a recurring theme throughout the Book of Mormon. In fact, Moroni’s concluding invitation at the end of the book is a summary of this theme.

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ. … “And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moroni 10:32–33; emphasis added)."

We should be continually striving to become a Saint, to become holy without spot, and to become perfected in Christ. Then one day we may be like Him:

Moroni 7:48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.