What I Believed Before I Converted
In the turbulent '60s, I was in a religious turmoil and unhappy without knowing why. I believed there was a God who sent his son to save us all, but all Christians taught that and varied in all other doctrines that made no sense. I was attending the Calif School for the deaf in Berkeley, the center of hippie culture. My English teacher had her eye on me and pushed me to take the Gallaudet College entrance exam. Moody and depressed I was about to say NO when my tongue tripped and said yes. I was in the 11th grade. I took the test without trying very hard and to my astonishment I passed. So I went that fall.
How I Knew the Church Was True
I arrived at Gallaudet and was being sent to room with a stranger. I worried what if she smokes or drinks or acts snobbish? I decided to be brave and when I found my room, I entered the doorway when my suitcase handle snapped loose just as I raised my hand to say "Hi". It was the same girl I had seen at the Dulles International Airport and who was wearing a modest dress. She burst into laughter and I set the suitcase down, and joined in the laugh. Then I introduced myself saying, "Hi I'm Claudette from Berkeley, Calif. and I'm a frequent Baptist visitor. Who are you?" Shy and demur, she told me she was Mary from Ogden Utah, and she was a Mormon. "Mormon?" I said. "What's that?" This was in early afternoon. Mary was a champion Seminary graduate and knew what to do. She stuck with my questions in her answers and was ready to back them up with scriptures. I would reply with "I don't believe that- prove it." And she did. As the afternoon wore on into dinnertime, the discussion went on. By that evening as one doctrine after another fell into place, I saw the beauty of the gospel and how they fit together in perfect harmony. I was sooooo hungry for the truth that I felt fulfilled for the first time in my life. I pestered her with more questions getting excited with her answers more and more. We forgot dinner time. I knew right away that this church is the true church. I felt as if I had been stumbling around in the dark and suddenly ran into bright dazzling light that day.
Mary later told me that she almost did not come to that college. She came on a bet. Mary did not return the following year. If I had said NO and waited for my senior year, I would have missed that rare opportunity to find the true church. I recall the turbulence I was in and the desperate mood. I knew then the dear Lord had been watching over me and heard my unuttered desperate prayers for the truth.
I know that my conversion was dramatic and unusual, and I ask each missionary to think of me and be ready to answer all at once if they should find another person as desperate for the truth as I was that day. Remember, I pestered her all day. I do not think I am the only one so keep your eyes open for that desperate soul for you are throwing a precious lifesaver.
Advice
- Be ready to answer questions and spend all day answering the seeker's questions. Stick to the questions.
