I Too Can Testify

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

It's where we got our nickname.

// the mormons. 

To be honest, the first time I read The Book of Mormon from cover to cover was just a few months ago. Growing up in this church, I had learned pretty much all the stories inside of it, whether it be from my parents teaching me, primary classes, Sunday school classes, or just my own reading. I had read of courageous men, virtuous women, holy prophets, and the coming of Jesus Christ himself to the Americas.

But I had never asked for myself if it was true.

I could have gone my whole life living on a borrowed testimony. The people around me seemed content enough. In fact, their testimonies were unshakable. I figured anything that people believed in that strongly had to be true.

But I didn't want a borrowed testimony. I wanted my own.

Moroni, the last prophet of The Book of Mormon gives us an amazing promise:

"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. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." 

So I put it to the test. I read The Book of Mormon. All 531 beautiful pages of it. It took me a few months, but as I read, the more and more I began to indulge into the stories. I would find myself longing for a free moment to be able to read just one more verse, just one more chapter. Reading The Book of Mormon brought a sense of peace and complacency that I had never felt before. Each time I read, I felt the spirit whispering to me, "Kaleigh, you know this is true."

"No, I do not," I would respond, "I haven't read the whole thing yet. I haven't prayed about it. I haven't done what Moroni asked. How could I know if this is true?" I would shake off the promptings from the spirit and continue to tell myself that I couldn't know if this was true yet. But I continued to read and ponder and yearn for the truth, to know for myself. Again the spirit would whisper,  "Kaleigh, this is true." But again I would push the prompting aside.

November 10, 2013 I turned the final page and closed the book. I sat in a moment of satisfied silence contemplating what I had just accomplished. I got onto my knees, and began to pray. I asked so sincerely, truly desiring to know if what I just read was true. I asked, and I waited.


and waited. 

and waited. 

and waited. 

nothing. 

 
I started to get really worried. How could I not be getting an answer? Doubt started to creep into my mind when I got the quietest, gentlest whisper of a prompting that I almost could have missed if I wasn't paying attention.

"Kaleigh," the voice whispered, "I've been telling you this whole time that it's true and you didn't listen then. Why would you listen now?" And suddenly I felt so reprimanded and loved all at the same time. I realized that I had been receiving an answer the entire time. Heavenly Father had been trying to help me by nudging me in the right direction and I completely disregarded it. I remembered all the little promptings I received and thought how foolish I had been. Why would Heavenly Father continue to tell me over and over again when I wasn't prepared to listen? I felt so distraught and when suddenly, my heart was filled with so much love. The feeling was absolutely indescribable. In that moment I knew that my Heavenly Father loved me and was so aware of me. He knew that I was venturing on my spiritual quest to find the truth, and he was prepared to help me along the way. Ever since that moment, I've known without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true.

"Like saints of old in joyful cry, I too can testify;"
 I know with all confidence and certainty that The Book of Mormon is true. I know it, I live it, I love it and it has become my favorite book of all times. If you have any doubts, find out for yourself. You can borrow my testimony for a minute, but sooner or later you'll have to find your own. I know that you can find your testimony just like I did mine. It might not come the way you expect, mine definitely didn't. But it will come. And I promise you that.