“Something powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son. Nowhere are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon” President Russell M. Nelson.
In the summer of 1999 I was dating Mark Hathcock, who would become my husband within six months. He invited me to attend his church, and I accepted his invitation. This was going to be a new experience for me, because I had only attended the Catholic church my whole life, and I didn’t know what to expect. Mark, a member of the Aztec 2nd ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, patiently answered the questions I asked throughout the morning. My first surprise was that church lasted for three hours! It was very different from anything I experienced before, but I also felt something I had not felt in a very long time, which I can only explain as the stirring of my spirit. It was shortly after attending church with Mark that I decided to take the missionary lessons. I was baptized on October 16, 1999.
Gary and Margaret McDaniel were members of Aztec 2nd ward at the time and lived in my neighborhood. One evening they came to my home and presented me with my first Book of Mormon. On the inside of the front cover, they each wrote their testimony of this Book and then directed me to read Moroni 10:4: “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 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.” They told me that if I would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and ask God with real intent and sincerity if it was true, I would get my answer, and that answer would change my life. Wow, that is quite a promise. Change my life? We’ll see, I thought.
I was raised to believe that only the Bible was the Word of God, but I hadn’t even read the Bible at that point in my life. It wasn’t my intent to prove the McDaniel’s wrong, I just wanted to see if what they said was true. So that night, I began to read the Book of Mormon. They also told me to pray about it. The problem was, I didn’t know how to pray. I was raised to memorize rote prayers like the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary Prayer. I never prayed to God to know if something was true or not. I never had that kind of relationship with Him. I didn’t know I could have that kind of relationship with Him. So, I just said something out loud like “God, if this is true, please let me know somehow.”
As I read that night, I had what I can only explain again as the stirring of my spirit. I knew something was happening, but honestly, I was too spiritually immature to understand exactly what was happening. I just knew I wanted to understand more. And thus began my journey. I have probably read the Book of Mormon cover to cover at least ten times in the last 21 years. The McDaniel's were right. The Book of Mormon changed my life.
Because I read the Book of Mormon, I also had the desire to read the Bible. I wanted to learn more about Christ and His doctrine. It stirred in me a desire to understand my purpose, why I’m here and what happens after I die. It stirred in my heart a desire to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and to change how I was living my life. I wanted to be different than I was; to be better than I was. I wanted to become more like Jesus. I became more interested in helping those around me and more aware of the trials of others. Before reading the Book of Mormon, I am sorry to say, I was callous, and I didn’t have a lot of empathy for others. I was very self-absorbed. Reading the Book of Mormon opened my spiritual eyes to see God in my story. It opened my spiritual ears to hear Him through the promptings of the Spirit. It has changed my whole perspective. Because I read the Book of Mormon, I now have a personal relationship with God. I don’t ask Him anymore if this Book is true. I got that answer a long time ago. Now I pray to Him about every other aspect of my life. He answers those prayers, too. But more important than answering my prayers, I want to follow God’s will for me. I want to know the path He has set for me. Before reading the Book of Mormon, I was only interested in following the path I set for myself.
Recently I read Tad R. Callister’s book, “The Case for the Book of Mormon.” He wrote, “its divine language leaves an indelible impression upon the mind while also causing a stirring of the soul. It has a purity and conciseness of thought and prompts us to repeatedly stop and ponder its language – perhaps even memorize selected verses, highlight them in our scriptures, or place them on a mirror, refrigerator, or other visible location in our home. These verses become our companions and friends in time of need or reflection. Such passages, forged from the language of the Spirit, are messages with a heartbeat – messages that live and breathe and inspire. They possess an inherent power to lift us upward.”
This is so true. On my “Ponderize” board in my office, I currently have this scripture from 1 Nephi 4:6, “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” This scripture is relevant to me right now. It is a reminder that I won’t always know beforehand what I’m supposed to do or why; I need to let the Spirit guide me. I have used verses from the Book of Mormon many times as my companion and friend in times of need or reflection. At other times, it has been a healing balm. I thank thee, God, for the gift of the Book of Mormon.
Almost eleven years ago Mark and I purchased property with a small cabin in the San Juan Mountains north of Mancos, Colorado. With that purchase came an enduring friendship with Keith and Marjorie Nelson from Deridder, Louisiana. They are the age of our parents, and we came to love them as our second parents. Keith and Marjorie owned the cabin next to ours. They had been on the mountain for about 25 years by the time we bought our place. We are typically there for the months of May through October. During the winter months they head back to Louisiana, and we head back to New Mexico. They are now in their 90’s and owning that cabin became too much work for them, and they have sold it. We keep in touch through telephone calls and letters.
Keith and Marjorie are devout Methodists. Keith’s grandfather was a Methodist minister. When the four of us got together, we often talked about God and religion. We had many wonderful conversations while breaking bread. One day, soon after purchasing our mountain property, Mark explained to Keith that we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that we believe that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God and a second witness of Jesus Christ. Mark had a copy of the Book and asked Keith if he would like to read it. Keith responded that he didn’t know much about our religion but being a student of the Bible, it would be intriguing to read a book that is described as a second witness of Jesus Christ, understanding that the first witness is the Bible.
Keith not only read the Book of Mormon once over those following winter months while back in Louisiana, he read it twice. When we met again that next May, Keith explained that he used the footnotes on the bottom of the pages of the Book of Mormon and referenced them back to the Bible. He declared that without a doubt, he knew the Book of Mormon was true scripture and that our Church’s stance that it is a second witness of Jesus Christ is valid. He told us he had no desire to convert to our Church but was blessed by reading our book of scripture. Both Mark and I were amazed at his diligent study. I told Mark that even members of the Church could follow Keith’s example.
A few years later, Keith told us that one day while in Bible study class at his church in Mancos, the members of his class began to mock the Book of Mormon and our Church. Keith let it go on a little while and then interrupted their discussion and asked if any of them had ever read the Book. None of them had read it. He told them he had read it, and that they didn’t know what they were talking about. He told them that it was true. He also told them that he has friends that are members of the Mormon Church, and that they are some of the nicest people that he has ever known. That shut down the conversation. He later told Mark that he had defended our Church and the Book of Mormon.
In a talk that Tad R. Callister, Sunday School General President, gave in the October 2017 General Conference, he wrote: “The Book of Mormon is one of God’s priceless gifts to us. It is both sword and shield – it sends the word of God into battle to fight for the hearts of the just and serves as an arch defender of truth. As Saints, we have not only the privilege to defend the Book of Mormon but also the opportunity to take the offense – to preach with power its divine doctrine and bear testimony of its crowning witness of Jesus Christ.”
I am pleased that Keith, as a non-member, defended the Book of Mormon to members of his own faith community. That took a lot of courage. I pray that as a member of the Church, I will defend it as staunchly as my non-member friend. I haven’t had to do that just yet, but I’m sure that day is coming for me. I do testify the Book of Mormon is God’s compelling witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and it is the keystone of my testimony. I love this book. It has changed my life. I pray that it can have that kind of power in your life, also.
Note from the author: Please read the inspiring story of Doug Henke on the Others’ Stories page titled, “From Antagonist to Convert: The Power of the Book of Mormon.” Also, I added a video from the Book of Mormon video series on the My Inspiration Page.
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