Religion and me.

WAIT! Before you click off! I know you probably don’t want to read this, but please stay.

I do not share this to “force” my religion on you, I don’t want you as readers to think I’m trying to “recruit” you, or make you join the church.

I simply share this because my religion is quite important in my life at the moment. And if I can share what is in my heart maybe this might be what someone needs to hear. Mabey this will impact someone? Who knows.

But please stay and find out more.

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (The world refers to us members as Mormons.)

It was no accident that I was stopped on the street by 2 missionary’s, Elder Brandon and Elder Tamilarison. We spoke about God and religion, I wouldn’t usually talk to strangers, but they had Christ’s name on their badges, and I trusted them. They taught me lessons about the church, and the 5 steps I would follow ( if I wanted to ) which is:

1. Faith in Jesus Christ

2. Repentance

3. Baptism

4. Gift of the Holy ghost

5. Enduring to the end

I started attending church, and meeting members of the ward. I kept attending. And kept listening to my heart and the spirit and got baptized on May 1st, 2016. I wasn’t at all “brainwashed” or “forced” into meeting with the missionaries, it was my own choice. Looking back on it all I truly feel like I was saved in a way I didn’t realize that I needed to be saved! Things in my life weren’t exactly “perfect”, or “tom terrific”. I chose to meet the elders, and listen to what they had to share with me each week. And chose to pray, chose to go to church, chose to read the book of Mormon, I CHOSE! To be Baptised as well and to be made clean again!

At the time I was a “friend” of the missionaries I would have lessons with them, but go home and feel totally different, I would feel like I shouldn’t do what I was doing or I shouldn’t meet with the missionaries. However I overcame this, I followed my heart, and I wanted to push forward and I was determined to chose for myself what I wanted. My mother did have concerns, she felt like I might be shipped off to Utah, or meet Donny Osmond before her 😅 (Obviously that has not happened) she also worried they were brainwashing me. I suggested she meet my friends, her reply was “no I don’t want my religion changed” but I assured her they weren’t going to, they are my friends just like any of my school friends. But eventually, she agreed to meet them.

So fast forward to 2022 as I type this. Things have changed a lot! I was the pioneer of my family, my mother got baptized in 2017, my brother in 2018, and my aunt in 2019. And it has brought us together, how? Well because the gospel of Jesus Christ is made for families, it brings us together as we pray, read and show love and gratitude to one another, of course, we all have our moments though my family is definitely not perfect!

Looking back I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, and I say that in a good way! Because I have made so many friends, who I love so much, I have been to America (specifically Utah), and I have been a missionary myself! And now I get to focus on the future. Finding a job and a man! 🤣.

when I first joined the church I was introduced to the YA program which is a worldwide program within the church for members ages 18-30 specifically to make friends and have fun and be with people our own age. It has been a big impact on my life! I have so many friends my age. Or close to my age, we go to conventions up and down the country, we visit each other in our different wards! And we all just genuinely care for one another and look out for each other.

One of the best things I’ve done as a member of the church is being at the Temple! And I know as you read this you won’t understand much of what I’m saying, but all you need to know is that it is a wonderful special place full of spirit! And it’s the spirit that makes it so special. There are no magic powers or anything strange .. it's just a spirituality magnetic place, you feel at peace and feel like you're “home” there. If you are curious as to what we do there, we make promises with God, and because these are sacred, that’s why we tend not to speak too much about it, Because we want to keep it sacred. The temple isn’t a secret and there is nothing secretive that happens, it's just sacred.

I have met some wonderfully amazing people while at the temple. They all hold such a special place in my heart. Just like you reading this have special people in your hearts.

(if you're reading this and you are one of my special friends, then HELLO! I LOVE YOU! ❤️)

I have seen the blessings God has put in my life and its so hard to put into words, and I suppose you will just have to trust me.

If you never knew about the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and you have just learned about the church through my blog today, then I hope this has put a positive light on things. Or if you know all of the negatives from Rumours that are out on the Internet, again I hope this just puts into perspective that the church isn’t bad.

We as members are just normal people who want to do good, we are not bad people, we love one another and we just want to show others that we are kind and that we are good people.

Now I don’t know if my blog will affect anyone, but I hope I have enlightened people, inspired or touched someone’s heart.

If you do want to find out more about the church, please see these websites below, these will connect you to the correct channels to find out more about the church!

1. www.churchofjesuschrist.org

2. www.comeuntochrist.org

Until next week!

From Emily!