I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I joined back in 1964 after a long struggle with faith. I had loved the Savior ever since I could remember, but the church of my youth deserted me as it moved into the intellect movement of the 60's. Without spiritual guidance, I fell away. The Lord distinguished between the words of my mouth and the longing of my heart. He knew that I wanted to believe and so he sent a young woman who told me the story of the Restored Gospel. She bore her testimony of Jesus Christ and promised me that I could know for myself and have my own testimony.

Now forty-six years later I can only thank her from the bottom of my heart for introducing me to the church. Indeed I do have my own testimony. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, called to restore Christ's church to the earth. We have a prophet today who leads and guides us. I am so grateful for Latter-day scriptures that bear testimony of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is the Word of God. It stands as another witness of the Savior and it's truths have touched my life in very personal ways.

I hope that my poetry reflects the growth of my testimony and my love for Jesus Christ.

Daughter of God

I remember with great emotion the evening that the Young Women's Theme was introduced to the women of the church.  I was a mom in attendance that night, not the young woman for whom the theme was directed. But I was touched through and through by those words.  I contrasted them to the words I had repeated as a young girl in the church I had previously attended "I am by nature sinful and unclean".  Now I would replace those words with new ones "I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me and I love him."  Tears flowed that night as I felt the impact of that statement.

My poem reflects my journey to truly embrace those words and know them for myself.  For far too long I judged myself by the standards of the world around me and by how others treated me.  It was a long road to the point where I had personally felt God's love for me and knew in my heart that I was His precious daughter.  That knowledge has made all the difference in my life.

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