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.

Men Are That They Might Have Joy

I was recently thinking about a family that we knew in Santa Rosa, California.  They were Laotian and had left their home in the midst of war and walked as a family eleven days and nights through the jungle to reach Thailand where they hoped to find refuge.  When they reached the border they found it closed.  They again had to hide in the jungle and look for an opportunity to sneak across that border.  Once inside Thailand they lived in a refugee camp for six years in the humblest of circumstances.  Eventually the United States accepted them and they were brought to this country.

More recently I was privileged to hear the story of Mariama Kallon, a woman from Sierra Leone.  She was raised in a country ravaged by civil war.  She narrowly escaped torture by murderous rebel forces. She watched other women have arms and legs cut off by the rebels.  After losing her entire family and everything she owned, she eventually was guided to safety.  Her story was heart rending and yet hearing her bear testimony of the beauty of the Restored Gospel and how it had come into her life and brought her joy was even more touching.

The spirit of man is eternal and is able to put life's experiences into a context that allows us to reach beyond the trials and find joy again.  What a remarkable thing it is to witness such joy emanate from those who have experienced such heavy trials.




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