Gma Lynn:
Hi Emma..I know you have Grandma Sue’s conversion story, but I have never written mine down until today..you know that Grandpa Bill and I were baptized together on Mothers Day weekend in 1972 but here is , as they say , the rest of the story...
Grandpa Bill and I met while we were students at the University of Oregon and were married 2 years later when I was a senior.
Right after we were married Grandpa Bill came down with a horrible flu bug. He was in bed almost an entire week barely moving, and for the first time in my young life I began to worry about what happens after you die .
I didn’t try to talk to him about it then as he was also not talking much, so the thoughts built up in my mind that week as I could not get past worrying that he would die. The thought and feeling of going on without him was more than I could bear. Even though l had read some of the Bible , I had been taught that only Priests can pray and talk with Heavenly Father, so it never even crossed my mind to try to pray.
He obviously did get better and when he did I told him how scared I was that he would die and we would not be able to be together any more. He agreed and we decided to go to some of the local churches to see what they taught.
We went to 5 different churches in as many weeks and as the Pastors gave the sermons in each different church the words that they taught left me feeling more confused and unsatisfied than ever.
Soon after this as Grandpa Bill was putting up a wall in our garage he slammed the hammer on his thumb. It was after 11pm and in those days there was no urgent care or even an emergency room open at that hour.
All I knew to do was have him soak it, which we did , but it was very painful for him and he wasn’t able to go to sleep until the next morning.
I turned on our tiny TV set that Sunday morning trying to find something to do that was quiet so he could sleep, and there was a man on there who was standing behind a podium talking about Heavenly Father. I realized as he spoke that was another name for God. As he continued to speak he began to weep saying he believed in Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ with all his heart..and that he also believed in the plan of salvation and that families could be together forever.
It wasn’t just his words, but the feeling I had as I listened to him speak, the feeling of peace and comfort I had not had listening to any other preacher.
At the end of his talk it said the program was from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, whom I had never heard of, and the name of the man was Bruce R. McConkie.
I didn’t realize that this church was the Mormon Church that Grandpa Bills brothers Bob and Dick went to.
Later that week I opened our front door to two guys about our age at the time in suits who asked me if I was interested in learning more about Heavenly Fathers plan. I realized then that the only time I had heard God called that was in Bruce R McConkies talk the Sunday before . I felt that same peace and comfort talking to them as I had listening to Bruce R. McConkie snd realized I did want to hear more.
They wouldn’t come in as Grandpa Bill wasn’t home , but we made arrangements to meet the next evening.
As we were so ready at that point to hear the gospel, we ate up everything they could tell us and were baptized a few weeks later.
We became great friends with the missionaries and kept in touch over the years.
I didn’t realize until I had been in the church for a few years the preparation I had gone through so I would be ready to accept the gospel when I heard it.. but Heavenly Father knew what I needed to be ready when the missionaries came and knocked on our door .
I truly believe Emma , that the missionaries Heavenly Father sent were the ones we needed at that time to proclaim the gospel to us.
Because of my experience I know there have been others prepared in Russia that will be drawn to you.
Thank you for being willing to be the ones to go to their rescue..
Love you Emma.. so thankful for the few months we had to get to know each other so much better before you left...grandma Lynn
