"And now as I said concerning faith - faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." - Alma 32:21
After a five-year absence, I returned to my Young Adult ward. Despite a warm welcome I had some major doubts and questions about attending Sunday meetings, fasting, and paying tithing. Did I really believe in this Church? If I did, how would I know I had a real testimony?I talked with my bishop, who gave me all the "usual" things to do: have faith, read scriptures, pray at least every morning and night, fast, serve others, and surround myself with good influences. I did these things, but was not catching the Spirit.
I was assigned a home teacher who was led by the Spirit to tackle my questions. During our first visit he asked me what I thought of faith. "Isn't it something about believing in things you can't see?" We opened the Book of Mormon to Alma, Chapter 32 and he asked me to read verse 21 aloud. I thought, "Wow, even though I can't see who I am praying to, I can have faith that He is there. . . . " I could understand that. We went on to read the rest of the chapter from verse 28, and he explained each verse, helping me understand the analogy of the seed.
That experience planted the seed that began the growth of my testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that the Book of Mormon is true scripture and that this gospel is real. How grateful I am to those who had faith in Heavenly Father to help me realize my worth to come back to the Church.
Beth Headley, Santa Clara, California.
