For one of my classes at BYU-Idaho I had to write my personal testimony/view of life for my posterity. I thought I would include it here for all of my relatives to read: My Personal Testimony
I believe that every person is a child of God and, as such, has great potential within. We were created in His own image and after His own likeness. I believe that our Heavenly Father loves us so much! He has created a plan for our happiness. As part of that plan, our Father sent us to Earth so that we could gain a physical body, learn and grow through our choices and experiences, and prove ourselves worthy to return to His presence and become an eternal family unit. On Earth we would be given the gift of agency – the act to choose for ourselves. Our Heavenly Father knew that we are not perfect. We would make mistakes. As part of His glorious plan He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins, overcome death, and show us “a more excellent way.” We have been given scriptures including The Bible and The Book of Mormon to help us understand His plan. We also have living prophets who holds the keys of priesthood authority and revelation to direct the affairs of His church on the Earth today. It was through the prophet Joseph Smith that our Savior Jesus Christ restored the fullness of His gospel in these the last days. Our prophet today is President Thomas S. Monson. If we are obedient, repent of our sins, and do the best we can relying upon our Savior Jesus Christ we can have the gift of eternal life and return home to live back in the presence of our Heavenly Father with our families. In the Book of Mormon we read about a Lamanite King who was taught the plan of happiness by a missionary named Aaron. In Alma Chapter 20 we read: 15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy. 16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest. 17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying: 18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. I am so inspired every time I read this story for the great example this King is to me. I want to return home to my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ to live eternally with them and my family so much that I would give up all that I possess, even give up all of my sins that I might do so. I am eternally grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice on my behalf. This is my simple testimony that I share with all of you! I'm adopted. I have known it all my life. I'm fine with that, most of the time. There are times I wonder who my ancestors are. What were they like? Who do I look like? It would also be helpful to know medical history. When asked if anybody in my family has any chronic health conditions, I have to say, I don't know. I'm adopted. The only information I have on my parents is 4 pages I received through LDS Social Services. It's not a lot of information, but at least it's some. This is my adoption story. I was born at the Cottonwood Hospital in Murray, Utah. My birth mother was quite young and gave me up for adoption. When she gave birth to me, they took me from her before she found out if she gave birth to a boy or a girl. I was kept in the hospital for several days, because my adoptive parents (from here on out will always and forever be known as my parents) were in California for my Aunt Beth's wedding. When they came back into town with my older brother David (who's adopted too), they came and picked me up and took me home. People always ask me what it is like to be adopted; I never know what to say to that. People also ask when I found out I was adopted. I think I was lucky because my parents always told me and my brother that we were adopted- it was never a surprise. I never felt different than my siblings- I was just adopted. People ask if I would like to find my birth mother, and if I did, what would I say to her? My birth mother is the person who gave me life. I never knew her, and I could never think of her as my mother. I think it would be interesting if I ever did meet her. I would ask her about my ancestors; and definitely about my medical history. I would also tell her thank you for giving me life. She could have taken a pill, or physically aborted me, but she chose to give me life. She knew she couldn't raise me on her own. I don't think of it as abandonment, but her choice to give me a better life. Her one request was for me to go to a family that had lots of food. I take that as her coming from a poor household where food wasn't always there. The life she gave me has been a great one. And I am very grateful for it! As I grew older, people around me would treat me differently. They noticed that I was different and liked to point it out to me. Here are some of my thoughts I wrote down. A Child's Plea
Extending out a friendly hand. Why do they turn and walk away? It's the color of my skin. Use your Heart, not your Eyes. I am just like you. How can I help you understand? That Beauty lies in our Differences. |
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