Roger Rose

“And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if you have faith ye hope for things which are not see, which are true.”           Alma 32:21

Roger and I went to high school together and we talked from time to time. Mostly I waved at him as he ran past the pole-vaulting pit during track practice. Sadly, it was not until Roger returned from his mission that I learned he had chosen to be baptized! He volunteered to share his story.

Roger grew up going to church occasionally with his parents but did not have much of an interest in God until he read one of his dads self help books.

“It is called Way of the Peaceful Warrior. It is about a gymnast who meets this Yoda guy at a gas station. This old wise guy taught him many life lessons. I remember reading that and thinking it was cool because it taught truth about being connected with God. So I started looking into that.”

For a month after that he began going to church and praying for opportunities to come closer to God. Karina Gneck, a girl on his cross-country team, invited him to come to church, gave him a Book of Mormon, and invited him to meet with the missionaries.

“Three hours was a long time! I remember in priesthood talking about the sacrament. It was a lot of what I had learned in my church, but I found it interesting that all the kids my age knew their doctrine. I could not say what they could say; it was interesting that their members knew what they believed. That sparked some interest. Karina gave me a Book of Mormon and I didn’t read it. But after a month she asked if I had read it and I said no. So she gave me something to read. And she made sure I read it. I thought it was pretty cool and that also sparked an interest. When she asked me to talk with the missionaries I felt a little pressured but at the same time I was really open to everything. So I said why not. The lessons were really spiritual and really simple. I loved talking to them every week. I began reading the Book of Mormon and began seeing a progressive change little by little.”

Little witnesses that helped Roger to accept the gospel accompanied these little changes that Roger began seeing.

“I remember that as I would come out of lessons, I would feel so good, like I wanted to make changes in my life. I started reading the Book of Mormon more, I didn’t understand a whole lot but there was little simple parts like, “faith is something hoped for and not seen”. I would think,  “Yes, that is true.”  It never convinced me but it was little moments that kept sparking my interest. Every time I came out of church I felt like I wanted to make improvements that week. I never got that out of my church, and I always wondered why. In other churches you can find great stuff, but there was something different about this church. There were plenty of little moments but I received a big witness when I read Alma chapter 32. It taught about the seed and if it was good it will grow. I had my highlighter out and I still have that Book of Mormon, the whole page is highlighted because it was so good. I just remember that feeling of peace and happiness, it was like a light turned on all of a sudden. I though wow, this is powerful; I was happy for three days! I asked Karina what is going on? And she said, it means it is true. It was hard for me to believe it but that moment always stuck with me.”

Roger was extended the invitation to be baptized but he felt he needed to be sure before he could confidently move forward.

“They gave me a baptismal date, and I was unsure. I needed to be 100% sure. I kept wanting more and more witnesses just to be sure. But I was never ready to act on them. The impression I got was that God had already given me these answers and I could either act on them or I could ignore them.”

 This impression came when Roger decided to fast.

“When I fasted and prayed I remember getting a reminder of all the witnesses I had, and it felt like enough at that moment. I saw my life, how it had progressed in that short time with the missionaries. Then I thought about what my life would be if I just shut the door. I knew that I saw a positive change in myself over that period of time and I knew it was good. I knew that Christ would never lead me astray. I trusted him. I realized that I can either take this step and progress or not take it and go back to what things were. I didn’t want to live with that. I knew this was good, I knew enough to take that step of faith, and get baptized.”

Roger recalls of his baptismal day that it was permeated with a sense of peace and calmness. When he came out of the water he finally felt clean. Roger has continued to grow since that day.

“I wasn’t really close with my family and I had some things I was struggling with at the time. It made me want to make changes. It all started form there. I went to church every Sunday, read my scriptures every day and I wanted to do it. It was not something that I had to do but I loved doing it because I got something out of it every time. That cycles with treating people nicely, saying kind things to people. It was a positive cycle that as I kept doing those things I kept growing. When it came to serving a mission I always wanted to, but my family really wanted me to finish school. And I wanted to finish. I hesitated to leave because I wasn’t sure if I should go. I then went when I was about 20. Taking those steps of faith changes you; my mission changed me so much. Conversion is when the gospel becomes a part of you everyday. I see that as a part of me. When it comes to having an attitude, a temper or being kind to people, it comes from the spirit. Before it was easy to be mad or angry. But once you have the gospel and make those changes it starts changing your character. There is a quote saying, “first observe and then serve”. I try to see what people need. Sometimes people don’t want to hear the gospel right at that moment. They just need a friend, someone to just listen to them. So I do that. With my family, I didn’t want to shove the gospel down their throats. But I’m never afraid to talk about it with them and testify that the gospel changes you.”

Roger served a mission to Panama where he fell in love with the people and blessed many lives as he served faithfully. Roger currently serves in his Elders Quorum Presidency and actively helps fellowship and strengthen members of his ward. Rogers story highlights the principle that when we follow God he will lead us in the right direction. Roger knows personally what Alma taught about the seed of the gospel.

“It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the words is good, for it beginnieth to enlighten my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.”

 Alma 32:28.

Alyssa Nicassio

“For I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.” –Alma 36:3

I meet Alyssa Nicassio in our singles ward not long after I returned from my mission. I was impressed by her testimony and her faith despite the trials and opposition that she has had to endure. When I explained what I was doing she was the first to volunteer her story. She told me, “Telling my story has helped other find strength so I hope this will help!” I am grateful that she shared her story!

Alyssa grew up in the Catholic faith. She describes her experience

            “Its funny because I remember my baptism when I was Catholic, I was 2 or 3. I was NOT a happy camper! I did not want to be wet; I did not want any water dumped on me because I thought there was a fish in the bowl. I always knew there was a God when I was little but we never really went to church, and I thought it was really boring. You have to sit, then you have to kneel, then you have to stand up. It just never made any sense to me. When we moved here to Queen Creek I had a best friend named Marissa who was Catholic and we would go to The Lady of Guadalupe on Ellsworth and Ocotillo. It feels completely different then an LDS Church, like no one really says hi to you, and the priest reads straight from the Bible. It felt like he was talking AT us and not WITH us. Some of the stuff he was reading was really confusing. Half of what he was saying I could not relate to. I felt really out of places there, like I didn’t belong there.”

Alyssa’s first contact with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came when she was a little girl in Southern California. She noticed that her Mormon friends were different because they could not play on Sunday. She first gained interest in the Church in high school through one of her friends.

“I had a friend named Shali and she invited me to church and I really liked it because I noticed that when I went to Young Women’s with Shali it was in a small room and I liked it because they related it to real life, like thing that really happened and they were talking WITH me.”

Unfortunately later Alyssa was invited to a summer camp and had a bad experience when she was judged for having a nose piercing. However later on her interest was peaked again.

“My senior year in my yearbook class I had two friends that were LDS. They always talked about these fun activities they would do and it made me more curious about it because, well, THESE people are really, really nice and they don’t judge me. They were always so happy. You don’t see that a lot, especially in high school because everyone is so emotional! I remember my friend Danni and I would talk about Mormon boys. (Where we went to high school there was a lot of Mormon guys,) We were like “ I want to date a Mormon guy, cause they do cute fun stuff!” School was almost over and my friend Hayden, who is LDS, was talking to me about the church. I asked her about it and she said, “ Do you want to have the missionary discussions and learn about it?” and I said okay! I didn’t even hesitate about it. It was really weird that I just didn’t question it. It interested me that they were always so happy! Mormons look to people who are not LDS like they have a glow in their eyes; you don’t see that in everybody. It was not normal.”

As Alyssa met with the missionaries everything seemed to fit into place and she felt that what she was being taught was true. One factor that helped her accept the teaching of the Church was the example of dedication set by the members.

“It was mostly that the members are so dedicated. They were Mormons not only on Sunday but also during the week and families are so important to them. With my family we are close but not really, some of us don’t get along. If you sit there and analyze a family, which is not LDS, and a family that is I feel like there is so much more love there, then there is with families who are not. There is a piece that is missing. That is what I noticed about Hayden’s family when I meet the missionaries there. I liked that the temple is such a sacred place. I couldn’t find that anywhere else. There are other religions that have temples but I feel like ours is super sacred. All of what they were say I just accepted it, like I already knew that the church was true. It just felt right. Growing up I knew there was a God and I would always pray to him and talk to him. When I read the Book of Mormon the first night that I got one I didn’t wonder if it was true I just read it and I was so amazed! I was like “Oh my gosh this is true!” Growing up I always felt like there was something missing from my life, but when I started having discussions with the missionaries I didn’t feel like I was missing anything anymore.”

Alyssa accepted the Gospel quickly and chose to get baptized. However, she knew that her family would object because of their strong Catholic traditions. This put her in a tight spot.

“My mom is super laid back, but my dad is not. He is super stern and strict and very opinionated, as an Italian is anyway. I didn’t want to tell him I wanted to get baptized; that Danni and I were going to get baptized together. I remember the missionaries and I were talking about it and I told them that I could not tell them that I was getting baptized. I didn’t even tell my that I was having discussions with the missionaries! I didn’t want to tell them! I didn’t want them to think that I was the odd ball of the family and doing something horrible because Mormons are different. I waited forever, well it felt like forever but it wasn’t. It was the week before Danni and I were going to get baptized. My dad was in the kitchen and I used Danni as an excuse and I said “Danni wants me to get baptized with her” and my dad was like “Why would you want to be Mormon!” I said, “because…” but I was like 18 or 19 so obviously I wasn’t going to have anything to say. After that I felt awful and decided I couldn’t do this. I had my discussion with the missionaries and they were planning out Danni’s baptism and not mine and I felt really left out. When they left I had a really strong prompting. “I am an adult and this makes me happy. I know its true so I’m going to get baptized. I just will not tell them.” So I called the missionaries and told them “I’m going to get baptized with Danni. I feel like this is what I need to do.” So I got baptized without my family there, which sometimes it hurts my feelings when I go to other baptizes because I wish my family would have been there to share it with me.”

            Eventually Alyssa was strengthened by the Lord and her faith and was able to break the news to her mom and then her dad. Her mom saw that it was hard for her to tell her and immediately accepted her choice. She said if this is what makes you happy then I am okay with it! Telling her dad was a bit more difficult.

            “It was the week of Valentines Day. And I got this feeling “I don’t want to hide anything anymore, I felt like I’m holding myself back from learning more and growing more in the church. My dad was talking about religion and I was standing there and I said, “I have to tell you something.” And he was like “what? Are you pregnant or something?” I said, “ no, I am Mormon.” He said “ You’re one of them?!” He was so mad; he went to the back yard and started to make a fire or something. I talked to my brother and asked him if I should leave, because normally when someone is mad at me I don’t leave, I’ll let them yell at me. He told me to just go. So I took off and then sent my dad a text and told him that I was sorry I left. He replied, “You just left and didn’t even say goodbye.” He was really hurt. So I talked with Mekenna Mills who was the Relief Society President and she made me feel better. When I went home my dad would not talk to me. I thought “Crap! This feels bad; it feels awful! He is going to kick me out!” That night I thought about what to say to him. The next morning while I was getting ready for school he knocked on my door and I opened it and told him “You don’t have to agree with what I do but I want you to respect my choice.” He cried and gave me a hug! He said just don’t hide things from me again! That was it!”

The Lord had obviously been strengthening Alyssa and softening the hearts of her parents. Though they have little interest in learning about the church themselves they support Alyssa and remain interested in her life.

           

This last few years Alyssa’s testimony and conviction has been strengthened through trials.

           

“I went through a lot with my family to become Mormon. Another person I know might say “Forget this! This is too hard.” because, hello, I have tattoos and have had piercings and I was a regular teenage girls doing stuff that I should not have been doing. It’s really hard for someone to just stop. I feel like I am really blessed.”

She describes how building a stronger relationship with her Father in Heaven has helped her become a better person.

            “When I’ve dated guys and it doesn’t work out, before I was Mormon I would be miserable. If I was in a fight with my friends or my family I would be miserable. Now when I pray about it after it happens I just get that calming feeling. I will want to be miserable but I feel like there is a wall that will not let me be miserable. I’ll want to be mad about something but He will just be like No. I feel like because I have a stronger relationship with him now I don’t feel alone. I would feel like I was alone before I got baptized. I was an emotional girl in high school. I feel more comforted whenever I make decisions, and more loved. Like this year, I’ve had a hard time trying to figure school and what I am suppose to be doing.  I feel like I’ve gained more of a testimony that God lives and that Christ is real. The Church is real. I got baptized and I knew it was true. But this year, with general conference and talks that people give and stories that my friends have shared, I can see that so many things happen because of Him. I use to be an angry person. Like if you made me mad I would just blow up in your face. I would tell you as it is if you made me really mad. Growing up the discipline I got was yelling. So when I would get mad I would yell at you cause that’s what I knew. Well I joined the church and I’ve noticed that when I get mad I talk calmly. I don’t get as angry as I would unless I am not reading my scriptures. I use to get super irritated liked throwing stuff around.  But now I just feel like a nicer person. I have more patience for people, I love people more and I am more selfless then I was then.”

            Alyssa’s story highlights a few principles about conversion. Foremost, God will not leave us helpless. Just like Alyssa was strengthened to choose what she was felt to be right in the face of opposition, we can receive the strength and support we need to follow his commandments. Secondly, we see that Alyssa’s very nature was changed as she came to the Savior. Where she was an angry person she is now clam. She has become more selfless and feels like the Lord puts up a wall that prevents her from being miserable. More accurately stated, the Lord supports her in her times of trial and she does not despair because she does not feel alone. One last point, Alyssa also stated that these blessing accompany her as she is consistent with keeping her covenants. She said, “I don’t get as angry as I would unless I am not reading my scriptures.” This shows us that conversion is a life long process and that a testimony must be nurtured if we are to retain the blessings we receive from it.

            Alyssa now supports and strengthens others who share similar trials as her by posting on a blog and sharing her story, like she did here. Thank you Alyssa for your shining example and for being a witness of change!

                                     

Conversion: A Mighty Change of Heart

“Conversion. Denotes changing one’s views, in a conscious acceptance of the will of God. If followed by continued faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism in water for the remission of sins, and the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, conversion will become complete, and will change a natural man into a sanctified, born again, purified person—a new Creature in Christ Jesus. Complete conversion comes after many trials and much testing. To labor for the conversion of one’s self an others is a noble task.”         -Bible Dictionary

            The process of conversion is a much-labored topic in the literature of the prophets and the teachings of Christ himself. The process of conversion is a combination of changes, little and small, which shape a person into a man of God. It is the process by which we can “put off the natural man and become a saint” Mosiah 3:19. Becoming converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the purpose of this life. The process of conversion brings many blessings, but requires constant attention, patience, and determination.

            Conversion is akin to repentance. Repentance is a process of improvement following the commission of sin. Repentance, when properly done, not only repairs damages, and obtains forgiveness for the sinner but it changes the sinner into a saint. Conversion is a life–long process of continual repentance.

            The hallmark of conversion is gaining a testimony of Jesus Christ. Someone who had become converted has gained a spiritual witness that they are a child of God, that His Church has been established in the Latter-days, and that the Plan of Salvation is real, and most important they come to know that Christ's suffering and Atonement will cleanse them from their sins. Gaining a testimony will lead a person to change their behavior to be more like Christ. A hope for a better world made possible through Christ becomes their motivation to act.

            “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh and anchor to the souls to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” –Ether 12:4

As a person feels the Spirit of the Lord it changes them. It infuses into them a desire to be better, it provides a vision of the Glories that await the righteous, it provides a peace that is otherwise unattainable.

“And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters” – Mosiah 5:7

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  -St. John 14:27

As God’s children come to feel His Spirit and allow themselves to become converted to His truth, a “might change” is wrought in their hearts. As they act in faith they gain hope, which gives them the motivation to change their lives. A Witness to Change’s purpose is to investigate, record, and share individual conversion stories in an effort to instruct, uplift, inspire, and motivate people concerning conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.