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!