The Apostle Matthew decided to close his testimony of the Gospel with these final words from the resurrected Savior, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the world. Amen.” The Savior instructed his Apostles to testify of him.

Furthermore, in the Doctrine and Covenants section 6, verse 31, he instructs us that his words are to be established by our testimony.

Why? Why has the Savior chosen to spread his gospel through personal testimony rather than through some other means? Couldn’t there have been another way that would have somehow won more converts, more quickly? For example, why did he rely on others writing books about him, rather than he writing a book about himself? Why was he born in an obscure town, in an obscure time, relying on a handful of shepherds to spread the news of the grand event of his mortal birth? Why did he ask Peter and the Apostles who they thought he was, rather than directly telling Peter who he was?

Each of us who has borne our testimony knows the powerful blessing that that is. When we orally express to others what we believe in our heart, sometimes we hear things that we say that we never really thought of before, and always we feel our testimony strengthened in our heart. When Peter responded, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” he may have surprised himself with his own testimony, yet when he said it, he knew it, and he knew it the rest of his life. This, I believe, is one of the many blessings that we receive when we testify of the Savior and share his gospel with others. We feel our own testimonies edified and we become stronger for it. Spirit talks to Spirit in a way that is beyond words, and the experience becomes exceptionally memorable.

This method of one person testifying to another is one aspect of what is called the missionary program of the Church. The missionary program of the Gospel has affected much of my life’s course. If there were not a spirit of sharing the gospel, I would not be where I am today. In fact, as I look around, probably neither would any other members of the church. If we were not asked to share what we know of the Savior and his restored gospel with someone else, the only person sitting in church on Sundays might be Joseph Smith. We are probably each the product of one person sharing the gospel with another. So I thought I would share a little of my story of how I got to know the church. My hope is for each of us to reflect on our own lives and how grateful we are for what we have, and how with that gratitude we might like to share these marvelous blessings with someone else.

I am aware that it is likely that the Gospel was brought to me, even more than I realized at the time of my baptism.

For example, when I was in the fourth grade, I was asked to prepare a report about Hernando Cortez. I did not know that that would be a missionary moment, but in a way, it was. I remember being fascinated as a nine-year-old about the story of the Great Bearded White God who promised to return to the inhabitants of this continent. I reported to my fourth grade class that Montezuma believed that this bearded man, who was Cortez, was that same God. Montezuma gave up his kingdom for this man. Hernando, who it turned out did not have the Christlike love in his heart that the Aztecs seem to have expected, took full advantage of whatever the Aztecs would give him. When I saw a filmstrip called Ancient America Speaks thirteen years later, that struck a long forgotten chord in me, and soon I would read a fuller account of what might have been the source for the legend of Quetzalcoatl, as there was indeed a bearded white God who had visited these people 1500 years earlier.

Another memory, which has simply stuck with me, was when I was thirteen years old and living in Brazil, seeing these two tall skinny young men in white shirts and ties riding on our bus. My Mom was able to tell me who they were and why they were there, and I remember just being struck by that, and that memory has remained with me for 25 years. They probably never noticed me, but somehow I was affected by their mere presence. I suppose that as that memory has remained with me for 25 years, I may never forget them. These missionaries never realized they had any significance in the eyes of a small boy on a bus in Brazil.

I also was fortunate to grow up in the shadow of what we called the Mormon Temple, which is otherwise called the Washington, DC temple. I lived about a mile away, and there was a bike path that went directly from our house to the temple. Usually on walks, that was our goal, to get to the temple. I suppose there may have been some symbolic significance to that. Certainly the architecture of that temple is an inspiring sight for anyone, and that particular temple can be seen from a long way on the DC Beltway, and is a landmark for traffic reports on the radio (--[pinch nose]-- “traffic is backed up to the Mormon Temple” is a familiar phrase from my youth).

All of these were fine experiences, but if it were not for members of the church sharing their testimony and charity with me, I would not have progressed to the point of seriously investigating whether I should become a member of the Church myself. If it were not for a friend taking a proactive role in leading me to the church, I would only have some pleasant memories of the church and some of its members. Many people who are investigating the church need to be taught and led by someone more experienced in the Church, much as a parent might explain the Nativity story to a five year old. At the same time, it is vital to respect that agency which allows each of us to make very personal decisions when we are ready.

The ball started rolling for me when I attended the University of Maryland. I accepted a job on campus as a pizza maker. There, I befriended a young woman, named Nicole, who seemed quite happy to also have a job as a pizza maker. One evening, I escorted her back to where she was living, and while we were walking, she asked me if I was LDS. I thought she might have said something about LSD, and I replied with something like, “uhhh, no thank you, ma’am.” She then explained what LDS meant, and explained that the reason she asked was that I seemed like such a child of God. While I was flattered by her assessment of me, in a way, I also kind of pitied her—Mormons, Muslims, Moonies, they were all the same to me. However, while I knew of God as our Father in Heaven, I had never really considered the converse. If He is our father, then we are, by definition, his children.

Nicole and I became friends, and one day we drove by the Mormon Temple. I knew already that I could not go in there, but I did not know that they had a visitor’s center. Nicole brought me there, and I saw the aforementioned Ancient America Speaks. I also learned about the premortal life, another concept I had never considered, but seemed to make perfect sense. If life continued on forever after death, certainly it had that same property before birth.

We also met an older gentleman who shared with me this book that he had, the Book of Mormon. He asked me, “Will you read this book?” I told him “Yeah,” thinking, I always take free books. He asked me again, “Will you read this book?” I was surprised at the repeated question, and I said “Yeah,” again. He asked me a third time, “Will you read this book?” I now could sense how special this book was to him, and he really didn’t want to give it to me if I was just going to treat it lightly. I told him, “Yes,” and I did make a commitment to read that book. The experience reminded me somewhat of when the Savior asked Peter three times if he loved Him, and then told Peter to feed his sheep.

Later, Nicole invited me to her house for Easter dinner, as I didn’t have any other family in the area. (My parents lived in Belgium at this time). Coincidentally, I’m sure J, her family was also feeding two missionaries that evening. It was a nice comfortable home with pleasant conversation, and I could see that their religion was important to this family, in a way that the missionaries would be unable to convey, as they were not in a family unit. They were not nervous about offending me with their beliefs, and I appreciated hearing what they had to say about these matters, even if some ideas were new to me. Though I didn’t identify it at the time as such, the comfortable feeling in the home seemed to be the result of this family maintaining a companionship with the Holy Spirit. Again, another lesson that I learned. The importance of teaching our friends in our homes, where the Spirit can be present, which presents a powerful witness of the truth.

Eventually, I met members of their ward. They were as a group such wonderful people. I drove from College Park, MD to Annapolis, MD, a trip of about 30 miles each way, just to meet with this wonderful ward. I found them to be exceptionally welcoming and respectful.

What attracted me to the church was first a special friend, then a special family, and then a special ward. They became an example that remains with me of how to be an effective member missionary. I felt a lot of love from all these people.

Eventually, after meeting with the missionaries several times, it became necessary for me to decide if this was not only just a church of nice people, but also the right decision for me and my life, knowing that it would be hard news for my family to accept. That decision was found in the promise of Moroni, in the very last chapter before he buried the plates. (Moroni 10:3-5.)

Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I testify that Moroni’s promise to each of us is true. I had become more sincere in my desire to really know what I needed to do. With that sincere heart, I prayed and I did receive an answer to my prayer that assuaged any doubt or fear about how my family would react, or any other concerns about this matter.

Since becoming a member of the church I have felt the joys of sharing what I have found with others. Eighteen months after I was baptized I entered the MTC to serve a mission in Norway, and had wonderful experiences there. What a treat it was to serve in the Lord’s church full-time, and I did it with a thankful heart.

I was anxious to continue these experiences when I came home to Virginia after my mission. I went on splits with the missionaries several times a month because I enjoyed their company and I loved the work. When I got married and we moved to Oregon, my schedule tightened up a bit, but I have especially enjoyed having the missionaries come to our house and meet with our children. Several have had a large impact on them. Elder Siebach is still a name that brings back fond memories for Gabriel and Silas, and I was pleased that he was able to take part in the blessing of Eve. What an example these missionaries have been to me and to my children.

Elder M. Russell Ballard recently emphasized that we need to do more than just pray for the missionaries throughout the world, we need to pray to be able to help the missionaries in our own ward.

We are blessed to have a fine missionary companionship serving in our ward. They are here to assist us in inviting our friends to come unto Christ. The same charge that Jesus gave to his early Apostles remains in force for us. “Go ye therefore and teach [your friends], baptizing them in the name of the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always.”

President Howard W. Hunter once reminded us that, “The world needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. It provides the only we in which the world will ever know peace.” As a world, we need peace. As a country, within our state, in our neighborhoods, we need peace. As individuals, we need peace in our lives. The only way to know true and lasting peace is through the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and through adherence to his gospel.

I bear my testimony that what I have said is true. In the sacred name of our savior, Jesus Christ, amen.