By: Samuel Hollman
United States of America

 

I grew up with a family that would go to several different churches in a couple of years. We went to a Baptist, Nazareen, and a Methodist before I decided to become a member. My mom was baptized when she was 8 and so that is where my dad was baptized because he wanted to marry my mom and get sealed together. ​

Well, unfortunately, my dad opposed the church deeply and eventually my mom fell away as well. Her excuse to this day, is that she was asked to do too much. However, in reality all she had to do is say that she was too busy. Well anyways, I was about 8 years old and I came down with an illness called, Steven’s Johnson Syndrom. It is where you skin basically burns off caused by a chemical reaction. Well, before we became inactive, I remember the Elders coming by the hospital and giving me a blessing. To this day, I look back and remember how miraculous I was because of that. With Steven’s Johnsons, most of the people that would be in my degree of illness would have been blind and deaf. I had a 5% chance in total of not having any sort of long term damage to my body because of it. I wish to thank them if I had a chance but my memories of them are vague.​Well, 6 years had passed and I had 0 church activity with ANY church from that point. I dealt with my parents fighting and eventually divorcing. What drove me in ALL of these years, was my grandpa’s death. Also it was the idea of going to BYU. However as the missionaries were explaining to me all the responsibilities and things that came with baptism. I began to agree with them and I started to gain my faith. By the time I got baptized, my parents were divorced and my mom had moved in with her girlfriend. Which is really hard to live with knowing that my mom was a huge example on my life. Ever since then, I realized that I will be the only member except my grandma in which I am about to get my driver’s license to be able to take her to church with me. Since my baptism, I have been a happier human being. I have been able to conquer the mountains that cross my path on a daily basis. With my baptism and confirmation, I could conquer anything, because I know that what I did was the right thing and that I know that I can help others find what is right for them.

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