Yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for He has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; He comprehendeth all things, and He is a merciful Being even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on His name. Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. [Alma 14:124-125]
OUR VISION
"Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." [Proverbs 29:18]. God ought to be our vision. Therefore we are called to love one another as Christ loves us, and to build His Kingdom on earth.
OUR HOPE
The purpose of this work is to share the good news of Jesus Christ and the joy of salvation. To help those who feel lost or who are simply seeking to know the Lord Jesus and His Gospel.
OUR CHARGE
"And now I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be, and abide in you for ever. Amen." [Ether 5:40]
MY TESTIMONY
For many years I wanted nothing to do with God, which seems strange considering my upbringing. Like so many, I was born and raised up in the church, and like many children, I was passionate about Christ when I was young. I enjoyed going to Sunday School, the Retreats, and the Vacation Bible Schools. I also remember wanting to be like my dad, to be a preacher. I thought that was so cool, I even tried to write a sermon once when I was about five or six years old. I grabbed a bible and a piece of paper with full intention of writing something. I must have starred at that paper for hours until I came to the realization that writing a sermon is hard. However, it demonstrated my desire for the Lord at the time.
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Shortly after my baptism at eight years old however, I began to fall into the world. It was not all at once, but gradually, over time, my attitude towards church, and the Lord changed. I did not want to go to church anymore, or Sunday School, or to the Retreats, or to the Vacation Bible Schools. I even resented that my parents forced me to go. Oh and what terrible parents they were too [sarcasm], making me go to church every Sunday morning, evening, and on Wednesdays, how dare they. I came to the conclusion that when I was older, I would make my own choices and I would choose to not go to church because it just was not fun enough for me. It was boring, while the world was enticing.
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I began partaking in things that I never thought I would do, drinking, drugs, sex outside of marriage, etc. My life became like quicksand, the harder I fought to fill the emptiness that was growing inside me with the things of the world, the more miserable I became. I grew to hate my life, to hate everything. I tried to escape this by partaking in everything except for the one thing that would truly make a difference. God.
Like apostle Paul and so many other individuals in the scriptures, what I needed most was to be humbled. Thank God that He obliged, for I had even reached a point where I said that I did not believe in God or Christ anymore. Yet, for some unknown reason, God decided it was time to pour on a little tribulation and I was brought to the lowest point in my life. I remember one evening, while I was in the utmost despair, I realize that what I needed most was not anything that the world could ever give me. Nothing of the world could fill the hole in my life. What I needed most was Jesus Christ. To this day, I still do not understand how this thought arose in my mind, but I felt like Alma, who through the teachings of parents, remembered to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ in the time of his greatest hour of need. Once I came to this conclusion, the pain began to fade away immediately and in its place was an indescribable hope.
Over the next few months, I received my testimony of the love of God and it was like waking up for the very first time. It felt like my soul had been awakened. My only regret is that it has taken me this long to realize that nothing else matters outside the Kingdom of God. I have often seen the Lord Jesus in my soul and in the souls of others, this is not just one particular testimony, but a continual testimony. I know, and most assuredly believe, that if we will put our faith in the Lord then we will find a new life in Christ. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”
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I have been in the world, and I know that it offers many things. To those who do not know better, it can seem fun and exciting. However, all it really offers is emptiness. That is what I felt before my testimony; I was sad, depressed, angry, unhappy, miserable, and empty. Nevertheless, for some strange reason, probably having to deal with the love and grace of God, I was able to learn of His Gospel and the joy of my redemption. I have come to learn that this walk is difficult (not because of God, but because of my own selfishness), it can be painful and gut wrenching at times. In fact, in many ways living in the world is so much easier. Even so, I know that only through Christ can we ever know or experience joy and peace, purpose and fulfillment.
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What I would like to do for God, is to be a good and faithful servant, and to share that joy which I have experienced with every soul that I may. For this reason, I have created this site. I hope that you find it helpful in your journey. Thank you for letting me share my testimony.
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God bless,
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Your brother in Christ,
Andrew King [an elder at Outreach Restoration Branch]