How to Be a Member Missionary

1 Peter 1:25 says "But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." Today's conversion story is from Don Busenbark:

My family did not attend any church services growing up. I remember going to a few different churches, always looking for something, but not really finding anything I liked or that touched me. I lived in an out-of-the- way area in Washington state and had few friends my age. When I was about 14 years old, two young men moved into my neighborhood and we became friends. Their family was LDS, but the boys were not really excited about church. I think they went because their family went.

Anyway, I was home and a couple of missionaries came to my door. It was 1980 and I was 16 years old. I was impressed by their message, but did not have time to visit with them. I played football, basketball and track and was very busy. I told them to come see me in the spring after football, before track started up. A girl I liked at the time had just joined the church a year before and was trying to get her family converted. I went to her house one day to find the missionaries there teaching a discussion. I listened and did not think much of it at the time. I was just trying to impress the girl.

My friends, the two young men who had moved into my neighborhood, invited me to a church activity a few weeks later. They told me they were going to Hawaii. I was shocked at first and then they explained that they were not really going to Hawaii, but they had a youth activity where they were going to pretend to go to Hawaii and then eat Hawaiian food and listen to music, etc. I thought that it sounded like fun so I went with them to the activity.

The members had set the overflow area of the chapel as an airplane. They had boarding passes, stewardesses, and airplane noises. I sat there trying to figure out what was going on when I heard engine failure noises and the lights flicked off and on. Soon the lights went out and everything was quiet. A person with a flashlight appeared and claimed he was Satan. He then proceeded to tell us what would happen if we did not follow the commandments. We then proceeded out of the overflow into a dark room that represented the Telestial kingdom.

We were then instructed as to what would happen to those in this kingdom and what it would be like. We went into another room which represented the Terrestial kingdom. Again, we were given instruction. This room was lighter than the previous room. Then we were escorted into the chapel where there was a Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father sitting in the front. The brother and sister representing Heavenly Father and Mother spoke to us about the Celestial Kingdom and what it would be like.

When they finished, the youth in the room began to stand and bear their testimonies. I remember thinking that this was so cool that the people of this church loved their youth so much that they did this for them to teach them to do what was right. I also remember thinking that if either of my friends stood up, I was going to stand up. I did not understand then, but I do know now, that the spirit was there bearing testimony to me of the truthfulness of this church.

My friends never stood up in the meeting so I never stood up, but I still remember how strong the spirit was in that meeting. After the meeting, my friends' dad asked if I liked the activity. I said that I did. Then he asked the golden question. "Would you like to
learn more?" Of course I said yes and that week I had a knock on my door from the elders. I was baptized a few weeks later in April of 1981.

Since then, the Lord has blessed me and my family. I am so grateful for that experience and for the spirit testifying to me of the truthfulness of the gospel."