I joined for the punch.


Just kidding.

Everyone who is a member of the church has to convert, whether they were raised in the church or baptized later. I was raised in the church, served a mission, the whole nine yards. I don't think I truly converted (and I used that term loosely, as conversion is a lifelong process, rather than a single event) until after a period of inactivity that involved many things I now regret. On the other hand, I'm grateful I was inactive because it made me appreciate now the blessings of the gospel.

I do not believe my conversion to the gospel would have been nearly as memorable or my testimony as strong had I not seen the other side, so to speak. The Book of Mormon teaches us that we receive no witness until after the trial of our faith. That includes everyone. We all have trials in one form or another. We all reach a point when we have to know for ourselves if the gospel is true. Mine may have been a bit more off the path than others, but neverthless they were my trials, and I'm thankful for them.