So I was trying to find a way to write my story on conversion, and then it hit me I had given a 10-15 minute talk in Sacrament meeting. The talk was on Conversion. I'm putting it on here for all of you to enjoy. A little bit about myself as well. Here you go enjoy...
Conversion-
Good Morning, I was asked to give a
talk on conversion. And essentially tell my story. To those of you who don’t know me that well,
My name is Gerald Royster. I’m a 23 year old College Student. I’m majoring in
Homeland Security Management, and Criminal Justice. I was born and raised in
Maryland. I am the oldest and only boy of three children. Both sisters are in
college as well.
As I said I was asked to give a talk
on Conversion. Conversion particularly being something I know quite a bit
about, having converted and being baptized to the church almost a year ago on
October 30th 2011.
My Journey to the Baptismal Font was
far from short, in fact it was a two year journey that lasted quite too long in
my opinion. I remember seeking out the gospel at the age of 19. I had a friend
who was in college with me, and she was Mormon, and I had heard of Mormons
before, and was curious. So I started researching. I remember Mormonism was all
over the TV with tv shows and the news. Except it was the radical side of
Mormonism, that was all around, fueling the same stereotypes that are still
prevalent today. But I wanted to know the truth. So I started reading, and
studying.
I ordered a book of Mormon offline.
Well there was a knock on the door probably like 2 days later. I imagined the
church was just going to send the Book in the mail. NOPE!!!. It was right after
school, when two elder missionaries knocked on my door bearing the book. We
talked about it a little bit, and prayed and that was the last time I heard
from them.
I personally loved what they were
saying, and what I had learned online, but it was the world I lived in, I
didn’t know how I would be accepted by making that decision to go through with
it. Well another 2 years passed where I like to call those years the Dark Ages
of my life. It was almost a year ago, where I just broke down, after all the
darkness had surrounded me and brought me to my knees, I called out for a God I
had lost faith in. I had been raised Baptist by my parents, but when I got to
college I don’t know what happened. I lost faith. But I remember it getting so
bad, after leaving my old college, and having stuff fall apart at home that
summer. Disputes with my parents arose as I tried adjusting to coming home from
college, where me and my parents didn’t talk much for a few months. Because I
was so caught up in myself, partying, and recklessness that friendships were
strained. The whole 9 yards. I lived it, and I find myself sometimes thinking
about how in the world did I survive.
It did jog my memory back to many
times driving near it and being mesmerized by it, as a young man. Maybe It was calling
out to me to come there some day. I don’t know. But after that visit to the
visitors center, she had the sister missionaries from this ward come to my
house. I met with them, and I remember coming to the chapel, in these walls,
and I felt as though someone was whispering, “you are home”. I had stopped
caring what others thought and starting thinking about what I needed, and what
I needed was this church and his gospel.
Lessons followed, and still like I
did when I was 19, I studied like no other. Any source I could find I read it.
I watched videos for hours, and read for even more hours. I wanted to soak up
all the data and all of the gospel I could. A few lessons in, I was invited by
a family who used to be in this ward, to the temple visitors center on an FHE
night. I got home that night and was so full of joy and so happy, and that’s
when I called my mom. And I remember my mother telling me she had breast
cancer. I remember being so scared, and sad. My mother the woman who had helped
raise me, was facing cancer. I remember my dad and my grandma telling me to
pray. And that’s what I did. I got in the habit of praying every night, and it
was almost weekly something good in my mother’s battle would occur. The Cancer
wasn’t that bad, the treatment wouldn’t cause her to lose hair, and it was
becoming very clear she was going to beat this.
Praying in my mind helped. I had
reached out to heavenly father in one of my family’s darkest times, and he
listened. The lessons continued to the point where on October 30th I
was baptized. I had begun my conversion, and a lifelong journey, I was not
willing to look back on.
In the guide to the scripture it
says this about conversion.
Conversion
includes a conscious decision to give up one’s former ways and change to become
a disciple of Christ. Repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the reception
of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and continued faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ make conversion complete. A natural man will be changed into a new
person who is sanctified and pure, born again in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17; Mosiah 3:19).
That right there is in an essence
everything I needed and felt. I needed something bigger than me. I needed our
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. I needed to repent, I needed the gift
of the holy ghost, simply put I needed it all.
But A dip in the Baptismal font is
not the end of the journey, ladies and gentlemen. And I stand before you here this
morning to let you know that’s wrong. It’s a life long journey. And Baptism is
merely the beginning.
Jesus said “Whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same
shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” (3
Nephi 11: 33)
Conversion
in Itself is a constant battle, it’s an
everyday struggle.
Having coached football I like to
look at conversion, as like football. Like Football, you need endurance, and you
need a pretty good playbook. That playbook is the Gospel. And that coach is
Heavenly Father, and Christ. In football, one touchdown doesn’t win the game.
No it takes many touchdowns, and mistakes that must be made up for by the end
of the game. And even if you win that one game you still haven’t won the
super-bowl. Like Conversion it takes many trials, and instead of games it takes
years to reach that final marker in the season, or life . To reach Heavenly
Father is our goal, to be able to live in eternity in his glory is our goal.
It’s all about enduring to the end.
I go back to the previous quote.
“Whoso believeth in me, shall be saved, and they are they who shall inherit the
Kingdom of god.” *pause* Those words are what we are working for right here on
earth. That’s our superbowl trophy at the end of the game, The Game of Life,
and to inherit god’s kingdom, to live in eternity in paradise, with all our
loved ones, and in the glory of our heavenly father and our savior Jesus
Christ. If we follow that playbook, live righteously and keep our eye on the
prize the kingdom is ours. I can remember when I was investigating learning
that, and it was warming to me, knowing even though I had gone through so much,
there was still a light at the end of the tunnel. The Light we all are fighting
for at the end of the day.
Since my baptism and my beginning of the journey to full
conversion, relationships, with my friends and family have strengthened even
more. I’ll never forget my dad at my baptism we were alone in a room and he
truly hugged me for the first time in months and whispered in my ear “I’m so
proud of you son.” Those words will never ever leave my ear. Having my best
friends and my family there was truly something that made it all worth it.
Those who were left who had stuck by me, there on that beautiful Sunday
witnessing a very important moment in my life. Probably one of the most
important. I had a plan, I had a purpose again. The gospel showed me a way out
of darkness, and into the light. I wake up and think about how far I have come
and what I did to get here and try to replicate that process to get further in
my future. No ones perfect and we all make mistakes along the road. But it’s
learning from those mistakes which gets us further. 
Looking back on the last year, I
honestly must say I’ve done a lot of growing. And compared to that 19 year old
boy Unsure of his beliefs, now 23 I know my beliefs, I finally know true Faith,
and I have come to know God, and our savior. Looking back on the last few
years, I believe God knew at 19 I wasn’t
ready. I needed to go through the trials and pain before I could truly be able
to accept Christ with all my heart. I always tell people that, God knew that my
old self needed to be broken down, so that a new man could grow. I stand before
you this morning proud to say I am that new man. I’m still growing, and I have
a lot of time ahead of me. This is only the beginning of an amazing journey. I
hope that everyone has an opportunity to experience the glory and warmth of
this gospel and of this church. It’s truly life changing.
I have a true faith in our Heavenly
Father, and of our Savior Jesus Christ. I believe that that prophets walk
amongst us here on Earth today as they did in ancient times. I know from my own
life that this is the true Church, and that it was rebuilt for the world. And I
leave these things in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ amen.
END
The Artist-
:) You're a great man, Gerald.
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