My Search for Truth
I can look back at my life and now realize that all my trials and experiences were what led me to find the true Church.
Posed by model
I was born and raised in the Philippines in a well-off Catholic family. We were financially prosperous and lacked for nothing until my parents separated when I was in fifth grade. My mom financially supported us all on her own, but then she moved to the U.S. during my freshman year of high school.
My sisters and I were angry and confused. We were also left to manage our mom’s restaurant. Because our parents weren’t physically with us, my siblings were all I had. Family feuds arose, and we had to move out of our own house. In short, life forced us to grow up quickly. Those were the hardest and most challenging years of my life.
Seeking Truth for Myself
At the same time, I had other questions on my mind. I had a lot of questions about why there were so many Christian denominations and what the difference was between all of them. We were going to three different churches because we didn’t know which one to settle on. As my sisters and I talked about it, we thought there should be just one church.
I felt empty. We were occasionally going to church but weren’t really living the gospel as taught by any of them. And when we moved to New York City a few years ago, we were still doing the same things. My sister Mikee and I talked about going to church again, but we still didn’t know which one was right.
We didn’t realize it then, but we were in a very similar situation to that of Joseph Smith—we were seeking the truth. So we checked out a book on world religions from our nearby library. We read about Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and other religions.
Around then, Mikee met missionaries on the subway while she was on her way home. After some persistence on their part, Mikee finally decided to meet with the missionaries, and she asked me to go with her.
Throughout our lessons with Sister Borges and Sister Romney, I started to know the truth—the deeper meaning of God’s word. In studying the restored gospel and reading the Book of Mormon, I was starting to know Christ deeply. All this time, I realized I hadn’t been opening my heart to the Lord. I realized that He was always there with me during the good times and the bad. My relationship with Him began to grow. The emptiness in me was gone. I’ve never felt such an abundance of joy and peace in my entire life.
But when my mom found out that we were having lessons with the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she did some research and became furious. She’d gotten a lot of false information about the Church, and some of her friends kept telling her that we were being brainwashed. In her mind, she was trying to protect us, but we still argued with her and tried to defend our beliefs.
Mikee and I knew we had finally found the truth. And we were baptized.
Eventually, we learned to be patient with our situation. Our relationship with our mom improved, but we avoided talking about the Church in front of her.
Months later, she came with us for the first time to hear Mikee speak in a young single adult sacrament meeting. She met the missionaries and started having lessons with them—and feeding them a bunch of Filipino food. My mom was still hesitant about getting baptized, but she finally decided to just focus on the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She and our younger brother got baptized seven months after my sister and I did.
Those experiences led me to the conclusion that everything really does fall into its proper place if you have faith and endure to the end. Heavenly Father leads us to where we need to be at the right time to receive truth. All the experiences I went through to find the true Church have shaped me into the person I am today.
We Can All Seek and Share Truth
I eventually realized that I wanted other people to feel what I have felt, that I was willing to help other people come closer to Christ and receive the gospel. When I received my patriarchal blessing, it talked about me going on a mission. I was called to serve in Utah, USA, and Washington, USA. During my service, I had the chance to help my stepdad and older sister come to know our Savior and become part of this wonderful gospel. I testify that nothing is more real than the love of Christ, and that the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His gospel can truly change our lives and bring us peace.
It doesn’t matter if you were born in the Church or are a convert. Our conversion happens every day. What matters is your conviction to follow God’s commandments—your conviction to follow Christ, be more like Him, and continue to seek truth. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that “as you accept the responsibility to seek after truth with an open mind and a humble heart, you will become more tolerant of others, more open to listen, more prepared to understand, more inclined to build up instead of tearing down, and more willing to go where the Lord wants you to go.”1
You may not understand what God’s plan for you is right now, but just keep moving forward with an eternal perspective. As we strive to become more like Christ, our faith will grow stronger, and we’ll be able to endure all kinds of challenges that come our way.
Finding this Church—the Church that I was so desperately looking for my entire life—was the best thing that ever happened to me and my family. I have felt God’s exceeding love for me and know that He is aware of everything in our lives. Without our trials, we wouldn’t have found The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’ve really come to understand that everything does happen for a reason and that God’s plan for us is greater than our own.