Sundays Talk
Good Morning Brothers and Sisters,
To those I haven't met yet, I'm Sarah Trover. I am horrible at losing my train of thought, so please forgive me if I look down at my papers more than I should. Not having grown up in the church, I have yet to master the art of gracefully giving a talk with extreme confidence, let alone memorization, which has never been a friend of mine.
Allow me to introduce our family so we aren't complete strangers to those I haven't had the chance to meet.
My husband Zach and I moved here to Milwaukee from just south of the Minneapolis metro a few months ago.
We came here following the strong notion that one should move where the work is, and not having any family ties to the state, we decided to trade in "The Land of 1,000 Lakes" for "The Land with One Really Big Lake."
We were married on St Patricks Day of Last year (apparently if you make your anniversary fall on a holiday it's hard to forget). We were blessed to be sealed at the St Paul Temple. Which happened to be the day of a freak snow storm in Minneapolis that closed the entire city. That was our first lesson in not underestimating the weather. Heavenly Father may love you, but don't leave home without a shovel.
We are still working on having children but until then, our dog Lola keeps us entertained and then some although she does believe herself to be human.
So far we have enjoyed ourselves here, and have been adventuring to checkout all that the Milwaukee area has to offer. Infact yesterday we hit up the 7 Mile Fair...
I had no idea you could buy a car bumper, screws by the pound, mangos and... live chickens all in the same place.
This move has been an interesting experience for me. I have moved more than 10 times in my life and each time everything changed for me.
Obvously, where I lived, my phone number, the stores you shop at, even the little things like how friendly your UPS man.
But this is the first time that something has stayed the same. There is no greater comfort to me, than knowing that the Gospel and the Truth that we believe in by being members of the LDS church is unwavering.
That our little family of two can be uprooted and transplanted to a new state and way of life, where we might grow a little taller. But we are still connected to the same roots that hold us securely to those things that make our way of life possible and not only fulfilling, but full of purpose.
I know that may sound like a small detail to many of you, but for me, that's a very large concept. To a convert like myself, that forever sense of belonging and love and consistency is never taken for granted.
The Branch Presidency has asked me to speak to you today on my own personal conversion to the church. Before joining I was a member of the RLDS church who has sense changed their name to The Community of Christ Church.
I grew up in Independence Missouri. My mom and dad not belonging to any church, made it clear that I was free to investigate my own religious travels as I saw fit.
I joined the RLDS church in High School. With that I was fortunate enough to visit very special places like Navuoo, Kirtland and Palmeyra.
After moving around to different colleges, states everything from Iowa to Alaska, I eventually ended up in Mankato Minnesota.
A friend of mine needed a roommate while she attended grad school. And not having anything better to do at the time....and still being a big believer in do what you can while you are young.... I said sure.
There wasn't a congregation for my church in that town, and I was stuck searching for somewhere else to call home.
At that point in time, church to me had been a buffet.
You pay $7.99, and you can have chicken fingers with your clams to go with a side of green jello and a fortune cookie. You were free to pick and choose which things about church you wanted to support and condone, and it wasn't a big deal to mix and match.
The only thing that was the same from person to person, was that you ate off a plate and had free refills. (And thats a whole new analogy in itself)
Nothing ever set completely right with me, I questioned leaders and always felt like I was trying to fight my way out of a wet paper bag.
I did however jump through all the hoops and listen to all the bells and whistles that were presented before me.
And I have to admit, at times it was a rather entertaining show. It was however, as I have come to find out... just that... a show.
It wasn't until I met Zach and my real spiritual journey began. I had flown from Minneapolis to Denver for a punk rock concert, a favorite band of mine was playing and Zach had just happened to make the short drive from Western Nebraska with his little cousin to take him to his first concert.
We just happened to be staying at the same hotel....
and happened to be going to the same shows that weekend.
Which of course resulted in us just happening to meet.
Nothing more than the exchanging of emails and phone numbers occured,
and I had a message waiting for me when I returned home.
After a week or so, and all the general topics out of the way, he suggested that if I was looking for a church that I should check out his Church... there in Mankato.
At the time I thought to myself, "it couldn't be that much different. LDS is like RLDS just minus a consonant.
I checked out the website and all I could find were meeting times.
Not knowing that actually meant the time church started, I was confused and thought that everyone just had alot of meetings.
I worked at the local Wells Fargo bank downtown and one day, two Missionaries came in.
One of the Elder's ATM cards had oddly stopped working. His card wasn't from Wells Fargo bank, but he thought we might be able to help.
They came through my line at the teller window, and I told them that they would have to talk to customer service, but I wanted to know what time church was.
They looked around COMPLETELY shocked, with that,....."Can I talk about church in a bank?" kinda of look, and gave me a pass along and told me to check out the website.
I told them I had been to the website and wanted to know what time church was.
They said 10, and I said I would see them there. Little did I know that the Missionaries
had recieved a call from Zach that I was in the neighborhood and that
I was interested in the church... but they had no idea that I was
really that same girl at the time. That Elders ATM card later on ended up magically working again on Monday.
I borrowed the car from my roommate and left for church on Sunday
morning. I had never been to the part of town where the meeting house was located. I had my mapquest directions but they resembled "a 5 year olds drawing of a turkey instead of directions". So I was a little nervous to say the least.
I pulled out of my little street and fell in line immediately behind a small white Toyota.
An extreme calm came across me as I thought to myself, "You're going to follow this car all the way to church."
After realizing that I was talking to myself, and also that I was crazy for thinking that this totally random car was going the same random place I was, I shook the feeling off.
There were no definitive markings on it, no bumper stickers that said, "I am LDS and proud of it." or anything else obvious that would have tipped me off.. just the feeling.
I kept driving and turn for turn... this car was still headed the same
direction that I was.
I kept following my directions and by the time I pulled into the parking lot of what soon became my new ward, I was still infact behind this small white car.
Out pops one of the most cheerful and insightful women I have ever met and I quickly discovered that heavenly Father had sent me the Bishops Wife to follow to church that Sunday.
It was a fast and testimony meeting and I left after the first hour. Not being used to 3 hr long church, I hadn't eaten breakfast.
The bishops wife invited me to Family Home Evening at their house Monday with the other college kids.
Tuesday night was a play for her son that I accompanied her to...
Wednesday night was an Enrichment night for Relief Society...
and Thursday was Institute...that she just happened to teach.
Friday was the beginning of Stake Conference and I attended all 3 days with her and her family.
That week, turned out to be a crash course or boot camp that left me at the end of my search for a spiritual home.
I began the discussions with the missionaries and I know all converts say this, but "I had the best missionaries in the world".
I had sat down and made huge lists of the differences between the two churches and wanted to know why they differed. I wanted to know it all. They were so patient with me and really had to do some research to help me out.
I kept asking Zach for comparisons as we would chat back and forth, but he kept telling me to ask the missionaries.
At the time I just thought he was being insensitive, but know now that he was trying really hard not to pull the old, "Flirt to Convert," thing, which to this day I am eternally grateful for, as I was never forced to chose between a man and my beliefs.
That they were seperate things and I never had to once ponder if I enjoyed the church
because of him, or enjoyed him because of church. So when my extended
family would later ask me, "are you doing this just for a boy?" I could answer with a resounding no.
I remember very clearly laying out in the middle of our horrible brown carpet with both sets of scriptures open side by side comparing things and bowing my head in prayer, asking for clarity to make it's way into my head that had become so full of clouded partial truths, facts and stories that becase I was swimming in contradictions.
After that moment I closed my old scriptures, and I flipped to a new page in my journal to write on and and decided that if I was going to investigate a church to the fullest extent that I could then I needed to just focus on what it had to offer me, not how it was different.
That if it was true, it didn't matter how it compared to the church of my past, and if not, I hadn't lost a thing.
I yearned for that burning truth that I didn't question, not because I didn't want to, but because it left me with no doubt.
I started reading the Book of Mormon that night and finished it before the weekend was up. And... it made sense for the first time in my life.
Although by inquiring about beliefs or truths our faith and testimony grows stronger because of our efforts and hard work that we are put into learning new things.
However when I stopped comparing between the two religions, things became crystal clear.
The best comparison to that process I can give is recess. Take for example the Monkey bars. Everyone loves monkey bars.
To go from bar to the next, you have to have a hand on the first one, but you won't ever progress from one side to the other if you don't let go of the previous bar. And if you hesitate for too long, you end up straight armed, dangling (along with your pride) without any movement to get you in either direction. That's how I felt without prayer and exclusive study.
I ended up being baptized in December of 2003 only 2 short months after being first introduced to the church.
Zach just happened to be able to be in Mankato (which is a 12 hour drive from his famlies home in Nebraska) to baptize me as he was coming back from a job interview in Duluth Minnesota. (a job that he later got and moved to Minnesota for, the rest of our relationship was then history)
I began the process of discovering all that Heavenly Father had prepared for me. I continued attending Institute and began fulfilling a challenging calling in Nursery where we had 16 kids, and
12 more ready to come into the class within the next few months.
Which for a small town like Mankato, and to a girl who had never had that much contact with younger children, proved to be quite the extreme education.
My parents were fine with my joining the church, whatever I wanted to do was always up to me, and I was blessed to have supportive parents no matter what my choices were.
My extended family are ordained members of the church I had previously been a member of. They sent me phamplets of writings done by ex members of the LDS church with passages highlighted, about why I shouldn't have done what I did.
I dealt with many things a new convet deals with....
I delt with knowing that my family wouldn't be able to see me be
sealed to my husband for all time and eternity....
I started to try and pray with respect and with purpose....
My patterns of speech changed....
I altered my dress and physical habbits.
My family ended up being ok about being married and sealed in the Temple, although there were a few tears shed.
Prayers became a means of communication instead of rambling.
And I once again am a respected member of my family instead of being the outsider.
All of these things take time and daily nurturing to make yourself the best refined version of yourself that you can be so that you can receive the blessings and comforts that come with a lifestyle that is lived in the manner that we are asked to.
In the last few years I have learned how to be a functioning member in Relief Society and my church family and have realized that I have something to bring to others.
I remember standing when I was asked to speak at our old ward. I looked out over the sea of eyes staring back at me, and thought...
"What do I have to tell these people that they haven't already heard. There are so many members that were just born into the church and know a million more things than I do... what can I possibly share with them that could enrich their lives in the Gospel of this Church?"
Since then I have learned that it's not always what you have to say that even when you are new, it can merely be the conviction inwhich you say it. That the new shiny dust that still makes you all sparkly wears off on people when you are able to share that joy.
It's like glitter... ask any Elementary art teacher... or mom. Once the lids open... there isn't a surface in your house that doesn't have atleast 1 piece on it.
Brothers and Sisters I would like to bear my testimony that I know this church is true. I know because I have searched and searched... and never in my life have I felt the burning conviction and the truths that the Holy Spirit and the Gospel bring into my life and into my heart.
I know that the words that the Book of Mormon contains are those of inspired words for us to use not only as a guide to history but for practical applications in our everyday lives.
I know that as a convert you can grow into a strong solid member of this church and be blessed by the living practice of the Gospel in your life.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ... Amen.109