Hugs for Diane Pak!

My conversion story began, when I was fourteen. Before I was converted, I grew up in Buddhist family background. Most of my life, I was bullied as a kid from the fifth grade up to the eleventh grade. At the time, I was depressed. My parents always argue, my siblings always fought over each other. I was the youngest out of eight kids in my family. In this time of my life, I was never happy.

Before I was fourteen, I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia-Depression Disorder. Generally, I thought my life was terrible. At that point, in my life I had zero friends. But I kept on pursuing my education. As I knew it, i was listed as one of the honor roll students of my high school. One day, I decided that I wanted to attend a college tour at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. As I was on the college tour alone, I notice that there’s a chapel that i had missed to take a tour on. At that brief moment, I had the affluence of the Holy Ghost, telling me to become a christian.

I also had special promptings from the Lord, as I thought. I wanted to read the Holy Bible. I wanted to attend a church. So I had talk to my parent’s friend, who was also my neighbor. Who happened to attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. As I attended my first meeting at church. I knew I wanted to get baptized, but I also knew my parents wouldn’t let me.

One day, I was visiting a friend, for all my years of being friends not knowing that she’s was a mormon. I had happened to ran into my friend’s mother, which she’s had a important lesson with sister missionaries. I had asked to come and join on the lesson as well, not knowing they were missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. In this lesson with the sisters missionaries, i had said my first prayer to Heavenly Father in heaven. I also had asked to have one of the sisters missionaries to have a copy of The Book of Mormon. As of that day I had frequent lessons with sister missionaries.

After time and after time, sister missionaries had taught me. But instead my parents said no that I couldn’t be baptized. So I had stop having lessons with the missionaries, who wanted me to be baptized. But at the time, I was only sixteen. Until, I decide to come back to church to reinvestigate again. This was December 25, 2015. As on that day, a sister missionaries had approached me and ask me if I was a member, I said I was not. After that conversation took placed, I decided to let missionaries teach me again, this time I was eighteen.

When a few lesson went by, the sisters missionaries had referred me to the elder missionaries.

In a few lessons, I found myself knowing if The Book of Mormon was true? One day I knee down to pray to Heavenly Father and I had ask if The Book of Mormon was true, and the answer I felt was, Yes !

I had came to conclusion, if I wanted to be baptized. But instead my parents said no again. But the elders, who had taught me never gave up on me. They said, Heavenly Father has a special plan for you and he had a plan for everyone. It’s up to us if we want to know that plan or not. I had a question in my very own heart, what do I want for myself? But deep down inside I knew I wanted to be baptized.

The Bishop from the Young Single Adult Ward, had came and visited to my home to talk to my parents about me getting baptized. But my father, did not join the conversation. We also had my very dear friend of mine, who was Cambodian. As I can not speak the language of Cambodian very fluently, my parents and I had a language barrier. During this conversation, I had told my mother this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life was to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. My mom had one condition was to keep the Cambodian Culture Heritage within me. As of that day, my parents told me that they was baptized into a Christian church long before my time. My parents thought it might be The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, but we were not sure.

I am now at the age of nineteen. On August 20, 2016, I was finally baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. I was confirmed on August 21, 2016 as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints.

As of Today, in the month of September 2017. I am now nine months almost ten months of marking of my baptismal date. I am happy to announce that in the month of August, I will be getting my Endowments. Also, my dream goals is by a year or two. I will be serving as a fulltime missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints.

THANKS, Diane!