If I told you that prophets roamed the earth today...

I realized that it's been a seriously long time since I stood up and bore my testimony in sacrament, and I've been told that the best way to keep your testimony, is to bear it continuously. I know this isn't church, and it's definitely not Fast and Testimony Sunday, but I feel like this blog is as good as any other place to bear my testimony, in the presence of my friends and family.

My life has always been full of miracles. When I was five years old, I got bit in the face by a rotweiler, and survived with a tiny scar on my face today that's barely noticeable. In the seventh grade, I snoozed on my alarm for the last day of school before winter break, and woke up again to the sounds of my brother screaming that our house was burning down. We all survived. In Basic Combat Training, I had stress fractures on my pelvis and lower back. I didn't think I was ever going to make it through and get out of there, but after seven months, I succeeded. Throughout all those trials and victories, I never really thanked God. I didn't believe He existed, and if He did, I certainly didn't believe that He cared. None of my Christian friends could get through to me. Why else would the world be in so much misery? Why would someone put me on this Earth, knowing that in the future, I would have no desire to live? What kind of agency is Heaven or Hell? I guess you can say that eventually, I had a personal vendetta against God.

So what happened? What changed? I discovered the truth. I searched for it with real intent, and I listened with an open mind. Things started making sense. My questions that no one else could have answered before started getting answered. My anger and hurt faded, and was replaced with happiness and love. Eventually, the damage I intentionally caused myself started to fade out of existence and I became at peace with the world. I was no longer a self-destructive person. On May 20, 2012, I got baptized and was confirmed a member into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and since then I have been blessed tenfold, and then some.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. - Matthew 16:19

Last Saturday, August 31st, 2013 I was endowed and sealed for time and eternity to my husband, Russell Martin Porter in the Oakland, CA temple.

I'm a proud Mormon, and thankful for the knowledge that I have received. I believe not only that the Bible is the true word of God as long as it is translated correctly, but that The Book of Mormon, written by Mormon and translated into English by Joseph Smith is also the true word of God. I believe that there are living prophets in these latter days, rivaling the prophets of old, and that Joseph Smith is one of them. I believe that the old church of Jesus Christ has once again been restored on Earth today, and that it is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the one and true church. I believe that anyone, absolutely anyone, that truly seeks the truth will find it in the pages of The Book of Mormon. I believe in the truth, and I know it is true, because I have prayed, and my prayers have been answered by my own personal revelation.