Conversion
Downunder—Thank
you Elder Park
by Richard Rothery
Edited by Peggy Proctor
Back in 1957, September I think, I
was living with my wife and young family in Padstow, a suburb on
the near fringes of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. On this
particular occasion, I was weeding the garden with the family, when
our next door neighbor called over the fence that her friend down
the road just phoned to warn that "the Mormons" were coming up the
hill towards us! I had not been greatly interested in the conventional
religions because I could see them as being pretty much in the same
boat as the one I had grown up with. I attended a church secondary
school and remember some of the questions, which I and others, had
problems with. When we asked the "brother" questions we were advised
to leave any deep doctrine to the leaders, as all we were required
to do was have faith, keep the commandments and the church vows
and we would then be assured of going to heaven and not to purgatory
or hell. Also we must go to church every Sunday even if we spent
the rest of the day "enjoying ourselves." Our questions were along
these lines:
"Why infant baptism,"—- which
sounded rather unjust to us.
"How can God be three persons in
one, indivisible and every where at the same time?"
"Who or what is the Holy Ghost?"
"Why don't we study the Bible?"
And,
"If we take vows not to drink alcohol
or to gamble, why do the majority of members including leaders,
brothers and members of high standing not only break those vows
but do it to excess and are lauded as perfect examples for us
to follow?"
We were told not to worry, as they
are only little minor vows. These questions were asked while we
were in grade eight so our young minds were already teeming with
questions and hungry for truth. The answers we received were not
really encouraging and, I for one, decided about then to go find
the true church somewhere else when I cleared 21, as I was thoroughly
disgusted with that one.
When I left school at age 17, I followed
my father and two brothers into the seagoing profession in the Merchant
Navy, so was from then on virtually a free agent as regards religion.
I noted the Protestant beliefs of fellow officers and also a little
about the Jewish faith but still felt no desire to mingle. Most
of the time I was busy working and studying. I did manage to keep
my habits clean and above board. I drank a little when required
socially and smoked a little, not to excess. I had a strong desire
to be well behaved. Now that the Mormons were coming up the hill,
I felt a strong desire to put my questions to them. When they knocked
on the door I felt great satisfaction that I was about to destroy
their enthusiasm. I welcomed them and invited them in, sat them
comfortably, gave them refreshment and sat opposite ready to blast
them off the map. I hadn't heard a lot about the Mormons. I don't
think I'd ever heard their official Church title mentioned. There
were stories regarding their being an American church which practiced
polygamy at some time. Some western novels of the day mentioned
them in not very endearing terms. When I invited the missionaries
in they nearly fell off the porch! I warned them, however, that
I had questions and I wanted logical answers. Well, now it was my
turn to be surprised. Now, as they answered my questions with such
ease, I nearly fell off my chair!! This was astounding!
Feeling a bit like a sponge I asked
for more. They gave me a little more then called a halt and arranged
to call in again. I readily accepted.
We were each given a Book of Mormon
and asked to read and to pray about that book, asking our Heavenly
Father to confirm its truthfulness in our minds. We did just and
through this experience, decided together that this was truly the
Church of Jesus Christ. I think we realized then that the term Mormon
was simply a popular name— which actually drew one away from
the idea of it being the Church of Jesus Christ. That name and the
stories we had heard relating to it had, till then, caused a few
doubts to linger in our minds. My former church had assured us that
the church had authority directly through Peter, however the Spirit
we felt when reading the Book of Mormon and seeking testimony through
prayer completely removed any doubts about where the authority to
act for Christ now rested. The searching for truth has answered
all my original questions, enlightened me with more understanding
and a knowledge that everything fits as it should. Salvation is
not only for us but also for all those ancestors who have ever lived
through this mortal probation. Every facet of doctrine is complimentary
of the next and paints the perfect picture of a plan which we have
come to know as the Plan of Salvation...Perfectly simple and simply
perfect as has been so eloquently said.
We were baptized in 1958 in a tin
font at the local Bankstown Sports Club. Now,
after all these years, I feel a strong desire to contact that cool
missionary, Elder J. Sam Park, who spent two years of his young
life, some of the most important and formative years, to find me
and others who were ripe ready for harvest. He conveyed to me, with
the help of the Holy Spirit, the message which altered my life and
set me on course in the direction of eternal salvation and progress.
For that I am eternally thankful. I think he would love to hear
how many members (7 children plus 19 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren,
and so far, 5 full time missionaries), have resulted from his efforts.
I have no hesitation in testifying
that the Church of Jesus Christ is true in every respect and brings
a fullness of joy and satisfaction to all the faithful. Being an
ex Master Mariner I am a bit of an expert on the meaning of integrity
and the Church fits that bill perfectly.
We are lead by a true prophet of the
Lord, President Gordon B. Hinckley. Joseph Smith was called by the
Lord—he actually saw Heavenly Father with His Son in the sacred
grove. The completeness of the gospel and the testimony of the Holy
Ghost indicate just that. I now reside in Brisbane, Australia and
we have missionaries over for dinner about every month. They are
terrific. Elder J. Sam Park, wherever you are, I can be contacted
through Meridian's Missionary Journal.
Editors'
Note: Submit your missionary stories to our Meridian Missionary
Journal editor, Peggy Proctor at missionaryjournal@meridianmagazine.com
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2001 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
