Award Winning
British LDS Photographer, Reg Wilkins: His Conversion Story
by
Anne Bradshaw
Described
as nothing short of miraculous, Reg Wilkins’ conversion began with
one ripple involving his brother – that ripple has never stopped
touching the lives of others.
'Foam Fun, La Paz, Bolivia, 26 February 2001'
© Reg Wilkins
On a warm June
day in 1967, Reg's younger brother, twenty-two year old Victor Wilkins,
knowing nothing about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
was taking photographs as he walked through London's famous Hyde
Park.
Reg tells the
story. “As Victor gazed at the many great men of history carved
in stone on the Park's magnificent Albert Memorial, people like
Beethoven, Bach and so on, my brother describes how the internal
spiritual awakenings which had been building in his life for a while,
caused him for the first time, to offer a deeply sincere prayer,
and he asked: ‘Where does the great creative power such as these
men had come from?’
"At that
moment, to his surprise, words came to him that were completely
unfamiliar - words from a book that he had never read nor had any
knowledge of - but later discovered were from the Book of Mormon:
‘.....all things which are good cometh of God.’ (Moroni 7:12).
"Moved
by the experience, Victor felt impelled to ask the source of the
answer: 'Well, as it was God, where is this God to be found?'
"'Look
for me now and you will find me', came the reply.
”At this point,
Victor thought this might be the beginning of some global quest,
and that he might have to search the world over, possibly ending
up in the Himalayas or somewhere similar. But he was so sure of
the spiritual direction he was receiving, that he would have been
more than prepared to do whatever was required.
"Victor
sat down on the memorial steps pondering his spiritual experience,
and became conscious that he was now looking at the statue of Prince
Albert, sitting regally on a throne (to his mind, like God), with
angels above spiraling upwards to a cross at the top of the memorial.
Everything seemed to be converging to symbolize what the Spirit
was now in the process of revealing to him. The experiences left
him feeling tired and he felt that he should cross the street and
sit in the quiet of the Royal Albert Hall.
"Once
inside and seated, Victor put his head back to rest and as he looked
upward, he was impressed by the massive, domed ceiling that resembled
the universe and he began thinking about all the great activities
that had happened in the Albert Hall over time.
"By now,
the feeling that something hugely important was about to enter his
life had saturated his heart and mind, and he wondered whether he
ought to be trying to search the Albert Hall basements for some
book or other for the truth as to where God was. After contemplation,
he felt that he should leave the building and continue to follow
the spiritually-directed inclinations he was receiving.
"The idea
came to him that perhaps 'the book' might be found in one of the
well-known museums due south of him, at the bottom of Exhibition
Road. He set off in that direction—having no idea that this is where
one of our chapels is located.
"As Victor
walked, and wondered, he had a mixed sense of excitement and reverence
for his unknown guiding force since his original question was such
an important one. In his determination to get to the museums, he
once more failed to notice a building that he had passed many times
- the Hyde Park Chapel.
'Peter Walker, Former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry,
Westminster, London, England, April 1975'
© Reg Wilkins
"However,
in my brother's words: ‘As I was looking ahead toward the museum,
it was as if heavenly hands gently turned my head to the left so
that I was now looking at a burst of light coming from a notice
board poster. At the same time, an internal voice was telling me:
'Concentrate on this as if your life depended on it, for it does'.’
"My brother
said: ‘I felt transfixed, as if laser beams connected my eyes to
the picture, which, as I drew closer, revealed the figure of the
Saviour with his arms outstretched toward me and the people of ancient
America who were also shown in the poster. At that wonderful moment,
I felt as if a volcano of light was surging up inside me. I had
the overwhelming sensation that this message was crucial.’
Reg continues.
"At this point, a young sister missionary emerged from the
chapel and asked Victor if he would like to know the history of
the scene depicted in the poster. She explained that he could read about
it in a special book of scripture called the Book of Mormon.
Of course, my brother could hardly believe his ears.
"He recalls
that the minute the book was placed in his hands and he flipped
through its pages, he knew this was it, the book by which he could
find God. He was also presented with a second hardbound book called
Meet the Mormons. This was a fairly comprehensive, illustrated
book outlining what Latter-day Saints believe. As well as fundamental
beliefs, the second book gave an overview of church history, where
the Book of Mormon came from, details about priesthood, the
restoration, revelation, church government and more. When my brother
returned home, three miles away, it was around 5:00pm.
"He commenced
reading and didn't stop until the following morning at 5:00am, having
read Meet the Mormons in its entirety, and various parts
of the Book of Mormon. "In Victor's words: ‘I simply
could not put the book down. I didn't want to eat, or drink. As
I became sleepy, I prayed for strength for further concentration
and enlightenment. I read, I pondered, I prayed, I was taught by
the Spirit, I read some more - and repeated that cycle through the
entire night. By five a.m., I felt as though I could sleep for a
thousand years and nodded off. Yet despite that, by eight a.m.,
I awoke feeling fully refreshed and with a burning desire to be
baptized.’
"Victor
immediately dressed and went to the Hyde Park chapel but, in his
enthusiasm, failed to realize that no one would normally be there
at that time in the morning. However, the Lord, knowing my brother's
faith and sincerity, provided missionary sisters who just 'happened'
to go to the chapel at that unusual hour.
"As Victor
related his experiences to the somewhat astounded missionaries -
especially when he asked for immediate baptism - their response
was understandably: ‘But you can't be baptized yet, you don't know
enough. There are a series of discussions that we need to share
with you first.’
"To this,
my brother's response was, ‘Fine, but its not necessary, because
I know the Church is true. I'm ready to be baptized.’ One of the
missionaries interjected, ‘But we need to teach you about things
like tithing. Do you realize that members give ten percent of their
income to the Church?’
"The missionaries
were staggered when my brother replied, ‘Ten percent! Is that all?
I would gladly give all that I have to know God, here, take my camera!’
He knew from their meeting the previous day that one of the missionaries
admired his professional camera.
"The three,
together with the mission president, later agreed that it would
be wise to complete all the discussions, and soon after, Victor
was baptized.
At this time,
Reg and Victor worked together. They were employed by the internationally
famous fashion photographer, David Montgomery (see previous
article entitled New Exhibition For Award Winning English LDS
Photographer), and were daily photographing the rich, royal,
famous and fashionable all over the world.
Reg continues.
"It was into this somewhat worldly studio environment that
my brother came one morning to announce his newfound faith. I have
to say, in all honesty, that I thought he was having some sort
of nervous breakdown and becoming a religious fanatic. He was so
excited about his discovery and scriptures were tumbling out of
his vocabulary. It all seemed very new and strange to me.
"He tried
patiently to share his faith and feelings with me. And because we
daily created photographic prints in the darkroom together - such
as seen in Vogue magazine and the like - he had me as a captive
audience. Once the light was switched off in the darkroom there
was no getting out until the print was completed!
Over the two
years that followed, whenever the brothers were in the darkroom
together, Victor made sure that Reg heard virtually every talk and
music tape by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, General Authorities,
and BYU professors' firesides, that he could find.
"I used
to pretend I wasn't really listening," says Reg, "but
much of what I did hear drew me. Because I had traveled extensively,
I had encountered many beliefs and had a great deal of respect for
them. Now, I began to feel the Spirit whisper that this one was
special and my serious attention was required.
"I talked
these feelings through with my wife, Wendy. We had two children
at the time and we eventually agreed that we should have my brother
arrange for the missionaries to formally teach us. In those days,
it was usual to have the ward Seventy—who was normally the ward
mission leader—involved in such discussions, and he and his wife,
both of whom were artists, often attended. We immediately felt the
Spirit of all these wonderful people which fused with the truths
as they were unfolded in each discussion.
"We were
baptized on the 30th May 1969."
'Church, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, April 1974'
© Reg Wilkins
Reg relates
that Victor has served faithfully in the Church in various callings
for the past 35 years, most notably as a ward mission leader, high
councilor and bishop. He is especially gifted in missionary work
and has been instrumental in bringing hundreds of people into the
Church.
He adds, "Over
the years, Wendy and I have come to know, through the same channel
of revelation and our own spiritual experiences, that life does
not end at death, that our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ,
love us so much; that this church has been provided with a
prophet at its head under Christ to assist us on our journey through
life. It's so encouraging to know that the challenges that we continue
to face daily play a vital role in our individual spiritual development.
If we make the best possible use of our time here on earth, we will
eventually enjoy a maximum capacity for happiness with loved ones
and eternal salvation.
Reg and Wendy
Wilkins are members of the Whitechapel Ward, Hyde Park Stake, in
London, England, and have six children - four daughters and two
sons - and sixteen grandchildren, with more on the way. After serving
in numerous callings in the Church including High Councilor and
Counselor in several bishoprics, Reg was ordained and set apart
as the Bishop of the Wandsworth Ward in south London in 1977. Other
callings have followed including Public Affairs Director for the
Crawley Stake. He is currently serving as Sunday School President
of the London’s Whitechapel Ward.
Reg concludes,
"I sometimes shudder to think what might have happened to us
all if my brother had not listened to that inner voice all those
years ago as he walked in the park. Thinking about it reminds me,
‘Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is vain for anyone
to minister without it.’- Joseph Smith Teachings pp160. And
from Doctrine & Covenants 76:10, ‘For by my Spirit will
I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the
secrets of my will - yea even those things which eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.’
Article by LDS
author, Anne Bradshaw
www.annebradshaw.com
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