This is my talk:
Hi. My name’s Casey
Watts and I’m from the Allen 1st ward. I was baptized on December 15th,
2013 but my heart was converted to this wonderful gospel long before then.
My 3 year long journey
to my baptism started on a simple day in my freshman gym class where I was
invited to a nativity at my friend’s church. I was thrilled and immediately
said yes. So that Friday night I dragged my family to a big beautiful white
building on Exchange Parkway where my friend took me to all the nativities and
told me the different stories of each set and about Jesus’s birth. I LOVED it.
I had this indescribable feeling inside the whole time; that feeling was the
Spirit. My family wanted to leave early because they wanted to go see the
Christmas tree lighting at city hall. Reluctantly, I left, but not that long
after I left my friend texted me and invited me to church with him. So on
December 19th, 2010 I attended the Christmas program of the Allen
first ward. I loved every second of it, so much that I asked to go to church
with him again in February and I just kept going.
One day I decided to
ask my friend where I could get my own scriptures, before then I had been
borrowing one from the library every Sunday. He walked away and not too long
after that 2 strange men with nametags came up to me and handed me a Book of
Mormon. They were missionaries. They invited me to take the discussions with them
and told me that I needed to get my parents’ permission to do so. I thought my
parents would like the idea, so when they told me no I was shocked and
discouraged. I continued to ask my parents for permission to take the
discussions over and over and over again. In July of 2012 they finally agreed.
So I started my discussions with Elder Lyman and Elder Whiting on Tuesday and
finished them that Friday. Yes, it only took me a week to finish them. At the
end of the last discussion, Elder Whiting asked if I would get baptized. I said
yes, but I had to get my parents’ permission. I wasn’t surprised when my answer
was no. I just kept pressing forward like I was a baptized member of the
Church. I attended early morning seminary, earned my young woman’s medallion,
bore my testimony on fast Sundays and so much more.
But I went through a
huge trial in my life. I gave up on asking my parents if I could get baptized
and decided to just wait until I turned 18. I stopped reading my scriptures and
praying as often. My testimony was faltering. A couple missionaries offered to
come teach me, but I made up stories about why they couldn't, just because I didn't want to be taught.
One day we got a new
missionary named Elder Christensen. He heard my story and decided I was going
to get baptized before he left. He kept trying different things to talk to me.
But I just kept ignoring him and avoiding him at church. One day, though, he
caught me before I could get away and he gave me a little piece of paper. It
was a quote that said “Faith in God includes faith in His timing” with a little
letter on the back about how much I inspired him. That little note put me back
on the right path. Soon my testimony was as strong as ever.
I decided to ask my
parents again and they told me they would think about it. On November 11th
Elder Christensen and his companion Elder Saenger got a phone call from a
screaming 17 year old girl who had finally gotten the permission to enter the
waters of baptism.
Elder Christensen
baptized me on December 15th and I received the Gift of the Holy
Ghost the next week on the 22nd. My testimony has continued to grow
and it is as strong as it has ever been. I’ve done baptisms for the dead, I’ve done
mini missions and I finished my new member discussions with two of the best
missionaries I have ever met – Elder Christensen and his new companion Elder
Payne.
So here I am, 3 years
later a totally changed person all because of one question. It’s as simple as
that. I took President Durrant’s challenge to ask someone to meet with the
missionaries every week for 6 weeks and it was amazing, brothers and sisters.
So amazing that I kept with it. And my challenge for myself is to invite
someone every week this year. This church is the best thing that has ever
happened to me and because of the pure joy it brings me I want to share it with
the people I love.
*testimony*
Okay, so I didn't completely look at the talk as I was speaking. I mean, it was my conversion story, I know it pretty well. :)
But when I turned around to sit back down, President Durrant looked me straight in the eyes and said "Good job, Casey!!!!" and when the meeting was over he bee-lined to me and told me how proud he was of me. The MISSION PRESIDENT was proud of me. That really means a lot to someone who is trying so hard to be a missionary without the name tag.
Elder Payne and Elder Murphy (Elder Christensen was on an exchange, so he missed it.) had come yesterday to support me. That meant more than they would ever know to me. Because they had to switch back, they had to leave early, and since I was the first speaker after a member from the stake presidency welcomed us and talked for a couple minutes about the topics of the night, they only came for me. 30 minutes they could have stayed in the apartment eating food, or tracting, or talking, or teaching and they spent it on me. In fact, they left right after I finished my talk, so they missed the rest of conference (which included Sister and President Durrant's talks).
So today I was walking around being the little happy person I am and I saw some of my little missionary friends. Elder Murphy shook my hand and expressed how much he loved my talk and that he gave it 10 out of 10 stars. WOW. How cool is that?!?!
That was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I loved every second of it and I'm SO grateful for wonderful missionaries and fellow members around me. If I hadn't had the strong support system I do, there's NO WAY I would be able to get up and do that.
I love this Church and everyone in it.
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