My First Book of Mormon

I was looking through some books in my house the other day, and found an old blue Book of Mormon with an Angel Moroni on the front cover. (They don't make that kind anymore.)

I opened it and found that it was the first Book of Mormon I ever read all the way through.

It says

"Amy Stewart
Nov. 1, 72 read this book" (then the Nov. 1, 72 is crossed out. I was 13 years old.)

"March 10, 73" (then the March 10, 73 is crossed out.)

"1st Jan. 1974 --straight thru"
(I am assuming that this was the time that I finally made it all the way through reading it. I would have been 14 when I started and 15 when I finished, probably.)

"2nd time--Oct. 30, 74-- "

(I didn't record the ending time on either one of those dates.)




My family didn't have daily scripture study, so I would have never read the Book of Mormon with my family. Also, the Sunday School and Primary curriculum was much different back then, not as scripture intensive. So reading it on my own when I was 14-15 was a significant milestone in my life, the first time I had ever really heard all those stories straight from the scriptures.

I remember that I knew the Book of Mormon was true, I had no doubt. And I didn't have to wonder any more. I had my own testimony that it was true, and didn't have to rely on anyone else for that.

About 15 years ago, I visit taught a woman who had joined the Church as a teenager, had married in the temple, and had about 3 children. When hard times came to her and her husband, they started finding fault with the doctrines of the Church, and eventually ended their membership.

In the early stages of her dissatisfaction, I tried to help her by giving doctrinal lessons when I came visiting teaching. It finally came out that she had never read the Book of Mormon. She never had that burning testimony that it was true scripture from God, with the resulting testimony that Joseph Smith was a true prophet who had the priesthood authority and direct revelation from God to restore the true gospel on the earth again.

She had no foundation on which to continue in the Church, because she had never received a testimony of two of the three most important truths of the gospel. (She believed in Jesus Christ, but she could go to other churches which also taught about Jesus.) She only liked our church because she liked the comradery, the programs, the atmosphere. And interestingly enough, she liked the doctrine that there were more worlds than ours, that Jesus was the Savior of them all. But that wasn't enough, and she fell away.

I have a lot of foreboding about the future, I do not know how long it will be before the Second Coming of our Savior, I only know that the prophets have foretold that it will happen. Things are not going to get easier, it will be increasingly harder to live the Gospel. And we have to have a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet in order to live through the things that will be required of us.

I am so thankful that I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and of a living prophet on the earth today, guiding and directing the true Church of Jesus Christ.