It all began some 18 years ago. Mom, dad, brother, and I were the typical all american family. Mom was searching for a church and one day the missonaries knocked on our door and from the tender age of 8 untill  the "ripe old age" of 26 I didn't have a true spirtual leg to stand on.

In a time when all I needed was Jesus all I got was seriously brainwashed. During my teen years I became fed up with the way pressure was always being put on me. There was a level of perfection that I never felt that I could achieve and honestly I didn't want to. It was too complicated and strange to me. It always seemed like I was doing what "man" wanted for my life and not what God wanted for me. The only thing that kept me around was the whole temple marriage thing. Having my children and husband sealed to me was ingrained in my head at a very young age. All I can say now is.....how sad!

The summer of 2004 was the true turning point in my life. I met the most wonderful man and fell in love. Ryan is the type of person who tells you like it is. What you see is what you get and that was exactly what I needed. I needed someone to help me realize that this life belongs to me and not to "the church". Well, Ryan and I got married and we now have 2 precious children.

After being married for about 3 years we had a number of incidents with my mother and the church. I didn't want to go to that "church" anymore and it was taking awhile to break it to my family. My family and I had no idea what was about to happen. Last fall I was on the internet and starting reading some of the "Real" history of Joseph Smith and from there discovered all the other lies I had been fed. My heart sank. For about 3 days I stayed on the computer reading other peoples stories about why they left the church and for the first time in my life my eyes were opened. I felt word for word like these people. All those years of my mom telling me and my brother not to ever read anti-mormon literature finally made sense. There in the anti-mormon literature is the truth. So, after about 2 weeks I sat down with my mom and dad and told them I didn't want to be in the church anymore. I never had a testimony of Joe Blow and that I found it insane to teach young children to get up in front of their primary class and bear their testimony of old Joe. I also told her that I didn't want my own stinking planet either!!  Brainwashing is all it can be chalked up to. I knew I didn't want my children to be taught anything other than the simple truths of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact thats all I wanted for me too.

It's almost been a year now and all I can say is PRAISE GOD!!! We moved about an hour north of where we had been living. We thought we were moving because we wanted to get closer to Ryan's university...oh, how wrong were we. After living in this wonderful new area for about 2 months I felt is was time to find a church for our family. It was a beautiful April day and my  son and I were driving around looking at different churches. As I pulled into the parking lot of a First Baptist Church about 10 minutes from our house....I said to myself "This is it!"  I just had a wonderful feeling about it! To make a long story short we are now members of this wonderful church. There is a song by the group "Third Day" called Born Again. It is my anthem. I have truly been born again!! I have never felt so free and peaceful in my life. Ryan and I both said the sinners prayer and were baptized. Not a day goes by that I don't thank Jesus for what he did for me and thank God for my new life in Christ! The Bible is now my favorite book and I just get so drawn in everytime I pick it up!!

In closing, I would just like to bear my "REAL" testimony of Jesus Christ! I believe that Jesus died for ME and YOU! No matter what you have done you can do a u-turn and come to him. He was patiently waiting on me for years and he waits for each one of you. He will change your heart and make you new! He will give you peace and comfort in a world of sin! He will melt your heart with love if you only let him. Come to him!! He will never let you down!!