The Little Seeds that Grow - Part I
When I was in 6th grade, my family moved out to Salt Lake from Oklahoma City. This was a MAJOR crisis in my life at that age. We moved a lot, like I can't even name all of the elementary schools I went to because there was at least one or two every year. We were never settled. Different state, different city or just a different part of town.
A couple times it was a relief to move because I had a hard time making friends back then. (A chubby girl with a bad haircut and a boy name.. Oh the stories of elementary school!) But, hard to believe, sometimes I finally had a best friend and it seemed traumatic to start all over again. I realize now how much this really taught me to be adaptable and happy in my circumstances, but you obviously don't see the big picture when you're young. Lucky I did always have at least one friend, no matter where I moved... my sister! Wherever I went there she was, whether I wanted her or not. Haha!
As a child my "home" was never the house that we were currently living in. Home was always that same first address and first phone number I learned (which crazily I can still recite today. Mind you, I barely remember my husbands birthday.) Nana & Papas house in Oklahoma City was always home.
When they moved into this house from Phoenix I was 3 or 4. My mom flew me out there for a visit, but I never went back to Arizona. I didn't want to leave, I wouldn't. I loved this house with the huge backyard and loved these people too much to leave, so mom packed up the other two kids and moved to Oklahoma City too. (I make it sound like we moved there just because of me, but I'm sure she missed them as much as I did because she moved us in right across the street!)
We made a few moves to far away places like Denver, but finally made it back "home" to Oklahoma. It wasn't even a year before there was talk of going to Utah. We had gone out there for a little visit to meet my mom's new in-laws and see our new siblings, but it was REALLY far away. I remember hearing something about Mormons after that trip. I only remember this because we started learning about the Mormon Pioneers in my 5th grade class. I raised my hand and said, "Hey, my step-dad is a Mormon." I didn't know what that really meant, but the kids in my class certainly did because the class gasped.
My family went to church on and off when I was little but it wasn't a "Mormon church." I knew there was a God, I knew there was a Jesus. I knew stories from the Bible and to be nice to people. What I didn't really know was that there were different religions. I guess, I mean different Christian religions.
I knew what I knew and I don't really know where exactly I learned it all, but my core beliefs haven't changed to this day.
Some people say they know the exact moment they gained a testimony. But, I think a testimony is more than just one moment or a single experience. For me, that moment in class was my first light bulb in religion.
Even though I threw a fit at the time for making us move again, and farther away than every before, I see this did kind of make for a perfect time for my mom and step-dad to move us to Salt Lake City! The beginning of my 6th grade year, we moved there to be part of the LDS culture and get into The Church. Which was super annoying and made no sense to a pre-teen. Like I said before, MAJOR crisis.
But, when we met with the missionaries another light bulb clicked. I had seen these guys before! The two guys in the white shirts with ties had knocked on the door before in Oklahoma. We had to be quiet so they didn't think we were home, but when they didn't go away I remember Nana was super nice to them but told them she wasn't interested. (I remember this happening twice)
Obviously, these weren't the same EXACT guys with us in Utah, but their messages were just the same as we could have received in Oklahoma. This makes me so grateful for missionaries that go all over the world, planting seeds that they don't even realize are being planted. I'm sure those missionaries were super excited when a friendly face answered the door, but were crushed when another one turned them away. They'll never know that the little girl in the background was watching, curious about that little blue book and one day would be baptized with her family.
