"Of course, it's hard to believe..."

Last week when the sisters met for District Relief Society, the District RS President began her lesson by asking the sisters to recall their conversions.

First of all, I realized that of the 19 women in the room, these women had all been baptized within the last 13 years, except for me and Sister Allen. A young sister sat behind us to translate, but I took hurried notes.

• "When I first met the missionaries, the spirit was so strong that I just KNEW. I loved everything they told us. All my family was there, but I was the only one."


• I believed everything from the start. I told the missionaries, "What do I have to do to be baptized?" And they said, "Well, you have to hear the discussions."


• I believed everything they taught us, eveything but Joseph Smith. For a long time. And then I realized, 'Well, we need revelation now, today, just as much as they needed it in the 4th century.' And I understood.


• This missionary came to us and he could hardly speak a word of Russian. Not a word, really. (And the other one, he could speak some. ) But here he was. And to think that he had come so far, all the way across the ocean, and to our c o l d country, just so he could share this message. He couldn't say anything, but his presense--just his being there--well, he brought the Spirit. And we felt it. Afterwards my daughter said, "Did you feel how good it felt when they were here?!"


• When they first told me about Joseph Smith, I saw their picture and I was so jealous. I thought, "How come he gets to be there, and he gets to talk to them? Why can't it be me?"


• "Well, first of all, of course it's hard to believe [Joseph Smith]. At first I thought it was made up stories. But then the Spirit touches you--and you KNOW"


• At the end of their lesson, the missionaries asked me to pray. It was so unexpected, I said, "No, I can't. I don't know how." But they said, "It's OK." And, well, the things I felt during that prayer--I can't explain, but it has meant so much to me.