Conversion

January 23, 2024 08:30 AM MST
A series of remarkable promptings and experiences led a world-class cellist back to the faith she’d decidedly left more than 20 years earlier.
11 Min Read
December 18, 2023 09:56 AM MST
2023 was an incredible year for the All In podcast. See the highlights here.
1 Min Read
December 07, 2023 07:00 AM MST
Ariana and Briana Mendez share a lot of things as twins, but they never anticipated finding and sharing a belief in the restored gospel.
5 Min Read
November 09, 2023 03:32 PM MST
Abish started out with God and eventually found the Church. I started out with the Church and have spent my life searching for God.
7 Min Read
October 09, 2023 02:45 PM MDT
Carol shares how her path to baptism started with seeing the Osmonds on TV, but nearly ended when she learned of the priesthood and temple restriction.
10 Min Read
July 26, 2023 09:27 AM MDT
Being a mother in a mixed-faith marriage has given Ashli unique insight into agency, eternity, and God’s never-ending love.
8 Min Read
July 20, 2023 05:37 PM MDT
I was hoping for an international church experience in Japan—but I got a very different outcome instead.
6 Min Read
June 13, 2023 11:04 AM MDT
No one is ever too old to step into the waters of baptism. Whether you’re 8 or 108, a covenant relationship with God is something to celebrate. Here are 19 products to help a friend or family member cherish their baptism and remember the promises they made.
1 Min Read
June 09, 2023 05:00 AM MDT
In 1967, Isaac Thomas walked onto the Missouri Valley College campus on fraternity pledge night. As one of only 32 black students at the school, he stood out starkly, but, being an outgoing young man fresh from an all-black high school, Thomas didn’t think anything of it. He had never come face to face with the violence and hatred racism breeds—until that night.
26 Min Read
June 01, 2023 12:12 PM MDT
Eduardo Maradiaga didn’t know it then, but the photo he took of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple was about to go on a journey that would give him and his family hope as they started new lives in the US.
11 Min Read
May 04, 2023 12:26 PM MDT
In his early thirties, Jon made two important discoveries that helped him to no longer feel alone: he was Autistic, and he belonged in the gospel of Jesus Christ
9 Min Read
December 13, 2022 08:00 AM MST
Editor’s note: The following excerpt has been adapted from Voice of the Saints in Mongolia, the first comprehensive history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that nation.
2 Min Read
November 27, 2022 12:34 PM MST
A recent convert in Spain. A Farsi-speaking sister missionary in California. An accidental but special phone call to bring them together.
7 Min Read
November 21, 2022 08:00 AM MST
After Batchimeg told Soyolmaa that they could serve a mission, they decided to put in their mission papers together around March or April 1995.
3 Min Read
November 02, 2022 12:34 PM MDT
Elder Carlos A. Godoy’s story comes to life with clever and nostalgic animations reminiscent of the aesthetic and pop culture of the 1970s.
1 Min Read
September 30, 2022 03:09 PM MDT
When Chris Schoebinger was a senior in high school, he moved out of his home and into the home of, unbeknownst to him, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
3 Min Read
September 28, 2022 02:36 PM MDT
When an unfamiliar woman came to Steven Collis’s book signing, he had no idea she would reveal an ending to the story more miraculous than he imagined.
8 Min Read
August 10, 2022 03:39 PM MDT
A distraught teenager sought to leave his troubles behind and find relief in the US. He would not only find peace in the gospel but also help introduce it to South Dakota.
10 Min Read
August 09, 2022 04:00 PM MDT
Conversion is a process we continue to experience each and every day as we center our lives on the gospel of Jesus Christ and make His teachings a part of who we are.
4 Min Read
July 26, 2022 11:57 AM MDT
As NYC fashion photographer Kah Poon chases the perfect moment from behind his lens, he’s grateful for a faith that reminds him to look beyond his camera and see the bigger picture.
13 Min Read
Hundreds of Mozambiquans are joyfully entering the waters of baptism as COVID restrictions ease.
1 Min Read
June 01, 2022 01:23 PM MDT
Ed Willis authored the raw, gritty memoir, ‘Panther to Priesthood.’ From matters of race to matters of the heart, here are a few principles he wants you to know.
2 Min Read
April 26, 2022 07:44 AM MDT
There is no doubt that the Church is growing, and much of it is happening in unexpected areas of the world.
1 Min Read
March 25, 2022 09:30 AM MDT
After joining the Church in the US, Sahar Qumsiyeh began the difficult journey of living her faith and strengthening the Saints back in her homeland of Palestine.
11 Min Read
January 26, 2022 11:30 AM MST
Thurl Bailey played in a championship victory dubbed by Sports Illustrated as the greatest college basketball moment of the 20th century. But now Thurl’s focus is on what it means to be a champion in life.
16 Min Read
December 21, 2021 05:00 AM MST
Fatima Dedrickson still remembers her first day on the campus of Brigham Young University. Every person she passed was staring at her.
7 Min Read
December 14, 2021 02:00 PM MST
The Bonner Family is known for their soulful gospel music and heartfelt testimonies. Read about their history here.
10 Min Read
March 24, 2021 12:00 PM MDT
Ryan Blubaugh’s conversion story is filled with seeds being planted throughout his life, including by a friend in high school—a friend he would reach out to on Facebook after 29 years.
14 Min Read
March 12, 2021 09:44 PM MST
At first, Calyann Barnett filled the back of her Book of Mormon with evidence that it wasn’t true. But then a voice told her: “You can either believe or you can continue to be a skeptic.”
2 Min Read
November 19, 2020 03:20 PM MST
On this week’s episode of This is the Gospel, Ryan Cranney of Cranney Farms shares how one decision to donate more than two million pounds of potatoes led to an unlikely correspondence with a woman in Kenya and the miracles that have since followed.
3 Min Read
November 16, 2020 08:07 PM MST
When Renu Singh’s mother became ill, Singh started a search for the truth—a search that eventually led her to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
1 Min Read
September 30, 2020 12:00 PM MDT
On September 27, 2015, I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while attending Michigan State University. Before that, I wasn’t religious and struggled with many doubts—including whether God was even real. Now, five years later, I can easily see how Heavenly Father has been so good to me throughout my life, even when I wasn’t sure He was there.
11 Min Read
August 21, 2020 05:07 PM MDT
Emily Jane Zeigler knew she wanted to join the Church at age 14, but it took four long and trying years before she entered the waters of baptism.
1 Min Read
July 06, 2020 06:56 PM MDT
Speaking to mission presidents and companions and the 2020 Mission Leadership Seminar, Elder D. Todd Christofferson pointed to a “simple and profound” statement in Preach My Gospel: “The power of the Holy Ghost is central to conversion.”
1 Min Read
June 30, 2020 07:25 PM MDT
At the 2020 Mission Leadership Seminar, President Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women General President, spoke about the importance and the process of creating lifelong conversion.
1 Min Read
December 05, 2019 10:00 PM MST
This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading of Revelations 1-11. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Living for additional resources and suggestions.
1 Min Read
November 09, 2019 11:58 AM MST
The following is an excerpt from Elder John H. Groberg’s book Fire of Faith, which details his experiences with his family as he served as a mission president in Tonga. During his service, Elder Groberg helped plan a jubilee celebration for the Saints in Tonga and promised the missionaries that, leading up to the jubilee, 500 people would be baptized into the Church in one month. The number seemed impossible. In 1966 the total number of members baptized into the Church for the entire year was 604. In 1967, the number rose to 833, but Elder Groberg understood the Lord was working miracles to move His work forward in Tonga. Below are some of those miracles that helped bring 507 people into the Church in one month in Tonga.
4 Min Read
October 18, 2019 12:58 PM MDT
For Howard Wimberly of Greenwood, Florida, being friends with Albert Lane, a 97-year-old WWII veteran, has taught him one thing: It’s never too late in life to come unto Christ.
1 Min Read
By  LDS Living
October 15, 2019 03:47 PM MDT
"I knew there was a void in my life," Natalie says about a time when her boys were young. Her husband, Ryan, adds, "We both felt like something was missing and we were just at a lower point in our relationship with God." As Natalie and Ryan searched for a deeper connection with diety, they attended different churches every Sunday, but nothing helped them connect.
1 Min Read
October 09, 2019 01:00 PM MDT
"Having the knowledge of all my own mother endured, and being a part of that legacy, is why I cried when I heard the announcement. It’s why my mom gasped out loud — sitting in the Conference Center and hearing the announcement in person — and was flooded with emotion."
1 Min Read
September 28, 2019 09:30 AM MDT
From film to television to music, Latter-Day Saints have left an indelible mark on Hollywood, starring alongside legendary performers in the process. Here are the lucky few whose careers have been immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California.
8 Min Read
September 24, 2019 01:36 PM MDT
Latter-day Saint convert Karak Denyok Miakol was far too young to understand the religious and tribal complexities of a civil war that brought death and fear to her Sudanese homeland.
1 Min Read
August 28, 2019 01:20 PM MDT
When Daniel Ortner was 18 years old, his faith in God was shattered. "My mom, when I was in high school, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and she passed away shortly after my 18th birthday," Ortner says on a recent NPR podcast. Having grown up in a household where his mother "believed strongly in God" and his dad was "strong in his Jewish heritage," Ortner remembers celebrating Hanukkah, eating homemade latkes, and attending Jewish schools.
2 Min Read
August 01, 2019 01:06 PM MDT
On the day Sai Maddali was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he initially emerged from the water with feelings of peace and comfort.
6 Min Read
July 09, 2019 08:49 AM MDT
Jiyeon Maeng stood in front of a bustling North Korean farmer’s market wearing a gray sweater and glasses—exactly what she had been told to wear by a complete stranger over the phone days earlier. The voice on the phone said that if she followed his instructions, he would help her reunite with her husband, whom she had last seen eight months before.
13 Min Read
Lisa and Scott O'Neil had similar faith but different religions when they married 23 years ago, but they vowed to work together as a team through it all. Here's how their commitment to having a "house of faith" eventually led Scott to choose to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through baptism nearly two decades after their wedding. Hear more of Scott's conversion and testimony in this episode of the ALL IN podcast: http://bit.ly/2J22cWO Still haven’t subscribed to LDS Living on YouTube? ► https://www.youtube.com/user/LDSLivin... CONNECT WITH LDS LIVING Web: www.ldsiving.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDSLiving/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ldsliving/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LDSLivingMag Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ldsliving/ WANT EVEN MORE? BofM365: https://www.instagram.com/bofm365/ Brightly Beams: https://www.instagram.com/brightly.beams/ ABOUT LDS Living gives expression to what it means to live as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By sharing practical information and seeking out the best things in Latter-Day Saint culture, we hope to empower our readers to make the most of the joys and challenges of life and enjoy their unique heritage to its fullest. We provide articles that inspire and uplift our readers with endless ideas, featuring articles online and in print on issues real-life Latter-day Saints are dealing with, recipes, self-help, parenting and relationship advice, behind-the-scenes looks, and in-depth coverage of a wide variety of topics important to Latter-day Saints.
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July 02, 2019 04:36 PM MDT
"We need to follow the Spirit and focus on individual people instead of baptism numbers," Elder Quentin L. Cook told mission leaders. "Please remember that missions baptize—not individual missionaries. Make sure that those who find, those who teach, and those who baptize a convert share the experience together." And to help make that happen, Elder Cook invited leaders to help give missionaries two gifts.
1 Min Read
Fun
By  LDS Living
June 13, 2019 02:22 PM MDT
It's an unlikely conversion story. Calyann Barnett initially wanted a Book of Mormon so she "could argue with me and prove me wrong about religion," Latter-day Saint Clarke Miyasaki posted on Instagram. Barnett added, "When I made my list of things I would NEVER do last year—believe in Jesus, join a religion, and get baptized as a Mormon—were at the top spots on that list."
1 Min Read
By  LDS Living
May 31, 2019 02:01 PM MDT
Jim was a devout Baptist for decades, with no intentions of changing his religion. In fact, having grown up in Clearfield, Utah, Jim was raised with what he calls an "anti-Mormon tilt."
1 Min Read
May 30, 2019 04:20 PM MDT
Glenn Beck was a teenager when his mother died by suicide. Having experienced depression as a boy, Beck recalls the oppressive grief and the feeling of inevitability that he would follow in his mother's footsteps. "You get to a place to where you think, 'Well, that's just in our blood. That's the way it works in our family, and I am going to repeat her mistakes,'" Beck says in the Good Morning America podcast Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris.
5 Min Read
May 20, 2019 08:07 PM MDT
Sandy beaches and turquoise ocean, skyscrapers and spas. Benidorm, Spain, is the perfect place for a vacation.
1 Min Read