This is my firm testimony of my conversion to The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days.
My name is LeAnn Layton and grew up in West Valley City, Utah in a strong LDS home. My husband and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. We have both held various positions in the LDS church and have always an active member. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined something of such great magnitude could happen to me. Let me back up and give you a little bit of background. In April of 1997 some good friends of ours told us that they are joining the “True and Living Church of Jesus Christ Saints of the Last Days”. I was astonished and quickly jumped to conclusions and wondered why on earth they would do such a thing. All I knew about their church was that they were living the gospel as they were back in Joseph Smith’s time and that they were practicing their religion in Manti, Utah.
My husband, Chris, was intrigued by what his friend Harvey had to say about his new beliefs. I, on the other hand, did not want to hear about the deep doctrine because these teachings were new to me and they made me feel uncomfortable. I had always had a testimony of the LDS church and never had reason to question it. Chris was led by the spirit to seek these mysteries and he needed to find out if they were true or not. Chris at first did not speak to his friend for several weeks. Chris felt as if his friend had died. After awhile, it started to bother me that we would treat our friends like enemies just because they joined a new church. I persisted and told Chris to call them just to let them know that we would still accept them as our friends although we did not fully understand why they chose to leave the LDS church.
Chris continued to tell me some of the things that he was learning but I didn’t want to listen. It was very upsetting to me to have Chris start questioning the LDS church. We were always good standing LDS members and served in several church positions. We spent endless times discussing these new doctrines I had never heard of. I felt very uneasy because I did not have the answers like Chris did. Chris was so driven and wanted so desperately to talk to someone but I was not ready.
In July of 1997 Chris was accepted into the Masters Program for Physical Therapy at Loma Linda University. We immediately moved to California and we were excited to start a new adventure in life. I distinctly remember telling Chris that now he would not have to bother with that new religion anymore and just focus on school. Needless to say, Chris continued to read and study the doctrine and I could see a big change come upon him.
Harvey continued to keep in touch and informed Chris that the Models (which were taught by James Harmston) were being given the first weekend in October of 1997. Harvey made arrangements for Chris to fly to Salt Lake City and then he could attend the Models. I was very reluctant to let him go but I knew Chris had to find out for himself if that church was true or not. During that weekend Chris called me to see how things were going. I then asked him how he was and he said he had just been taught by “a true prophet of God.” I can’t say I was surprised to hear him say that but I was still stunned!
That night I cried and pleaded like I had never before to the Lord. I was confused and needed some answers quick. I needed a reassurance that I was not going astray and turned to the Lord for help. I knew I needed to continue to have faith and I knew deep down inside that everything would be all right.
Sunday evening I picked Chris up from the airport and from that moment he stepped foot into the truck I could strongly sense the change in him and his countenance seemed to glow. After we arrived home, Chris took me in his arms and we both just wept. I spoke some of my feelings then finally got the courage to ask him what he found out and exactly what he was going to do about it. Chris proceeded to tell me that he was overcome by the Holy Spirit and he knew James Dee Harmston was a true prophet of God. He continued and said that he made a covenant with God to go down to Manti and help re-establish the only true church on this earth.
I was in total shock! I did not know what to say and felt out of control. After regaining my composure, I started to calm down and listen to what Chris had to say. Chris proceeded to tell me he had agonized over this decision and he knew the possibility that he could lose his family. I knew it was my duty to listen to my husband because I have always loved and respected him. We have always had a great marriage and I knew Chris only wanted the best for his family and would do whatever God wanted him to do. Slowly the spirit worked upon me and I soften my heart. Chris continued to explain that God expects one to sacrifice everything in order to prove their willingness to serve Him. He also laid out the eternal plan of salvation and opened up the whole picture to my view. Chris related with great power the experiences he had from attending the Models along with his testimony. I could not help but be overwhelmed with all the knowledge and information he was giving me. I felt compelled to listen intently and continued to ask more and more questions to get a further understanding of the doctrines. That night as we prayed to God a overwhelming peaceful feeling rested upon my soul.
Needless to say I did not sleep more than a couple of hours that evening. My mind felt as if it was going to explode. The spirit was bursting in my soul and I knew it was the Holy Ghost within me testifying of the truths Chris had taught me. I spent a lot of time on my knees praying to God to give me a witness that this was the direction I should be going. As I prayed that evening I felt a overpowering spirit being consumed throughout my whole entire body. I felt as if I were on fire. I knew God had given me a witness that James Dee Harmston was indeed the only true and living prophet on this earth and He had restored God’s church in these last days. I felt as if I had truly awakened and my vision and path was so clear. Within three weeks we packed our things and gathered with the Saints in Manti. We stepped out in faith and within days of arriving Chris found a job and found a home in Manti. Everything perfectly fell into place. We were baptized on October 29, 1997.
In closing, I would like to declare my solemn testimony to the world. The LDS church is in a complete state of apostasy. They have transgressed the laws, broken the everlasting covenant and changed every ordinance that would ever establish a Zion society. I testify with firmness that James Dee Harmston has been ordained by God to establish His church in these Last Days. We are a small remnant of God’s elect and have been foreordained to reestablish Zion on this earth. We have been given the only true keys of the priesthood to open up the veil. I testify that through using the True Order of Prayer I have opened up the veil and have been in the presence of Diety. I testify that Adam is God. I encourage all to diligently seek for further light and knowledge and seek out the mysteries of God for yourself that you may find out for yourselves the truths I have in solemnity testified of.
“I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, which know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.” (Mosiah 1:5)
Of these things I declare to be true, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.