On Sept. 23, 2017, Steven Sellers chose to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Steven is majoring in software engineering at BYU-Idaho.
When Steven was 6 or 7, he heard about the Church from his friends who grew up as members. He loved staying at their homes and enjoying the peaceful environment. He noticed that the family members treated each other well and attended church regularly. Steven wasn’t accustomed to these kinds of traditions.
The first missionary lesson Steven participated in came when he received an email from his friend who was serving a mission. Steven said the email invited him to meet over a video call to catch up. His friend ended up sharing the message of the Restoration.
By the time he met with the missionaries, Steven knew more doctrine than most people investigating the church. The doctrine that impressed him the most was the three kingdoms of glory.
“‘So, you’re telling me that if I’m the worst person I can possibly be, if I never repent, I will still live in a kingdom where I am happy?'” Steven said he asked the missionaries.
Steven had reached a turning point. Growing up, his Catholic priests taught him that if he did not go to church or obey the commandments he would go to Hell. Steven had always followed God out of fear.
When Steven received the message of the plan of salvation, he learned how to follow God out of love.
The missionaries asked Steven if he believed in the doctrine that he’d learned. Steven said he felt the truthfulness of the message. He had a feeling that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon was the word of God. Once Steven shared these two truths with the missionaries, they extended the invitation to be baptized.
Around 50 people attended his baptism; he had only invited 5 people. It was an unforgettable experience for Steven.
When Steven came out of the baptismal font, he felt clean.
The time Steven had spent with the missionaries encouraged him to want to become a missionary. Steven began his missionary papers a year after his baptism.
When he talked to his stake president about becoming a missionary, his stake president told him that he had something the Lord needed.
Steven served in the Philippines, where he grew up.
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