"Our religion should be incorporated
within ourselves, a part of our being that cannot be laid off"
Fun Fact: In 1849-1852 Serves a mission in Italy, where he supervised the publication of the Book of Mormon in Italian.
History: Lorenzo Snow's conversion is fascinating. He clearly stated that his conversion was merely a matter of reason. He understood that being baptized was the right thing to do, but he had no manifestation of the Holy Ghost, but that he expected one. “This manifestation did not immediately follow my baptism, as I expected,” he recalled. “But, although the time was deferred, when I did receive it, its realization was more perfect, tangible and miraculous than even my strongest hopes had led me to anticipate. One day while engaged in my studies, some two or three weeks after I was baptized, I began to reflect upon the fact that I had not obtained a knowledge of the truth of the work—that I had not realized the fulfillment of the promise: ‘He that doeth my will shall know of the doctrine;’ [see John 7:17] and I began to feel very uneasy. Then , he explains that the knelt and prayed to Heavenly Father and through sincere prayer, He let him know. “I had no sooner opened my lips in an effort to pray, than I heard a sound, just above my head, like the rustling of silken robes, and immediately the Spirit of God descended upon me, completely enveloping my whole person, filling me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and O, the joy and happiness I felt! No language can describe the instantaneous transition from a dense cloud of mental and spiritual darkness into a refulgence of light and knowledge, as it was at that time imparted to my understanding. I then received a perfect knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and of the restoration of the Holy Priesthood, and the fullness of the gospel. I can relate a lot to Prophet Snow conversion story. I was baptized because I knew it was the right thing to do, but I knew that I must receive a confirmation through the Holy Ghost. It was a gradual experience for me, I can't say there was one moment, but various ones that confirmed that Heavenly Father understood me. It's beautiful to remember the moment that it all made sense! Through the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, that calming and peaceful feeling one receives when the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, is an unexplainable feeling.
Chapter 3: Lifelong Conversion: Continuing to Advance in the Principles of Truth
President Snow taught that if we desire to increase in our faith and spiritual knowledge, we must exert ourselves. By gaining a testimony of our God, it is a necessity for one to advance a little and obtain a knowledge of those things which we should more fully understand. Our testimony is ours, such as our experiences are ours and no one can take those experiences away from us. You cannot depend on your neighbor for that testimony, it has to profoundly come from you and your personal experiences from God. He compared it to playing a flute. It may not be natural at first, there had to be a great deal of patience and labor before it became natural to go through with the tune. I really enjoyed reading Prophet Snow's talks. He made constant comparisons of his life and ordinary earthly concepts to our faithfulness to God and to me that helps me learn and understand the teachings better. Personal experiences take you a long way. They may be to help someone around you or for your future children, but there are always reasons why it happens and it is all part of God's mysterious plan.
