“Answers from the Pageant,” Ensign, Apr. 2003, 41
Answers from the Pageant
I had been a television broadcaster for 20 years and was anchoring the evening news for a Phoenix, Arizona, station when I was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After several discussions, the sister missionaries issued the baptismal challenge to me and my husband, Neil. But while I wanted to accept the challenge and move forward, I also had some fears.
When my father learned of my interest in the LDS Church, he and a friend pummeled me with an onslaught of negative propaganda, including allegations that Latter-day Saints worship a “different” Jesus. Although many of the accusations seemed absurd, I didn’t know how to defend my new faith. The reporter in me wanted answers, but I could only cry “Not true! Not true!” without any proof to back up my feelings.
About this time, our neighbors invited us to attend the “must-see” Mesa Arizona Easter pageant. It was a rainy, cold night when we arrived, but during the opening prayer, the rain suddenly stopped. Immediately, I felt strongly that we were in the right place.
The rest of the evening taught me how much the Latter-day Saints did indeed believe in Jesus Christ. In fact, the script was all taken from the very Bible I had grown up with! As I watched scene after beautiful scene, I had the overwhelming feeling that right there in front of me, on that huge stage, were the very answers I had been searching for.
When the pageant ended, I left the temple grounds feeling as if I were floating on air. I knew I had the power and the strengthened resolve to face my father and his friend and to answer every one of their allegations. My growing testimony had the reinforcement it needed, and I knew I was going in the right direction.
With newfound courage, I pressed forward in my new faith, and less than a month later, my husband and I were baptized. A year later, my husband and I found ourselves once again at the pageant—this time with my co-anchors from the television station. Now we were the missionaries, sharing with our friends the changing power and spirit of the life of our Savior Jesus Christ.