Racing to Read

By Sister Silvia H. Allred

First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

When ye shall read these things, … ponder it in your hearts (Moroni 10:3).

When I was 14 years old, two missionaries knocked at our door. They began teaching my family about the true nature of God. In the visits that followed, they taught us how to pray. They also taught us about the Restoration and the plan of salvation. After the third or fourth visit, most of my family stopped listening to the missionaries, except for my 17-year-old sister, Dina, and me. We both felt the witness of the Holy Ghost in our hearts and received the spiritual confirmation that the message was true.

My sister and I obtained a copy of the Book of Mormon and began reading it. Every day after school, we raced home to get to the book first. While the first one home was reading, the other one impatiently waited until mealtime, ate in a hurry, and then took her turn reading until bedtime. Such was the excitement we felt.

We started attending church, and soon we asked to be baptized. Our father gave his permission, but our mother was hesitant. It took one more month before she signed the permission slip. On the day of our baptism, the rest of our family went to church for the first time. Mother felt the Spirit. After hearing our testimonies, she asked the missionaries to start teaching her again. A few weeks later, Mother and our younger sister and brothers were baptized.

You might be asking yourself: How can I do missionary work? You can begin by being a good neighbor and a good friend. Set an example of righteousness and kindness. Let your smile radiate love, peace, and happiness. This is the Lord’s work, and He will help us do it.

Illustration by Elise Black